Pros
- Great rewards
- Hundreds in annual credits
Cons
- $895 annual fee
- Limited financing capabilities
- No preset spending limit
The Platinum Card® from American Express
- Get more for your travels with 5X Membership Rewards® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings. You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
- Terms Apply.
You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
Rewards Details
- You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Get more for your travels with 5X Membership Rewards® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings. You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
- More Value! With over 1,550 airport lounges - more than any other credit card company on the market* - enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection®, over $850 of annual value, with access to Centurion Lounges, 10 complimentary Delta Sky Club® visits when flying on an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations), Priority Pass Select membership (enrollment required), and other select partner lounges. * As of 07/2025.
- More Value! $200 Uber Cash + $120 Uber One Credit: With the Platinum Card® you can receive $15 in Uber Cash each month plus a bonus $20 in December when you add your Platinum Card® to your Uber account to use on rides and orders in the U.S when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. Plus, when you use the Platinum Card® to pay for an auto-renewing Uber One membership, you can get up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year. Terms apply.
- More Value! $300 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $25 in statement credits each month after you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card® at participating partners. Enrollment required.
- More Value! $600 Hotel Credit: Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection* bookings through American Express Travel® using the Platinum Card®. *The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- New! $400 Resy Credit + Platinum Nights by Resy: When you use the Platinum Card® to pay at U.S. Resy restaurants and to make other eligible purchases through Resy, you can get up to $100 in statement credits each quarter with the $400 Resy Credit benefit. Plus, with Platinum Nights by Resy, you can get special access to reservations on select nights at participating in demand Resy restaurants with the Platinum Card®. Simply add your eligible Card to your Resy profile to book and discover Platinum Nights reservations near you, enrollment required.
- More Value! $209 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps get you to your gate faster by using unique facial attributes to verify you are you at 50+ airports nationwide. You can cover the cost of a CLEAR Plus Membership* with up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR Plus with the Platinum Card®. *Excluding any applicable taxes and fees. Subject to auto-renewal.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to the Platinum Card® Account*. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
- Start your vacation sooner, and keep it going longer. When you book Fine Hotels + Resorts® through American Express Travel®, enjoy noon check-in upon arrival, when available, and guaranteed 4PM check-out.
- New! $300 lululemon Credit: Enjoy up to $75 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card® for eligible purchases at U.S. lululemon retail stores (excluding outlets) and lululemon.com. That’s up to $300 in statement credits each calendar year. Enrollment required.
- $155 Walmart+ Credit: Receive a statement credit* for one monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) after you pay for Walmart+ each month with the Platinum Card®. *Up to $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Ups not eligible.
- $100 Saks Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue or saks.com on the Platinum Card®. That’s up to $50 in statement credits from January through June and up to $50 in statement credits from July through December. No minimum purchase required. Enrollment required.
- Terms Apply.
Additional Info
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- $895 annual fee.
- This American Express Card has no preset spending limit, giving you purchasing power that adjusts with your use of the card. No preset spending limit does not mean unlimited spending. Your purchases are approved based on a variety of factors including spending patterns, your payment history, your credit history, and financial resources known to us.
- More Details & Reviews About The Platinum Card® from American Express
Is the American Express Platinum card Worth It?
The Platinum Card® from American Express is worth it for frequent travelers with a good credit score who don’t mind paying for extra benefits. The card gives 1 - 5 points per $1 spent on purchases, along with hundreds of dollars in spending credits and other perks per year. You may also be eligible to earn an initial bonus as high as 175,000 points for spending $8,000 on eligible purchases within the first 6 months (welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer; apply and, if approved, find out your offer amount and accept the card with your offer, spend $8,000 in 6 months, and receive the points). The downside is that the annual fee is also enormous, at $895.
What You Need to Do to Make the American Express Platinum card Worthwhile
To make the American Express Platinum card worthwhile, you need to cash in on the various statement credits to which you’re entitled, regularly spend time in airport lounges, and use the card for purchases in its ongoing bonus rewards categories. You will also need to pay the bill in full monthly so that interest doesn’t outweigh your rewards.
