What IHG hotel benefits do Amex Platinum cardholders get?

The American Express Platinum card Hilton benefit offers Hilton Honors Gold status to cardholders who enroll in the Hilton Honors rewards program. The benefit provides its members with an 80% bonus on points earned during each stay, a free 5^th night when booking a stay of 5+ nights,free bottled water, and daily food and beverage credit (U.S. hotels only) or continental breakfast.… read full answer

Cardholders are also eligible for late checkouts and complimentary room upgrades, when available. Without the benefit, a cardholder would have to book 40 nights at any of Hilton’s 18 hotel brands to qualify for Gold elite status.

How to get American Express Platinum card Hilton benefits

To get the American Express Platinum card Hilton benefits, activate Hilton Honors Gold elite status by logging in to your Platinum account from the Amex benefits page and clicking the “Enroll Now” button. Once you’re enrolled, you’re immediately eligible for Gold status. But keep in mind that to receive the benefits, you must book your stay directly with a Hilton hotel property. Bookings through a third-party website such as Amex Travel do not earn Hilton points or Gold elite status perks. In case you already have Gold status, you can maintain it without meeting any stay requirements for the duration of your American Express Platinum card membership, or Amex notifies you that the benefit is terminated.

It's also worth noting that in addition to the Hilton Honors Gold status, the American Express Platinum card also offers up to $200 hotel credit on prepaid Fine Hotels and Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express travel. These include Hilton properties so you can get up to $200 back in statement credits when making eligible bookings with your American Express Platinum card.

You might get your American Express Platinum card annual fee waived if you are calling the Amex retention line at (800) 452-3945, but it is not guaranteed that it will work. Alternatively, you should consider applying for the Amex financial relief program.

Here’s how to get the American Express Platinum card annual fee waived:… read full answer

• Call the retention line: You can ask Amex to waive the annual fee by calling (800) 452-3945. However, it’s important to understand that this approach may not be successful. American Express typically does not waive annual fees entirely, but it may offer a side benefit to offset the Platinum card’s $695 annual fee. Retention offers traditionally include statement credits, bonus points or spending bonuses. But make sure your account is in good standing before calling.
• Apply for the Amex financial relief program: If you’re having difficulty paying your annual fee due to unforeseen financial difficulty, apply for the financial relief program online or call Amex at (866) 703-4169. You could potentially have your annual fee waived. Or you might receive other assistance such as lower monthly payments or lower interest rates. If you decide to enroll in a financial relief program, though, your spending ability will likely be greatly reduced for the duration. Your credit score may be impacted by the reduction in credit limit. And if you don’t comply with the terms of the program, that will appear as a negative on your credit report.
• Other options: You might be able to get your American Express Platinum card annual fee waived if you’re an active member in the military. Downgrading to an American Express card with a lower annual fee is also an option.

However, if you don’t end up getting the $695 annual fee waived, you should consider keeping the card for its rewards. With the American Express Platinum card, you’ll earn 5 points per $1 on flights booked with airlines or with American Express Travel (up to $500,000 spent per year), 5 points per $1 spent on prepaid hotels booked through Amex, and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.

If you spend a lot on these categories, the rewards you’ll get will more than make up for the cost. But if you can’t take advantage of its travel-focused perks, you’ll end up overpaying.