Amex eliminating email option for Platinum Card Concierge
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Like many members of the TPG team, one of my favorite benefits of The Platinum Card® from American Express has long been the generally fantastic "concierge" service.
For years, I'd call or email the Platinum Concierge any time I couldn't get a New York City restaurant reservation. Many times, an agent quickly came through with a booking, and having a concierge handle the reservation had even led to a better dining experience — an ideal table location on one occasion, sparkling wine on another.
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Lately, however, the service hasn't been nearly as responsive as before — especially with requests sent via email. When I asked for restaurant recommendations in Monterey, Napa, and Maui, I received a message asking me to wait a week to hear back. It ended up taking nine days to receive a response.
The good news is that American Express appears to be aware of the issue, and is planning to implement a fix. Unfortunately, the "solution" is to eliminate the email option altogether — it'll no longer be available as of Aug. 18, 2021. As the issuer explains:
"American Express prides itself on providing the world-class customer service, which is why every U.S. Consumer, Business and Corporate Platinum Card® Member has access to our Concierge. We believe that this service is most effective and efficient by phone. Therefore, as of August 18, 2021, Platinum Card Members will no longer be able to contact Concierge by email. Instead, we ask that they simply call the number on the back of their Card and say 'Concierge.'"
I'm certainly disappointed to see that email will no longer be an option, but I'm hopeful that the shift will make it easier for agents to handle requests more quickly. In many cases, even 24 hours is too long to wait for a response, and nine days is entirely unreasonable.
Related: How Amex's Concierge team handles ordinary, extreme requests
While this may not seem like an ideal moment to try the Platinum Concierge for the first time, it's worth pointing out that you don't need to have The Platinum Card® from American Express to take advantage of the service. Other eligible cards include The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card and the exclusive "Black Card" known as the Amex Centurion Card.
Related: Battle of the premium credit cards: Comparing concierge services
Centurion cardholders will have a dedicated concierge assigned to them. Meanwhile, Platinum cardholders receive a different concierge for each request. Given that Centurion cardholders are assigned a dedicated concierge, hopefully, designated reps will continue to support requests sent via email as well.
The information for the Hilton Aspire card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.