December 3
American Express Platinum Card – Version 2
I’ve long recommended that regular travelers carry the American Express Platinum Card for its respectable list of travel benefits. First among my favorite benefits is lounge access when flying on American, Delta, or US Airways (no same day ticket required with US like the other airlines…thanks David). The Platinum Card has historically featured access to Continental Presidents Clubs, but this benefit is going away at the end of September 2011, which brings us to my post on “Version 2″ of the Platinum Card, or what Amex calls “The Next Generation” of Platinum Card.
Long story short, at an annual fee $450 dollars, Amex felt that it had to throw a bone to cardmembers for losing access to Continental’s lounges, as well as the loss of Continental OnePass as a Membership Rewards transfer partner. The enhanced package of benefits that were introduced on December 1, include a handful of items that I think many travelers may find useful. Whether or not they make up for losing Continental as a partner will depend on your individual needs, which is why I think the card remains attractive to many (but not all) travelers. New benefits include:
- A $200 dollar airline fee credit per year. The catch: you must designate one airline to receive the credit for purchases, and you can only change the airline you choose once per year. Covered expenses include change fees, baggage fees, and inflight snacks as well as day passes to the airline lounge.
- A 20 percent bonus on travel purchases made with Membership Rewards pay with points option. In other words, you’ll get 20 percent of the points you spend on travel back.
- A travel app which contains airport info, airplane seating advice, and best of all, a subscription to TripIt Pro, a $49 dollar value.
If you maximize the fee credit, there’s at least $249 dollars of value right there, not counting the value of the Membership Rewards point bonus for pay with points travel (not much, but still something). This is in addition to other benefits like Cruise Privileges, Fine Hotels and Resorts, and of course, the airline lounge access you won’t have to buy. Amex Platinum continues to be my go-to card for travel. That said, it’s always wise to evaluate what you’re getting for a $450 dollar annual fee when it comes due. For now, the card pays for itself and then some. In 2011, I won’t leave home without it.
Loading ...
Don’t forget you get access to the US Airways club regardless of what airline you are flying! That is a HUGE benefit right there.
Good point David!
I am guessing that like my DELTA AMEX RESERVE card you get double warranty on everything you buy up to 1 year extra? If it has that it is a great win as if anything you buy goes “crufluie” 2 months after warranty it is great to get it paid for to fix or replace. I still love my 30k MQM with Delta I get with my RESERVE card each year!
Thanks MJ an still can’t wait to meet face to face one day!
Yep….great Amex warranty. It’s an all around great card for a traveler, I think. Of course, the Delta Amex Reserve keeps calling my name with the upgrade benefits…..but I won’t pay for 2 high annual fee cards. I’ll stick with Platinum for now.
See ya’ at the next DO!
[...] card last year which they marketed as “The Next Generation” of the Platinum Card. I blogged about those changes then, which included a $200 dollar airline “fee credit” per year, a 20 percent bonus on [...]
[...] I am a big fan of the Amex Platinum Card. It is not cheap, but if you get the business version, you might be able to write off the annual fee as a business expense? (Note: I’m not a tax professional, and the deductibility of business card annual fees is something you should consult your tax professional about.) It will get you into the airport lounges of US Airways, Delta, and American on the day of travel. Just hand them your card and a boarding pass for your flight. Heck, US Airways will even admit you with it whether you are flying them that day or not. US also happens to have a lounge in Greensboro. Between the lounge access and the Amex Cruise Privileges program, the card pays for itself as far as I’m concerned. You can read a few of my thoughts on Platinum here. [...]
[...] I am a big fan of the Amex Platinum Card. It is not cheap, but if you get the business version, you might be able to write off the annual fee as a business expense? (Note: I’m not a tax professional, and the deductibility of business card annual fees is something you should consult your tax professional about.) It will get you into the airport lounges of US Airways, Delta, and American on the day of travel. Just hand them your card and a boarding pass for your flight. Heck, US Airways will even admit you with it whether you are flying them that day or not. US also happens to have a lounge in Greensboro. Between the lounge access and the Amex Cruise Privileges program, the card pays for itself as far as I’m concerned. You can read a few of my thoughts on Platinum here. [...]