Card Promotions Amex Platinum Card Benefits, Offers & Discussion

Enjoy a world of travel benefits and 150,000 bonus Amex Membership Rewards Premium Ascent points...​

Learn more and apply for this card:

American Express® Platinum Card

The American Express (Amex) Platinum charge card is one of the best publicly-available cards in Australia for travel benefits.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

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What are the main benefits of this card?

1. Signup bonus: 150,000 Amex Membership Rewards Points (worth 75,000 Qantas Points, Velocity Points, Avios or Asia Miles, among other options) when you apply by 28 January 2025 and spend at least $5,000 within 3 months
2. Earn 2.25 Amex Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on everyday purchases, uncapped. You can transfer these points to 12 airline & 2 hotel programs, including Qantas Frequent Flyer.
3. Enjoy unlimited access to many airport lounges, including Virgin Australia and Priority Pass lounges
4. Gift Priority Pass membership to one additional cardholder
5. Receive complimentary elite status with hotel loyalty programs including Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, Radisson Rewards & Accor Live Limitless
6. Complimentary international travel insurance
7. Receive a $450 annual travel credit, plus airfare discounts, $400 worth of annual dining credits, subscriptions to The Australian & Wall Street Journal, plus many more exclusive benefits!

Why we like the American Express Platinum Card

Packed full of travel perks, the American Express Platinum Card is one of the best publicly-available cards in Australia for frequent flyers.

With a $1,450 annual fee, this metal card is not for everyone. But the return on investment for the high annual fee is strong, as it comes with a lot of useful benefits! This includes an annual travel credit, dining credits and unlimited access to Virgin Australia, Delta, Lufthansa, Priority Pass, Plaza Premium and Amex Centurion airport lounges.

There are also some great hotel perks including a free annual hotel night, Accor Plus membership, Fine Hotels + Resorts benefits and complimentary elite status with Hilton, Marriott and Radisson.

For points collectors, this is one of the most lucrative cards available in Australia. You’ll earn 2.25 Amex Membership Rewards Ascent Premium points per $1 spent on eligible transactions. Points transfer to most frequent flyer programs at a 2:1 rate, although there are some exceptions (e.g. it's 3:1 to KrisFlyer and Emirates).

You can convert your Amex points to around 12 airlines including Qantas, Virgin Australia, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates and Etihad! Plus, you can transfer points to two hotel loyalty programs for even more redemption possibilities.

To sweeten the deal, new cardholders who apply by 28 January 2025 can also earn 150,000 bonus Amex Membership Rewards points when spending at least $5,000 on the card within 3 months of approval. See our card guide for the full details:

American Express® Platinum Card

The American Express (Amex) Platinum charge card is one of the best publicly-available cards in Australia for travel benefits.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

AFF members are welcome to discuss this card in this thread.

 

[M@rcoPolo]

Same as me with a 6+ year old card.

+1 - mind you I'd rather keep Accor Plus & Platinum and forgive Hilton Gold

 

[M@rcoPolo]

These are what I have on a new Australian-issued card:

View attachment 66364

Note when you click on Accor Plus under T&C's you get: "ACCOR PLUS. Enrolment is required and available from 1 October 2013 until 30 March 2016."

Also any references to Accor (either Plus or Platinum) disappeared from the AMEX Platinum page altogether (the page available to the general public browsing AMEX cards) so it looks like AMEX is about to pull the plug on Accor Plus & Platinum and replace the benefit with Hilton Gold from April 1st...

 

[netaddict]

+1 - mind you I'd rather keep Accor Plus & Platinum and forgive Hilton Gold

Same, Platinum status returns significant value and the biggest must keep for me. Accor Plus is great too and don't want it to go.

Hilton - well, stayed in 1 Hilton in the last 5 years and it was a horrid experience so Hilton gold has zero value to me.

 

[DC3]

I would be interested in HHonors diamond with an AMEX cc.

 

[netaddict]

Note when you click on Accor Plus under T&C's you get: "ACCOR PLUS. Enrolment is required and available from 1 October 2013 until 30 March 2016."

Also any references to Accor (either Plus or Platinum) disappeared from the AMEX Platinum page altogether (the page available to the general public browsing AMEX cards) so it looks like AMEX is about to pull the plug on Accor Plus & Platinum and replace the benefit with Hilton Gold from April 1st...

The Accor Plus wording has been that was since November 2015 approx. Last chat I had with anyone at AMEX said Accor Plus was at risk as you can tell from the T&C's.

Accor Platinum status wording hasn't changed in the members benefits section once logged in and no staff member has suggested to me ever Platinum status in Accor is at risk besides what's happened in the UK which raises concerns. It's been as is for a long time however yes seems it's no longer offered with the card for new applicants.

Will ask about it next time I talk to Travel and the consultant I use - see if anything come from it as dropping Accor fully and adding in Hilton downgrades the value of the card significantly.

 

[Haplo]

You need to go register, select primary cardholder, then go to the actual enrollment page and you will see Hilton Honors Gold as an option.

My confirmation email come out as a request to upgrade to Diamond.

I have no idea whats next.

