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News
Amex increases Platinum authorized user fee, changes digital entertainment credit
Zach Griff is a senior reporter at TPG. He writes travel and product reviews, deep dives into loyalty programs, news about the airline industry and more.
August 17, 2023 • 7 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.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.
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Quick summary
A major fee increase for authorized users on a premium travel card has been implemented, moving from a bundled rate for three cards to a higher per-card charge.
Current cardholders will receive personalized notices about when the new fee structure takes effect, while new applicants are subject to the changes immediately.
The digital entertainment credit now includes The Wall Street Journal, but Audible will be removed as an eligible service in October.
The minimum spend required to unlock the welcome offer for new applicants has also increased.
What to consider
Existing cardholders can continue with the previous authorized user fee structure until notified individually.
Authorized users do not receive all the same benefits as the primary cardholder, so evaluating the value of adding users is important.
The offer may no longer be available.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of how these changes compare to similar premium cards and strategies for maximizing value under the new rules.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
If you've got The Platinum Card® from American Express, listen up: Some big changes are coming to the authorized fee structure — and you won't necessarily like them.
Plus, there are some minor changes to the digital entertainment credit and welcome offer in addition to another tweak coming to other American Express cards.
Let's get the bad news out of the way first.
Authorized user fee increase
Authorized user fees for additional Platinum cards will jump to $195 per card (see rates and fees). Previously, Amex offered three additional Platinum cards for a total of $175, then $175 for each additional Platinum card after the first three.
These changes are effective immediately for new cardmembers who sign up on or after Aug. 17. It gets a little more complicated for current Platinum cardmembers.
Amex will be sending legal notices to all existing cardmembers with a personalized date for when the updated fee structure will go into effect. Be on the lookout for your notice — until then, you'll continue to pay $175 for up to three additional Platinum cards.
As you can see, this is a massive fee increase, and it'll likely cause many cardmembers to reconsider their Platinum card strategy.
THE POINTS GUY
If you've only had one authorized user on your Platinum card in recent years, then this change will represent a manageable $20 increase in your total annual fee. However, if you're like me and have three additional family members on your Platinum account, expect to pay a whopping $585 in additional annual fees on top of the steep $695 annual fee (see rates and fees) for the primary Platinum card. This represents a $410 (or over 230%) increase from the previous fee structure.
Authorized Platinum cardmembers receive many of the same benefits afforded to the primary cardholder, including:
A statement credit for Global Entry ($120 every 4 years) or TSA PreCheck (up to $85 every 4.5 years)
Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy Gold status
Access to the American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts portfolio
Enrollment required for select benefits.
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
Authorized users don't get the additional up to $200 airline fee credit or up to $240 digital entertainment credit that primary cardmembers do, so you'll want to crunch the numbers to see if additional Platinum cards still make sense for you and your loved ones. Enrollment required for select benefits.
While American Express declined to share why it's making these fee increases, it likely stems partly from airport lounge overcrowding. Amex (and its competitors) have built a network of top-notch lounges that often suffer from long lines and waitlists to enter.
Part of that is due to the sheer number of Platinum cards issued. Raising the annual fee for authorized users is certainly one lever that should cut down on the number of Platinum cards in circulation, which could theoretically reduce lounge overcrowding.
It's worth mentioning that the Platinum card's top competitors offer a much more economical authorized user fee structure:
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: $0 for up to four authorized users
Chase Sapphire Reserve: $75 per authorized user
These changes are limited to the personal version of the Amex Platinum card. Those who hold The Business Platinum Card® from American Express will continue to pay $350 annually for each additional employee Business Platinum card (see rates and fees). (Note that Amex will no longer allow Business Platinum cardmembers to add an employee American Express® Business Gold Card.)
I've always wondered why the authorized user fees differed so drastically between the personal and business versions of the Platinum card, especially since the benefits are essentially identical. With this change, Amex is closing the gap between the two versions of the card, but authorized users on the personal Platinum card will still cost $155 less than those on the business version.
Digital entertainment credit changes
When Amex debuted new lifestyle benefits for the Platinum card in mid-2021, it added a new monthly statement credit toward eligible digital entertainment subscriptions (enrollment required).
This so-called digital entertainment credit is doled out monthly in up to $20 increments, and it's only valid on select subscription services, including Audible (ends Oct. 1), Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, SiriusXM (ends May 7, 2024), The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal (new).
As you can see, effective immediately, Amex is adding The Wall Street Journal as an eligible subscription service that triggers the $20 monthly credit. Effective Oct. 2, Amex will also remove Audible from the list of eligible subscription brands.
DISNEY+
Increased minimum spend requirement for new cardmembers
Along with the fee and benefit changes, Amex is also increasing the spend threshold to hit the publicly available welcome offer on the personal Platinum card. Moving forward, you'll need to spend $8,000 (up from $6,000, or a 33% increase) to earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points within your first six months of card membership.
There's no telling why exactly Amex is increasing this threshold, but it's possible that the issuer wants to align its offer with other popular cards, such as the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (earn 90,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening) and the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first three months of account opening (see rates and fees).
If you’re considering applying for the Platinum card, remember to check the CardMatch tool, as you may find that you're targeted for a higher bonus. (CardMatch offers are subject to change at any time.)
No-fee card rebrand
Finally, Amex is tweaking the nomenclature for some of its no-fee additional authorized user cards. There are no benefit or service changes to these cards other than the updated names.
No-fee additional authorized user cards for those with the personal version of the Platinum and American Express Centurion cards will be branded as the Companion Card.
Meanwhile, no-fee additional employee cards for eligible business accounts will be renamed the Employee Business Expense Card (formerly the Employee Business Green Rewards Card). This applies to those with the American Express Business Centurion, the Business Platinum, the American Express® Business Gold Card, the Business Gold Rewards Card and the Business Green Rewards Card.
ISABELLE RAPHAEL/THE POINTS GUY
Along with the new names, Amex is rolling out new card designs for these no-fee authorized user cards. Existing cards can continue to be used until they are replaced at card expiry or a replacement is requested.
The information for the American Express Business Centurion, Business Gold Rewards and Business Green Rewards Cards from American Express has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bottom line
While Amex is making a few updates to its top-of-the-line cards, the real kicker is the increased annual fee for authorized users on the personal version of the Platinum card.
Going from three cards for $175 to $195 for each card is a drastic increase, and it's sure to rankle many long-time Platinum card members.
No matter how you slice it, this change stings. I'll definitely reconsider how I allocate authorized users on my Platinum card moving forward.
For rates and fee of the Amex Platinum Card, click here
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
