🚨 Enter code "SPENCER" to double your credit card rewards ▸ joinkudos.com/spencer If you’re looking for some more affordable travel credit card options, watch this video next: th-cam.com/video/6gSynnhziu8/w-d-xo.html How do you maximize the value you get from the Amex Platinum card? 👇🏼 (p.s. how we feeling about the mustache? 😆)
For the Global Entry interview, the key is to just constantly keep checking the website for cancellations. I was able to get a next day appointment, because someone cancelled their appointment. Also, if you don't mind a drive, sometimes smaller airports are easier to get appointments. When I got Global Entry originally, a smaller airport about 100 miles from me had appointments the next week. My closest airport was booked weeks out.
I wish I had that type of luck. I applied last year for myself, wife son and daughter. My Son and I got conditionally approved the next day but there were no appointments fot the remainder of the year, We finally got appointments in Jan just before I we went to St Lucia. My daughter was conditionally approved in March and just had an interview in June. Her card literally just came 2 days ago. My wifes application is still pending review and there is nothing that can be done to speed up the process. I guess it wouldn't be as bad if you didn't pay up front.
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficialI did the same I live in Dallas and DFW was booked kept checking every day at least 2 3 times and I was able to get the interview within a week
Lots of great ways to make the Platinum card worth it! Personally, I get the most real value out of this card by using Amex FHR, especially at Las Vegas properties. $200 FHR credit + $100 F&B credit + $120 breakfast credit (2 day stay - $60 x 2), already cuts down the annual fee by more than half! You also get some intangibles like early check-in, late check-out, which helps out too. Then you add all the other stuff, and it's a pretty amazing card for the right person!
That’s awesome man! I made sure to mention that one cuz I know for a lot of people, that perk alone practically makes the card worth it. Thanks for watching Stan!
@@davidwilliam9451 I think the VISA LHR program has similar benefits, but the options are different, and no VISA Infinite card I know of has a $200 credit. I’ve never used the Visa program though since FHR is my preferred luxury hotel program
@@DaveMartinez-o1s With FHR, there is a spot to put in your loyalty number with MGM so that should be able to get you your tier benefits! I’ve never tried this myself but it’s probably be easy to confirm this on checkin as well!
The AMEX Plat is absolutely one of the most valuable Cards that you can possibly have, but it's definitely more hands-on in that you need to know your benefits and make sure that you are fully utilizing them. Like you were saying it can be like a "coupon book" and you have to make sure that you can organically use the Credits & Benefits to lower your effective fee. Great video here Spencer!
Right now, Wyndham has a status match going. If you have a Hilton gold, you can match to Wyndham diamond. Not sure how much longer it’s gonna last, so I would take advantage if I were you! although my wife and I just stayed at a Wyndham and they said they were independent, and therefore didn’t have to offer any of the status perks.
This video greatly conveys the benefits of the Amex Platinum card! I know there are definitely some people who can get a lot of positive value out of the card. For me, right now it would not make sense for me because I don't travel a lot. Most of the traveling I do now are to destinations that I can easily drive to in just a few hours. Right now, the only credit on the Platinum card that would benefit me is the Entertainment credit, as I am a subscriber of SiriusXM and of the Disney+ bundle with Hulu. I am also a Walmart+ member, but my membership is paid through my employer. The 10 cent discount on gas at Walmart, Sam's Club and Exxon/Mobil is a great benefit. Also, the complimentary Paramount+ subscription as a Walmart+ member is worth almost half of the cost of membership. I could see myself possibly having the Platinum card in the future, especially when I get into more extensive travel. When I do consider it, I will probably look to get the Charles Schwab version for the added flexibility of converting MR points into cash back. BTW, the mustache does look good on you, Spencer!
Thank you John! Doing the math behind a card before you get it is so important and I’m glad to see you’ve done so for the Platinum! I’m in the same boat as you.. I’ll likely open the normal Plat for the bonus, but my end game setup would be the CS Plat instead. And thanks for the compliments on the stache! I had to shave it this week but I may bring it back one day 😆
I love my Schwab platinum! Wish they had kept the cash out option at 1.25cpp but 1.1cpp is still better than just 1cpp. Great content as always Spencer! It’s awesome watching your channel get better and better
I LOVE my Amex Platinum card. But it also takes work every single month to make it worth it. It's a word hard, play hard type of card. If simplicity is what you want, DON"T GET THIS CARD. Awesome video once again Spencer 🤙🏽
Disclosure, you should make it clear that the hilton offer requires booking through the specific channel outlined in the terms of the offer and it has to be a specific type of hilton branded hotel.
