Making the Most of the American Express Platinum

The Platinum Card® from American Express — by name and color — may seem like a card intended for tech CEOs, real estate moguls and oil tycoon heirs. That's not necessarily true.

While this card might not suit frugal spenders and budget travelers, don’t be too quick to write it off before seeing what it offers. If you’re a traveler who wants to move about in style, values convenience over cost, and doesn’t mind paying a large annual fee when it’s justified, this card might be a good fit for you.

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How to maximize rewards earnings with The Platinum Card® from American Express

Earning the greatest overall rewards when you carry The Platinum Card® from American Express means knowing when to use it — and when you could get more value by using a different card in its place.

If you're traveling, booking your trip through American Express can be particularly lucrative. Booking through this portal, you'll earn 5 points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels. You'll also earn 5 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines. All other purchases earn 1 point per dollar. (The 5X points on flights booked through American Express or directly with airlines is good on up to $500,000 in such purchases each calendar year.)

To give you more flexibility when booking travel, consider combining The Platinum Card® from American Express with a more general travel card, like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which gives you 2 miles per $1 spent on most purchases. Those rewards can be redeemed for any travel purchase, not just travel booked through Capital One. Using this strategy, you could book your flight and hotel with The Platinum Card® from American Express and cover everything else with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or another general travel card.

Taking advantage of the card's perks

Many people will be hard-pressed to earn enough rewards on spending alone to cover the cost of this $895-annual-fee card. But where The Platinum Card® from American Express really shines is with its high-end luxury perks (terms apply, see rates and fees):

Airport lounge access

The Platinum Card® from American Express grants you access to more than 1,500 airport lounges, including the Centurion Lounge network, 10 visits to Delta Sky Clubs per year, Airspace Lounges and Priority Pass lounges. Enrollment required. (You can get unlimited visits to Delta Sky Clubs if you spend $75,000 each year.) Terms apply.

$200 annual airline fee credit

You can designate one airline per year when you enroll (from a list of qualified partners) to receive an airline fee credit of up to $200. Generally, the credit covers charges like baggage fees, airport lounge guest passes and in-flight refreshments.* Enrollment required; terms apply.

$600 hotel credit and status

• If you book a prepaid stay through American Express' travel portal with a property within the Fine Hotels + Resorts group or The Hotel Collection, you can receive statement credits up to $300 back, twice a year, to cover these purchases. 

• Cardholders receive complimentary Leaders Club Sterling Status with Leading Hotels of the World, which features more than 400 luxury properties. Sterling status comes with benefits like upgrade opportunities when available, daily breakfast for two, and more. Enrollment required.

• Terms apply.

Uber Cash and Uber One membership

The card offers two separate Uber-related perks:

• Once you add your card to your Uber account, you’ll automatically receive $15 Uber Cash each month ($35 in December) when you use the card to make purchases. You may use this credit to cover Uber rides or Uber Eats purchases. In total, you can get up to $200 annually.  Enrollment required.

• When you purchase an auto-renewing Uber One Membership, which costs $9.99 per month or $96 annually, you can get up to $120 in Uber credit toward the membership fee. Enrollment required.

• Terms apply.

CLEAR+® credit

You can get a credit toward the cost of a CLEAR+® membership each year when you pay for it with your card. An individual CLEAR+ membership costs $209 per year. Terms apply.

$300 digital entertainment credit

When you enroll you can get up to $25 back a month to cover the cost of Paramount+, YouTube Premium, YouTube TV, Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock and The Wall Street Journal when you put the expense on your card. Terms apply.

Walmart+ monthly membership credit

When you open a Walmart+ monthly membership and use this card to pay for it, you'll receive a statement credit to cover the cost. Terms apply.

$300 Equinox credit

When you pay for eligible Equinox club membership fees or the Equinox+ digital fitness app, you’ll get up to $300 to cover the cost. Terms apply.

SoulCycle At-Home Bike credit

If you have an Equinox+ membership and you purchase a SoulCycle At-Home Bike, you'll receive a $300 statement credit to help you cover the cost. You'll receive this benefit on up to 15 bikes per year. Enrollment required; terms apply.

$100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit

You’ll receive up to $100 in statement credits each year when you use your card at Saks Fifth Avenue. Enrollment required; terms apply.

Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck

Cardholders are eligible to receive either a statement credit every 4 years for the application fee for Global Entry or a statement credit every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck. Terms apply.

$400 Resy credit

You’ll receive $100 in dining credit each quarter, totaling $400 per year, that can be used at more than 10,000 U.S. Resy restaurants. Enrollment required; terms apply.

$300 Lululemon credit

Cardholders get $75 per quarter at Lululemon stores or online, totaling up to $300 each year. Enrollment required; terms apply.

$200 Oura credit

The card offers a $200 annual credit toward an Oura Ring purchase. Enrollment required; terms apply.

Getting the most out of The Platinum Card® from American Express

For the right cardholder, the perks above can more than make up for the lackluster rewards structure on The Platinum Card® from American Express, as the statement credits alone are worth over $3,500 — well more than the card's admittedly high annual fee.

Still, those credits won't match every cardholder's spending habits. And even when they do, keep in mind that you'll likely have to jump through some hoops to use them: Some of them are doled out incrementally, some of them require enrollment, and many of them will require you to track your spending over a period of time.

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Is The Platinum Card® from American Express right for you?

Given its limited rewards structure and complex perks, deciding whether The Platinum Card® from American Express is right for you will take some effort.

If you're able to take advantage of at least half of the available statement credits and don't mind purchasing most of your travel through the American Express Travel portal, The Platinum Card® from American Express can help you travel luxuriously. But if you find the bevy of statement credits and limited reward structure too restrictive to offer you much value, a travel card with more flexibility might be a better fit.

What's next?

• How to maximize The Platinum Card® from American Express

• Benefits of The Platinum Card® from American Express