Guide to the Amex Platinum $200 Travel Credit

Weighing in at 18.5 grams and a $799 annual fee, the American Express Platinum card is a hefty addition to any Canadian’s wallet.

As eye-catching as the anodized aluminum design of this card is, does the satisfaction of its heft bearing down on an unsuspecting bartop justify its annual fee? Does Amex Canada provide enough value to cardholders to hold this prestigious card?

Today, let’s take a look at the annual $200 travel credit that can help offset this cost, and give your travels a pleasant boost.

What is the Amex Platinum $200 Travel Credit?

The American Express Platinum card’s $200 travel credit is available once per year after your cardholder anniversary, including immediately after opening a new credit card account. This credit can only be expended via bookings made via Amex Travel, the proprietary prepaid travel agency run by American Express Canada.

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The American Express Platinum card is a premium card that offers benefits including a $200 travel credit, a $200 dining credit, airport lounge access, instant elite status with Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors, and more.

Check out our American Express Platinum card review for more details.

In 2025, we awarded this card as the Best Credit Card for Airport Lounge Access.

BONUS
100,000 Membership Rewards

MINSPEND
$10,000

EST. VALUE
$2,200+

ANNUAL FEE
$799

FOREX FEES
Yes

EXPIRY
–

This means that if you’re booking flights or hotels via the travel agency, you will not be eligible to earn elite qualifying nights or points in the property’s given loyalty program. You also need to pay in full at the time of booking.

For example, if you book a Hilton hotel via Amex Travel, you’re not eligible to earn elite nights or Hilton Honors points, and a flight on Porter won’t count towards earning the next level of VIPorter elite status. There’s only one exception to this, which I’ll get into later.

Oftentimes, the $200 annual travel credit will become available about three weeks prior to the statement where the annual fee is posted, which can help keep costs down around card renewal time if you have travel booked in the same window of time.

This credit is also available on similar American Express premium travel credit cards.

The American Express Business Platinum card offers an identical $200 travel credit per year with the exact same terms and conditions. Its annual fee is also $799, though it lacks the $200 dining credit so you can do the arithmetic on whether this fits your budget or not.

On the other hand, the more modest American Express Gold Rewards card comes with a $250 annual fee but also a $100 travel credit.

Consider all these credits when considering your next Amex travel credit card, especially as a point of comparison against other premium products like the American Express Aeroplan Reserve card which don’t come with these subsidizing credits, but may offer other valuable benefits to cardholders.

How to Use the Amex Platinum $200 Annual Travel Credit

The $200 credit must be expended in its entirety on a booking equaling or exceeding $200. All you need to do is click a box when making a reservation online. This will apply the credit towards your booking, and your next credit will not be available until your next cardmember year. 

To use your $200 travel credit, complete the following steps. First up, log into the Amex Travel Portal. Make sure you have the right card selected as usually it’ll default to your Platinum card but you may need to select it.

Then, you search for a flight, property, bundle, or car rental. Once you find a suitable product, you go through the booking flow.

Prior to checking out and making your payment, make sure you click the “$200/$100 Annual Travel Credit” (for Platinum and Gold cards, respectively) to apply the credit towards your booking. You can then pay.

The $200 will be applied automatically within a few days and look like this on your credit card statement:

Do note: the credit will show as a payment but you still must make any minimum payments required.

If those steps were too long to follow and read, Amex has published an even shorter version on its website:

You can also use the credit via the phone by asking the agent to apply your annual credit before completing your reservation. The credit must be applied prior to completing payment.

My Experience Using the Amex Platinum $200 Travel Credit

Personally, when using my $200 travel credit, I’ll try to book short regional flights in places I’m traveling like South America or Europe where I know the $200 cost will offset the entirety of a short flight. This means I get great value and have minimum out-of-pocket expenses.

There is a decent way to get a more elevated travel experience out of the credit.

Remember how earlier I mentioned most hotels and airlines won’t give you points or credit toward elite status qualification via bookings made on Amex Travel? Well, this doesn’t include reservations made on the American Express Collection Fine Hotels and Resorts. 

This booking experience costs more, as it only allows you to schedule stays at high-end or luxury properties that Amex considers worthy of its statistically higher-income customers. On the other hand, Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts includes benefits such as complimentary room upgrades and a room credit.

These bookings also gain full elite qualifying nights and points at properties that are part of participating loyalty programs such as Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt.

While I wouldn’t use this for my travel credit each year, as you do have to pay the hotel’s commercial rack rate, this can be a lovely way to celebrate an anniversary, birthday, or professional milestone in luxurious surroundings, be it when traveling or as part of a staycation.

Conclusion

Since the American Express Platinum card comes with such a high annual fee, it’s imperative that you understand the credits that are available and how to get the most value from them. Whether you are booking an international trip or just a staycation for the weekend, using the Amex Platinum $200 travel credit is an easy way to reduce the cost of your next eligible travel expense and put some cash back in your wallet.

I hope that today I’ve shown you ways to apply these credits for your travels at home and abroad, as well as given you a way to creatively elevate your hotel experience via the Fine Hotels and Resorts program when you’re feeling like splurging a little bit more.