One of my favorite credit cards in my wallet is my Platinum Card from American Express, which I love for a variety of reasons which include American Express Centurion Lounge Access, Priority Pass Select, and Delta SkyClub Access and the annual $200 airline fee credit which is per calendar year.
If you’ve been contemplating getting this card and wondering when to do so, this is the best time of year. The reason now is the best time of year to get this card is for the $200 airline fee credit since you’ll earn it in 2017 and in 2018 meaning you’ll be $400 in airline fee credits within the first 12 months with just one annual fee payment during that time.
The American Express Platinum card has a ton of benefits and have even added some new perks this year.
Amex has added the following new benefits to the Amex Platinum card this year:
- $200 Uber Credit: Cardholders will receive an annual $200 fee credit for Uber.
- 5X Points on Hotels: Similar to the current benefit of earning 5X Points on airfare, you’ll now earn 5X points on hotels, however this is only valid for hotels booked through the amextravel site. In addition, Fine Hotels and Resorts bookings do not earn the added points.
- New Metal Card and Complimentary Gold Authorized Users: Taking after the Chase Sapphire Preferred, cardholders will now be issued metal cards with a new design.
One of the reasons I keep this card year after year is for the lounge access you receive with it. Below is brief overview of the lounges you can access as a cardholder.
American Express Centurion Lounges
Centurion Lounges by American Express are my favorite type of lounge within the collection. Locations include Las Vegas, Dallas, New York (LGA), San Francisco, Miami, Seattle, and Houston, with Hong Kong and Philadelphia coming soon. As a cardholder, you receive access for yourself and up to two guests traveling with you.
We’ve had the opportunity to stop by a few of the Centurion Lounges including:
- Lounge Review: Amex Centurion Lounge San Francisco
- Lounge Review: American Express Centurion Lounge at New York LaGuardia
- Lounge Review: Amex Centurion Lounge in Las Vegas
- Amex Centurion Lounge Dallas Secret Bar Menu
Delta Sky Club Lounges
Cardholders receive access to Delta Sky Clubs when flying Delta and we’ve had the opportunity to check out several of them across the country.
- Lounge Review: Delta Sky Club LAX Terminal 2
- Lounge Review: Delta Sky Club at New York’s JFK Airport
- Lounge Review: Delta Sky Club at SFO
- Feasting at the Delta Sky Club at JFK’s Terminal 4Â
Priority Pass Lounges
Cardholders receive a Priority Pass Select membership and recently have added the perk that you can bring two accompanying guests for no charge when you visit priority pass lounges. Take a look at the all the lounges part of the Priority Pass program you’re able to visit.
- Priority Pass Lounge Review: KAL Lounge at LAX
- Priority Pass Lounge Review: Plaza Premium Lounge Toronto
- Priority Pass Lounge Review: The Lounge at BOS
- Priority Pass Lounge Review: The Club at ATL
- Priority Pass Lounge Review: The Club at PHX
Airspace Lounges
Cardholders receive complimentary access to Airspace lounges, with locations currently in New York at T5, Cleveland, and San Diego.
Escape Lounges
Cardholders receive complimentary access to Airspace lounges, with locations in the US currently in Minneapolis and in Oakland.
Card Details: The Platinum Card® from American Express
For those with a small business, you’ll want to consider The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, which also offers the same lounge access perks and airline fee credits as the personal version.
What’s your favorite perk of the American Express Platinum card? Feel free to comment below!
About Points, Miles & Martinis
Here at Points, Miles and Martinis, we love all things travel. We focus on topics relating to travel including destinations, airline, hotel, car rental and credit card reward programs. Our goal is to help people travel better. - See more at our About Us page.
Sign up for Email || Twitter || Facebook |
Hotel Offers || Airline Offers || Bank Offers || Cash Back Offers
For those who fly on a monthly basis to/from airports with Centurion lounges, the Amex Platinum card is probably worth it. For everyone else (who fly only a few times per year, or who live in large metro areas with no Centurion lounges at local airports, e.g. the Washington D.C. area), the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is a much better option.
The CSR offers $300 annual travel reimbursement on a $450 annual fee, while the Amex offers only $200 reimbursement on a $550 annual fee. The CSR’s travel credit applies to everything from airfare to subway fare to toll passes; while the Amex travel credit often requires a lot of gamesmanship to obtain. I had the Amex Platinum for a year and dropped it prior to the annual fee hike, while the CSR is long-term keeper (as long as Chase doesn’t change terms).