I love my Platinum Card. The 5x on flights booked directly with airlines is fantastic. Working on my hotel cards now to compliment the Platinum because I want to earn the loyalty points with Marriott and Hilton
Mileage definitely varies. Being that I travel as a family of four and airport lounge passes allow you and two guests I have to add an AU for $175 which brings the annual fee from $695 to $870. To your point only consider the credits that I would normally use so for me that would be the $240 digital entertainment credit which brings my effective annual fee to $630 and with that the card doesn’t really make any sense.
Agreed! Everyone's value from this card is different so I wanted to help people reevaluate how much value they get from it to avoid them wasting money if that's what they end up deducing.
One big perk is the travel and purchase insurance got value from broken cell phones and flight delays. That has paid for the cost of the card alone. Also if you have a large family authorized users provide good value. you can add them and get priority pass and global entry fees paid. Gold au are free but don’t have PP and plat au are $175 for 3 additional users.
Good point! As noted below, you could get those perks covered at a much lower cost with other cards, but if you get value from the card on top of those perks then that's what matters!
Received the Platinum card yesterday. Hoping the lounge access will pay for it. Already signed up to use the entertainment bene. Looking forward to taking advantage of as many benefits as I can.
A big ** incidental credits at annual chosen airline. *** Charge to united travel bank. Credit posts in about 2 weeks. Use travel bank to pay towards united ticket. This worked for the Aspire with one time complete $250 purchase to bank. Your welcome.
I could take advantage of the $240 entertainment credit, $200 Uber credit, $200 incidental credit, $110 value for the Clear credit, 3 free Gold AU Global entry $75 and I do value the Hilton/Marriott Gold status at a combined $220 value. Effective annual fee $0 but still in pop up jail😂 Great overview of the benefits Spencer! 👍
All three of my personal/family trips this calendar year included an FHR stay. I always check FHR/Hotel Collection when we're choosing a vacation destination.
Hey Spencer, I’ve been meaning to ask you, since you talk about business credit accounts in general, do you have a video about how to create an LLC? And if you don’t is that some thing that would interest you in, possibly doing? Thanks again for all your tips and loads of content you provide to us!
Good question! I have not made a video like that yet but it's not a bad idea! I don't think it would perform super well on this channel, but maybe it's something I could talk about on my podcast channel with Mark Plymale (Business Banter). Thanks for the suggestion!
Love the Platinum card. I travel frequently enough every year and I get so much value from the card. I pretty much use every credit except for Equinox, mainly because I prefer Peloton. Informative video as usual Spencer 👍🏾
you got me looking back at that platnium now. i kept putting it off for a lot of the credits I don't use but there are some i didn't pay alot of attention to like walmart + for grocery and gas.
I have this card even though I don't usually travel but the credits(digital credit, walmart+ w/ paramount, and uber eats) alone offsets my annual fee. I already use all those. I actually save $28 with those credits and more than that if we include Clear Plus (since I can use it to stadiums I go) and the Saks (I sometimes shop their for my skincare or gifts). I was able to use the clear plus and tsa precheck this yr. I didn't want to wait for global entry. I might apply for it next time we travel overseas.
Thanks for the videos, buddy. I LOVE my Platinum card and use it often for personal and work purchases (which allowed me to hit that $6K/125K points sign on bonus in my first month). I just received the gold card as well - might seem excessive from an AF perspective, but I wanted to take advantage of all of my spending. So those are the two cards in my wallet moving forward.
First, as a newbie to the credit card rewards game (not credit cards), I love watching you and Daniel. I just recently got the AMEX Gold card and am in the process of hitting the SUB -- however this should be easy as most of my purchases are on dining/groceries. My question about the AMEX Platinum is -- if you travel a couple times per year domestically, is it still worth it? I will easily take advantage of Uber, Walmart+, airline incidentals, etc. My girlfriend and I are also in the beginning stages of planning a Europe trip in mid-2025 and I feel like the MR points from Gold/Platinum would be beneficial in that.
Thank you for the support! And congrats on the new card! I would just do the calculations based on how much money you'll get back from the card every year and that should answer it for you. If you get more than $700 back from the card every year then it's technically worth it!
