Platinum Card Points: Earning and Redeeming Made Easy

Earning platinum card points is a great way to get rewarded for your spending habits. You can earn 5x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel.

To maximize your earnings, consider using your platinum card for everyday purchases, like groceries and gas. This can add up to a significant number of points over time.

You can also earn points on dining purchases at participating restaurants. According to the terms, this includes eating at restaurants that are booked through Amex's online booking platform.

Redeeming your points is just as easy as earning them. You can transfer your points to airline partners, such as Delta or American Airlines, to book flights.

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You can earn 80,000 points by spending $8,000 in the first 6 months with the American Express Platinum card. This is a great way to get started with earning points.

One to five points can be earned per dollar spent on purchases with the American Express Platinum card. This rewards rate can be achieved by booking flights directly through the airline's website or through Amex Travel.

To earn the highest rewards rate of 5 points per dollar, you should book your flights and hotels through Amex Travel. This can be a convenient option, especially for large purchases up to $500,000 per year.

The American Express Platinum card offers a welcome bonus of 80,000 points, which can be valued at around $1,360. This is a significant bonus that can help you get started with earning points.

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You can earn and redeem American Express Platinum card points by using this card for purchases. With your American Express Platinum card, you'll earn 1 - 5 points per $1 spent on purchases.

To qualify for this card's 5 points / $1 rewards rate, you should book your flights directly through the airline's website or through Amex Travel (up to $500,000 spent per year), and hotels must be booked through Amex Travel.

The American Express Platinum card offers 80,000 points for spending $8,000 in the first 6 months. When you redeem American Express Platinum card points, they're generally worth around 0.7 cents per point.

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You can transfer your Membership Rewards points to transfer partners, but it's recommended to wait until you have a redemption in mind and have found award space. This gives you the highest chance of being able to redeem for the award you want and prevents you from locking up your points in an airline program before you're ready to book.

Some airlines will let you put award tickets on hold, but that's becoming increasingly less popular. Thankfully, almost all of Amex's transfer partners accept transfers instantly.

One of the most well-known ways of booking domestic U.S. award tickets with Membership Rewards points is by transferring points to British Airways Avios. The British Airways award chart is distance-based, meaning the longer your flight is, the more points it will cost.

American Airlines bookings start at 9,000 miles for flights up to 1,151 flown miles in economy class. Domestic U.S. flights booked with Avios are subject to just $5.60 in taxes and fees.

Only book nonstop tickets with British Airways Avios, otherwise, it can be too expensive to be deemed a good deal.

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You can transfer your Platinum card points to one of the 21 Membership Rewards airline or hotel partners, including 18 airline partners and three hotel partners. This is a great way to get outsized value toward premium airfare, especially for travel in first and business class.

Some of the airline partners include Aer Lingus AerClub, Aeromexico Club Premier, Air Canada Aeroplan, and many others. You can find the full list in Example 1.

Transferring your points to airline partners like Virgin Atlantic Flying Club can get you great deals on international flights, such as a round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo on ANA for just 90,000 points.

Here's a list of some of the airline partners that you can transfer your points to:

Remember to transfer your points only after you've found a ticket you'd like to book.

If you live in a United hub, your best bet for booking domestic award tickets with Membership Rewards points is Avianca LifeMiles. This is because Avianca offers excellent values on domestic award tickets operated by United Airlines. Avianca's award chart is similar to British Airways, charging based on distance defined by zone, not actual miles flown. This means you won't be penalized for booking a stop with a layover.

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There are 3 published U.S. regions on the Avianca LifeMiles award chart: U.S. 1 (East Coast), U.S. 2 (Midwest), and U.S. 3 (West Coast). A flight within a single region is 7,500 miles in economy class. Going 1 region over is 10,000 miles, and going 2 regions (for example, U.S. 1 to U.S. 3) is 12,500 miles, both in economy class.

Avianca LifeMiles often deviates from its published award chart, offering lower cost awards than quoted. For instance, a ticket from Pittsburgh (PIT) to Newark (EWR) was found for 6,500 LifeMiles one-way in economy class, 1,000 miles less than quoted on the LifeMiles website.

Here's a breakdown of the Avianca LifeMiles award chart zones:

Avianca LifeMiles is a great option for booking domestic award tickets with Membership Rewards points, offering excellent values and flexibility.

Flying Blue is a loyalty program that allows you to book tickets on SkyTeam airlines, including Air France, Delta Air Lines, and KLM Royal Dutch.

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Its dynamic pricing system means award tickets are priced based on passenger load, cash price of the ticket, and other factors. This can sometimes result in higher prices, but it also means you can find great deals.

One of the best things about Flying Blue is that it's remarkably easy to use. All major SkyTeam airlines show on the Flying Blue website, so you won't have to call in to book a ticket.