American Express Platinum Card Review Highlights
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Find Out Your Offer - As High As 175,000 Points
You may be eligible to earn as high as 175,000 points for spending at least $8,000 on eligible purchases within 6 months of opening an account. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Here’s how it works:
1. Apply and find out if you’re approved, along with your exact welcome offer amount;
2. Accept the card with your offer;
3. Spend at least $8,000 within 6 months;
4. Receive your points. -
Complimentary Access to Airport Lounges
The Platinum Card® from American Express is your ticket to preflight leisure, providing complimentary access to over 1,550 airport lounges worldwide. It provides complimentary entry to the American Express Centurion® Lounge, as well as the Delta Sky Club®, among others. It also gives you the option of enrolling in Priority Pass Select, which features more than 1,300 lounges, at no cost.
Card members will receive 10 visits to the Delta Sky Club (to be used from February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year) and they can unlock unlimited Delta Sky Club access by spending $75,000 on their card in a calendar year.
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Hundreds in Annual Credits
Each year, you stand to receive up to $200 in statement credits to cover “incidental” air travel expenses, such as baggage fees and the cost of in-flight refreshments. All you have to do is designate an airline of choice, and you will be automatically credited for eligible charges assessed by that airline as they post to your account.
In addition, you will also receive up to $200 in Uber Cash annually after adding your card to your Uber account and use it to pay for the transaction. There are also up to $600 annual credits (up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually) for prepaid bookings made through American Express Travel at Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection properties (The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay). On top of all that, you can receive up to $12.95 in statement credits monthly to cover your Walmart+ membership if you pay with your Platinum card (plus applicable taxes, Plus Ups not eligible).
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Up to 5 Points per $1 Spent
The American Express Platinum Card’s regular rewards earning rate is perhaps its least exciting benefit, providing less than the market average of 1 point per $1 spent on most purchases made with the card, yet it is a benefit nonetheless. After all, you also earn 5 points per $1 spent on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (on up to $500,000 spent per calendar year) and on prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel®.
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Complimentary Hotel Status
As an Amex Platinum cardholder, you will have the ability to enroll in Hilton’s Hilton Honors Rewards program as a Gold-level member without having to meet the spending requirements to which other consumers are subject. Ordinarily, Hilton Honors Gold membership costs at least $2,880 per year, based on Hilton's minimum stay requirements and average daily room rate.
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$0 Foreign Transaction Fees
More and more credit cards are scrapping foreign transaction fees, as evidenced by the fact that the average foreign surcharge has declined by 38% from 2014 through 2021, according to WalletHub’s Credit Card Landscape Report. Amex Platinum is among the cards that lack such a fee. And while that should be expected from a card catered to luxury travel, the ability to save the market average of 1.57% on every purchase processed abroad could nevertheless prove to be quite valuable.
That is, of course, if you can find a merchant that accepts American Express. Amex, the world’s third-largest card network, operates in 130 countries, which might seem like a lot until you consider that Visa and Mastercard are both accepted in more than 200 countries.
American Express Platinum Card Review Lowlights
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$895 Annual Fee
The Platinum Card® from American Express has one major weakness: its prodigious cost. Only a few of the more than 1,500 credit cards tracked by WalletHub charge more than Platinum’s $895 annual fee. So you should think long and hard about the Platinum Card's hefty cost before you submit an application.
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Not Great for Financing
Amex Platinum is not a traditional credit card, and the fact that you normally must pay your bill in full every month in order to continue making purchases with this card does limit its versatility relative to a “normal credit card.” Furthermore, since you figure to be paying so much to use this card to begin with, every bit of lost functionality matters.
Nevertheless, Amex Platinum allows you to carry a balance in some cases. Certain eligible charges may qualify for the “Pay Over Time” feature, which allows you to carry an interest-accruing balance, up to the Pay Over Time Limit. All charges not added to a Pay Over Time balance must be paid in full each month by the payment due date. So, you’ll need to find another card for big-ticket purchases.
