Got The Platinum Card® from American Express? Here are 15 things you should do immediately

The Platinum Card® from American Express is one of the most talked about cards in the market.  It’s one card that I get asked the most about, and I find that a lot of people don’t take advantage of all the benefits and credits that come with this super premium card. Yes, it has a very high annual fee, but if you’re willing to mine the value out of the card, you’ll find it yields far more than the fee in benefits, statements credits, and perks.

I keep anywhere from 20 to 30 credit cards at one time. I tailor it throughout the year to suit my spending habits and travel goals. Let’s take a look at the American Express Platinum card and the 15 things you should do immediately after getting one. ( If you’re a cardholder and haven’t done these things…it’ll be our secret, but get going!!! There’s money on the table 🙂 )

Here’s more in on the Amex Plat including the best current offer we have been able to find:

What are all the benefits?

• $695 annual fee (Rates and Fees)
• Up to $200 Hotel credit
  • You must pre-book via Amex FHR or The Hotel Collection, which requires a two night minimum stay, via Amex Travel
• Up to $200 Uber Cash yearly credit US only (enrollment required )
  • $15 a month towards Uber, $35 in December, must link your account
• Up to $300 Equinox credit (enrollment required )
• Up to $240 Digital Entertainment Credit (enrollment required )
  • Get up to $20 per month at Wall Street Journal, Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The New York Times.
• Up to $189 Clear Plus credit (enrollment required )
• Up to $200 airline incidental credit (enrollment required )
• Up to $100 global entry or $85 TSA Pre credit (enrollment required )
• Up to $12.95 + tax / month Walmart+ membership
  • Walmart+ members receive unlimited free shipping with no order minimum on items shipped by Walmart.com, free delivery from stores, as well as mobile and contactless check-out to make shopping faster.
• Up to $25 Soul Cycle monthly credit
  • Platinum Card Members will receive a $300 statement credit every time they purchase a SoulCycle At-Home Bike, up to 15x per calendar year.
  • An Equinox+ membership is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content.
  • Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only.
  • This stacks on top of the $25/month Equinox+ statement credit.
• Centurion lounge access
• Priority Pass select membership (enrollment required )
• Rental Car Status
  • Hertz President’s Circle
  • Avis Preferred Plus
  • National Executive
• Access to American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts, The Hotel Collection
• 5x on airfare purchased via Amex Travel or with your selected airline
• Authorized Users
  • $195 per authorized user for new cardholders
  • Existing users, effective 8/17/23, rate will go up to $195 on your card renewal
• *Rates and Fees; terms apply

How do I add these benefits to the American Express Platinum card?

When you log into your account, just click on benefits and you’ll see a list.

Before we get into any of these benefits…you should be aware of the amazing transfer partners you have:

Amex has over 20 incredible transfer partner and using these partner is how we are able to take bucket list trips every single year.

 

I’d highly recommend you read our article on the Best ways to use Amex points. One of our favorite uses is Lufthansa First Class

1st thing to do after getting your Amex Platinum: Claim your up to  $200 Uber credit

Every single year you get up to a $200 Uber credit. This is divided across the year as such:

• Up to $15 a month
• Up to $35 in December

You just need to enroll your card in order to claim the credit – it’s super easy. Adding the card to your account should do it, if not, read this article and it walks you through it.

You can actually pool multiple Uber credits. So if you carry an Amex Gold, or anyone in your family has an Amex Platinum or Gold, you can add their cards to your account and the credit is lumped together. You can read about this technique in detail here.

 

#2 and #3 thing to do after getting your Amex Platinum: Claim your complimentary hotel elite status with Marriott and Hilton

The American Express Platinum card gives you both Marriott Gold and Hilton Gold status just being a cardmember, but you need to enroll your card.

It’s super simple – All you need to do is enter your information and you’re good to go. Having hotel elite status can substantially change the quality of your stay with a brand. Both of these statuses are what is referred to as “mid tier” but can often result in upgrades or lounge access where available.

