In the premium-card tier, the Amex Platinum Card delivers outsized travel perks, extensive lounge access, and a deep stack of annual credits.
After American Express raised the U.S. annual fee to $895 and broadened benefits in 2025, careful setup and routine use now determine whether the card pays for itself.
Across 2025, American Express added and refreshed statement credits (including Lululemon, Resy, and an expanded hotel credit) while confirming a headline annual value “over $3,500”, but only if the right services already fit your life.
What Changed in 2025 for Platinum Value
A tighter ruleset arrived alongside bigger lifestyle credits. Treat these updates as table stakes for planning your first year.
Annual Fee and Headline Credits
American Express set the annual fee at $895 and concentrated more value inside semi-annual and monthly credits:
- $600 hotel credit for prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection, $
- 300 digital entertainment ($25 per month), and
- Refreshed line items such as Uber Cash and Uber One membership credits. Enrollment and booking channels apply.
Lounge access rules to know
Global Lounge Collection coverage remains broad, spanning Centurion, Plaza Premium, Lufthansa, Escape, and Priority Pass networks.
Centurion Lounges charge $50 per adult or $30 per child (2–17) unless prior-year spend clears the threshold for complimentary guests.
Delta Sky Club access tied to Platinum now caps at 10 visits per year, with unlimited access unlocked after $75,000 in prior-year spend.
How to Justify the Annual Fee Every Year
Plan around credits you’ll actually use and lock in travel benefits that displace paid services. The five buckets below cover the largest line items and most common wins.
- Transport stack (Uber + Uber One + airline fees): Linking the card to Uber unlocks up to $15 in Uber Cash monthly, plus a $20 December boost, and a separate Uber One membership credit worth up to $120 annually. Selecting a single airline enables up to $200 in incidental airline fee credits. Enrollment is required for each benefit.
- Hotel bookings through Amex Travel: Prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection stays earn up to $600 per calendar year in hotel credits; FH+R adds guaranteed 4pm late checkout, daily breakfast for two, and a property credit at participating hotels.
- Everyday memberships and media: Digital entertainment credits cover eligible services such as Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, YouTube Premium, and more, capped at $25 per month. Walmart+ membership credits offset $12.95 per month plus taxes.
- Security and identity speed: CLEAR® Plus (up to $209/year) and a Global Entry credit ($100 every four years, TSA PreCheck alternative available) reduce airport friction while saving direct out-of-pocket fees.
- Retail credits that require scheduling: Saks Fifth Avenue credits split into $50 January–June and $50 July–December; lululemon credits appear quarterly. Setting reminders prevents expiration.
Points Earning and Redemption That Actually Adds Up
A few rules of thumb cover most value questions around Amex Membership Rewards points. Flights and transfers usually beat other options, particularly when partner award charts align.
Earning highlights (core multipliers):
Flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com earn 5X; prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com also earn 5X. Terms apply.
Redemption values to benchmark (Amex Travel portal vs. other uses):
| Redemption path (portal/statement) | Typical value per point |
| Flights booked through Amex Travel | 1.0¢ |
| Prepaid hotels, cars, cruises via portal | 0.7¢ |
| Statement credit (“Cover Your Charges”) | 0.6¢ |
| Partner transfers (varies by seat/room) | Often >1.0¢ |
Lounge Access Without Surprises
Amex Platinum lounge access covers Centurion, Plaza Premium, Lufthansa, Escape, and Priority Pass locales across a network now exceeding 1,400–1,500 lounges globally, depending on partner counts at any given time.
Guesting at Centurion locations costs $50 per adult and $30 per child unless prior-year spend qualifies you for complimentary guests.
Delta Sky Club access attached to Platinum is limited to 10 visits annually; additional visits can be purchased, and unlimited access activates after $75,000 in calendar-year spend. These caps especially matter for families and frequent domestic flyers.
Protections That Save Real Money When Things Go Wrong
Travel protections remain a quiet engine of value. Trip cancellation or interruption coverage, trip delay coverage, and baggage insurance can offset non-refundable costs that would otherwise land on your budget.
Purchase protection and extended warranty coverage safeguard large buys against theft, damage, or early-life failures when terms apply.
Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance covers damage or theft of a rental vehicle when you pay with the card and decline the collision damage waiver; optional Premium Car Rental Protection can be enrolled for primary coverage.
Welcome Offer Rules, Eligibility, and Timing Strategy
Targeted offers for new applicants have reached as high as 175,000 points for $8,000 in six months in 2025, but offers vary by applicant and channel.
American Express uses a pop-up eligibility check during the application flow; if ineligible for a welcome offer, the message appears before a hard credit pull.
American Express typically enforces a “once-per-lifetime” interpretation on personal-card welcome offers, impacting repeat applicants for the same product family. Time applications around planned, budgeted expenses rather than forcing spend.
Authorized Users: Who Should Get One and Why
Adding Amex Platinum authorized users delivers significant travel value to the right person.
Additional Platinum cards (fee applies) can access the Global Lounge Collection and elite hotel statuses, while some companion options may be issued at different fee levels with narrower perks.
Evaluate lounge reliance, hotel status usage, and whether that person will realistically redeem quarterly credits; otherwise, leave them as a user of your main card for shared purchases without added fees. Always confirm current pricing and inclusions before adding a card.
Competitor Check: When a Different Premium Card Wins
Chase overhauled Sapphire Reserve in 2025, setting the annual fee at $795 and keeping an easy $300 travel credit that automatically offsets broad travel purchases.
Airport lounge access includes Sapphire Lounges and Priority Pass; new earn rates and program perks arrived alongside the fee change.
Capital One’s Venture X keeps a $395 annual fee, includes Priority Pass and Capital One Lounges, and offers an automatic $300 credit through Capital One Travel, which can undercut Platinum’s net cost for travelers who prioritize simplicity over elite-style perks.
Setup Checklist to Use All Benefits Monthly
A short routine avoids missed credits and keeps airport access friction-free.
- Activate enrollments on day one. Turn on airline fee, CLEAR® Plus, digital entertainment, Uber Cash, and Uber One; select your airline and verify portal-only rules.
- Sync travel workflows. Route prepaid FH+R or The Hotel Collection stays through Amex Travel to pull from the $600 hotel credit before year-end.
- Calendar the split credits. Drop reminders for Saks Fifth Avenue (Jan–Jun and Jul–Dec) and any lululemon quarterly windows to avoid expiry.
- Map lounge plans per trip. Check Centurion guesting costs and Delta Sky Club changes against your itinerary, then prioritize alternative lounges when caps apply.
- Book flights where value peaks. Prefer direct-airline or Amex Travel flight purchases for 5X and use points at 1.0¢ for flights or transfer to partners when awards price well.
Conclusion
Frequent flyers capturing lounge time most months, booking at least one prepaid FH+R stay, and tapping Uber, streaming, and airline fee credits consistently can beat the $895 fee by a comfortable margin.
Occasional travelers who dislike monthly maintenance or rarely use airport lounges may find cleaner economics on Venture X or the refreshed Sapphire Reserve, especially if an automatic travel credit plus Priority Pass solves most airport needs.
The right choice matches routine patterns, not aspirational ones.
