American Express Platinum Card

Experience unparalleled rewards with the American Express Platinum Card. For a limited time, new Card Members who apply by 14 January 2025 and spend $5,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of approval will receive a generous 150,000 bonus Membership Rewards points. The Amex Platinum Card is stacked with exceptional rewards and offers exclusive benefits like up to $400 in Global Dining Credit per calendar year, a $450 annual Travel Credit and lounge access. With the flexibility to transfer points to 12 major airline reward partner programmes, it's the perfect choice for those seeking to maximise their rewards and enjoy premium experiences. Terms and conditions apply.

Amex Platinum Key Benefits:

What is a charge card?

Essentially a charge card has no pre-set limit. This offers extra flexibility to those that need it. In addition to that, the full balance is required for each statement cycle, whereas with a credit card you could pay the minimum necessary + interest each month.

Amex Platinum Metal Card Design

The Amex Platinum Card now comes with a sleek, metal design for both primary and additional Card Members. Apart from the invite-only Centurion card, the Amex Platinum Card is one of the few metal card available in Australia

Amex Platinum Card Fees

Earning & Redeeming Points With Amex Platinum

The American Express Platinum Card earns Membership Rewards Ascent Premium points. Out of all Amex reward points, these are considered the most valuable due to their transfer options to all the major frequent flyer programs including Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Thai Royal Orchid and Qantas Frequent Flyer.

In addition to that you can also transfer your points to Air New Zealand, Emirates Skywards, Malaysia Airlines Enrich, Etihad Guest and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. If hotels are more important to you, you can also transfer to Hilton Honors (however, we would classify this as a poor use of points) or Marriott Bonvoy.

Amex Platinum Airline Transfer Rates

All airlines except for Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines and Emirates transfer at a rate of 2 MR points for 1 frequent flyer point, this makes the effective earning rate of the American Express Platinum Card 1.125 points per dollar.

• 1 Qatar Airways Avios = 2 Membership Rewards
• 1 Velocity Frequent Flyer = 2 Membership Rewards
• 1 Asia Miles = 2 Membership Rewards points
• 1 Etihad Guest Mile = 2 Membership Rewards points
• 1 Enrich Mile = 2 Membership Rewards points
• 1 Qantas Point = 2 Membership Rewards points
• 1 HawaiianMiles = 2 Membership Rewards Points
• 1 Royal Orchid Plus Mile = 2 Membership Rewards points
• 1 Flying Club Mile = 2 Membership Rewards points
• 1 Kris Flyer Mile = 3 Membership Rewards points
• 1 Skyward Mile = 3 Membership Rewards points
• 1 Airpoint Dollar = 200 Membership Rewards points

Amex Platinum Hotel Transfer Rates

The American Express Membership Rewards program also allows you to transfer your points to 2 of the major hotel loyalty programs Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy.

Hilton Honors

• 2 Membership Rewards points = 1 Hilton Honors point

Marriott Bonvoy

• 3 Membership Rewards points = 2 Marriott Bonvoy points

$450 Annual Travel Credit

Each year you hold the Amex Platinum card you will receive a $450 travel credit which can be used to book flights, hotels and car rentals via Amex travel. The benefit of booking through Amex travel is that you will not pay any credit card fees, on top of that you also get bonus points. More complex travel itineraries are harder to price up online, but I find that A to B flights are always the same price compared to booking direct + you save on credit card surcharges applied by airlines and travel agencies. Note that the travel credit must be used in its entirety, if not you'll forfeit the difference.

How The Travel Credit Works

If your card has a Travel Credit benefit, the Primary Card Member is eligible for an annual Travel Credit. The Travel Credit can be redeemed through American Express Travel Online on a single eligible travel booking by selecting the Travel Credit when you checkout.

To redeem the Travel Credit, the full value of the Travel Credit (or more) must be charged to the eligible Primary Card. Eligible travel includes flights, hotels and car hire when you prepay in advance. The Travel Credit can be used for 365 days from the benefit anniversary date and cannot be used past the expiration date.

To check the expiration date of your Travel Credit if you have not already redeemed it, please visit americanexpress.com.au/travel; log in and click ‘Travel Credit’.

