The Platinum Card from American Express has long been the benchmark for premium travel perks, offering access to lounges, hotel upgrades, and lifestyle benefits that elevate the travel experience. In 2025, Amex raised the annual fee and expanded its lineup with new credits in dining, wellness, and entertainment, pushing the card’s claimed yearly value to more than $3,500. Whether that’s true depends on how often you use the perks, which raises the central question. Does the value still outweigh the cost?
Table of Contents
- Annual Fee
- Hotel Credit
- Dining Credit
- Entertainment Credit
- Lifestyle Credits
- Uber Benefits
- Hotel and Car Status
- Lounge Access
- Protections
- Total Value
- Who Should Get It
- My Take
Annual Fee
This year, the annual fee increased from $695 to $895. That’s a $200 jump that supposedly reflects many new and expanded credits. Those include larger hotel and dining benefits, more entertainment options, and lifestyle perks such as Lululemon and Oura Ring credits. Amex says the refreshed lineup delivers more than $3,500 in annual value, but how much you capture depends on your lifestyle.
How It Compares to Other Premium Cards
The Platinum’s $895 fee is the highest among premium travel cards. Chase Sapphire Reserve charges $550, and Capital One Venture X charges $395. Both competitors also earn more points on everyday spending:
- Amex Platinum: 5x points on flights booked directly with airlines or Amex Travel, but only 1x on most other purchases
- Chase Sapphire Reserve: 3x points on travel and dining
- Capital One Venture X: 2x miles on every purchase, plus 10x on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
Hotel Credit
The hotel credit expands from $200 to $600. It’s split into two $300 credits each year. Hotel stays must be booked through Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection. Perks like free breakfast, late checkout, and room upgrades add even more value. If you travel frequently, this single benefit can almost cover the new fee by itself.
Dining Credit
Amex now includes a $400 dining credit through Resy, split into $100 each quarter. Resy is a restaurant reservation platform owned by American Express. It connects cardholders with thousands of U.S. restaurants, from casual favorites to fine dining.
To use the Platinum dining credit:
- Download the Resy app or visit resy.com.
- Search for a restaurant in your city or travel destination.
- Make a reservation directly through Resy, or link your Amex Platinum Card when paying at participating locations.
Entertainment Credit
The digital entertainment credit rose from $240 to $300. It applies to services like YouTube Premium, Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Paramount+, Peacock, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Membership gives you up to $25 back each month when you pay with your Platinum Card.
Lifestyle Credits
Two new lifestyle perks join the Platinum in 2025:
- $300 Lululemon credit, split into $75 per quarter
- $200 credit toward an Oura Ring for sleep and fitness tracking
The card also keeps its existing lifestyle credits:
- Walmart+ membership credit, worth $155 annually
- $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit, split into $50 every six months
- $300 Equinox credit for club memberships or the digital app
Uber Benefits
The Platinum still includes $200 in Uber Cash each year. On top of that, Amex now covers a $120 Uber One membership. Perks include savings on rides, free delivery fees, and discounts on Uber Eats.
Hotel and Car Status
The card unlocks elite travel status with multiple brands, including Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite, Leaders Club Sterling, Avis Preferred Plus, Hertz President’s Circle, and National Emerald Club Executive. Benefits include upgrades, better service, and faster recognition while traveling.
Lounge Access
Amex remains unmatched in lounge access. The Global Lounge Collection includes Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (10 visits per year, or unlimited with $75,000 spend), Priority Pass Select, Escape Lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, Lufthansa Lounges, and Virgin Clubhouses. In total, more than 1,500 lounges worldwide are available.
Protections
The Platinum continues to offer strong travel and purchase protections. These include trip delay and cancellation insurance, baggage coverage, cell phone protection, extended warranties, and return protection. For frequent flyers, these benefits provide serious peace of mind.
Total Value
Add it all up:
- $600 Hotel Credit
- $400 Dining Credit
- $300 Entertainment Credit
- $320 Uber Benefits (Uber Cash + Uber One)
- $300 Lululemon Credit
- $200 Oura Ring Credit
- $100 Saks Credit
- $200 Airline Incidental Credit
- $300 Equinox Credit
- $209 CLEAR Plus Credit
- $155 Walmart+ Membership
That’s more than $3,500 in potential annual value. Even if you only capture half of it, you still offset the $895 fee.
Who Should Get It
This card fits frequent travelers, business owners, and high spenders who can maximize the credits. It’s not a good fit if you travel rarely, avoid premium perks, or prefer simpler rewards programs.
The Platinum Card is free for active duty U.S. military. That makes it an unbeatable option for service members and their families because every credit and perk is completely free.
My Take
The Platinum is definitely not the strongest daily spending card, since it only earns 1x points on most purchases outside of flights booked directly with airlines or Amex Travel. Other cards offer higher rewards for groceries, gas, or dining.
That said, we currently use the Platinum for all our daily purchases instead of a debit card, which offers no rewards at all. Every purchase now earns points, even if it’s just 1x. We also do our best to use every perk the card offers—from travel benefits to lifestyle credits—so the fee feels justified.
Still, cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Capital One Venture X offer higher rewards on travel and dining and simpler earning structures on everyday purchases. They also include different lounge access, such as Priority Pass and Capital One Lounges, which can complement the Platinum’s Centurion and Delta Sky Club access.
If you only use the hotel, Uber, and entertainment credits each year, you’ll still come out ahead. Those three perks alone give you about $1,200 in value—more than the $895 fee. Even if you ignore every other benefit, the card already pays for itself and keeps giving. However, if you treat it like a trophy card without using the perks, it’s a waste. But if you’re intentional about using the credits, the Amex Platinum remains the gold standard for premium cards.
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