GUIDE: The American Express Platinum Card – The Best UK Credit Card for Travel Benefits?

The Platinum Card is the most popular credit card among Turning Left for Less readers, and it’s easy to see why! From lounge access to elite hotel status, dining credit and plenty of little extras, AMEX Platinum has everything you need in a credit card, especially if you’re a frequent traveller. However, with a yearly cost of £650, is the card really worth it, or would a different option like the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card be better for you? Here’s what you need to know!

Disclaimer: The content of this article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial or professional advice. The information is correct as of 13th March 2025. Check the AMEX website for current benefits and offers. 

AMEX Platinum is currently offering 80,000 Membership Rewards Points when you spend £10,000 in the first 6 months of membership. The offer ends on 27th May 2025.

The American Express Platinum Card in a Snapshot

Credit Card Name: The Platinum Card®

Annual Fee: £650

Supplementary Card Membership: The account limit is 5. The first is free, and then you can add up to 4 supplementary cardholders for £285 per person.

Minimum Income: £35,000 per year

Representative APR: 698.1% APR variable

Purchase Rate: 30.4% variable

Main Credit Card Perks

• Generous welcome bonus
• Unlimited lounge access
• Instant mid-tier status with Marriott, Hilton, Radisson, and Meliá
• £400 annual dining credit
• Harvey Nichols credit (ending on 30th June 2025)
• Comprehensive travel insurance
• Car hire benefits
• Fine Hotels & Resorts credit

Membership Rewards Points

Membership Rewards points (MR points) are the currency of American Express Membership Rewards. You can earn MR points by spending on the majority of AMEX credit cards unless your card is branded. For example, the British Airways AMEX cards earn Avios instead.

With the AMEX Platinum card, you can earn:

• 1 MR Point per £1 spent on purchases
• 2 MR Points per £1 spent when booking via AMEX Travel (American Express Cardmember exclusive travel agency)

Membership Rewards Points never expire and can be spent on:

• Credit towards purchases on your statement
• Gift Cards and e-Codes (1,000 points = £5)
• Donate to charity (1,000 points = £4.50)
• Pay with Points using SafeKey at over 1,000 online retailers (1,000 points = £4.50)
• Shop at Amazon (1,000 points = £4.50)
• Shop at Paypal (1,000 points = £4.50)
• Book travel via AMEX Travel (1,000 points = £4.50)
• Club Eurostar Points (15:1)
• Nectar Points (1:1)
• Transfer to hotel loyalty programmes such as Hilton (1:2), Radisson (1:3) and Marriott (2:3)

You can also transfer points to a wide range of airline loyalty programmes. Most have a transfer ratio of 1:1 (e.g. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Cathay Pacific, Flying Blue, and more). Emirates has a rate of 4:3, Delta 10:1, and Singapore Airlines has a ratio of 3:2.

There are several things you won’t earn MR points on (e.g. balance transfers and foreign exchange fees).

Tip: Look out for transfer bonuses, which can increase the value of your points even more. For example, Virgin once offered a 30% transfer bonus!

The Welcome Bonus!

The AMEX Platinum card is known for offering one of the most generous credit card welcome bonuses in the UK.

To qualify for the bonus, you must be a new cardholder or have not held a Membership Rewards enrolled card in the past 24 months. However, this does not mean you won’t be eligible if you have an AMEX card, which earns something other than MR points. You will still be eligible if you:

• Hold an AMEX card which does not earn MR points (e.g. The British Airways card/the Marriott Bonvoy card)
• You are already a supplementary cardholder on another AMEX account
• Hold an AMEX Business card

If you hold the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card, there is an alternative welcome bonus of 75,000 MR points for upgrading when you spend £6,000 in the first 6 months.

Each AMEX card has a different welcome bonus, but usually, the more expensive the card, the bigger the bonus. However, you must meet a minimum spend in a set timeframe to get the bonus, so you should work out whether you can meet this before applying. Otherwise, you may not get enough value from the card.

The standard welcome bonus is:

50,000 Membership Rewards Points when you spend £10,000 in the first 6 months of card membership.

AMEX Platinum is currently offering:

The AMEX Platinum’s welcome bonus is undeniably one of the most generous in the UK, but hitting the £10,000 spend in 6 months will only be possible for some people. If you have a big purchase coming up, this can be a good way to meet the requirement without overspending.

AMEX is still offering pro-rata refunds if you cancel your card. If you change your mind, you can still get huge benefit from the card if you spend £10,000 in the first 6 months.

Hotel Elite Status

One of the top benefits of the AMEX Platinum card is elite status. You will get mid-tier elite status with not one but four hotel loyalty programmes, including:

• Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite
• Radisson Rewards Premium
• Hilton Honors Gold
• MeliáRewards Gold

Each hotel chain offers a wide range of hotels for all budgets. Having status with four different hotel loyalty programmes will give you a variety of choices wherever you travel. Perks depend on the loyalty programme but often include additional points on stays, room upgrades, discounts, early check-in, late checkout and more.

