American Express Gold Card
The new;Amex Gold Card is a very attractive option, too. The standard public offer is for 35,000 Membership Rewards but you can find referral offers;that offer;40,000+ Membership Rewards.
But what really makes this card stand out are the bonus categories which are:
- 3X on airfare;
- 4X points at Restaurants
- 4X points at U.S. supermarkets;
The card also comes with a;$120 dining credit, which offers a;$10 monthly credit that can be used at;Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruths Chris Steak House, and Shake Shack .;With the addition of a $100 airline credit, its very easy knock down the effective annual fee to just $30.
Choose An Airline For The Amex Platinum Incidental Fee Credit
One of the biggest perks of the Platinum Card is a yearly airline incidental fee credit. Each calendar year, you can choose one airline on which you can get up to $200 in fees reimbursed as a statement credit when you use your card for the purchase**.
While the fee credit doesn’t include tickets, it covers extras like checked bags, flight-change fees, inflight food and drinks, fees for traveling with a pet, lounge day passes , and sometimes things like seat assignments and extra legroom upgrade fees.
The best part of the airline credit is that because you get it each calendar year, not cardmember year, you can get it twice in your first year of having the card. For example, if you opened the card in March, you could earn the full $200 credit before the calendar year ends. Then, once the credit resets on January 1, you can get it again before your next annual fee posts, meaning you can get up to $400 in value from this credit in a single cardmember year.
To designate your airline, you can either call the number on the back of your card or log in to your online account. If you’re not sure which airline to choose because you don’t have travel plans yet, you can make the selection when you’re ready; otherwise, once you’ve made your choice, you can change it each January either online or by phone.
Delta Skymiles Gold American Express Card
Great for: Casual Delta flyers
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is a solid option for casual Delta flyers who want a free checked bag on Delta flights. The card also earns bonus miles on Delta, dining, and U.S. supermarkets store purchases. Since the card does come with an annual fee that’s waived the first year, you probably need to fly Delta at least a few times a year to get your money’s worth.
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Considering This Card For Business
American Express offer a range of both business and consumer charge and credit cards. They do permit business transactions to be made on personal cards, unlike some other banks, but you might find some of the other business-focused benefits of the business cards to be appealing or more appropriate.
So if youre a sole trader or a business looking to earn points with your business spend this card would still work for that purpose.
Theres a full list of business and personal consumer American Express cards which might be suitable for earning points from business-related transactions here.
Sign Up For Marriott Bonvoy And Hilton Honors Gold Elite Status
Getting complimentary Marriott and Hilton hotel elite status from the Platinum Card is an excellent perk that offers real value, especially if you don’t stay at one chain often enough to qualify for the mid-tier Gold level status.
Read more: 11 credit cards that get you hotel elite status just by having them in your wallet
Before you enroll, make sure you’ve signed up for loyalty accounts with each of the hotel brands. Then, either call the number on the back of your Platinum Card, or log in to your Amex online account. Enter your Marriott and Hilton account numbers to request Gold status it typically takes a day or two for it to show up in your accounts.
Elite status perks vary between brands and each individual hotel, but typically include things like early check-in and late checkout, a better chance at room upgrades, bonus points on stays, and, in Hilton’s case, free breakfast which can add up to hundreds in savings if you’re a frequent guest.
Note that you can also get complimentary Hilton status with certain Hilton credit cards, and with some .
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Case Study #: Visiting Asia
Suppose you want to take a trip to Hong Kong to visit family or friends. The Amex Platinum is your perfect companion, since one of the easiest, best ways to use your points is on direct flights to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific.
Since Cathay Pacific is a premium airline, these flights normally cost;at least;$1,000 from Vancouver, and even more from Toronto. You wont be paying anywhere close to that.
For this example, let’s assume you transfer your American Express MR points to British Airways Avios points.
- Roundtrip flights from Vancouver to Hong Kong cost just 60,000 Avios points + $90 in taxes and fees.
- Roundtrip flights from Toronto to Hong Kong cost 70,000 Avios points + $100.
Of course, Hong Kong isnt your only option. Tokyo is a bit closer than Hong Kong, so flights between Vancouver and Tokyo are just 50,000 points. If you capitalize on the 30% transfer bonus, that means you could fly to Tokyo twice and still have points left over.
Are you getting excited yet?
