When Amex recently refreshed the Amex Platinum Card, they made changes to both consumer and business versions of their cards and added a $600 hotel credit to both cards. You can refer to this post, I’ve written a detailed guide about how to use the credit every six months and what types of purchases qualify.
One of the common complaints about the benefit has been the fact that hotel rates on Amex’s website are often more expensive than while booking directly with hotels. In my experience, I’ve found the hotel rates to be pretty competitive. In fact, I find the $600 Hotel Credit as one of the most valuable benefits on my Charles Schwab Amex Platinum Card for my style of travel. So, I decided to have a data based look and see what the numbers show.
Amex Platinum Card $600 Hotel Credit: Comparing Prices
Here’s my methodology. I picked up hotels from 6 continents and a total of 10 properties. I compared hotel prices while booking direct and while booking via FHR for the following dates. Bear in mind, these rates are for two night stays including taxes for two people. Each one of the dates has a Friday check-in, with the check out on a Sunday.
- Dec 5-7, 2025
- Jan 9-11, 2025
- Feb 6-8, 2025
While picking up a sample of data, I tried to accommodate various regions of the world, in addition to looking at prices from different brands, ending up with the following:
- Waldorf Astoria
- JW Marriott
- Conrad
- Park Hyatt
- Taj Hotels
- Four Seasons
- One&Only
- The Ritz Carlton
The following countries are represented in the data:
- United States of America
- United Kingdom
- India
- South Africa
- United Arab Emirates
- Australia
- Argentina
- China
Comparing FHR v/s Direct Bookings
| Hotel | Date | Direct Booking Price | FHR Price | Which price is better? | Price difference ($) | Verdict? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waldorf Astoria New York | Dec 5, 2025 | $6,032 | $6,033 | Both prices almost the same | Both prices almost the same | No difference |
| Waldorf Astoria New York | Jan 9, 2026 | $2,533 | $2,533 | Both prices almost the same | Both prices almost the same | No difference |
| Waldorf Astoria New York | Feb 6, 2026 | $2,338 | $2,338 | Both prices almost the same | Both prices almost the same | No difference |
| JW Marriott San Francisco Union Square (THC) | Dec 5, 2025 | $500 | $599 | Direct booking 20% cheaper | FHR $99 more expensive | Direct booking better |
| JW Marriott San Francisco Union Square (THC) | Jan 9, 2026 | $632 | $764 | Direct booking 21% cheaper | FHR $132 more expensive | Direct booking better |
| JW Marriott San Francisco Union Square (THC) | Feb 6, 2026 | Sold Out | Sold Out | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Conrad Los Angeles | Dec 5, 2025 | $944 | $944 | Both prices almost the same | Both prices almost the same | No difference |
| Conrad Los Angeles | Jan 9, 2026 | $944 | $944 | Both prices almost the same | Both prices almost the same | No difference |
| Conrad Los Angeles | Feb 6, 2026 | $944 | $944 | Both prices almost the same | Both prices almost the same | No difference |
| Park Hyatt London River Thames | Dec 5, 2025 | $1,388 | $1,240 | FHR 11% cheaper | FHR $148 cheaper | FHR better |
| Park Hyatt London River Thames | Jan 9, 2026 | $842 | $752 | FHR 11% cheaper | FHR $90 cheaper | FHR better |
| Park Hyatt London River Thames | Feb 6, 2026 | $886 | $792 | FHR 11% cheaper | FHR $94 cheaper | FHR better |
| The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai | Dec 5, 2025 | $1,030 | $1,039 | Both prices almost the same | Both prices almost the same | No difference |
| The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai | Jan 9, 2026 | $1,110 | $1,146 | Direct booking 3% cheaper | FHR $36 more expensive | Direct booking better |
| The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai | Feb 6, 2026 | $1,112 | $1,146 | Direct booking 3% cheaper | FHR $34 more expensive | Direct booking better |
| Four Seasons Hotel Sydney | Dec 5, 2025 | $920 | $927 | Both prices almost the same | Both prices almost the same | No difference |
| Four Seasons Hotel Sydney | Jan 9, 2026 | $635 | $705 | Direct booking 11% cheaper | FHR $70 more expensive | Direct booking better |
| Four Seasons Hotel Sydney | Feb 6, 2026 | $917 | $1,018 | Direct booking 11% cheaper | FHR $101 more expensive | Direct booking better |
| One&Only Cape Town | Dec 5, 2025 | $3,360 | $3,358 | Both prices almost the same | Both prices almost the same | No difference |
| One&Only Cape Town | Jan 9, 2026 | $3,870 | $3,868 | Both prices almost the same | Both prices almost the same | No difference |
| One&Only Cape Town | Feb 6, 2026 | Sold Out | Sold Out | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires | Dec 5, 2025 | $3,590 | $3,606 | Both prices almost the same | FHR $16 more expensive | Direct booking better |
| Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires | Jan 9, 2026 | $2,083 | $2,141 | Direct booking 3% cheaper | FHR $58 more expensive | Direct booking better |
| Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires | Feb 6, 2026 | $1,720 | $1,771 | Direct booking 3% cheaper | FHR $51 more expensive | Direct booking better |
| Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre | Dec 5, 2025 | $1,495 | $1,584 | Direct booking 6% cheaper | FHR $89 more expensive | Direct booking better |
| Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre | Jan 9, 2026 | $1,305 | $1,384 | Direct booking 6% cheaper | FHR $79 more expensive | Direct booking better |
| Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre | Feb 6, 2026 | $1,241 | $1,317 | Direct booking 6% cheaper | FHR $76 more expensive | Direct booking better |
| The Ritz Carlton Beijing | Dec 5, 2025 | $449 | $459 | Direct booking 2% cheaper | FHR $10 more expensive | Direct booking better |
| The Ritz Carlton Beijing | Jan 9, 2026 | $441 | $451 | Direct booking 2% cheaper | FHR $10 more expensive | Direct booking better |
| The Ritz Carlton Beijing | Feb 6, 2026 | $433 | $442 | Direct booking 2% cheaper | Both prices almost the same | No difference |
Is there a clear winner?
Let’s compare absolute numbers. You’ll see a range. Where direct bookings are the outright winners, you’ll see that they’re anywhere between $10-$132 cheaper than FHR for a stay of 2 nights.
Also, let’s assign a simple scoring mechanism based on the table:
- For every instance where FHR price is more competitive, FHR gets 1 point and Direct Bookings get 0
- For every instance where FHR price is less competitive, FHR gets 0 points and Direct Bookings get 1
- When prices are almost the same, both get a point each
- Where data is not available due to the property being sold out for those dates, both get a 0
If you tally up the scores using this mechanism, then Direct Bookings notch up a score of 25 while FHR gets a total of 14 points.
The Verdict
An effective method to compare which booking channel is better would not be sufficient if we only look at absolute numbers. Yes, absolute numbers provide insight into prices for the sake of comparison. However, you need to figure out how much monetary value you can derive out of FHR benefits like these:
- 12 PM check-in when available
- Room upgrade based on availability
- Complimentary breakfast for two people
- $100 experience credit for use at the property
- Guaranteed 4 PM check out
- Complimentary WiFi
There are a lot of variables here. Firstly, which benefits do you really end up using? Secondly, which benefits are already available to you due to elite status? At a more conservative level, let’s say you only get a total of $100 in value from all the FHR benefits combined. If you look at the data, then you’ll see that the prices are still competitive when you compare with direct bookings.
My Experience
I currently hold Platinum Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy and Gold Elite status with Hilton Honors. I am just Discoverist with Hyatt. So, when I’m traveling at brands that are not Hilton or Marriott, I find these FHR benefits providing great value. Also, for me, breakfast is the most important meal of the day so complimentary breakfast works perfectly for me. Moreover, based on my own stays, I end up using either the early check in or late check out. Also, the $100 experience credit is very easy to use as most properties simply allow you to use them for F&B consumed at the property.
So, for my style of travel, I value FHR benefits well upwards of $100 per stay. I’d actually go as far as making that $150 if you add up the value derived from free breakfast and early check in/late check out, in addition to the $100 experience credit.
My travel patterns have changed a lot after Covid-19. Almost all of my travel is international in nature. If your’e around Asia or the Middle East or other parts of the world, the FHR benefit can work wonders. Here’s a list of some of my recent stays over the last three years at FHR properties. I can say for sure that the hotel rates were competitive when compared with direct bookings and most importantly, the experiences were truly memorable.
- Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai, India
- The Oberoi Mumbai, India
- Taj Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- The Ritz Carlton Langkawi, Malaysia
- Habtoor Palace Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Conrad Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- The Ritz Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre, United Arab Emirates
- Taj Rishikesh, India
- Waldorf Astoria Bangkok, Thailand
- Taj Lake Palace Udaipur, India
- Ritz Carlton Reserve Phulay Bay, Krabi, Thailand
The Pundit’s Mantra
Overall, in my opinion, the $600 Hotel Credit benefit is a great enhancement on the Amex Platinum Card and the Business Platinum Card. It adds great value to these cards in spite of the steep annual fee. For my style of travel, the prices are very competitive in markets that I frequently travel to, that more than justifies keeping the Amex Platinum Card in my wallet year after year.
In my opinion, you need to look at two things: how much value can you derive from the FHR benefits and how competitive the hotel rates are when you compare with booking direct. These two factors will determine how much dollar value you’ll end up assigning to the $600 Hotel Credit benefit. In my case, I assign full value as I’m able to extract great value for my style of travel.
What do you think about the $600 Hotel Credit? Do you find it to be massively overpriced or do you find providing just the perfect value at luxury properties? Tell us in the comments section.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Subscribe to my YouTube channel for the latest in miles, points & travel…
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
New Credit Card Offers
American Express Business Credit Cards
- Earn 200,000 Membership Rewards points with the Business Platinum Card
- Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards and enjoy a 0% intro APR on the Business Gold Card
Chase Sapphire Cards
- Earn 125,000 bonus points with the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
- Earn 200,000 bonus points with the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card for Business
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Never miss out on the deals, news and travel industry trends. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and Twitter to keep getting the latest content!
The $600 annual credit functions as a $300 credit every six months.
Seems to me there’s no clear path to using the benefit without also coming out of pocket significantly.
So basically, if you were already planning on dropping cash every six months at one of these hotels regardless, then this is a nice benefit. For everyone else, not so much.
Yes, you’re correct. it’s precisely meant for people who like to spend and stay at luxury properties.