Business class award tickets to Europe often price at just 53,000 miles one-way, which is much cheaper than most other European award tickets. This makes Flying Blue a great option to consider when planning an international trip.

Here's a step-by-step guide to using Flying Blue to book international award tickets:

Membership Rewards points transfer to Flying Blue instantly at a 1:1 ratio, making it easy to book your ticket of choice after finding award space.

The Amex Platinum offers a $200 annual airline fee credit that can be used toward airline incidentals and fees. This credit is available every calendar year, from January 1 to December 31.

You can designate which airline you want to receive the credit from, and you can change your selection in January of each year. If you don't change your selection, you'll automatically keep the same airline choice as the previous year.

Here are the participating airlines you can choose from:

Unfortunately, you can't use your credit toward airline tickets, upgrades, mileage points purchases, mileage points transfer fees, gift cards, duty free purchases, or award tickets.

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The Amex Platinum card offers a range of hotel partnerships that can help you maximize your points. You can transfer your points to one of the 18 airline partners or three hotel partners, including Choice Privileges, Hilton Honors, and Marriott Bonvoy.

Booking a prepaid hotel through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts or The Hotel Collection can also earn you an annual credit of up to $200. This is a pretty easy perk to use, and you can book a single stay to use up the entire credit.

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Here are the airline and hotel partners you can transfer your points to:

If you're looking to redeem your points for hotel stays, there are a few options to consider. The Amex Platinum Card offers 5x Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel, but this isn't always the best option.

This is because you're usually not earning loyalty points with your preferred hotel program when you book through Amex Travel, which can be a significant opportunity cost. However, there is an exception: Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts, where prepaid reservations earn 5x points and you still earn points with your preferred hotel loyalty program.

One of the best hotel partnerships with Amex is Hilton Honors, which offers a range of perks and benefits for members. You can earn and redeem Hilton Honors points through the Amex Platinum Card, and with the card's $200 annual hotel credit, you can book prepaid hotel stays through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts and receive a credit of up to $200.

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Here are some of the hotel partners you can earn and redeem points with through Amex:

These partnerships offer a range of benefits and perks, from free breakfast and room upgrades to guaranteed late check-out and complimentary Wi-Fi. Be sure to check the terms and conditions of each partnership to see what's included.

Transferring Membership Rewards is a great way to redeem your points for hotel stays. You can transfer your points to Choice Privileges, Hilton Honors, or Marriott Bonvoy, which are the three hotel partners of Membership Rewards.

Most transfers will appear in your transfer partner's account almost instantly, except for select partners like Singapore Airlines, which may take a bit longer.

To transfer your points, simply log in to your Membership Rewards account and select the transfer option. Points can be transferred to the 21 partners listed, including 18 airline partners and three hotel partners.

Here are the hotel partners you can transfer your points to:

It's worth noting that you can get outsized value toward premium airfare by transferring your points to airline partners and redeeming them for business or first-class tickets.

The Amex Platinum Card offers an incredible array of benefits and perks that can greatly enhance your travel experiences. One of the most valuable benefits is lounge access, with over 1,400 lounges in over 140 countries, including proprietary Amex lounges, Delta Sky Clubs, Plaza Premium Lounges, and Escape Louges.

Authorized users get most of the card benefits that the primary cardmember receives, including lounge access perks, access to Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts, and Hilton and Marriott Gold status. However, they don't get some of the additional credits, such as the Equinox credit, digital entertainment credit, and airline fee credit.

You can also earn up to $1,874 in annual credits, which can help offset the annual fee. This includes credits for Equinox, CLEAR, and airline tickets, among others. To maximize these credits, you'll need to enroll in the relevant programs and use your card to pay for the services.

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For everyday purchases, you can earn 1x points per dollar spent with the Amex Platinum card. This isn't the best rate, especially when compared to other cards that offer 1.5x-2x points per dollar spent.

I'd much rather put my spending on those cards, or on another card that's best for everyday spending, as the Amex Platinum's 1x points rate isn't competitive.

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The Amex Platinum Card offers a range of benefits that can save you money and make traveling easier. The card provides up to $1,874 in annual credits, which can be a huge perk for some people.

To put this into perspective, the annual fee for the Amex Platinum Card is not included in this credit, so you'll need to weigh the value of the benefits against the cost of the card. Enrollment is required for select benefits.

CLEAR Plus credit is just one of the benefits you can get with the Amex Platinum Card, offering up to $199 per year in statement credits when you pay for a CLEAR membership with your card. CLEAR can save you time at security by allowing you to use your biometric data to skip the ID check.

One of the most convenient benefits of the Amex Platinum Card is access to Escape Lounges, where you can relax and enjoy complimentary food and drinks while waiting for your flight.

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The Amex Platinum Card offers a $300 annual Equinox credit, which can be used for a digital or club membership at Equinox. This credit is given in the form of up to $300 in statement credits each year.

