10 things to do when you get the Amex Platinum

Oct. 28, 2024

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11 min read

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The Platinum Card® from American Express is one of the best premium rewards cards on the market thanks to its extensive benefits, from lounge access to monthly statement credits. These perks come at a cost, though — the card's annual fee is $695 (see rates and fees), making it one of the most expensive consumer cards to carry.

If that has you second-guessing whether or not to get the Amex Platinum, remember that the potential value of its many benefits can far outweigh that fee if you take full advantage of them.

If you are approved for the Amex Platinum or already carry it, here are the 10 best ways to take advantage of all of its perks.

Use the hotel statement credit

One of the principal benefits of the Amex Platinum is the up-to-$200 annual statement credit every calendar year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings (the latter requires a minimum two-night stay, enrollment is required, terms apply). The FHR program gets you the following perks:

Room upgrade upon arrival, when available at check-in
Daily breakfast for two people
Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout and noon check-in when available
An experience credit that usually consists of a property, dining or spa credit
Complimentary Wi-Fi

The Hotel Collection's perks include a room upgrade at check-in when available, up to a $100 hotel credit for qualifying food and beverage, spa and on-property charges, and the ability to use Pay with Points on prepaid bookings.

Register for your annual airline fee statement credit

You'll get an annual up-to-$200 airline fee statement credit each calendar year for the airline of your choice. Select your desired airline on the Amex website before making a purchase, and you'll get to use the credit for fees such as onboard snacks and checked bags.

Note that the airline credit won't apply for new reservations or taxes and fees on award bookings. Enrollment is required; terms apply.

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Since you only get to pick one airline annually, we recommend choosing one with which you don't already hold elite status or a cobranded airline card. An airline you often fly — but not enough to have elite status — will be a strong contender.

Apply for your Priority Pass membership card

One of the greatest travel perks of the Amex Platinum is its unparalleled lounge access — the best on any premium card available.

Here are the lounges that participate in the Amex Global Lounge Collection (enrollment is required; terms apply):

Amex Centurion Lounges
Priority Pass Lounges (Request your membership card here.)
Delta Sky Clubs (when flying on Delta the same day)*
Lufthansa
Airspace Lounges
Escape Lounges
Plaza Premium Lounges

*Effective February 1, 2025: Eligible Platinum Card Members will receive 10 Visits per Eligible Platinum Card per year to the Delta Sky Club or to Grab and Go when traveling on a same-day Delta-operated flight.

Add your card to your Uber wallet

Amex Platinum cardmembers get up to $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus an additional up to $20 in December. While Uber Cash doesn't roll over month to month, that adds up to $200 in Uber Cash each calendar year (for U.S. services). Enrollment is required; terms apply.

To get your Uber Cash, you need to link your card(s) to your Uber account. To do this, head to your wallet on the Uber app and add your Amex Platinum Card as a payment method. Then, you can redeem with any Amex card.

Apply for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck

When you enroll in these trusted traveler programs with your Amex Platinum, you'll get a statement credit for up to $120 to your account to cover the application cost (and again upon renewal).

You'll receive a credit for $120 every four years for Global Entry and up to $85 every 4½ years for TSA PreCheck. Terms apply.

Enroll in Clear Plus

The Amex Platinum also offers a statement credit for a Clear Plus membership, up to $199 per calendar year.

Clear Plus has a separate line to handle travelers' identity verification and security screening via a fingerprint or iris scan. Once approved, you're escorted by a Clear Plus employee to the head of the TSA PreCheck line (or regular security line if you don't have PreCheck) to an agent for final approval.

As TSA checkpoint lines continue to lengthen, having both Clear and TSA PreCheck can save you a lot of time at the airport. Enrollment required; terms apply.

Request hotel elite status

Another perk that comes with being an Amex Platinum cardmember is being eligible for Gold status with both the Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy loyalty programs.

These programs give you perks such as bonus points and potential room upgrades. You can enroll for these benefits on the Amex website. Terms apply.

Enroll for car rental elite status

Elite status can sometimes be the difference between being able to reserve a vehicle or not, depending on where you're trying to rent.

In addition to hotel elite status, carrying the Amex Platinum means you are also eligible for status with the following car rental programs (enrollment is required and terms apply):

You can enroll for each program on the Amex website.

Apply for a Walmart+ membership

The Amex Platinum also offers an annual up-to-$155 Walmart+ statement credit each calendar year, which covers the entire cost of a Walmart+ membership ($12.95 plus applicable sales tax) each month; Plus Ups are excluded. Enrollment is required; terms apply.

Charge the membership fee to your card, and you'll receive a statement credit each month (subject to auto-renewal).

If you live near a Walmart store, this membership will get you free delivery from that store as quickly as the same day on orders of $35 or more, plus steep discounts on prescriptions.

You can also save 10 cents per gallon at Exxon, Mobil, Walmart and Murphy gas stations (5 cents per gallon in Alabama and Oklahoma only) — a great perk with high fuel costs.

Even if you're not a frequent in-store Walmart shopper, you'll enjoy free next-day and two-day shipping on eligible items from Walmart.com with no minimum purchase required.

Consider these other small-but-mighty benefits

While we've outlined nine of our favorite benefits from the Amex Platinum, there are plenty of other enticing perks worth looking into.

Scoop up your digital entertainment credits

The Amex Platinum offers an up-to-$240 digital entertainment statement credit per calendar year, broken down to up to $20 in monthly statement credits when you pay for participating subscription services. They include The New York Times, Peacock, Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, the Disney Bundle and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment is required; terms apply.

Treat yourself with an annual statement credit for Saks Fifth Avenue

This Saks Fifth Avenue benefit is divided into up to $50 in statement credits from January through June and up to $50 from July through December, totaling up to $100 each calendar year. Enrollment is required; terms apply.

Fitness lovers, grab this annual statement credit for Equinox

This up to $300 Equinox credit each calendar year applies to an Equinox+ digital subscription or Equinox club membership fees (memberships are subject to auto-renewal). Enrollment is required; terms apply.

Want an at-home fitness bike? Get a SoulCycle statement credit

If you're in the market for an at-home bike, you can get up to a $300 statement credit when you purchase a SoulCycle bike. While it's unlikely that you would ever buy more than one bike, this statement credit is applicable to up to 15 bikes per calendar year.

You must have an Equinox subscription to purchase a SoulCycle bike. Enrollment is required; terms apply.

Add up to three authorized users

You can add authorized users to your Amex Platinum for a total of $195 each per cardmember year (see rates and fees), which can really help you maximize the value you're already getting from being a cardmember.

Authorized users are eligible for many of the same benefits as the main account holder, including lounge access, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck reimbursement, hotel elite status and Fine Hotels + Resorts benefits.

However, authorized users don't get their own Uber credit or separate airline incidental credits. Enrollment is required for some benefits; terms apply.

Not just Amazon: Get free two-day shipping at thousands of stores with ShopRunner

You'll get free two-day shipping and free return shipping when you pay for eligible items with your Amex Platinum at participating online stores through the ShopRunner program. You can enroll for the service here. Terms apply.

Bottom line

Yes, the Amex Platinum is not a cheap card to have. But after you take a deep dive into all of the card's benefits, the annual fee may feel less intimidating.

If you can maximize every statement credit on the Amex Platinum, you're looking at a value of easily more than $1,500 annually. Even if you can't use every credit on the card, accessing the Amex Global Lounge Collection alone is key for frequent travelers.

To learn more, check out our full review of the Amex Platinum.

Apply here: The Platinum Card from American Express

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.

Featured image by WESTEND61/GETTY IMAGES

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.