How Hard Is It To Get The American Express Platinum
Getting approved for the American Express Platinum is a lot like any new credit card application. You have better chances with a credit score above 700, a clean credit history, and a low debt-to-income ratio. If you think you might have to work on these factors, take the time to improve your credit so that you too can enjoy the benefits.
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Maximize Your Amex Travel Credit
Want to know how to spend your Amex travel credit? If you want to maximize your Amex airline credit, its a good idea to apply for the American Express Platinum card as early in the year as possible. Since your Amex $200 credit starts over annually, youll want to make sure you can take full advantage of your Amex travel credit before the calendar year ends.
With that said, youll also want to make sure youre making enough qualifying airline purchases to maximize your Amex statement credits. The $200 annual Amex airline credit is a use-it-or-lose-it perk so go ahead and check that bag, book that premium seat and make sure you get your moneys worth out of this great card perk.
Who The American Express Platinum Card Is Right For Now
Existing American Express Platinum Cardholders have an easy question to answer: Is it possible to get at least $145 in additional benefits from the new additions to the card? For those who plan to make an annual booking through Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection, those who are or who want to be CLEAR members, those who subscribe to one or more of the eligible streaming services or those who are Equinox gym members, the answer should be a pretty quick yes. Maximizing just one of these additional benefits should be at least break even compared to the additional annual fee, especially for those who already value the Platinum benefits that have been around.
For those who arent already Platinum Cardholders or invested in the Membership Rewards program, the question is a bit harder to answer. The Platinum Card has essentially become a high-end coupon book. In order to get enough value out of the card to justify the $695 annual fee, potential cardholders need to utilize more than just one or two of the card benefits, and not all of them are easy to utilize. Even for those who can utilize enough of the benefits to make up for the annual fee, the question then becomes: Is the American Express Platinum Card the best option available? For many, the answer will be no.
To view rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this page.
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Enroll Your Amex Platinum For Rental Car Elite Benefits
In addition to hotel status, you can get elite status with several car rental agencies. When you get your Platinum Card, log in online and request Avis Preferred, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, and National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status you’ll just need to create accounts with those providers first.
Benefits include things like car upgrades, guaranteed availability, and waived fees for additional drivers.
Amex Platinum Credit Score + Requirements For Approval
June 21, 2021 by Rosemarie Clancy
The best credit card offers are reserved for people with the best credit scores. These are the customers that the banks and card issuers want to attract, so it makes sense that they offer big sign-up bonuses, lucrative rewards and valuable benefits to entice them.
There are also some credit cards that are more impressive to carry than others. The Platinum Card by American Express is one of those cards.;
Not only does it have a big sign-up bonus, great earning potential and top-tier benefits, but many people and merchants know that not everyone has the income and creditworthiness to get approved for this card so its akin to driving a luxury car for some.
You might be considering this card because you are collecting Membership Rewards for a big trip and you are interested in the current 75,000 point sign-up bonus and high points earning potential, but before you fill out that application lets see what and what type of consumer it is ideal for.
In this post you’ll learn:
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American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts Is Only For Platinum Card Members
American Express Fine Hotels + Resort is a unique benefit for Card Members, which offers additional hotel benefits when booking luxury hotels through American Express.
The benefits typically are subject to availability, but can include:
- An on-property benefit, often $100 USD in credit per stay
- 12pm early check-in when available
- Room upgrade upon arrival if available
- Complimentary breakfast for two
- Guaranteed 4pm late check-out
- Complimentary wifi
With many FHR bookings, youll also continue to receive points and status with the parent hotel loyalty program too, unlike other consolidators.
Platinum Card Members also have access to The Hotel Collection, which is a smaller set of high-end properties. Card Members get a free room upgrade when available and up to US$100 hotel credit. In addition, you may also use Pay with Points when booking a stay at properties under;The Hotel Collection.
American Express Black Card
The American Express Black Card isn’t available to just anyone. It’s a charge card that’s offered to high-net-worth individuals through an invitation. Think of it as an exclusive club. This means you can’t just apply to join. Also referred to as the Centurion Card, it’s easy to recognize thanks to its distinctive black color and American Express Centurion. The card itself is made of anodized titanium and weighs almost 14 grams.
Getting an invitation generally depends on a number of factors. Although the card’s webpage doesn’t have any details on how people qualify for an invitation, we can wager a good guess based on reports and the cardholder agreement. In order to receive an invitation to be considered you likely must spend at least $250,000 on other American Express cards each year. Some reports mention you also need at least $1.3 million in annual income, although other reports speak of Black cardholders who;merely earn mid-six-figure salaries.
