Charge Card Review: American Express Platinum Card

Applicable to UK residents only.

The American Express Platinum Card is the ‘older sibling’ to the Amex Gold Card, reviewed here. Hence, the card is more hefty in the annual fee department, but offers very generous benefits to its cardholders too.

Key facts:

Sign-up bonus: 30,000 American Express Membership Rewards Points (MRPs) when you spend £2,000 in the first 90 days. An increased bonus of 35,000 is available if you’re referred by an existing cardholder. Email me at thatairlineguybusiness (at) gmail.com if you would like a referral link.

Annual fee: £450

As you can see, both the sign-up bonus and fee are huge – the most of any UK credit/charge card. However, you won’t receive the bonus if you have had an Amex charge card (i.e. Green, Gold or Platinum) in the past 6 months.

Earning rate:

You earn 1 MRP per pound spent on the card. This is a very average rate of earning, and not reflective of the huge annual fee.

MRPs can be transferred 1-to-1 with the following frequent flyer programs:

• Air France KLM Flying Blue
• Alitalia MilleMiglia program
• Asia Miles
• British Airways Executive Club
• Delta SkyMiles^®
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad Guest
• Finnair Plus
• Iberia Plus
• SAS EuroBonus
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

And the following hotel chains in the following ratios (MRP:Hotel Point):

• Club Carlson (1:3)
• Hilton HHonors (1:2)
• Starwood Preferred Guest (2:1)

This is a very comprehensive list, and spans all corners of the globe; you’ll have no trouble getting that dream redemption flight/stay.

Other benefits:

This is the real deal-breaker. How much you’ll value/use these perks will determine if this card’s for you or not.

• Travel insurance for you and your family. I don’t personally make use of this, so don’t know how comprehensive it is. It is worth reading the small-print first, of course.
• Full car-hire insurance, meaning you won’t need to buy expensive insurance from the car-hire companies themselves.
• A Priority Pass Card, entitling you to free access to over 600 international airports, including the Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge at Heathrow, review here.
• Permanent Gold Status in Starwood Preferred Guest, Club Carlson, Hilton HHonors and Melia Rewards, and Jade Status in the Shangri-La Golden Circle.
• Access to Eurostar lounges in London and Paris.

Final thoughts

The American Express Platinum Card will justify its annual fee if you can make good use of its benefits. If you’re referred, the 35,000 MRPs could easily be worth £350 of the bat if redeemed correctly. Combine this with the savings of not having to buy travel/car-hire insurance, and two Priority Pass memberships (worth £259 each) and you can easily see how the card can pay for itself, and be a go-to for any seasoned frequent traveler.