I write about purchasing points quite often as a way to offset the cost of your trip – having elite status with Hilton means you’ll get a 5th night free when you use points to redeem. This is epic when you look at aspirational resorts around the world. For instance, the Conrad Bora Bora, shown below, costs 95k per night. But, if you have Hilton Gold status, you’d get a 5th night free. This is a huge savings in points and you get that status just for being an Amex Platinum cardmember. Hilton Gold also grants club lounge access at many hotels around the world.

4) Claim your up to a $189 Clear Plus credit – many ways to get discounted membership

Clear expedites your security experience and will put you at the front of the line. If you already have TSA Pre, Clear will walk you to the front and hand deliver you to the TSA agent.  If you don’t…why? Amex Platinum refunds both Global Entry and TSA Pre charges every 4 years, so get on it!

• you need to enroll in Clear to qualify
• You get a $189 Clear Plus credit every year
• Add family members for $70 a year, up to 3 additional people

Don’t forget you can get a discount on your clear membership simply by linking your Delta SkyMiles, Alaska Airlines, United accounts, you’ll get a discount on your yearly subscription if you’re a student or in the military which easily puts it under the credit your Amex Platinum gives you.

Delta Clear Discount

United Clear Plus Discount

Alaska Airlines Clear Plus Discount

Military Clear Plus Discount
Student Clear Plus Discount

Family Discount

 

5th thing to do after getting your Amex Platinum: Claim your $100 Saks 5th Avenue credit

Every year, American Express Platinum cardmembers, get $100 statement credit at Saks 5th Avenue. This is broken into two statement credit periods and you need to enroll your card in order for them to trigger.

• January through June you’ll get a $50 statement credit
• July through December you’ll get another $50 statement credit.

 

Once, you’ve spent the $50, you’ll receive a statement credit shortly thereafter. It’ll look like this:

6th thing to do after getting your Amex Platinum: Claim your $200 Airline Incidental Credit

Every year, American Express Platinum cardholders get a $200 airline incidental credit. Usually you have to select your airline by the end of January, but when you get a card mid-year, you can select it then. If you don’t select an airline, your card isn’t enrolled, and you won’t be able to trigger that credit. So make sure you select one!

Here’s a list of airlines that are included

• • Alaska Airlines
  • American Airlines
  • Delta Airlines
  • Frontier Airlines
  • Hawaiian Airlines
  • JetBlue Airways
  • Spirit Airlines
  • Southwest Airlines
  • United Airlines

And then these are the expenses that usually qualify

• Airport Lounge membership and passes
• Checked bag fees
  • Overweight or oversize fees
• Inflight purchases like food and beverage – note that WIFI may not trigger it since it can be processed by 3rd parties
• Pet flight fee
• Phone reservation fees
• Seat assignment fees
  • If you’re get a economy plus, etc
• Ticket Change fees
• * Anecdotally both the AA 500 Mile upgrades and Mileage Multiplier have been working as well

7th thing to do after getting your Amex Platinum: Enroll in Priority Pass Select

Do you like phatty phat lounges to occupy your time during a layover with snacks, beverages, and sometimes whole meals of food? Ya…me too. Enroll in Priority Pass and you’ll gain access to over 1300 lounges worldwide. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used this feature.

8th: Claim your Car Rental Status with Hertz, Avis, and National

Go here to enroll your card with the various programs and get status – and note that Amex Platinum now comes with top tier Hertz status.

Avis Preferred Plus Status

• Preferred Plus Status
• Platinum discount with code: A75690

Hertz President’s Circle Status

• 211762 to save on the base rate of rentals,
• receive a 4-hour grace period on returns within the US, before an extra day charge is applied
• savings up to 20% on published base rates
• guaranteed car-class upgrades on certain class vehicles with a 24-hour advance reservation
• Additional terms and limitations apply.