If your booking is cancelled, and your Travel Credit has already been used and associated statement credit applied to your account, you will forfeit your annual Travel Credit benefit and American Express may reverse the statement credits issued.

You need to be able to spend on the Card to access the Travel Credit benefit and it should be credited to your Card Account within 3 business days but may take up to 30 days. Your account must be in good standing and you must have paid the annual fee and minimum payment by the due date.

If you cancel your Card, change your rewards program or Card type, you will no longer be eligible for the Travel Credit.

Up To $400 Dining Credit Each Year

Each year, Amex Platinum Card Members will receive up to $400 worth of dining credits.

The dining credit will be split into 2; this means you get $200 credit at a range of restaurants in Australia and $200 at selected venues around the world. The list and countries are extensive and include over 2,000 restaurants across 20 countries. Each restaurant is hand-selected by the American Express Platinum team. You can see the full list of participating restaurants here. This benefit has been extended and will run until December 31, 2025

• $200 Dining Credit: To be used each year at participating Australian restaurants
• $200 Dining Credit: To be used at participating international restaurants

Priority Pass Lounge Access

No airline status? No problem! Priority Pass is a global network of more than 1,400 airport lounges that offer access to its members based on a paid subscription. Fortunately for Amex Platinum Card members, Priority Pass is free and unlimited (with the exception of Priority Pass Restaurants).

To further maximise the value, you can gift a second priority pass membership to one of your additional Platinum Card Members ( you can have 4 additional Card Members in total).

As part of the membership, you can also take a guest with you so in total you could get lounge access for up to 4 people when travelling together.

To enrol into Priority Pass you just need to call Amex on 1800 673 760 (option 3) since it’s not available online. The Priority Pass membership is valued at $531 per annum.

Virgin Australia Domestic Lounge Access

Your shiny Amex Platinum Card also acts as your membership card to all the Virgin Australia domestic lounges. This is unlimited, and you can take 1 guest in with you. This benefit is limited to the primary Card holder.

Annual Virgin Lounge memberships retail $420 + a $330 joining fee so we’ll value this benefit somewhere in the middle. Of course, you will need to be flying with Virgin Australia to take advantage of this benefit.

Accor Plus Membership

The Amex Platinum Card now comes with a complimentary Accor Plus membership (primary card member-only). Personally, I pay for this each year, so it’s a great addition. I wrote an Accor Plus Ultimate guide here so go check that out for the full details. Essentially you get 1 free stay each year, 50% off your food bill for 2 people and instant Accor Silver status + much more. The Accor Plus membership would cost $399 per year if you were to subscribe to it like me.

The free night can be redeemed for properties that easily go for $400+ a night, so it’s a win-win, add dinner for 2 to your hotel bill (50% discount), and you will easily save another $100 on that too.

Amex Platinum Travel

The Amex Platinum Card also has access to the Platinum Travel Service team. This is a service exclusive to Platinum Card customers, and the reason I’m mentioning this benefit here is because they can get discounted business and first-class tickets for Card Members.

On a recent quote I got for Qatar Airways, Amex Platinum Travel came back with a fare that was $400 cheaper compared to the cheapest I could find on Google Flights.

Fine Hotels + Resorts

Amex FH&R is a luxury travel program for over 1,300 iconic 5-star properties worldwide. It’s only available to Platinum Card members and offers additional benefits such as guaranteed 4 PM checkout, complimentary breakfast for two, upgrades (subject to availability) and special amenities at each property, such as US$100 food and beverage credit or massage for two.

The benefits vary between properties, but for those that seek out unique 5-star properties, it’s a win-win most of the time. I’m saying “most of the time” because of course you should always compare the prices to other booking sites and see if you’re actually getting a benefit by booking through FH&R. It’s similar to Virtuoso but more seamless since you can book online and the benefits are usually guaranteed (such as upgrades and late checkout). Assuming that people who go for the Platinum Card would usually spend money on luxury hotels, I will value this benefit as well, based on a 1-night stay in 12 months.

The Hotel Collection

The Hotel Collection is a similar program to Amex FHR but usually features a range of different properties. Amex Platinum Card members get up to USD$100 hotel credit on qualifying charges and a room upgrade if available when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. The only catch is that it’s valid for bookings of 2 nights or more. You can research the available properties when logged into your Amex account and by clicking the “book travel online” link.

Hotel Elite Status

The Amex Platinum Card comes with a bunch of instant elite status for a few hotels. Here’s what you get:

• Hilton Honors Gold Status:Typically you will get upgrades to better rooms (provided there’s availability), and as part of your gold status, you also get complimentary breakfast (at most Hilton brands).
• Marriott Bonvoy Gold: Once you get the Amex Platinum Card, you can apply for Bonvoy Gold which should get you better upgrades, early and late checkout and better earn rates.
• Radisson Rewards Premium Status: Probably the least valuable hotel status, this one gives you a discount on food and beverages, free water in the room and a welcome gift as well as room upgrades where available.

The American Express Global Lounge Collection

American Express now has its own lounges in both Sydney and Melbourne, as a Platinum Card holder you get unlimited access for both yourself, additional Card Members + 2 guests to The Centurion Lounge.

You will also get complimentary access to international Centurion Lounges, a large number are found in the U.S, and there’s also a brand new one in Hong Kong.

Delta Skyclub

When travelling with Delta airlines, both the primary and additional Card Members get access to the Delta Skyclub.

Lufthansa Lounges

Platinum Card members now get access to both the Munich and Frankfurt lounges. Both Business class lounges and Senator Lounges are up for grabs if you meet the following conditions: Lufthansa Business Lounges when flying in any class with Lufthansa, Swissair and Austrian Airlines. Lufthansa Senator Lounges when flying in Business class with Lufthansa, Swissair and Austrian Airlines.

Car Rental Elite Programs

Your Amex card also comes with a couple of elite memberships to both Hertz and Avis.

• Hertz Gold Plus Five Star: This membership offers free upgrades (based on availability), priority car collection and a 4 hour grace period when returning the car. In addition to your status, there’s also a Platinum Charge coupon code which will reduce the total cost of your rental.
• Avis Preferred Plus: In addition to car upgrades (when available), members will also receive between 25 and 50% more Avis reward points.

Amex Platinum Card Insurance

The American Express Platinum Card comes with some of the most comprehensive travel insurance policies attached to a credit card. In addition to travel insurance, it also comes with comprehensive car rental insurance and Smartphone Screen Cover (I’ve personally used this multiple times already; easy claims process and the claimed amount was paid within days). As always, it’s hard to go into detail when it comes to insurance since everyone’s circumstances are different.

Therefore I would highly recommend you spend 15 mins reading through the PDS to see if it’s suitable for you. The Amex Platinum Card now also covers up to 4 additional Card Members, so it’s no longer just your immediate family/spouse that are covered.

This is a great benefit as you can now extend an additional card to friends or family members. Keep in mind that you are required to book your return tickets using the card to be fully covered by insurance.

Amex Platinum Card Downsides

Apart from the hefty annual fee, there are a few other things that could be improved upon. For example, the 3% surcharge when spending in foreign currencies seems excessive considering this is a card for those who travel a lot. It’s slightly offset by the 2.25 points per dollar earn rate overseas, but ideally, we would like to see no FX rates on this card.

Maximising the additional cards

There’s a good reason for Amex to limit additional cards to only 4 (of course there is no cost to adding additional cards) on the Amex Platinum Card and that’s because they get pretty much all the same benefits as the primary cardholder. That includes most hotel statuses and lounge access plus insurances.

Note: Only 1 additional Card Holder gets Priority Pass while Accor Plus is limited to the Primary Card holder only.

Amex Experiences App

Amex Platinum Cardmembers get access to the Amex Experiences App which highlights the card benefits and features and gives notifications about exclusive ticket pre-sales as well as information on which restaurants you can book to redeem your dining credit. The app is available via Google Play and the Apple App Store.

Amex Platinum Card In Conclusion

As you can see, there are plenty of benefits that justify the high annual fee for this card. That being said, it certainly isn’t for everyone, especially if you don’t travel or see no value in lounge access, hotel status etc. Especially for the first year, this card is an absolute no-brainer if you’re remotely interested in luxury travel thanks for the sign-up bonus of 150,000 Membership Rewards points .