Humphrey's Guide
Credit Cards
American Express Platinum
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American Express Platinum

Snapshot Summary
The big daddy Amex. $695 annual fee ain’t nothing to sniff at, but you should make up that annual fee EASILY if you travel a lot. Plus, this gets you access to the Centurion lounge at airports.
The Full Picture

The Amex Platinum is the ultimate premium travel card, but it’s just a glorified coupon book in my opinion. For the $695 annual fee, you get statement credits for Uber ($200), Airline fees ($200), a hotel credit to Amex’s Fine Hotel & Resort Collection ($200), a Saks Fifth Avenue Store Credit ($100), a digital entertainment credit, CLEAR Plus credit, and Walmart+ credit. 

The core benefit I see of the Platinum is that it can get you into Centurion lounges in airports - which is clutch if you travel somewhat frequently. Having a place to eat free food and relax before a flight is one of the better perks of this card. 

For everyday spending outside of flights and prepaid hotels, you're only earning 1x points, which feels pretty underwhelming.

Overall, it's an outstanding card for frequent travelers who can navigate the credit maze and genuinely use the premium perks. But if you're not flying regularly or don't want to manage a dozen different statement credits throughout the year, you might find better value elsewhere. Just know that major changes are coming later in 2025, likely with an even higher annual fee - rumored to be close to $900-$1,000.

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Humphrey Yang, © 2025.
HUMPHREY’S GUIDE™
Thanks for checking out my guide!
Humphrey Yang, © 2025.
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I don’t include all US credit card offers available on this site. Instead, I write primarily about cards which earn airline miles, hotel points, and some cash back (or have points that can be converted into the same).

Editorial Note: The opinions, analyses, and evaluations here are mine and not provided by any bank including (but not limited to) American Express, Chase, Citibank, US Bank, Barclays or any other company. They have not reviewed, approved or endorsed what I have to say.

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