We will be publishing a full article about the AMEX Platinum hotel benefits very soon!

Unlimited Lounge Access

The AMEX Platinum card offers the most comprehensive free lounge access out of all UK credit cards.

If you already have elite airline status and typically prefer to use their lounges, this benefit may be of less value. However, airline lounges aren’t always available at every airport or may be limited depending on your route (or you might just want to visit a different lounge). If you travel with Eurostar often, lounge access can also add substantial value.

Lounge benefits of the AMEX Platinum card include:

Two Priority Pass Cards: You and a supplementary cardholder get free lounge access to over 1,400 lounges in 650 cities. Read our guide to lounge access with lounge passes for a full breakdown of the lounges you can use and whether this is a valuable benefit. Priority Pass lounge access via AMEX Platinum includes 1 guest (terms apply).

Access to Centurion Lounges: The lounges are part of the AMEX lounge network. Most are located in the US, but there is a Centurion lounge located in Heathrow Terminal 3 and a few of the world’s other major cities.

Delta Sky Club and Lufthansa Lounges: Access to select lounges when flying with Delta, Lufthansa, Austrian or SWISS. Terms apply (e.g. you must be flying in LH group Business class to access the Senator lounges).

Eurostar Lounges: You can use these in London, Brussels, and Paris. This means you can travel in Standard Premier to get a business class-style seat without lounge access and then get lounge access through your credit card. You can read my past review of Standard Premier here.

You can also get lounge access from a range of other credit cards. Read our article on lounge access with credit cards for a breakdown of this. If you’re solely getting the card for this, you may be more interested in lounge access with airline status.

Comprehensive Travel Insurance

One of the standout benefits of the AMEX Platinum Card is its comprehensive travel insurance. Think about how much your travel insurance is at the moment and how much you could save if you had it as a credit card bonus. Travel insurance covers the cardholder, supplementary cardholders, their husband/wife or co-habiting partner, and dependent children (under 25) for up to 90 days each year, making it an incredibly valuable benefit for families. You can read about the cover and benefits here.

However, to benefit from some of the travel insurance benefits, you must book your travel with an AMEX card (it doesn’t need to be a Platinum card); otherwise, you will only have a basic medical cover (although additional terms and exceptions do apply to this).

The Medical Assistance & Expenses benefit has an age limit of 70. If this applies to you, there’s no way around it, and it’s a lost benefit that can take value off the card! You can read more about AMEX insurance here.

You also need to remember to opt into travel insurance (otherwise, you won’t be covered) and declare any pre-existing conditions (these are excluded from coverage). If you have a pre-existing medical condition not on the list of accepted conditions, you may be able to obtain alternative or additional insurance via MoneyHelper. You can view the list of approved conditions here. It’s worth noting that some sports are not covered either.

Up to £400 Dining Credit

The AMEX Platinum card gives you up to £400 dining credit. If you fully maximise the dining credit, it effectively reduces the card’s annual fee to £250.

You can get £100 cashback twice yearly on UK dining – £100 between January and June and £100 from July to December. There are more than 150 restaurants to choose from!

You can also get £200 abroad (the same applies). There are over 1,200 restaurants to choose from!

You also need to check the list before you dine, as restaurants are added and removed regularly. Supplementary cardholders do not get this benefit.

You must enrol to benefit from this!

View the list of participating restaurants here >>>

Harvey Nichols Credit

This benefit has been extended until June 30th, 2025. You still have the opportunity to earn £50 before this date.

There is no minimum spend for this. This effectively gives you £50 of free spending annually at Harvey Nichols (on anything from fashion to dining in its restaurants).

Admittedly, the Harvey Nichols credit can be a bit of a bonus benefit rather than a deal-breaker. If you opt for the AMEX Platinum and you want to use this benefit, make sure you do it before 30th June 2025!

Car Rental Benefits

You will get premium membership status with Avis Preferred and Hertz Gold Plus Rewards.

Platinum members enjoy Hertz Gold Plus, which includes benefits such as an extended 4-hour return grace period on rentals (so you won’t be charged extra if you’re a bit late returning the car). You’ll also get a one-class upgrade (if possible) and a 15% discount on standard rates (25% on the prestige collection). 

Likewise, with Avis, you receive Platinum President Club status and can access valuable discounts. Some of the best benefits include up to 25% off published rates (minimum 10%), upgrades, priority availability and priority service. 

If you hire a vehicle, you’re covered for theft or damage to the car without needing to buy the rental company’s collision damage waiver or pay extra for their insurance.

Fine Hotels and Resorts Perks

If you book a Fine Hotels and Resorts stay with AMEX Travel, you will get a room upgrade (subject to availability) and a range of other extras such as:

• Free breakfast for 2 people
• Midday check-in (subject to availability)
• Guaranteed late check-out at 4 PM!
• Food and drink credit (or similar)
• Free WIFI. 