You can use this credit for a membership at any Equinox location, and it's valid for purchases made online or in-store.

The Amex Platinum card offers a fantastic digital entertainment benefit that can save you money throughout the year. You can earn up to $240 in statement credits annually.

With the Amex Platinum card, you can get a $20 monthly statement credit on eligible purchases or subscriptions with popular digital entertainment services. This includes streaming platforms like Audible, Peacock, and Disney+.

You can also use your Amex Platinum card to get a $20 monthly statement credit on The New York Times, The Disney Bundle, and ESPN+ subscriptions. This can add up to $240 in savings per year.

Here's a breakdown of the eligible digital entertainment services:

Authorized users of the Amex Platinum Card get most of the benefits that the primary cardmember receives. This includes lounge access perks, access to Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts, Hilton and Marriott Gold status, and access to the Amex International Airline Program.

Authorized users also get additional Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credits, which can be a huge time-saver when traveling. The credits are available every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck and every four years for Global Entry.

To give you a better idea, here's a breakdown of the benefits authorized users do and don't get:

Global Dining gives you access to premium events and other perks, like priority notification and VIP status. This is thanks to the Global Dining Access program by Resy, which is available with the Amex Platinum.

With this program, you'll have a chance to experience unique dining events and enjoy exclusive benefits.

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If you're eyeing the Amex Platinum Card, be aware that the welcome bonus isn't available to those who currently have the card or have had it in the past.

Having the Amex Platinum Card in the past means you won't receive the bonus, even if you're approved for the card.

You can still get approved for the card, but the bonus is a one-time deal.

Note that this card is a hybrid card, not a credit card, which means it doesn't count towards Amex's limit of five cards per person.

The Amex Platinum Card comes with a hefty price tag of $695 annual fee, which is one of the highest among premium cards.

This fee is non-negotiable, and it's something to consider before applying for the card.

Adding authorized users to the card will cost you an extra $195 each, so it's essential to think carefully about who you want to add.

The annual fee is a significant expense, but it's worth weighing against the benefits the card offers.

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The Chase Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum Card are two of the most popular premium credit cards on the market, but they cater to different types of users.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve has a $550 annual fee, which is significantly lower than the Amex Platinum Card's $695 annual fee. However, the Reserve offers a $300 annual travel credit that can be used toward any travel purchase, which is a valuable perk for frequent travelers.

To make the most of the Amex Platinum Card, you need to spend $8,000 in the first 6 months to earn the 80,000 points initial bonus. This can be a significant hurdle for some users, but the potential rewards are substantial.

The Amex Platinum Card has a long list of benefits, including airport lounge access, airline fee credits, and a $300 Equinox credit. The card also offers 5x points on airfare, which can be a huge advantage for frequent flyers.

Here's a breakdown of the Amex Platinum Card's benefits:

The key to getting the most value out of the Amex Platinum Card is to use its benefits and credits strategically. For example, if you rack up airline fees, the $200 credit can be a huge help. Similarly, if you use Uber frequently, the $200 credit can be a significant savings.

Ultimately, the Amex Platinum Card is worth its annual fee if you can take advantage of its many benefits and credits. With the right usage, the card can provide a substantial return on investment, making it a valuable addition to any credit card portfolio.

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You can earn outsized value toward premium airfare with platinum card points by transferring them to one of the 21 airline or hotel partners offered by Membership Rewards.

These partners include 18 airline partners and three hotel partners, such as Choice Privileges, Hilton Honors, and Marriott Bonvoy.

You can also take advantage of transfer bonuses offered by Amex, which can get you even better value.

Here are some of the airline partners you can transfer your points to:

If you're looking to maximize the value of your Membership Rewards points, it's essential to understand your transfer options. You can transfer your points to one of the 21 partners, including 18 airline partners and three hotel partners.

One of the best ways to redeem your points is by transferring them to airline partners, which often have a high value for premium airfare, especially for first and business class tickets. These tickets can be super expensive if paying cash, but can be a good deal with points.

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Amex often has transfer bonuses, which can get you even better value. To take advantage of these bonuses, it's crucial to have a redemption in mind and find award space before transferring your points.

You can transfer your points to popular airline partners like Aer Lingus AerClub, Air Canada Aeroplan, and British Airways Executive Club, among others. Here are some of the airline partners you can transfer your points to:

To ensure you get the best value for your points, transfer them only when you have a specific redemption in mind and have found award space. This will give you the highest chance of redeeming for the award you want.

You can get up to $200 per year in Uber credits with the Amex Platinum card, broken down into $15 per month and a $35 bonus in December.

To activate this benefit, you'll need to enter your Amex Platinum card number on your Uber account, which will unlock the benefit and add the credits to your Uber Cash balance.

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The discount will automatically be applied to your first eligible ride or food delivery, as long as you're using your Amex card as the payment method.

As of November 8th, 2024, you'll need to have an Amex card selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit.