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Booking flights with Alaska Airlines using my platinum card not selecting seats. Then after the flight is paid for I go and upgrade the seats to premium cabin costing ~$20-$50 each way triggers the incidental credit. I dont know if its specifically the amount charged, just alaska or if amex sees two charges from the same airline on the same day. This has worked 100% of the time.🍣
The car rental status is phenomenal. You get faster service and better cars for the same price. As a tall dude getting upgraded to a larger car for the same price is well worth it. It’s hard to put a value on the lounge access for delta but it is incredibly convenient when flying delta.
I use the Uber, Saks, Streaming, Walmart+, and entry into Delta Sky Club or Centurion Lounge several times a year. I did use the credit for Global Entry. Decided to add The Delta Platinum for the companion ticket since I've been doing a lot of traveling and Delta is who I usually end up flying with. 🍣🍣
Don’t forget about purchase protection which covers purchases within 90 days of purchase. I recently had an expensive sweater which was stained with sunscreen. I submitted a claim and was reimbursed the full cost of the item. You can claim up to $50,000 per year and $10,000 per claim item. This covers accidental damage and theft. Does not cover consumables like cologne or personal hygiene items. This gives great peace of mind if something happens to a new item within three months.
Thanks for the tip on switching airlines for the fee credit. I kept putting it off because I thought I would have to call Amex, but the chat function you recommended worked and it was switched in less than a minute lol. Thanks Sebby!
🍣 I feel like one day this video is gonna have to be about the 50 things you must do with your Platinum card with the amount of random credits they keep throwing on this card lol. This was a really great video highlighting stuff I'm sure a lot of folks were unaware of, so great work on this one as always Sebby!
A Saks store rep shared this tip.. stack the deal by buying gift cards w/ ur $50 credit! She said she has customers who do this and stash the cards for a future purchase. 🍱🍣
Hi, i know you commented this almost a year ago but do you know if this hack still works? I’m trying to use my credit towards a gift card before January comes up. Also do they have the gift card in stores or do you have to buy it online? Thanks in advance!
Had precheck and clear while my family didn’t. The expedited line was just as long as the regular line on Saturdays. In fact, in NYC, the family finished faster, twice. Better trick for vacation travelers, fly Saturdays and you won’t need precheck or clear.
Yep! Huge YMMV. I've "raced" Mandy for fun a few times in the non-Precheck line since it looked shorter (and I don't mind taking off my shoes) and won.
Walmart+ has been an absolute game-changer in small college towns. They often deliver faster than Amazon does, and their customer service is better than what Amazon's used to be. Also, I feel like there should be a big asterisk for the Saks credit. I'm someone who tries to stay as close to the credit value as possible, but it's so hard to do with Saks because of the free shipping requirement, and their return policy isn't amazing. While I did get some very helpful organizational stuff, I really only planned on buying $50 worth of stuff instead of $120. I still got quality stuff out of it, just not at the value I was expecting.
@@seren1ty755 Fair, but I personally don't care about cologne since it doesn't really impact my day-to-day life. I personally got organizational stuff from Thule and North Face though they were a bit more expensive than I would've liked. The Thule cable organizers were well worth though
@@edocsil1635did you end up getting reimbursed? Asking because i also saw that same comment and I’m trying to use the credit before the January comes up and i want to get a gift card and stack up the credits. Please let me know if it worked for you.
@@abdurehimjufar5142 don't buy it online. I haven't tried in person yet, but if you buy a gift card online it goes under a different name for the vendor so it doesn't give you the reimbursement
My big beef with AMEX is that it’s not widely accepted overseas. I don’t want a card that requires a backup when I’m out of the United States. If AMEX could find a way to increase their footprint like Visa, I’d be more inclined to go with them. Other than that, it’s a very, very strong card for booking travel.
I agree. AMEX is not widely accepted like Visa or Mastercard so it is a card more for domestic uses or flight purchases but not something that you will carry with you for international travels. If they expand then they will get more potential customers
My favorite lesser known perks: - Return protection: I have used this a few times when the retailer wouldn't accept the return and Amex covered the item cost - Cell Phone insurance: I haven't used it yet, but my wife recently cracked her screen so we will be fixing it and filing a claim soon. Screen repair is $330 and you're only on the line for $50 deductible.
With regards to the Uber credit, I love mentioning that the credits are tied to the USD (regardless of what the T&C say...as of June 2023). If your destination uses USD, then the credit should kick in. I used it while in Ecuador, and it was super helpful since Uber scooters/motorcycles were about $1.25-$2/ride. I was able to zip around town for a while before paying out of pocket. Most of the countries that use USD are in Latina American, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands. I'm headed to Panama in 3 days. They have theirbown currency, but it seems like they are fine with USD too. Ill have to see if the credit works. Happy Travels ✈️
Even if you forget the priority pass, you can use the pass inside the app. and let's be honest a lounge was nice because it was used to avoid crowds and get good food, but now I don't think so.