There are over 2,600 handpicked hotels to choose from, including 75 in London.

If you regularly stay at high-end hotels, these benefits could potentially cover your whole fee. However, you won’t receive the benefit if you book through non-AMEX channels like BA Holidays or Virgin Holidays.

Additional Benefits

The AMEX Platinum Card has many other notable benefits that add extra value to your membership, including:

• AMEX Offers: Receive tailored offers based on your spending habits. These offers provide statement credits or bonus points when you spend at participating merchants.
• Platinum Concierge: A 24/7 travel & lifestyle service. They can help you make changes to your travel insurance, give advice and more.
• Airfare Guarantee: Exclusive savings of up to 20% when booking via Platinum Concierge or AMEX Travel. Access to the International Airline Programme. Current partners include:

• Referral Bonuses: Referral offers often change. Earn up to 90,000 bonus points per year by referring friends and family (12,000 points per person). The referred person must apply via your unique referral link.
• Event Access and Experiences: exclusive pre-sale access to premium arts, culture, and lifestyle events like the National Theatre via the AMEX Experiences App.
• Invitation Only events
• Access to the American Express Lounge at The O2 Arena in London: Subject to availability
• Purchase Protection
• Refund Protection
• Fraud Protection

Supplementary Cardholders

One of the great benefits is being able to add up to 5  supplementary cardholders. The first person is free, and you can add four more for £285 per person. They will be entitled to all the benefits of the first supplementary cardholder. See the list of benefits here.

Note: The bonus Membership Rewards points offer is only valid for the first approved Supplementary Platinum cardholder. You will be liable for all charges the additional cardholders make.

Deciding Which Credit Card (If Any) Is Right for You

Choosing the right credit card can often seem overwhelming. You must consider whether this card aligns with your lifestyle and spending habits.

Are You a Frequent Traveller?

This card is tailor-made for frequent travellers. With unlimited lounge access, elite hotel status, and comprehensive travel insurance.

If you struggle to get value from these perks, you may be better off with a less travel-orientated card. With the Virgin cards, you can transfer points to Virgin Red and spend Virgin Points on a huge variety of non-travel things.

AMEX Gold is travel-orientated, the annual fee is much lower, and you still earn the same number of MR points, which you can opt to spend on things other than travel. 

Affordability and Income

It’s important to note before you apply that the minimum income for the AMEX Platinum card is £35,000. 

If you don’t pay off your balance, interest will be added, and your credit score may be affected.

There is no set income requirement for the AMEX Platinum, but with a card with travel benefits like this, it’s highly recommended that you pay off your balance each month and not use your card for credit on large purchases you would need to pay back in monthly instalments.

Many cardholders note that they hold the AMEX Platinum just for the travel benefits and spend bonus, then put the majority of their spending on other cards. There’s nothing stopping you also holding one of the British Airways AMEX cards and earning a companion voucher.

If you are unsure whether you’d be accepted, you can use the American Express eligibility checker tool to check before making an application.

The other affordability consideration is the welcome bonus. Can you spend £10,000 in the first 6 months to get the bonus, or would you be better off with a card with a lower spend threshold to get the bonus?

Companion Vouchers and Upgrades

This card does not offer an airline companion voucher as a benefit. The companion voucher that can be earned with the British Airways AMEX cards can be valuable. However, nothing stops you from having both cards (if you can afford them). The Virgin Atlantic Credit Cards also have the option to earn an upgrade to a Premium or companion ticket.

Do You Want a Credit Card?

If you don’t like the idea of a credit card but still want to collect points and miles on your spending + enjoy travel benefits, there is still a range of options. Top options include:

• Hilton Honors Debit Cards – Hilton Points
• Revolut Cards – Transfer your points to a range of programmes
• Barclays Premier Banking – Avios

AMEX Platinum Vs AMEX Gold

If you’re new to credit cards, you may be better off starting with a free card for the first year, like the AMEX Preferred Rewards Gold Card.  You can get used to paying off your balance each month and still enjoy the rewards. The AMEX Gold is also a great choice if you don’t get accepted for the Platinum card or you don’t want to fork out £650 for a credit card.

The great thing about AMEX Gold is that it’s free for the first year. You can use this year to see what benefits you use in your first year and see if they’re worth the £195 fee in your second year.

Although the card doesn’t grant unlimited lounge access, you receive 4 complimentary lounge visits per year.

How AMEX Compares to Other Popular Credit Cards (Including AMEX Gold)

Final Words

Whether the Platinum Card is worth it ultimately comes down to whether you can get £650 worth of value from the benefits to justify the annual fee.

You should also consider whether you need all these travel benefits or whether a card like the AMEX Preferred Rewards Gold card would give you all the benefits you’re looking for at a cheaper rate. With hotel status, comprehensive travel insurance, generous dining credit, and lounge access (which alone can be worth most of the card’s value), it’s easy to see how the card can quickly pay for itself.

What do you think about the AMEX Platinum Card? Let us know in the comments below: