I was recently interviewed by NerdWallet because I am HUGE fan of traveling with the American Express platinum card
Plural. I have both the personal and the business card (yes this is $695 and $595 annual fee respectively)..
But if that seems steep, both have paid themselves off within the first two months of travel
Examples of how to maximize your Amex Platinum Card
- Lounge access
I fly @delta and this perk alone, let’s call it “I eat and drink the equivalent of $50” every time I go to the lounge and I am in a lounge anywhere from 6-10x times a MONTH. Also: the ability to HIDE From the insane airport crowds and use fast wifi? Priceless.
- Hotels
$200 hotel credit at their “fine hotel collection” (last time I used it allowed me to have early checkin (10am and late checkout 4pm) with an upgraded room, chocolates, champagne in-room and spa credit)
- TSA/Global and Clear
Yes I have TSA / Global but I also have @clear (a $179 / year benefit) or “priceless to walk through security with someone pleasantly welcoming you and high-fiving you straight into security as you scan your eyeball”
More travel benefits in the videos below:
It’s not just travel benefits
- There is also random stuff: $50 to use at Saks twice a year? I just got another Jonathan Adler grapefruit candle. Where are my Soulcycle peeps that know what I’m talking about?! The amount of calm this thing gives me after a day of flying my FPV drone is priceless.
- How about $200 in Uber credits. This covered about 1% of my uber bill when I lived in SF (just kidding.. kinda). Every bit helps.
Bottom line
We all love a little luxury when we travel, but only YOU know your spending habits. I’ll be honest and I did a quick back of the napkin calculation to make sure I would recoup the fees right away. Given the AMOUNT of (nonstop) travel I do, it made a ton of sense.
However, the amount of NON TRAVEL benefits I get is A LOT. It goes beyond the “insurance for car rentals” and “upgraded hotel rooms” and “5x points on blah blah blah”. I encourage you to read some of the “other” benefits, many of them I admit are things I didn’t expect, surprise and delight me and I keep a regular calendar reminder to go peek over at what’s going on benefits-wise with my card that month because it’s CONSTANTLY changing (in a great way).