Thank you for the video very informative. To me personally one of the best benefits of this card ( And it has no monetary value ) . Is the customer service that comes with american express which is by far better than any other credit card I have experience with
can you run a full analysis and post a video on how to take advantage of the AMEX platinum through Morgan Stanley and what is the most economic way to get the AMEX platinum through Morgan Stanley?
Since I don't have any personal experience with that, I wouldn't be the most qualified to talk about it. My friend Stan the Credit Frog has made really good videos about that card though!
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial I have seen his posts about the MS and it was great. But I am trying to find the best and most economic way to get it without having to park $25-$30k in the cash plus acct from MS. Would prefer a HYSA and/or something with interest. MS rep was kind but kind of waived me off since I was not interested in heavy investing only interested in having the MS Amex Plat. Do you have his email? (Stan)
Great job explaining all of the benefits Spencer! It really is a great card and very useful. But like you said if you are getting it just to say you have it and not using the benefits, then you are wasting your money.
Great video Spencer. Im not quite there yet with the Plat but not far off from being able to get darn near max value from it. Might be a card I apply for next year!
For the active duty folks using annual fee cards, once you get out of the service and they realize you aren’t serving anymore, you are able to downgrade to a no annual fee card.
Amex Platinum is just a card for one year for me ( just to get the SUB. ). Credit do not offset the annual fee for me. I value the Uber credit at 50% ( $100), Streaming Credit at 50% ($120), incidental fees at $200 and clear at $110. Saks at 0% ( never purchase there and no free shipping or close store in 200 miles), FHR credit at 0%. Walmart ÷ at 0% ( no Walmart gas stations and/or use Walmart Shipping) Equinox at 0%
Glad you mentioned the Active Duty military piece. Literally a week after Ieft Active Duty, BAM. Annual fee please! Luckily it wasn't my first credit card though, so it didn't hurt my score when I cancelled it.
You're the man thank you for the educational videos. I recently turned 18 and have a 677 credit score but it has only been my first month (may) of owning a credit card haha, my due date is this upcoming tuesday which will be my second month of having a credit card and my second report, i keep my utilization very low this month i used 2 percent of my credit line. I have always wanted a gold amex my dad has one and ever since i saw it i love the look of the card. I want to get one before I am 19 do you think that is doable? I will continue to pay in full and have a super low utilization rate (1-2 percent). Also one more question... Do you think it would be a good idea to apply for another credit card after my third month (July 27th) I have a capital one platinum currently maybe I apply for a chase freedom not too sure
@@antisellout6547you should focus on saving money at your age and then once you get an actual good paying job, then get credit cards with high annual fees if you can afford it
@@danmacmillan88yeah I would be getting it to show off, currently I have $15,000 saved up and invested last month I did $4000, $2400 from my job at Costco and $1600 from day trading in the stock market but that’s definitely not the norm that was a really good month for me
You should build up at least one year of credit history and have a credit score of at least 700 before getting another credit card. Once you have a year of good history, I would start with Chase first due to their 5/24 rule, get the CFU, CFF and CSP to complete the trifecta. Once you have all the Chase cards you need, then you can go for the Amex cards like the Gold.
Thanks for the great info Spencer! Curious what your thoughts are on the BPME gas card. I don’t hear it talked about a lot but it seems interesting from what I can tell. Seems like a good way to utilize something (almost) as good as the Citi CC for gas, which frees you up to 5x another custom category. I’d be interested to hear what you think of this strategy to try and free things up a bit in a setup
After looking into it a bit, it seems to serve a purpose for a select subset of people rather than everyone in my opinion. It could be solid as part of a cash back setup if you only ever get gas at the eligible gas stations, but if you have something like the Custom Cash and get the Citi Premier to transfer out to travel partners, you could possibly get up to 10% back on all of your gas purchases (effectively) depending on how you use the points. It all depends on your strategy really!
It sounds good on paper, but in reality, you're probably not "saving" much. It's also a huge hassle to deal with all these monthly credits. Especially when they're delayed, and you have to waste time with customer service to get the credits
Im active duty military and ive been abusing the system with over 20+ cards including this one for the last 10 years😅 Ill deal with the penalties in 10 more years when i retire 🤘🏾
I'd be able to easily justify the annual fee personally just based on the credits alone, but I don't think I necessarily travel enough to make this card fully worth it for me with all the effort that would be required to get positive value from it. However, I'm lucky to be able to justify a lot of credit cards despite that extra effort required since I have a YT channel tbh.
