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.

 

[dylarr]

Since writing that Chubb has included some covid cover I believe - you can read about it here:

https://www.americanexpress.com/content/dam/amex/au/insurance/pdf/Covid19_Cover_Statement_Insurance_with_Your_Card_Chubb.pdf

I just opened a new Platinum Charge account and called Chubb to ask some questions about the coverage. The agent I spoke to was incredibly helpful and advised a couple of things:

- A new policy comes into effect on 15 March for the Platinum Insurance and includes Covid coverage in the policy itself as opposed to it being a supplement. She e-mailed the new terms and conditions to me that will take effect then - I've attached it to this post.
- She said they don't really provide proof of coverage or a certificate or anything for travel purposes - but suggested using the policy wording around activation, covid coverage etc as proof. I'm not sure how this would hold up if you arrived at a country like Singapore with that though. I'd be still inclined to get my own policy and certificate in that kind of instance.

 

[Chicken]

I'm not sure how this would hold up if you arrived at a country like Singapore with that though. I'd be still inclined to get my own policy and certificate in that kind of instance.

Thai / Bangkok airport is one of those. They need evidence of insurance covering specifically for COVID and must have minimum USD$50000. You could just print this out.

 

[Berlin]

Thai / Bangkok airport is one of those. They need evidence of insurance covering specifically for COVID and must have minimum USD$50000. You could just print this out.

Yea, that's what I will do when traveling to Singapore in July (provided that it hasn't all changed one way or another anyway by then). By that time they would have seen many of those and if there was an issue, I am sure someone on here would post about it in due course

 

[Chicken]

Yea, that's what I will do when traveling to Singapore in July (provided that it hasn't all changed one way or another anyway by then). By that time they would have seen many of those and if there was an issue, I am sure someone on here would post about it in due course

My father transit via SIN back in Jan on SQ, and he wasn't asked for insurance at all.

 

[Ktan89]

I flew to coughet with CX on Christmas Day.
At SYD airport, there is an additional paperwork desk where someone goes through a checklist to make sure you have the correct paperwork before they let you check in at the counter. I had to show the lady the Amex terms and conditions that we are covered by the complimentary insurance and it is unlimited healthcare cover. This took maybe 30-40min of explaining before the manager approved us.
After this point, it was never required again even after arriving at coughet. In Thailand, they just ask for the QR code of the approved Test and Go program.
It was lucky that the flight wasn't busy and we had all the time in the world, especially there was no lounge access but I'm glad my partner made us go to the airport 2.5hours early because I was thinking of rocking up closer to the departure time since there was no lounge.

 

[cbourl]

I just opened a new Platinum Charge account and called Chubb to ask some questions about the coverage. The agent I spoke to was incredibly helpful and advised a couple of things:

- A new policy comes into effect on 15 March for the Platinum Insurance and includes Covid coverage in the policy itself as opposed to it being a supplement. She e-mailed the new terms and conditions to me that will take effect then - I've attached it to this post.
- She said they don't really provide proof of coverage or a certificate or anything for travel purposes - but suggested using the policy wording around activation, covid coverage etc as proof. I'm not sure how this would hold up if you arrived at a country like Singapore with that though. I'd be still inclined to get my own policy and certificate in that kind of instance.

Yes is it real or Claytons?
Whenever I hire a car in Israel for at least a decade, Hertz Israel only recognize US Amex/Mastercard/Visa policies for Rental coverage. Amex AU /Chubb flatly refuse to provide documentation of coverage specifically in Israel so its basically useless.... Mind you never an accident or requirement to claim for reantal accident or damage in Israel - Hertz Israel agents always comment other Aussies and many Americans usually smash their vehicles....

 

[0x012fd0aa]

Yes is it real or Claytons?
Whenever I hire a car in Israel for at least a decade, Hertz Israel only recognize US Amex/Mastercard/Visa policies for Rental coverage. Amex AU /Chubb flatly refuse to provide documentation of coverage specifically in Israel so its basically useless.... Mind you never an accident or requirement to claim for reantal accident or damage in Israel - Hertz Israel agents always comment other Aussies and many Americans usually smash their vehicles....

Never crashed a car but it should cover overseas rental as well.

 

[Berlin]

Yes is it real or Claytons?
Whenever I hire a car in Israel for at least a decade, Hertz Israel only recognize US Amex/Mastercard/Visa policies for Rental coverage. Amex AU /Chubb flatly refuse to provide documentation of coverage specifically in Israel so its basically useless.... Mind you never an accident or requirement to claim for reantal accident or damage in Israel - Hertz Israel agents always comment other Aussies and many Americans usually smash their vehicles....

Mhm- I've never been asked by the rental company for proof of coverage, must be something specific to Israel (and maybe others?).

But if something was to happen, Amex should pay in either case, it pretty clearly states that the cover is word wide. Or am I missing something?

