American Express® Platinum Review

Overview

The American Express® Platinum is a flexible travel rewards card from American Express, running on the Amex network. The American Express® Platinum earns up to 5x on travel, so it pays you the most exactly where you already spend. It carries a $895 annual fee, so the real question is whether its rewards, credits, and perks clear that bar for the way you spend. New cardholders can earn 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after $12,000 in 6 months.

It sits at the premium end of the market, trading a steep annual fee for lounge access, statement credits, and travel protections. That makes the decision less about the rewards rate and more about whether you will use the perks enough to come out ahead.

Our 4.5 out of 5 rating

Each score weighs the rewards rate, value after the annual fee, welcome offer, points flexibility, and perks, with every point valued at a flat 1 cent. This is our editorial assessment to help you compare cards, not a guarantee of approval or of the value you will get.

Rewards: how it earns

Where the American Express® Platinum earns its rewards is its bonus categories: 5x on travel (about $90 a year on the $1,800 a typical household spends there). Across a full year of average household spending, the card returns roughly $364 in rewards before any welcome bonus, so the more your spending overlaps those categories, the better it does.

Every point and mile above is valued at a flat 1 cent, the same honest standard we use for every card. Run your own spending through the calculator to see what this card would actually return for you.

Pros and cons

The welcome bonus

The current welcome offer is 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points, earned after you spend $12,000 in 6 months. Valued honestly at a flat 1 cent per point, that is worth about $1,750. The spending requirement works out to roughly $2,000 per month, so make sure it fits your normal budget rather than pushing you to overspend. Stacking the welcome offer on top of a typical year of rewards and accounting for the $895 annual fee, the first year is worth roughly $1,219.

Is the annual fee worth it?

To come out ahead on the American Express® Platinum you need to clear its $895 annual fee. On typical spending it earns about $364 a year in rewards, and it carries up to $1,229 in statement credits. For the right spender it covers the fee, but it is worth running the math on your own categories first.

Benefits and protections

Beyond the rewards, the perks and protections worth knowing about include:

• $200 Uber Cash annually ($15/month + $20 in December)
• $200 airline fee credit annually
• $200 Fine Hotels + Resorts hotel credit
• $240 digital entertainment credit ($20/month, Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Peacock & more)
• $189 CLEAR Plus credit annually
• $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit ($50 semi-annually)
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
• Access to 1,400+ airport lounges worldwide (Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass, Delta Sky Club & more)
• Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold and Hilton Honors Gold status
• No foreign transaction fees
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance and trip delay reimbursement
• Baggage insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty
• Cell phone protection

Statement credits

• $200 Uber Cash annually
• $200 airline fee credit annually
• $200 Fine Hotels + Resorts credit
• $240 digital entertainment credit ($20/month)
• $189 CLEAR Plus credit
• $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit ($50 semi-annually)
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit (~$100)
• Priority Pass lounge access (1,400+ lounges)

Ecosystem and transfer partners

The American Express® Platinum earns Membership Rewards, one of the more valuable currencies in rewards because of where the points can go. You can move points 1 to 1 to 9 airline and hotel partners: Delta SkyMiles, British Airways, Air France/KLM, Singapore Airlines, ANA, Avianca LifeMiles, Emirates Skywards, Marriott Bonvoy, and Hilton Honors. As a hub card, this is the one you route points through before transferring out. The sweet spots are usually premium-cabin flights and high-end hotel nights, where a single point can be worth well more than the 1 cent we value it at here.

Who should get it, and who should skip it

It is best for frequent travelers who will actually use the lounge access and annual credits. If you will not, a cheaper card leaves you further ahead.

Skip it if you will not use the lounge access and annual credits, or if you would rather not float a high fee and chase reimbursements every year.

How it compares

If the American Express® Platinum is not quite the right fit, these related cards are worth weighing against it:

Frequently asked questions