Also you cannot trigger the airline fee credit based on dollar amount. Airfare charges are coded differently than airline incidental fees. Don’t go charging a bunch or cheap flights thinking its a hack, the system will not flag it as eligible smh
Been a Plat cardholder since 2010, but lately I've been thinking of closing it. All these "credits" are cumbersome to use. Airline credits? Have to pick ONE airline at the start of each year. It would be much more useful if we can use it with any airlines (like CSR travel credit style). Entertainment credits? We basically prepaid those subs with AF. Uber credit? $15/month where $14.99 are used to offset Uber fees. Saks credit? Don't shop at Saks. Amazon credit would be MUCH better. Walmart+? Used it couple of times, but can do without. CLEAR credit? I can do without. One time at MCO, the CLEAR line was longer than the Pre-Check line. Global Entry credit? We can afford $100 every 5 years. Equinox credit? What's Equinox? Credits aside, the point earning potential sucks if we don't fly at least 4 to 5 times a year. Only keeping it for now because we have international travels coming up, and lounge access would be nice. Talking about lounges, the Centurion lounges in the US are horrible. Obviously not worth the AF to me anymore. YMMV.
🚨 Enter code "SPENCER" to double your credit card rewards ▸ joinkudos.com/spencer
If you’re looking for some more affordable travel credit card options, watch this video next: th-cam.com/video/6gSynnhziu8/w-d-xo.html
How do you maximize the value you get from the Amex Platinum card? 👇🏼 (p.s. how we feeling about the mustache? 😆)
For the Global Entry interview, the key is to just constantly keep checking the website for cancellations. I was able to get a next day appointment, because someone cancelled their appointment. Also, if you don't mind a drive, sometimes smaller airports are easier to get appointments. When I got Global Entry originally, a smaller airport about 100 miles from me had appointments the next week. My closest airport was booked weeks out.
Good to know! I know my airport is booked years out so I should be checking that more tbh.
I wish I had that type of luck. I applied last year for myself, wife son and daughter. My Son and I got conditionally approved the next day but there were no appointments fot the remainder of the year, We finally got appointments in Jan just before I we went to St Lucia. My daughter was conditionally approved in March and just had an interview in June. Her card literally just came 2 days ago. My wifes application is still pending review and there is nothing that can be done to speed up the process. I guess it wouldn't be as bad if you didn't pay up front.
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficialI did the same I live in Dallas and DFW was booked kept checking every day at least 2 3 times and I was able to get the interview within a week
Lots of great ways to make the Platinum card worth it! Personally, I get the most real value out of this card by using Amex FHR, especially at Las Vegas properties. $200 FHR credit + $100 F&B credit + $120 breakfast credit (2 day stay - $60 x 2), already cuts down the annual fee by more than half! You also get some intangibles like early check-in, late check-out, which helps out too. Then you add all the other stuff, and it's a pretty amazing card for the right person!
That’s awesome man! I made sure to mention that one cuz I know for a lot of people, that perk alone practically makes the card worth it. Thanks for watching Stan!
@@davidwilliam9451 I think the VISA LHR program has similar benefits, but the options are different, and no VISA Infinite card I know of has a $200 credit. I’ve never used the Visa program though since FHR is my preferred luxury hotel program
@@davidwilliam9451 Great points! Yeah, these portals are underrated for sure 👍
When booking through FHR, at an mgm hotel can you use your gold status with mgm to get the resorts fees waived.?
@@DaveMartinez-o1s With FHR, there is a spot to put in your loyalty number with MGM so that should be able to get you your tier benefits! I’ve never tried this myself but it’s probably be easy to confirm this on checkin as well!
4pm guaranteed late checkout with FHR is a game changer for me personally
I just got the card for a subtle flex when i buy my dunkin doughnuts coffee.
695 to flex lol
This aged well with the new amex gold Dunkin’ credit 😂
I'm directly getting the amex centurian black card
Extra bonus with that Walmart+ is that it comes with Paramount+ for free so its like a bonus within a bonus. 🙌
Ahhh good note!!
Amex is next on my list. Just completed my Chase trifecta yesterday with a CSP. Somehow got a $21,900 limit through a pre approval.
Oh wow that’s great! Congrats!!
The AMEX Plat is absolutely one of the most valuable Cards that you can possibly have, but it's definitely more hands-on in that you need to know your benefits and make sure that you are fully utilizing them. Like you were saying it can be like a "coupon book" and you have to make sure that you can organically use the Credits & Benefits to lower your effective fee. Great video here Spencer!
It's not a card for everyone, that's for sure. But it does provide some insane value! Thanks for watching as always man!
AMX surprised me at Gold Card 1st anniversary with a Platinum 75,000 MR pts upgrade offer. No hard pull. No added account. Sweet! 🎉🎉🎉🎉
How much did you have to spend ?
@@diegomercado5812 $6000 in 6 months. I did it in five.
Right now, Wyndham has a status match going. If you have a Hilton gold, you can match to Wyndham diamond. Not sure how much longer it’s gonna last, so I would take advantage if I were you! although my wife and I just stayed at a Wyndham and they said they were independent, and therefore didn’t have to offer any of the status perks.
Great callout man!
This video greatly conveys the benefits of the Amex Platinum card! I know there are definitely some people who can get a lot of positive value out of the card. For me, right now it would not make sense for me because I don't travel a lot. Most of the traveling I do now are to destinations that I can easily drive to in just a few hours. Right now, the only credit on the Platinum card that would benefit me is the Entertainment credit, as I am a subscriber of SiriusXM and of the Disney+ bundle with Hulu. I am also a Walmart+ member, but my membership is paid through my employer. The 10 cent discount on gas at Walmart, Sam's Club and Exxon/Mobil is a great benefit. Also, the complimentary Paramount+ subscription as a Walmart+ member is worth almost half of the cost of membership. I could see myself possibly having the Platinum card in the future, especially when I get into more extensive travel. When I do consider it, I will probably look to get the Charles Schwab version for the added flexibility of converting MR points into cash back. BTW, the mustache does look good on you, Spencer!
Thank you John! Doing the math behind a card before you get it is so important and I’m glad to see you’ve done so for the Platinum! I’m in the same boat as you.. I’ll likely open the normal Plat for the bonus, but my end game setup would be the CS Plat instead. And thanks for the compliments on the stache! I had to shave it this week but I may bring it back one day 😆
I love my Schwab platinum! Wish they had kept the cash out option at 1.25cpp but 1.1cpp is still better than just 1cpp. Great content as always Spencer! It’s awesome watching your channel get better and better
That'll definitely be an end-game setup card for me I feel like. Thanks for watching Mark!! Your support means a lot.
I LOVE my Amex Platinum card. But it also takes work every single month to make it worth it. It's a word hard, play hard type of card. If simplicity is what you want, DON"T GET THIS CARD. Awesome video once again Spencer 🤙🏽
I couldn't agree more! Thanks for watching Chase!
Disclosure, you should make it clear that the hilton offer requires booking through the specific channel outlined in the terms of the offer and it has to be a specific type of hilton branded hotel.
Good note!
I love my Platinum Card. The 5x on flights booked directly with airlines is fantastic. Working on my hotel cards now to compliment the Platinum because I want to earn the loyalty points with Marriott and Hilton
Nice man! I love to see people getting value from their cards.
Mileage definitely varies. Being that I travel as a family of four and airport lounge passes allow you and two guests I have to add an AU for $175 which brings the annual fee from $695 to $870. To your point only consider the credits that I would normally use so for me that would be the $240 digital entertainment credit which brings my effective annual fee to $630 and with that the card doesn’t really make any sense.
Agreed! Everyone's value from this card is different so I wanted to help people reevaluate how much value they get from it to avoid them wasting money if that's what they end up deducing.
One big perk is the travel and purchase insurance got value from broken cell phones and flight delays. That has paid for the cost of the card alone. Also if you have a large family authorized users provide good value. you can add them and get priority pass and global entry fees paid. Gold au are free but don’t have PP and plat au are $175 for 3 additional users.
CSR gives the same benefits. AU is only $75
Good point! As noted below, you could get those perks covered at a much lower cost with other cards, but if you get value from the card on top of those perks then that's what matters!
The problem with this card. It forces you to spend
Received the Platinum card yesterday. Hoping the lounge access will pay for it. Already signed up to use the entertainment bene. Looking forward to taking advantage of as many benefits as I can.
The lounge alone is worth a lot of the price.
AMEX Platinum. Never fly Delta without it. Thanks for the info + video!
Love it! Thanks for watching as always man!
The lounge access is one of the main reasons I got this card and having all the other benefits are solid too
That can make the card well worth it for a lot of folks!
A big ** incidental credits at annual chosen airline. ***
Charge to united travel bank. Credit posts in about 2 weeks. Use travel bank to pay towards united ticket.
This worked for the Aspire with one time complete $250 purchase to bank.
Your welcome.
Exactly right on the **! That's why I made sure to mention that in the video. Thanks for your DP bill!
I could take advantage of the $240 entertainment credit, $200 Uber credit, $200 incidental credit, $110 value for the Clear credit, 3 free Gold AU Global entry $75 and I do value the Hilton/Marriott Gold status at a combined $220 value. Effective annual fee $0 but still in pop up jail😂 Great overview of the benefits Spencer! 👍
I bet you'd squeeze out all the value you could from this card! Dang pop-up jail though man...
Good info here Spencer! This is why I have the Vanilla and Schwab Platinum! But in the end, its Schwab or nothing
That'll be the card as part of my end game setup I'm sure.
All three of my personal/family trips this calendar year included an FHR stay. I always check FHR/Hotel Collection when we're choosing a vacation destination.
That's awesome! I bet you enjoyed them!
Definitely will be taking advantage of this when I get my Plat card eventually!
I'm happy to hear that!
Equinox Hudson Yards offers day passes for $35. Wouldn’t this credit be useful when traveling and in need of a good gym? Or am I missing something?
The credit is sadly only valid for certain memberships and not any purchase with them if I'm not mistaken. Good thought though!
Hey Spencer, I’ve been meaning to ask you, since you talk about business credit accounts in general, do you have a video about how to create an LLC? And if you don’t is that some thing that would interest you in, possibly doing? Thanks again for all your tips and loads of content you provide to us!
Good question! I have not made a video like that yet but it's not a bad idea! I don't think it would perform super well on this channel, but maybe it's something I could talk about on my podcast channel with Mark Plymale (Business Banter). Thanks for the suggestion!
Amex could make headlines by reducing the annual fee by 80 cents.
Love the Platinum card. I travel frequently enough every year and I get so much value from the card. I pretty much use every credit except for Equinox, mainly because I prefer Peloton. Informative video as usual Spencer 👍🏾
That's awesome to hear! I love to see people getting a ton of value from their cards. Thanks for watching as always!
you got me looking back at that platnium now. i kept putting it off for a lot of the credits I don't use but there are some i didn't pay alot of attention to like walmart + for grocery and gas.
It's a super valuable card if used correctly, that's for sure!
I have this card even though I don't usually travel but the credits(digital credit, walmart+ w/ paramount, and uber eats) alone offsets my annual fee. I already use all those. I actually save $28 with those credits and more than that if we include Clear Plus (since I can use it to stadiums I go) and the Saks (I sometimes shop their for my skincare or gifts). I was able to use the clear plus and tsa precheck this yr. I didn't want to wait for global entry. I might apply for it next time we travel overseas.
That's awesome! Congrats on getting so much value!
The Amex Platinum card is not a credit card. It’s a charge card. That’s why it technically has no credit limit.
That's correct!
Thanks for the videos, buddy. I LOVE my Platinum card and use it often for personal and work purchases (which allowed me to hit that $6K/125K points sign on bonus in my first month). I just received the gold card as well - might seem excessive from an AF perspective, but I wanted to take advantage of all of my spending. So those are the two cards in my wallet moving forward.
Of course! I'm glad you enjoy them. And I'm happy to hear you get so much value from your cards! That's awesome.
First, as a newbie to the credit card rewards game (not credit cards), I love watching you and Daniel.
I just recently got the AMEX Gold card and am in the process of hitting the SUB -- however this should be easy as most of my purchases are on dining/groceries.
My question about the AMEX Platinum is -- if you travel a couple times per year domestically, is it still worth it? I will easily take advantage of Uber, Walmart+, airline incidentals, etc. My girlfriend and I are also in the beginning stages of planning a Europe trip in mid-2025 and I feel like the MR points from Gold/Platinum would be beneficial in that.
Thank you for the support! And congrats on the new card! I would just do the calculations based on how much money you'll get back from the card every year and that should answer it for you. If you get more than $700 back from the card every year then it's technically worth it!
I love the hotel status
Nice!!
Nice review - thanks Spencer!
Thank you for the video very informative. To me personally one of the best benefits of this card ( And it has no monetary value ) . Is the customer service that comes with american express which is by far better than any other credit card I have experience with
That's fair! I definitely wouldn't say that makes the $695 annual fee worth it, but it's an added perk for sure!