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No Preset Spending Limit
It doesn’t mean you don’t have a limit. Rather, this card’s No Preset Spending Limit (NPSL) feature means that Amex determines your limit on a monthly basis, based on your recent spending and payment habits and the economic climate. Unfortunately, you won’t be privy to this information, and without a clear limit in mind, you could find yourself at the wrong end of a declined transaction – perhaps even in an emergency situation when traveling.
Other Things to Consider About the American Express Platinum card
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Credit for Expedited Airport Screening
If you apply for and are granted either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® and pay the corresponding membership fees ($120 and up to $85, respectively) with your American Express Platinum Card, you will automatically receive a statement credit reimbursing you for the cost. You can receive one such credit every four years. The Amex Platinum Card also covers the cost of a CLEAR® membership with up to $209 statement credit per year (subject to auto-renewal).
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Premium Events Collection™
Reserved for Platinum and Centurion cardholders, Premium Events Collection™ gives you access to special events such as sports games, culinary events and auto shows. You can find a full list of available experiences here.
American Express Platinum Card vs. the Competition
annual fee$895 | annual fee$395 | annual fee$325 |
rewards rate
| rewards rate
| rewards rate
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bonus offer You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted. | bonus offer Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel | bonus offer You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted. |
Purchase Intro APRN/A | Purchase Intro APRN/A | Purchase Intro APRN/A |
transfer intro aprN/A | transfer intro aprN/A | transfer intro aprN/A |
Regular APRSee Pay Over Time APR | Regular APR19.99% - 29.24% (V) | Regular APRSee Pay Over Time APR |
SponsoredApply Now SponsoredApply Now | SponsoredApply Now SponsoredApply Now | SponsoredApply Now SponsoredApply Now |
The Platinum Card® from American Express Review Methodology
The Platinum Card® from American Express review is based on WalletHub’s proprietary 100-point credit card rating system. By using a consistent methodology to evaluate the The Platinum Card® from American Express and all other cards, WalletHub’s credit card experts make it easy for people to compare their options and find the best credit cards for their needs.
The WalletHub rating system uses 16 key metrics grouped into seven categories: Fees, Rewards, Two-year Cost, Interest Rates, Approval Requirements, Special Features, and Reviews. Each metric has a maximum number of points allocated to it, based on the metric’s importance as determined by our editors. The points are added up to create an overall rating for the The Platinum Card® from American Express out of a maximum of 100 points, which is then converted to a 5-point scale.
Ratings for each category reflect how close American Express Platinum card is to WalletHub’s definition of a 5-star credit card, which is based on market conditions and what we believe are reasonable terms. We compare American Express Platinum card to that standard to give a numerical approximation of how reasonable and competitive its terms are compared to other cards.
To learn more about how WalletHub rates credit card offers, check out our full credit card review methodology.
About the Author
John S Kiernan
Expert Thoughts on The American Express Platinum Card
To help people learn more about The Platinum Card® from American Express, WalletHub's editors posed the following questions to a panel of experts. You can meet our panelists and read their responses below.
1. When does it make sense to consider a card with a triple-digit annual fee?
2. How do you think COVID-19 has impacted travel-centric card offers, such as The Platinum Card from American Express?
3. Who do you think benefits the most from the American Express Platinum Card’s Uber benefit: cardholders, American Express or Uber?
Ask the Experts
Ph.D., Professor, Tourism and Events Management, College of Education and Human Development, George Mason University
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Professor, Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management, University of Denver, Daniels College of Business
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EdD, Associate Professor, Department of Tourism & Hospitality Management, Temple University, School of Sport, Tourism & Hospitality Management
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Ph.D., Associate Professor and Liaison Inter-College Travel and Tourism Initiatives, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture University of New Hampshire
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Ph.D., MBA, Associate Professor of Finance & Vice Chair of College Assessment, Rosen College of Hospitality Management, University of Central Florida
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Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Finance, Department of Economics and Management, Westfield State University, College of Education, Health and Human Services
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WalletHub experts are widely quoted. Contact our media team to schedule an interview.