 

[cbourl]

Mhm- I've never been asked by the rental company for proof of coverage, must be something specific to Israel (and maybe others?).

But if something was to happen, Amex should pay in either case, it pretty clearly states that the cover is word wide. Or am I missing something?

Hertz Israel want specifically "Israel" in coverage documentation Amex AU will NOT provide this nor even a letter/eamil indicating coverage included Israel

 

[Berlin]

Hertz Israel want specifically "Israel" in coverage documentation Amex AU will NOT provide this nor even a letter/eamil indicating coverage included Israel

So the issue seems to rather lie with Hertz Israel. Not that it matters if you want to rent a car there and the Amex coverage is of no use.

 

[cbourl]

So the issue seems to rather lie with Hertz Israel. Not that it matters if you want to rent a car there and the Amex coverage is of no use.

Yes it does lie with Hertz Israel, but one also to be consider the unhelpfulness of a Amex Chubb agent being unable to write a quick letter which states coverage includes Israel

 

[Berlin]

Yes it does lie with Hertz Israel, but one also to be consider the unhelpfulness of a Amex Chubb agent being unable to write a quick letter which states coverage includes Israel

I doubt that a customer agent would even have the empowerment to write such a letter. We're insurance talking here and granting such a thing will come with financial liability. From experience, Chubb will do what they can to avoid it.

 

[cbourl]

I doubt that a customer agent would even have the empowerment to write such a letter. We're insurance talking here and granting such a thing will come with financial liability. From experience, Chubb will do what they can to avoid it.

Hence my original post re the insurance being next to useless.... Needless to say I always take out full coverage direct, and book through Hertz israel or Hertz USA or United.com because of the much much lower retnal costs than say booking through an Aussie re-saler or Hertz Australia.....

 

[Berlin]

Needless to say I always take out full coverage direct, and book through Hertz israel or Hertz USA or United.com because of the much much lower retnal costs than say booking through an Aussie re-saler or Hertz Australia.....

Yep, I do the same when I rent a car in the US. Way more expensive to go through Hertz or Avis Australia.

 

[dylarr]

Does anyone have any recent data points on how long it took to activate the Accor Plus benefit?

I submitted my enrolment request a week ago now and are staying at an Accor property this weekend, so would be nice if they activated it before then.

 

[0x012fd0aa]

Does anyone have any recent data points on how long it took to activate the Accor Plus benefit?

I submitted my enrolment request a week ago now and are staying at an Accor property this weekend, so would be nice if they activated it before then.

Strangely mine activated within 2 days of enrollment.
Card arrived 2 weeks later.

 

[sudoer]

Does anyone have any recent data points on how long it took to activate the Accor Plus benefit?

Someone at Amex needs to manually send the request to Accor which can take up to 2 weeks. Once Accor receives the request from Amex it's a relatively quick process, but mine took ages (months) because my ALL account had an Ibis Business membership attached. You can't have both Ibis Business and Accor Plus linked simultaneously to one ALL account.

Accor Plus support were pretty good though, the request was handled by the Member Services Team Lead who kept me regularly updated by phone and email as Accor IT in Europe needed to manually adjust the expiry of my Ibis sub. They even offered to retain my ALL Gold status from the Ibis sub when moving me over to Accor Plus which was nice.

My advice is to contact Accor Plus and ask if they have received the request from Amex. If they say they haven't, call Amex and chase them. If you don't get anywhere with Accor Plus support let me know and I'll DM you the Team Lead's email address.

 

[dylarr]

My advice is to contact Accor Plus and ask if they have received the request from Amex. If they say they haven't, call Amex and chase them. If you don't get anywhere with Accor Plus support let me know and I'll DM you the Team Lead's email address.

Thank you so much! Armed with this info I've made a few calls, it looks like it was on the Amex side and hopefully the ball is rolling now.

 

[ninja-tim]

Regarding the Amex Travel insurance, I'm just having a read of it now.
Policy states that it only applies to return trips or where you have an intention of returning to Australia. I assume 2x One way trips are covered if you on holiday for say a few weeks and do have the intention of returning?

Return Trips: Only You are only eligible for the travel insurance benefits under Sections A – K of this Policy for return Trips i.e. trips that begin and end from Your Home or Work in Australia. It does not cover One-Way Trips where You have no plans to return to Australia. You may need to provide evidence of Your intention to return to Your Home or Your Work where reasonably possible, for example by providing copies of a return ticket, itinerary or schedule, return transfer or accommodation bookings, confirmation of return to Work dates etc. Remember, cover automatically ends for all Trips at 180 days.

 

[Chicken]

Regarding the Amex Travel insurance, I'm just having a read of it now.
Policy states that it only applies to return trips or where you have an intention of returning to Australia. I assume 2x One way trips are covered if you on holiday for say a few weeks and do have the intention of returning?

Oh yes, kinda like, you fly Melbourne to London, then Amsterdam back to Melbourne. They can't say no to that!