Earlier this summer, I decided to take the leap and apply for The Platinum Card® from American Express. (Pro tip: I had gotten a targeted 125,000-point welcome offer, but you may be eligible to do better than that now with these juicy new welcome offers.*)
As soon as I got that shiny (and heavy!) card in the mail, I wanted to put it to good use.
I’d heard colleagues wax lyrical about the amazing benefits that come with this program — a room upgrade upon arrival, daily free breakfast, guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout and a $100 experience credit.
The first thing that came to my mind? Spa day.
I booked two nights at the lovely Rosewood Hotel Georgia. The cash cost would’ve been about $460, but I ended up using 39,000 Amex Membership Rewards points from my welcome bonus to cover it. (Even if I’d paid cash, I could’ve gotten up to a $200 statement credit toward the nightly rate, which still would’ve made for a pretty good deal. Enrollment is required.)
I then booked myself a 60-minute Georgian Revival Massage for $155. But thanks to the $100 experience credit you get for these stays, I paid just $55 (plus tip, of course). And with my tasty pancake breakfast also covered, that $55 massage amounted to my total out-of-pocket cost.
So to recap:
$460 two-night stay: Covered with points
$18 breakfast: Covered by my FHR benefits
$155 massage: Just $55 thanks to the $100 experience credit
An incredible experience at a luxury hotel I’d been wanting to try in one of my favorite cities was just $55 total — thanks entirely to some easily overlooked benefits of this top travel rewards card.
Check out these TPG articles to learn more about hotels where you can optimize your FHR benefits:
* Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
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Together with
Earn 60,000 Virgin points
The Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard® now offers a 60,000 Virgin Points Boarding Bonus* when you spend $4,000 in the first 90 days of opening a new account. Enough to hop to London and back on Virgin Atlantic, with Saver reward seats starting from 6,000 one-way.*** Terms and conditions apply.
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Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