TRUE. having CAC card = no annual fee.
can you run a full analysis and post a video on how to take advantage of the AMEX platinum through Morgan Stanley and what is the most economic way to get the AMEX platinum through Morgan Stanley?
Since I don't have any personal experience with that, I wouldn't be the most qualified to talk about it. My friend Stan the Credit Frog has made really good videos about that card though!
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial I have seen his posts about the MS and it was great. But I am trying to find the best and most economic way to get it without having to park $25-$30k in the cash plus acct from MS. Would prefer a HYSA and/or something with interest. MS rep was kind but kind of waived me off since I was not interested in heavy investing only interested in having the MS Amex Plat. Do you have his email? (Stan)
I travel for work so hoping to get a boost on my vacation experiences
Been looking at one of those Ekster wallets, if i do ill use your code. Keep up the good work helping educate people within this space!
They're pretty neat for sure! Thanks so much for the continued support!
Great breakdown Spencer. I been thinking about adding this one to my collection but again gardening until September for chase cards.
Thank you Ed!
Can i stake the Gold and Platinum Uber cash monthly?
yes you can
Yes
As noted below, yes you can!
Great job explaining all of the benefits Spencer! It really is a great card and very useful. But like you said if you are getting it just to say you have it and not using the benefits, then you are wasting your money.
Thank you for watching!
Great video Spencer. Im not quite there yet with the Plat but not far off from being able to get darn near max value from it. Might be a card I apply for next year!
Thank you!! I feel that though. You definitely don't want to force it!
For the active duty folks using annual fee cards, once you get out of the service and they realize you aren’t serving anymore, you are able to downgrade to a no annual fee card.
True. Except the Platinum card is not downgradable to a no annual fee card unless they give you a special option somehow.
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial well I learned something new today. I guess I’ll have to deal with that dumpster fire when I get there.
Very helpful thank you Spencer! 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Amex Platinum is just a card for one year for me ( just to get the SUB. ). Credit do not offset the annual fee for me. I value the Uber credit at 50% ( $100), Streaming Credit at 50% ($120), incidental fees at $200 and clear at $110.
Saks at 0% ( never purchase there and no free shipping or close store in 200 miles),
FHR credit at 0%.
Walmart ÷ at 0% ( no Walmart gas stations and/or use Walmart Shipping)
Equinox at 0%
I'm glad you've done the math behind it!
One downside about Saks credit now is that Saks requires 100+ for free shipping...
Ah that's a good note!
Glad you mentioned the Active Duty military piece. Literally a week after Ieft Active Duty, BAM. Annual fee please! Luckily it wasn't my first credit card though, so it didn't hurt my score when I cancelled it.
Interesting that they knew you left the service. I’ve never had them ask for proof of service to waive my annual fees
Thank you for sharing your experience and for your service!!
I watch what people use. My observations so far are that many platinum card holders use them to buy fast food.
Yeah that's the type of folks that likely should not have this card. Hopefully this'll make people reevaluate their setup a bit.
You're the man thank you for the educational videos. I recently turned 18 and have a 677 credit score but it has only been my first month (may) of owning a credit card haha, my due date is this upcoming tuesday which will be my second month of having a credit card and my second report, i keep my utilization very low this month i used 2 percent of my credit line. I have always wanted a gold amex my dad has one and ever since i saw it i love the look of the card. I want to get one before I am 19 do you think that is doable? I will continue to pay in full and have a super low utilization rate (1-2 percent). Also one more question... Do you think it would be a good idea to apply for another credit card after my third month (July 27th) I have a capital one platinum currently maybe I apply for a chase freedom not too sure
My birthday is April 6th btw Just for reference of when I turn 19
if you’re not spending a lot of money then don’t get it, if you’re getting it for the flash and show off to friends factor then it’s not worth it
@@antisellout6547you should focus on saving money at your age and then once you get an actual good paying job, then get credit cards with high annual fees if you can afford it
@@danmacmillan88yeah I would be getting it to show off, currently I have $15,000 saved up and invested last month I did $4000, $2400 from my job at Costco and $1600 from day trading in the stock market but that’s definitely not the norm that was a really good month for me
You should build up at least one year of credit history and have a credit score of at least 700 before getting another credit card. Once you have a year of good history, I would start with Chase first due to their 5/24 rule, get the CFU, CFF and CSP to complete the trifecta. Once you have all the Chase cards you need, then you can go for the Amex cards like the Gold.