National Emerald Executive Status

• Have access to a special Executive aisle when renting

9th: Claim your Global Entry or TSA Pre√ credit

If you are still lining up at the normal security lines…your life just got a lot better. As a benefit of American Express Platinum, you get a statement credit to offset your Global Entry or TSA Pre credit. Simply enroll and then charge your fee to your card and you’ll see the reimbursement.

10th thing to do after getting your Amex Platinum: Claim free 2 day shipping with ShopRunner

Over 100 stores are part of the ShopRunner network.

11th thing to do after getting your Amex Platinum: Switch your phone bill over to get Free Mobile Phone Insurance

American Express Platinum cardholders get a fantastic benefit of mobile phone insurance.

• Covers up to $800 with a $50 deductible
  • Damaged, lost or stolen

Other cards provide multiple points per dollar spent as well as coverage in different amounts. Read our article on the complete breakdown of Mobile Phone Insurance benefits to compare and make the best selection for your needs.

12th Up to $300 yearly Equinox credit (enrollment required )

If you’re unfamiliar with Equinox, it’s a high end gym that features the latest and greatest in fitness and workout classes. They don’t come cheap, but they are pretty exceptional.

I have several friends who swear by Equinox, and this benefit will be used to the max Personally, I’m not a member, nor will I join, so this will go unused in my account

• $300 Equinox credit (enrollment required )

13th Up to $240 digital entertainment credit ( enrollment required )

Amex has added in a $20 per month credit when you use your Platinum card for eligible purchases at Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The Wall Street Journal. It’s capped at $20, not $20 per company, and its per month. You do need to enroll your card, so don’t forget.

 

A cool thing to do here is pickup Hulu as a bundle…I have ATT&T for mobile and get HBO Max as a benefit so I chose to add Showtime on, but you could do a number of different configurations to add value and use up the whole credit. I end up paying a bit more than the $20 credit

 

14th: Up to $12.95 + tax WalMart+ credit

I didn’t really have much use for this until mid August 2022 when WalMart announced that Paramount+ Essential would be included in the membership. I may occasionally order things from WalMart, but I have a Paramount+ membership and this means I can cancel it.

15th: Don’t forget your up to $200 Hotel credit

I’ve included this last since you don’t really need to do anything to “add” this to your account, it’s a benefit that is stagnant until triggered.

This credit has been added as a benefit alongside the annual fee increase in July 2021. Not only do new cardholders get it, but those with existing accounts can make use of it even while still paying the lower annual fee ( the new fee will kick in on renewals starting in 2022 – if your renewal is in say 11/21, you’ll pay the lower annual fee but still enjoy the new benefits ).

The $200 credit applies to pre-paid bookings with Amex Travel on American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts and The Hotel Collection qualifying pre-paid stays, and note that a two minimum stay is required with the Hotel Collection. I absolutely love the Fine Hotels and Resorts program and will undoubtedly make use of this credit every year.

Plus you’d get all of the typical FHR benefits which include another $100 food and beverage credit, upgrade, breakfast, and 4pm check out. More on this program down below.

Looking at the a pre-paid rate at the Trafalgar which is a Hilton Curio Collection property in central London, you can see that 4 nights pre-paid is roughly $1270 in mid July.  Getting $200 back on this stay is 15%-20% off and comes with great benefits ( an additional $100 property credit ).

Anecdotally it seems that these bookings, even pre-paid, will qualify for elite benefits, but don’t count on it. We have Hilton Diamond from the Amex Hilton Aspire, so hopefully we will receive a breakfast credit as well, but if not, we do get $100 hotel credit for stays over 2 nights.

Recap:

The American Express Platinum card offers a bevy of benefits, services, and statement credits. This is just a list of the 14 most important things you should do immediately after opening your card, or after they add new benefits. If you’d like to read about more ways the Amex Platinum can provide outsized value…read our article on the top reasons why Amex Platinum is worth the annual fee.