P.S sorry cant post image as I am under 10 posts

 

[netaddict]

You need to go register, select primary cardholder, then go to the actual enrollment page and you will see Hilton Honors Gold as an option.

Just tried to do that and can see SPG, Accor Plus, Accor Platinum in the list and so on to enrol into for primary and sup where relevant but no options for Hilton.

 

[M@rcoPolo]

Accor Platinum status wording hasn't changed in the members benefits section once logged in and no staff member has suggested to me ever Platinum status in Accor is at risk besides what's happened in the UK which raises concerns.

Once again, visit the "general public" AMEX Australia site at https://www.americanexpress.com/australia/ then click on Cards > The Platinum Card and you'll notice they pulled all mentions of Accor (including Platinum) from the website. If they were planning to retain Accor Platinum it should be listed there...

 

[Haplo]

Just tried to do that and can see SPG, Accor Plus, Accor Platinum in the list and so on to enrol into for primary and sup where relevant but no options for Hilton.

did you go to the next step and the actual enrolment section?

 

[M@rcoPolo]

did you go to the next step and the actual enrolment section?

I just did and this is the list I see... (no mention of Hilton)

[h=1]Enrol With Partners[/h]Please choose the Platinum partners with whom you want to enrol.


[h=2]Preferred Golf - Complimentary Membership[/h]
[h=2]Shangri-La Golden Circle Jade Membership[/h]
[h=2]Starwood Preferred Guest® Gold[/h]
[h=2]Carlson Rezidor Hotels - Club CarlsonSM Gold Elite[/h]
[h=2]Accor Plus[/h]
[h=2]Accor Hotels - Le Club Accorhotels Platinum Tier Status[/h]
[h=2]Avis Preferred Service membership[/h]
[h=2]Hertz Gold Plus Rewards® Five Stars[/h]
[h=2]Priority Pass[/h]

 

[M@rcoPolo]

I just did and this is the list I see... (no mention of Hilton)

Actually - if I select nothing and then hit "continue" at the bottom of the page it does come up with Hilton Gold, screenshot below, let's try to register and see what happens now...

 

[Princess Fiona]

I would be interested in HHonors diamond with an AMEX cc.

Yes, much more useful

 

[Haplo]

Check confirmation email - it should say diamond

 

[M@rcoPolo]

Check confirmation email - it should say diamond

Yes it does (see below) although I doubt this will be the outcome as the T&Cs for the benefit during the application process clearly specify Gold...

 

[DC3]

I checked the Amex website and Hilton Honor gold is part of the benefit. Its not visible on the front page but you can register it.

... My confirmation email come out as a request to upgrade to Diamond ...

Yes it does (see below) although I doubt this will be the outcome as the T&Cs for the benefit during the application process clearly specify Gold...

Yes, maybe an AMEX website glitch, but interesting to know.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

I wonder if you upgrade your Hilton Diamond account to the free Hilton Gold - if it will downgrade you or extend another year to DM....

 

[Ricardo]

Bugger already Diamond with status match from Accor Plat ...

I did read that the UK Amex issued cards are moving away from Accor and going to a Hilton benefit so this may be carried through to Aust cards as well. A shame if it changes as I really liked the Accor Plus program, hopefully they will keep Plat status for Accor.

 

[decs]

Yes it does (see below) although I doubt this will be the outcome as the T&Cs for the benefit during the application process clearly specify Gold...

View attachment 66367

I recently got my Platinum card (<2 months), and experienced the same 'pending' HH Diamond request, however the result was only HH Gold. I was very excited for Diamond but don't really see a lot of value with HH Gold? Maybe that is partly because I am comparing it to my SPG Gold I've had for a while and Accor Plat thanks to this card.

 

[mitwg]

For me, I think Hilton status > Accor status.


Sofitels and maybe some Pullmans are the only hotels that are remotely close to being decent in the Accor chain and a lot of these properties are really dated. Not to mention that they don't do free breakfast even for Platinums (and the Aussie Sofitels didn't allow lounge access either until very recently).


Compare that to Hilton where even Golds get guaranteed breakfast and almost guaranteed access to club lounges, not to mention the usually higher calibre quality of Hilton/Conrads properties compared to Sofitels (very evident in North East Asia especially, Hong Kong or Seoul is an example), I think Hilton is a more valuable benefit overall.

And between Hilton Diamond and Gold, I do NOT think there's much difference at all. This is one of those tiers where the difference is so minimal that I wonder why they have DMs in the first place. In fact, I'd say Hilton Gold is just as competitive as some of the other top tier statues, considering you get breakfast + lounge access + room upgrades (this is usually only offered to other top tiers).

The only difference between Hilton Gold to Hilton DM is the possible upgrade to suites (rare but it does happen) along with guaranteed access to club for DM. It's just that I've never heard any Golds getting denied club access ever.

 

[albyd]

thanks very much to everyone on this thread. I've ended up enrolling for HHonours Gold as my Citi Prestige HH gold now has a stay requirement. Even found out can enrol my supplementary card holder which I didn't know before so now enrolled my wife for SPG, Accor & HHonours.