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American Express
All-time high

Amex Platinum

PerkSensei Desk · Last updated

Is this deal useful?

At a glance

Bonus
Up to 175,000 pointsAmex Membership Rewards
Amex shows the exact amount after you apply, before you accept, and it may be lower.
To earn it
Spend $12,000 in 6 months
Annual fee
$895 annual fee
Credits
Up to $3,364 in year one
13 credits with a dollar value
Apply by
No public end date stated

Terms and eligibility can change. Confirm the details with the issuer before you apply.

Credits and perks

Most used first. Tick what you don't need and the math leaves it out. Full terms are on the issuer's site.

  1. Uber Cash

    $15 a month, up to $200 a year

    Easy to use

  2. Digital entertainment credit

    $25 a month, up to $300 a year

    Easy to use

  3. CLEAR+ credit

    $219 each calendar year

    Easy to use

  4. Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit

    $120 every 4 years

    Easy to use

  5. Walmart+ credit

    $12.95 a month, up to $155 a year

    Easy to use

  6. Uber One credit

    $120 each calendar year

    Easy to use

  7. Global Lounge Collection

    No set dollar value

    Easy to use

  8. Resy dining credit

    $100 a quarter, up to $400 a year

    Takes some planning

  9. Hotel credit (Fine Hotels + Resorts / The Hotel Collection)

    $300 every six months, up to $600 a year

    Takes some planning

  10. Airline fee credit

    $200 each calendar year

    Takes some planning

  11. lululemon credit

    $75 a quarter, up to $300 a year

    Takes some planning

  12. Equinox credit

    $300 each calendar year

    Hard to use

  13. Oura Ring credit

    $200 each calendar year

    Hard to use

  14. Venue Collection concessions

    No set dollar value (calendar year)

    Hard to use
Year one
Unknownbonus + $3,364 credits − $895 fee
Each year after
+$2,379$3,274 credits − $895 fee

We can't total year one, because the bonus value or the annual fee isn't known.

1 perk has no set dollar value, so it isn't counted.

Biggest catches

  • Once-per-lifetime bonus. Amex can refuse the welcome offer if you have or have had the Platinum Card or an earlier version, and 'lifetime' is reported to run about 5-6+ years. Targeted no-lifetime-language offers are the exception. doctorofcredit.com (third-party)
  • Pop-up before approval. Even if you've never had this card, Amex can decide you won't get the bonus based on your Amex history and how many cards you've opened and closed. It shows that notice before processing, so you can withdraw; if you continue, you get the card without the bonus. americanexpress.com
  • Gift cards and cash equivalents don't count. Amex's welcome-offer terms exclude gift cards, prepaid card loads and other cash equivalents from eligible purchases, so they won't move you toward the spend. Doctor of Credit quotes this from Amex's terms; this card's own terms page wasn't re-read by us. doctorofcredit.com (third-party)
  • Clawback within 12 months. Amex's terms let it take the bonus back if you cancel or downgrade within 12 months, return the purchases you used to reach it, or 'game' the offer. Keep the card open for at least a year. thepointsguy.com (third-party)
  • Charge card: velocity limits don't apply, but approval isn't automatic. This is a charge card, so the community 1-in-5 / 2-in-90 limit and the cap on open Amex credit cards reportedly don't count it. That makes it easy to slot between Amex credit card applications. doctorofcredit.com (third-party)
  • Points are worth less as cash. Paying your bill with Membership Rewards gets about 0.6 cents a point, and Pay with Points for flights on Amex Travel gets 1 cent. Treat the 0.6-cent rate as the floor, not the value. thepointsguy.com (third-party)
  • Platinum family rule. The bonus is off if you have or had the Platinum, the Schwab Platinum, the Morgan Stanley Platinum or earlier versions. Holding a Schwab or Morgan Stanley Platinum today blocks this one. doctorofcredit.com (third-party)
  • Uber Cash is monthly. Each month's $15 (and December's extra $20) expires if you don't use it, and you must pick an Amex card at checkout for it to apply. awardwallet.com (third-party)
  • Centurion guests aren't free. Guests cost $50 per adult unless you spend $75,000 a year on the card, and since July 8 2026 guests must be on the same flight as you. awardwallet.com (third-party)

Third-party report; not confirmed in the official offer terms we could retrieve. Details may be outdated or channel-specific. Verify the offer shown by the issuer before applying.

YMMV: approval and bonus eligibility are the issuer's decision.

Sensei's move

  1. Get the Gold first, then the Platinum

    The Gold's family rule blocks its bonus if you have or had a Platinum, but the Platinum's rule doesn't list the Gold. Applying for the Gold first keeps both bonuses on the table; going Platinum first kills the Gold bonus.

    Still works as of Oct 17, 2026 · doctorofcredit.com (third-party)

  2. Keep your points alive with a no-fee Membership Rewards card

    When you cancel the Platinum, you lose any Membership Rewards points if it's your only MR card. Open a no-fee Blue Business Plus first and the points stay alive and transferable.

    Still works as of Oct 17, 2026 · onemileatatime.com (third-party)

  3. Use the Platinum only for flights and prepaid hotels

    The Platinum earns 5X on flights booked directly with airlines or Amex Travel (up to $500,000 a year) and on prepaid Amex Travel hotels, but only 1X elsewhere. Put dining and groceries on a Gold and everyday spend on a Blue Business Plus.

    Still works as of Oct 17, 2026 · americanexpress.com

Third-party report; not confirmed in the official offer terms we could retrieve. Details may be outdated or channel-specific. Verify the offer shown by the issuer before applying.

Sensei's take

  • Strong churn
  • Keep one year
  • Travel wallet: maybe

Up to 175,000 points is the headline, worth about $1,050 at the 0.6-cent cash floor and $1,750 through Pay with Points flights, if Amex shows you the full amount. The $895 fee is real cash, and the credits only cover it if you'd use Uber, streaming, Resy, two prepaid luxury hotel stays and an airline's bag fees every year anyway. Frequent flyers who use the lounges should keep it; everyone else should take the bonus, use year-one credits, and cancel after 12 months. Get the Gold first because the Platinum blocks the Gold bonus later.

Our opinion, from the facts on this page as of Oct 17, 2026.

Weighing this card? Put it before the Money Court jury

How today's offer compares

Today
175,000 points
Highest in 3 years
175,000 points
$8,000 spend in 6 months
Points bonus over time
  1. Oct 2026: 175,000 points, reported by American Express, highest in 3 years
  2. Today: 175,000 points

Today's offer matches the highest public offer for this card in the last 3 years.

Upgraded Points: 175,000 pointsupgradedpoints.comThird-party source

Third-party report; not confirmed in the official offer terms we could retrieve. Details may be outdated or channel-specific. Verify the offer shown by the issuer before applying.

Public offers anyone could apply for since Oct 2023, from the bonus-history sources we checked. Whether the first-year fee was waived isn't counted. Targeted and referral offers aren't compared.

Sources

The Platinum Card product page on americanexpress.comamericanexpress.comOfficial sourceChecked Oct 18, 2026
Amex public terms page, checked by owner Oct 17 2026americanexpress.comOfficial sourceChecked Oct 17, 2026

Terms can change. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll recheck it against the provider's page.

Report outdated terms

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