American Express Platinum Card®
Premium travel perks and lounge access worldwide
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Category Ratings
Why we rate it 5.0/5
Worth the $895 fee if you fly often and will use the lounge access, hotel status, and the travel, hotel, and dining credits. Occasional travelers who let those credits lapse are better off with a cheaper travel card.
Earns 5x Membership Rewards on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel, which is excellent for travelers, but everything else earns a flat 1x.
The $895 fee is the highest on the market. It pays off only if you actively use the travel, hotel, dining, and entertainment credits each year.
Best-in-class travel perks: access to 1,550+ lounges including Centurion, plus complimentary Hilton and Marriott Gold status and a long list of statement credits.
The credits are split across monthly and quarterly windows and most need enrollment, so getting full value takes ongoing attention.
The American Express Platinum Card® is Amex's flagship premium travel card. It pairs heavy annual credits and lounge access with high earning rates on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel. The fee is high enough that the card only makes sense if you'll actively use the lounge network, hotel status, and recurring credits.
Key Features
- Rewards Structure:
- 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year)
- 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel
- 1X points on other eligible purchases
- Welcome Offer:
- Annual Fee:
- Additional Benefits:
- Up to $200 Airline Fee statement credit annually
- Up to $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.
- $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.
- $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.
- Up to $155 Walmart+ statement credit
- Up to $300 lululemon statement credit annually (enrollment required)
- Global Lounge Collection access, including Centurion Lounges
- Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status
- Complimentary memberships in premium car rental programs
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fee credit
- No foreign transaction (see rates and fees) fees
Rewards Program
The Platinum Card earns Membership Rewards® points. You can redeem them for travel, gift cards, or statement credits, or transfer them to one of Amex's airline and hotel partners. Transfer partner redemptions usually return the highest cents-per-point value.
Rates and Fees
- Late Payment Fee: Up to $40
- Returned Payment Fee: Up to $40
- Cash Advance Fee (if applicable): Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater
- See rates and fees
Who Is This Card For?
The Platinum Card from American Express is best for:
- Frequent travelers who use the lounge network and hotel/airline credits
- Travelers who use the Hilton Gold and Marriott Gold Elite hotel status benefits
- Cardholders who reliably use most of the annual credits and offset most of the $895 fee
- Cardholders who use Amex concierge and pre-sale event access
Is the Amex Platinum Worth the $895 Annual Fee?
The fee math is simpler than it looks. Add up the credits you will realistically claim, not the ones on paper, and weigh that against $895. Travelers who use the hotel, dining, and travel credits plus the lounge network usually clear the fee with room to spare; light travelers rarely do. Here is how the headline credits stack up, and how the card sits next to the best travel rewards cards:
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Bottom Line
The Platinum earns its place for frequent travelers who lean on the lounge access, hotel status, and the travel and dining credits. Price it against the credits you will actually use: claim four or five of them and the $895 fee pays for itself. If your travel is occasional, the Amex Gold or a no-annual-fee Amex card will leave more in your pocket. Travelers chasing premium airline perks should also weigh the Delta SkyMiles Reserve.
FAQ
Pros
Extensive Travel Benefits: Access to 1,550+ airport lounges worldwide and up to $600 in annual hotel credits (two-night minimum stay required).
Substantial Statement Credits: Up to $300 for digital entertainment ($25/month) and up to $155 for Walmart+ (enrollment required).
Exclusive Access: Includes Global Dining Access by Resy and complimentary Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.
Cons
High Annual Fee: $895 a year is steep, and it only pays back if you actively use most of the credits and lounge access.
Enrollment Requirements: Several credits (digital entertainment, Walmart+, Equinox) require enrollment, and you have to remember to use them each month.
Limited Usage for Some Benefits: Several credits are narrowly scoped — the $200 airline fee credit applies only to incidentals, not airfare; CLEAR+ requires a paid CLEAR membership.