The American Express Platinum card earns Membership Rewards and offers cardholders a variety of benefits including an annual $200 travel credit, complimentary airport lounge access, and instant elite status with many hotel loyalty programs.
Rewards Rates
The American Express Platinum card earns Membership Rewards (MR) points for all eligible purchases made on the card:
- 3 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on eligible dining, food delivery purchases, and American Express Travel Online purchases.
- 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on eligible travel purchases including air, water, rail, or road transport, lodging, and tour operator sales.
- 1 Membership Rewards point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
Redeeming Membership Rewards
The best use for Membership Rewards is to transfer them to a variety of airline and hotel partners for your next redemption.
Partners for American Express Canada include:
- Transferrable at 1:1 ratio: Aeroplan Points, British Airways Avios, Hilton Honors
- Transferrable at 1:0.75 ratio: Alitalia MilleMiglia, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Delta Skymiles, Eithad Guest, Flying Blue
- Transferrable at 1:1.2 ratio: Marriott Bonvoy
Click to learn everything you need to know about the American Express Membership Rewards program.
Benefits
Amex Platinum cardholders receive a $200 annual travel credit upon approval, and every anniversary year thereafter. This credit can be applied towards a single travel booking made through American Express Travel online. This travel credit can also be turned into cash through the refundable hotel trick, where you make a fully-refundable hotel booking and then cancel your booking in the Amex Travel portal once you receive the travel credit on your statement. You will receive the refund for the hotel and the travel credit will remain on your statement.
By holding the Amex Platinum card, cardholders are able to apply for and receive hotel status at many hotel chains including Hilton Honors Gold status, Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status, and Radisson Rewards Gold status. Cardholders can apply these statuses to their respective hotel loyalty program account through the “Benefits” tab on the American Express website.
Platinum cardholders also receive complimentary airport lounge access through the Amex Global Lounge Collection program. Cardholders should review the terms and conditions for the various airport lounges before utilizing this perk to understand if the cardholder is able to bring a guest and what lounges are included. This includes access to Amex Centurion lounges, such as the Las Vegas Centurion lounge.
As a cardholder, you will gain access to the American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts collection booking platform. If you are staying at a property that you booked through this tool, you will receive perks such as breakfast for two, early check-in (where possible), late check-out, room upgrades, and an additional benefit such as a property credit to be used on any purchase that can be charged to your room bill.
If you are located in YYZ or tend to fly through this airport often, by holding the Personal Platinum card you will be able to access the priority security lane which can be a great time-saver. Simply show your credit card to the individual at the Pearson Priority security lane at the Toronto Pearson International Airport in order to take advantage of this perk.
Finally, American Express Platinum cardholders have access to the Amex Platinum Concierge service. This complimentary service can assist the cardholder with various travel needs, such as booking restaurant reservations. When utilizing this service remember that while they will try to be helpful, they are not miracle workers. Try to keep the requests reasonable and I think you will be pleasantly surprised with how they can assist.
Insurance Coverage
The Personal Platinum credit card offers ten types of insurance coverage:
- Emergency medical insurance
- Trip cancellation coverage
- Trip interruption coverage
- Travel accident insurance
- Rental car theft and damage coverage
- Lost or stolen baggage insurance
- Baggage and flight delay coverage
- Hotel burglary insurance
- Purchase protection
- Buyers assurance protection
Refer to the American Express Personal Platinum insurance certificate for additional details, including terms and conditions for eligibility.
Other Membership Rewards Cards You Might Consider
| Credit Card | Welcome Bonus | Net Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
American Express Gold | 60,000 Membership Rewards | $1,070 | Apply |
|
American Express Cobalt | 30,000 Membership Rewards | $504 | Apply |
|
American Express Green | 10,000 Membership Rewards | $220 | Apply |
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