Credit Card Offers 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.

 

[jbmemories]

Amex travel has surprised me with some great prices for long-haul Business and First. Domestic prices on par with booking direct but more options are available. So far a domestic and an international trip booked. Hassle free.

How much of a discount does the Platinum IAP offer here by Amex Australia? I'm assuming this IAP program is a modified Experian back-end system.

 

[thatsthatmattressman]

Hi mate,

See post above: AMEX Platinum Charge Benefits - Q&A

How much of a discount does the Platinum IAP offer here by Amex Australia? I'm assuming this IAP program is a modified Experian back-end system.

 

[Jfordi]

Does anyone's 'The Australian" amex subscription show an end date of July 2023 when viewing through my account on The Australian website?

 

[asterix]

Does anyone's 'The Australian" amex subscription show an end date of July 2023 when viewing through my account on The Australian website?

Mine is showing as 09/02/2024

 

[thatsthatmattressman]

Amazon Prime credit added to Plat Charge

 

[RealtimeY]

Exactly a week before my current Prime membership is due to renew. Excellent!

 

[wsthong]

Exactly a week before my current Prime membership is due to renew. Excellent!

I cannot make up my mind. monthly or annually?

 

[JFi]

I cannot make up my mind. monthly or annually?

Why not get an annual subscription and then give three months to a family or friend? Since it's capped per calendar year, after the annual $59, you still have $25 remaining which is good for another three months.

 

[Daver6]

Amazon Prime credit added to Plat Charge
View attachment 317794

Finally a useful offer!

Think of the free shipping I can get on shoes from Amazon now!

 

[TheRealTMA]

Finally a useful offer!

Think of the free shipping I can get on shoes from Amazon now!

and toilet paper the next day!

 

[bits]

I cannot make up my mind. monthly or annually?

Zero benefit in taking the monthly subscription option as any increase in price means you'll have to cover the increase (Amex won't rebate the increase)

 

[RealtimeY]

Another question on the interpretation of the eligibility criteria in the travel insurance T&Cs - I've transferred the exact number of points from my Amex required to redeem on KrisFlyer, but it technically doesn't correspond exactly on a FIFO basis as I've earned from flights and Pelago before, so could this disqualify me from the insurance? What sort of information do they actually ask for to verify that the points "correspond"?

You are going on an International Return Trip and You pay the full amount of Your outbound ticket for a Scheduled Flight or Scheduled Cruise leaving Australia on Your:
i. American Express Card Account;
ii. corresponding American Express Membership Rewards points or frequent flyer points (where applicable); and/or

 

[bits]

Another question on the interpretation of the eligibility criteria in the travel insurance T&Cs - I've transferred the exact number of points from my Amex required to redeem on KrisFlyer, but it technically doesn't correspond exactly on a FIFO basis as I've earned from flights and Pelago before, so could this disqualify me from the insurance? What sort of information do they actually ask for to verify that the points "correspond"?

View attachment 317840

I don't think the source of points is relevant in this case (ie they're not saying that if you pay for the ticket in points, that those points have to have originated from your MR account).
For example, say you want to buy a points plus pay reward ticket using Qantas points: you would pay for the ticket using points from your Qantas account, and use your Amex card to pay the cash component for the taxes etc.

See for example this article which is consistent with what I'm saying:

How does American Express credit card travel insurance work?

What’s included in your Amex credit card travel insurance coverage depends on the type of card you hold. Having complimentary credit card travel insurance comes in handy at such times by automatically providing a cover for your trips.

www.ratecity.com.au

"How can I activate my credit card travel insurance cover?
You’re generally required to book the full fare for a return trip on your Amex credit card or pay with the reward points earned on that card. However, some premium category cards may let you claim the insurance on trips booked with other reward points as long as you’ve used your Amex card to pay the taxes and other additional fees."

 

[somebol]

Thinking of cancelling wife's plat card. Her annual fee is due end of this month.
If we use the $450 travel credit and then cancel before end of the month. Will the annual fee be refunded in full?

Following up on this.

Booked flight using TC & cancelled card with no issues.
Our annual fee was due to be charged end of this month.

 

[dylarr]

Amazon Prime credit added to Plat Charge
View attachment 317794

Cool this is useful. I just cancelled my annual Prime subscription that renewed at the end of Jan and obtained a pro-rata refund. Immediately resubscribed under this offer.

 

[muppet]

I don't think the source of points is relevant in this case (ie they're not saying that if you pay for the ticket in points, that those points have to have originated from your MR account).
For example, say you want to buy a points plus pay reward ticket using Qantas points: you would pay for the ticket using points from your Qantas account, and use your Amex card to pay the cash component for the taxes etc.

See for example this article which is consistent with what I'm saying:

How does American Express credit card travel insurance work?

What’s included in your Amex credit card travel insurance coverage depends on the type of card you hold. Having complimentary credit card travel insurance comes in handy at such times by automatically providing a cover for your trips.

www.ratecity.com.au

"How can I activate my credit card travel insurance cover?
You’re generally required to book the full fare for a return trip on your Amex credit card or pay with the reward points earned on that card. However, some premium category cards may let you claim the insurance on trips booked with other reward points as long as you’ve used your Amex card to pay the taxes and other additional fees."

I asked Chubb this question directly and reported its response:

Credit Card Offers - 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: https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/credit-cards/american-express-platinum-guide/ What are the main benefits of this card? Signup bonus: 150,000 Amex...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

At the end of the day, it’s up to you to decide what you’re willing to accept. While Chubb may well payout if you have to cancel your flight or experience a delay. It may be looking for a way out if you rack up a few hundy grand in medical expenses in the US for example.

 

[djkelly69]

Cool this is useful. I just cancelled my annual Prime subscription that renewed at the end of Jan and obtained a pro-rata refund. Immediately resubscribed under this offer.

Did you need to do this through chat or other method? I tried to cancel on the website and it just says my membership will expire in Jan 24 (when my next annual payment is due).

 

[dylarr]

Did you need to do this through chat or other method? I tried to cancel on the website and it just says my membership will expire in Jan 24 (when my next annual payment is due).

I just did it through the website. When I went through the cancel flow it offered me a pro-rata refund automatically.

 

[djkelly69]

When I went through the cancel flow it offered me a pro-rata refund automatically.

Do you recall at what point? I got all the way to what appears to be the last (of three) pages.

 

[dylarr]

Do you recall at what point? I got all the way to what appears to be the last (of three) pages.

It was on the second screen that it said I'd get a refund of $x amount. I changed to the monthly plan but here's what it looks like for me and it was in the same spot when I did it the other week:



My Prime renewal also came up in January. For me, I ended up getting $49.56 refunded.