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People Whod Be Better Off With The Amex Business Platinum Card
Related: How our cruise writer got $4,456 in value from his Amex Platinum in a year even during the pandemic
For example, the Business Platinum has an annual fee of $595 a year , but it doesnt offer the same up to $200 Uber credit that the personal version does. It adds another bonus category though 1.5x points on purchases of more than $5,000, up to 1 million bonus points a year and also provides up to $200 of Dell statement credits each year . You can also access the Pay With Points redemption option on the Business Platinum card, which gets you a 35% rebate on many flights booked using your Amex points . This is notably not available on the personal Amex Platinum. Enrollment required for select benefits.
American Express Green Card
Great for: Dining, travel, and transit
The American Express® Green Card is a mid-level travel rewards card that offers premium rewards on restaurant, transit, and travel purchases. While it’s not as packed with perks as its more-expensive Platinum sibling, it does come with valuable statement credits.
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Amex Platinum Charles Schwab Strategy
The Platinum Card has a few variations, including a co-branded Charles Schwab card. It offers the same benefits as the vanilla Platinum Card, but also gives you the ability to cash out Membership Rewards at a 1.25 cents per point rate via Schwab.
Youll need to have a lot of money with Charles Schwab to qualify for the annual fee credits:
-
Get a $100 statement credit if you have qualifying Schwab holdings are >$250,000
-
Get a $200 statement credit if it’s > $1 million
As a reminder, these statement credits only apply if you have the Schwab version of the Platinum card. If you want the Schwab Platinum, youll need to apply for it directly .
Find the Schwab Platinum application here:
You can NOT product change from a regular vanilla Platinum to a Schwab Platinum. You also cant product change from the Amex Schwab Investor Card since its a limit based credit card vs. no limit.
Delta Skymiles Reserve American Express Card
Now, if youre a Delta flyer, you might prefer the Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card. Similar to the United Club Infinite Card, youll also receive lounge access , a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck reimbursement and waived baggage fees.
Even better, with the Delta Reserve Amex, youll receive access to the exclusive Amex Centurion Lounges when youre flying on Delta. Thats a great perk to have on a card that costs less than the Amex Platinum, and depending on where youre typically flying to and from, it could make for a major cost savings.
With the Delta Reserve Amex, youll also receive a free checked bag on all Delta-operated flights for you and up to eight companions booked on the same reservation, and access to complimentary upgrades on Delta flights two benefits you dont receive with the Amex Platinum card.
And while the Delta Reserve Amex charges a $550 annual fee , starting with the second year you have the card, youll receive an annual companion certificate that you can use for domestic First Class or Main Cabin 1 tickets. This benefit alone can easily help offset the cards annual fee, all while making your travel experience that much better.
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Complimentary Accor Plus Membership
A complimentary membership to Accor Plus, valued at $399, is included as part of the Card.
Membership to Accor Plus offers benefits that includes:
- Stay Plus complimentary night at a hotel in the Asia-Pacific each year you hold the card
- up to 50% off ding at 1,400 restaurants
- guaranteed 10% off the hotels best available rate
- Silver membership status in Accor Live Limitless
Benefits Of The Platinum Card From American Express
As with every card that charges an annual fee, it’s important to run the numbers before you apply to determine if you’d get enough value from the card every year to make it worth the cost. Keep in mind that while a card may offer enough theoretical value to make up for its annual fee, it only makes sense to keep it if you actually plan to use those benefits. Terms apply to all American Express offers.
Here’s a comprehensive list of what The Platinum Card® from American Express offers and how much each perk is worth:
As you can tell, the card works best for people who regularly travel. Depending on how you plan to use the card and your travel habits, you could easily earn back more than the cost of the annual fee.
Using only the benefits with a predetermined annual value and the welcome offer, you can get up to $2,439 in the first year alone. After that, you could get up to $1,439 per year in value. Combine that with points earned when making purchases, too, and you can get even more value.
You may be matched with this and other cards at Experian CreditMatch
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The Platinum Card From American Express
- 60,000 miles after spending $5,000 within the first 3 months
- $200 airline credit and $200 Uber credit
- 5X on airfare and 5X on hotels booked through the Amex Travel portal
- TSA Pre-Check/Global Entry $100 credit
- Annual fee: $550
The Platinum Card from American Express is one of my favorite travel rewards credit cards with its high welcome bonus, 5X on airfare and its lounge access benefits which are much better than virtually every other premium credit card.