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.

 

[Undercover Investor]

Ah, I knew I'd find more information if I kept digging!

In the coming months, Amex says it will be updating 11 international lounges with “elevated design elements and food and beverage offerings to reflect the premium Centurion Lounge experience.” This will bring a more standardized experience across all Amex lounges around the world.

The locations that will be revamped into full-fledged Centurion Lounges include:

• One Centurion Lounge in Argentina (Buenos Aires)
• Two Centurion Lounges in Australia (Sydney and Melbourne)
• Two Centurion Lounges in India (Mumbai and Delhi)
• One Centurion Lounge in Brazil (São Paulo)
• Five Centurion Lounges in Mexico (Mexico City and Monterrey)

Notably, this does not affect the locations in Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) or the soon-to-open London Heathrow (LHR) lounge, both of which are already considered “true” Centurion Lounges.

Source: Amex to scale to over 40 Centurion-branded lounges worldwide, reduces upcoming guest fee for children - The Points Guy

I still don't know how this affects single use passes or how/when this rollout will occur, but interesting to keep an eye out on progress. Looks like Chase and Capital One are really putting the pressure on!

The SYD and MEL Amex lounges have been renamed to Centurion

American Express Global Lounge Collection® Programs & Partners - American Express Global Lounge Collection® Programs & Partners

global.americanexpress.com

American Express Global Lounge Collection® Programs & Partners - American Express Global Lounge Collection® Programs & Partners

global.americanexpress.com

 

[Bell21]

Thanks - was there some change coming to visitor access accompanying card holder?

 

[andye]

And any news of change of access for non-Charge holders

Says still +1 or spouse + children for guests
interesting 21+ for bar (unless supervised). I know I had a supp for my then 19 year old + girlfriend

 

[daft009]

Says only for platinum and Centurion now

 

[sudoer]

And any news of change of access for non-Charge holders

It wouldn't surprise me if Amex has done a deal with Plaza Premium so non-Charge holders now go to those lounges in SYD T1 and MEL T2. (from memory those lounges were part of the Plaza Premium/Priority Pass break up)

 

[ole nimeton]

interesting 21+ for bar (unless supervised). I know I had a supp for my then 19 year old + girlfriend

Mmm - wonder if this is just a straight cut and paste of US terms and conditions. Would be rather interesting to try and deny access to 18-20 year old adults under Australian law (and argue that an adult needs to be accompanied by an adult guardian). Could possibly argue RSA but I still think it would be age discrimination.

Still, might be a moot point as I wouldn't expect many 18-20 yos to have AMEX cards unless they're supplementary card holders.

 

[thatsthatmattressman]

The Australian .. starting to really grate on me now .. i won't digress! Trying to extract more value out of Plat benefits I noticed the following on the site:

The complimentary The Australian Premium subscription is available to Primary and Additional Platinum Card Members.

As I have 4 cards (1 Primary, 3 Supps) .. can each of the Supps sign up for their own 'discrete' complimentary subscription i.e. with their own login? I would like to - if so - use the other 3 Supp card logins to my benefit ;-)

 

[sudoer]

As I have 4 cards (1 Primary, 3 Supps) .. can each of the Supps sign up for their own 'discrete' complimentary subscription i.e. with their own login?

Yes that's correct, unlike the AFR arrangement, each supp card is entitled to their own digital subscription to The Australian

 

[thatsthatmattressman]

Yes that's correct, unlike the AFR arrangement, each supp card is entitled to their own digital subscription to The Australian

Cheers @sudoer .. Amex needs to comp you; you reduce calls to them by 20% huge savings .. and no hold time!

 

[sudoer]

Amex needs to comp you

I would like to think I get more value out of Amex than they get out of me

 

[CallMeHoju]

Hopefully a rebrand of the Aus lounges to Centurion means we'll see a better quality lounge experience coming, especially for Mel which I feel has lagged behind Syd after their expansion

 

[somebol]

what is the free companion card that everyone talks about?
What are the benefits of getting the companion card?

 

[Mr_Orange]

what is the free companion card that everyone talks about?
What are the benefits of getting the companion card?

The Reserve credit card. It is only available as a companion card to the Platinum Charge card. It was annual fee free and came with a $400 travel credit. You could also load statement credit offers on to it and apply for supplementary cards thus maximising the statement credit opportunities.

I say 'was' because I'm sure I read somewhere on the forum that there is either an annual fee or no travel credit now.

 

[thatsthatmattressman]

The Reserve credit card. It is only available as a companion card to the Platinum Charge card. It was annual fee free and came with a $400 travel credit. You could also load statement credit offers on to it and apply for supplementary cards thus maximising the statement credit opportunities.

I say 'was' because I'm sure I read somewhere on the forum that there is either an annual fee or no travel credit now.

It no longer receives Travel Credits. Amex Offers still come through.

 

[Mr_Orange]

It no longer receives Travel Credits. Amex Offers still come through.

OK, that's a better outcome than an annual fee.

 

[andye]

T

It no longer receives Travel Credits. Amex Offers still come through.

Thought the no travel credit was only for new applicants. Hope my assumption of continued grandfathering is not mistaken

 

[thatsthatmattressman]

Yes 'new' applicants do not get the credit .. (essentially anyone who applied in the last year or so). .. previous holders I believe will continue to get the credit though you have to wonder if they don't pull this at some point.

 

[daft009]

learnt something new today...
when you use the "make a payment" in the amex app or amex website, its limited to $100k max.
my payment was scheduled in the app but they didnt take the funds out, and now i find this out.
its rare i go over 100k in a single billing cycle

 

[pblackie]

Just logged in to check the available offers on my platinum card and they've all disappeared (same with the reserve card). Anyone else seeing the same?

 

[zig]

Just logged in to check the available offers on my platinum card and they've all disappeared (same with the reserve card). Anyone else seeing the same?

No, mine are all still there. All expire in 2022 though. Were your’s expiring this year?