Definitely later than usual but still a great video any time of day it gets viewed!
I really appreciate you nonetheless!
Thanks for the great info Spencer! Curious what your thoughts are on the BPME gas card. I don’t hear it talked about a lot but it seems interesting from what I can tell. Seems like a good way to utilize something (almost) as good as the Citi CC for gas, which frees you up to 5x another custom category. I’d be interested to hear what you think of this strategy to try and free things up a bit in a setup
After looking into it a bit, it seems to serve a purpose for a select subset of people rather than everyone in my opinion. It could be solid as part of a cash back setup if you only ever get gas at the eligible gas stations, but if you have something like the Custom Cash and get the Citi Premier to transfer out to travel partners, you could possibly get up to 10% back on all of your gas purchases (effectively) depending on how you use the points. It all depends on your strategy really!
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial that’s good insight. Thank you!
Even with all that the plat card seemed more of a coupon card to me. Not worth a penny to keep paying the annual fee so downgraded to green.
It sounds good on paper, but in reality, you're probably not "saving" much. It's also a huge hassle to deal with all these monthly credits. Especially when they're delayed, and you have to waste time with customer service to get the credits
I completely respect that opinion for sure!
Im active duty military and ive been abusing the system with over 20+ cards including this one for the last 10 years😅
Ill deal with the penalties in 10 more years when i retire 🤘🏾
That's awesome. Thank you for your service!
Alright so when are you getting it?
If I wasn't in pop-up jail I would already have it!
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial still? youve gotta have good spend on the gold and the amazon biz amex by now
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficialWait for your Gold Card 1 year anniversary for a Platinum upgrade offer. No hard pull. No new account. I got 75,000. Sweet.
You can get $150 off per year if you have a corporate Amex card from work
I would say if you make 90K to 100K a year this card shouldn’t be an issue
Did you finally get the AmEx platinum card?!!
I wish!! Not yet though.
How much do you personally value these credits and benefits?
I'd be able to easily justify the annual fee personally just based on the credits alone, but I don't think I necessarily travel enough to make this card fully worth it for me with all the effort that would be required to get positive value from it. However, I'm lucky to be able to justify a lot of credit cards despite that extra effort required since I have a YT channel tbh.
You can get it for free when it’s offered as a perk, annual fee waived, from certain brokers like Morgan Stanley.
Also you cannot trigger the airline fee credit based on dollar amount. Airfare charges are coded differently than airline incidental fees. Don’t go charging a bunch or cheap flights thinking its a hack, the system will not flag it as eligible smh
YMMV! I know plenty of folks who use the credit for flight purchases. Thanks for sharing your thoughts though!
Hey 👋
Hey man! 🥈
Hello
I’m late!
But am I still first?
You still won! 👑
👍🏻
Thanks for being here as always! 🥉
I shouldn’t be watching this video me with Amex charge-off went South..😅
I'm not sure exactly what you mean but I hope you're using your cards responsibly!
Amex offers are terrible. Why do people still push this as a perk. I’m lucky if I get one good offer every few months.
YMMV! I get plenty of solid value from it, but that isn't the case for everyone.
Im in the military so its free for me muhahaha
That's awesome! Thanks for your service!
Been a Plat cardholder since 2010, but lately I've been thinking of closing it. All these "credits" are cumbersome to use. Airline credits? Have to pick ONE airline at the start of each year. It would be much more useful if we can use it with any airlines (like CSR travel credit style). Entertainment credits? We basically prepaid those subs with AF. Uber credit? $15/month where $14.99 are used to offset Uber fees. Saks credit? Don't shop at Saks. Amazon credit would be MUCH better. Walmart+? Used it couple of times, but can do without. CLEAR credit? I can do without. One time at MCO, the CLEAR line was longer than the Pre-Check line. Global Entry credit? We can afford $100 every 5 years. Equinox credit? What's Equinox?
Credits aside, the point earning potential sucks if we don't fly at least 4 to 5 times a year. Only keeping it for now because we have international travels coming up, and lounge access would be nice. Talking about lounges, the Centurion lounges in the US are horrible.
Obviously not worth the AF to me anymore. YMMV.
I completely get where you're coming from and I'm glad you've done the analysis for yourself. YMMV for sure!
You should have made Active Duty Method #6 or the cursed option. Though it’s cool that I’m net positive on the first dollar spent!
#1: Don't get the American Express Platinum Card = FREE
That's the bonus method!