The Platinum Card from American Express Review
The premium travel card with the best lounge network — Centurion, Delta Sky Club, Priority Pass, and more.
Welcome bonus
Up to 175,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer varies by applicant; personalized on approval.
Rewards structure
- 5xflights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 per year)
- 5xprepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel
- 1xall other purchases
Perks & benefits
- Centurion Lounge access (Amex's own premium lounge network)
- Delta Sky Club access when flying same-day on Delta
- Priority Pass Select (excludes restaurants and lounges near Centurion)
- $200 annual airline fee credit for incidental fees on your chosen airline
- $200 Uber Cash annually ($15/month + $20 December bonus)
- $200 hotel credit at Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection
- $189 CLEAR Plus credit
- $155 Walmart+ credit
- $100 Global Entry / TSA PreCheck credit every 4/4.5 years
- Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite and Hilton Honors Gold Elite status
Who this card is for
- Frequent international travelers who value Centurion Lounge access
- People who will fully use the monthly $15 Uber credits and hotel bookings
- Travelers earning Marriott and Hilton status via card benefits
- Business travelers with high airfare spend (5x on flights adds up)
Pros & cons
Pros
- The best premium lounge network on any card — Centurion is worth the fee alone for frequent flyers
- 5x on flights is category-leading for anyone spending $10K+/yr on air travel
- Total credit value ($1,400+) exceeds the annual fee if you actually use them
- Complimentary Hilton and Marriott Gold status opens free breakfast and upgrades
Cons
- $895 annual fee is the highest in the mainstream premium market (raised in 2026)
- Credits are broken into monthly buckets — miss a month, lose the value forever
- 1x on non-travel spend is weak; you need a second card for daily use
- Priority Pass access no longer includes restaurants (removed 2019)
Our take
The Amex Platinum is the maximalist premium travel card, and at $895 it is now the most expensive premium card on the market. If you fly internationally through Centurion Lounge cities (JFK, LAX, MIA, LHR, and increasingly more) and would use those lounges anyway, the card can still effectively pay for itself before you factor in the $200 airline credit or $200 Uber cash. For high-volume flyers, this is the card that earns its fee three times over — but the fee is now high enough that casual travelers should skip it.
The catch is real: the Platinum's monthly-credit structure demands you use it on Amex's terms, not yours. Fifteen dollars a month in Uber Cash sounds like $180/year — it's only that if you Uber every month. Same with the hotel credit, the CLEAR credit, the Walmart+ credit. The card rewards the customer who is engaged with the ecosystem and punishes the one who is not. If you are not the former, the effective annual cost is closer to $500-600 net.
The main strategic question is Platinum vs. Sapphire Reserve. The Platinum wins on lounge network and airline earn rate; the Reserve wins on everyday earn rate (3x travel and dining) and transfer partner quality (Hyatt). With both cards recently raising fees ($895 Platinum, $795 Reserve), sophisticated points users are increasingly picking one, not both. If you fly less than 40 segments a year and value Hyatt transfers, the Reserve is the better card.