Amex Plat went from a mid card to a W when I booked ANA F The Suite on Monday for December. I made a post on it. So now I’ve flown ANA F The Suite, JAL J + F and just need ANA J The Room to complete my first/business premium flight products to/from Japan.
I think that it is important to note that the perks in the US are different then the perks in Europe (NL). It would be good to go trough the differences of both.
I just did a deep dive of the benefits as I consider whether it is worth the annual fee. I realized that I was missing out on a lot of benefits. I just started traveling again and realized that my Priority Pass expired! It was quite the mission to figure out how to get it renewed but I did. I was disheartened to realize that there are so few lounges in the airports that I frequent. Thanks for this video and hopefully I can get more value from my card this year.😊 When I tried to switch my preferred airline online it said I had to wait until January even though I never used the incidental. I might try calling if I decide to use it before the new year.
Actually I just changed my preferred airline from United to Delta today (8-21). You just have to do it via the chat. Assuming you haven't spent any of the credits
Love this channel! Love AMEX Platinum. I get significant value (ravel lounges, saks, airline fee, uber, digital entertainment, clearplus, and occasionally fine hotels). The soul cycle and equinox have no value for me personally.
Great overview. For me I’ve had the card for just about one year now, and I’d say I’m at a comfortable $800 in value. Maybe slightly higher, but not too much. The one benefit that really frustrates me to be honest is the hotel stuff. I’ve needed hotels a few times this year, I check the travel portal, only to find that none of those credits would apply, because even if I’m choosing the right hotels in those two programs, they only apply to prepaid rooms, and I never seem to find them. It’s also difficult to use their filters to find which hotels have prepaid rooms. Last I checked they don’t even have a filter for prepaid rooms. So if you just booked a hotel with a normal standard reservation, you don’t get the credit. I don’t understand why I’m having such a hard time. Am I unlucky or is it just the locations that are making this difficult? 🍣🍵 (green tea for extra credit LOL)
Can you not just prepay? I think prepaid is what's needed for the credit at all hotels on the portal regardless of location. I've had the card for about 10 months so far and have booked multiple hotels in various cities across the US (all prepaid) and have always gotten the benefits/credits.
Great video. 2 points I wanted to add. First is the extended warranty is fantastic. Our dryer broke and the company that we bought the dryer from wouldn't service it even though there was a manufacturer warranty because of where we live. I submitted a claim to AMEX and they fully reimbursed my payment because I paid with the platinum card. Two is the hertz status. I paid for a 5 passenger medium SUV (with my csp card for the primary insurance) that was around $290 for a future rental. Assuming we could get an upgrade, the 7 passenger medium SUV is around $635 so I'd be saving hundreds of dollars because of presidents circle status with the platinum card.
🍣 we enjoy the Uber credits, Global entry, Clear, Lounge & priority pass, Airline credit, $200 hotel credit, and Walmart! Looking forward to new perks!!!
🍣Thank you for all the helpful info. I use the lounge perks, Priority Pass, the airline incidental credits and. Rge Walmart+ and the Saks. Plan to utilize the digital credit and the hotel credit.
Thank you Thank you! All the info was extremely helpful and valuable and saved me countless hours of research. I've been a AMEX card holder since 1986 and now I'm going to upgrade to the Platinum card with NO worries of loss value cost compared to the annual fee associated with the card. Cheers from Las Vegas ! Ps: Any card worth mentioning to avoid resort fees by chance?
🍣 Thanks for this super informative video. We are new to the APC, but we think our favorite benefit will be access to the airport lounges and the Equinox credits.
I got the clear credit. Now I’m a get the global entry credit. The airport lounge is nice. I like Delta Sky Club. I had to pay 50.00 for my young daughter. It was her first time flying so I didn’t mine paying. Uber credit is nice. Digital Entertainment credit. Thanks Seby.
🍣 Gotta say, putting P2 and both my retired traveling parents as AUs has been great! P2 flying for concerts, parents flying for cruises, everyone’s tickled to have lounge access. Rakuten has been slick for me, since I buy all the work computers. Wait for 10% or better Dell deal, buy some servers, collect a couple/few hundred thousand MRs, and the servers were on sale too. Wins all the way down. It’s basically just checkers though; I’m itching for some 4D chess moves once MGM and Marriott start rubbing tips. 😅 At least I live in LAS and don’t have to fly here to try my shenanigans.
🍣 my favorite credits are Uber and airline incidentals. The concierge and saks have been pleasant surprises. Using saks to buy cute kids clothes on sale is great value. With those and getting decent value from entertainment and hotel credits I feel like I break even. But the multipliers on flights and amex offers (not all that much better then gold) bump it up to excellent value. Equinox is an easy skip and Walmart+ feels a bit superfluous
Tyvm. Uber, airline, lounge are enough for me to justify the Plat. It would be helpful for me at least to say which perks are valid for “additional cards” listening to your side comments I am sure I am doing fhr and Vegas much better than I; hopefully you can do a video on these someday
I’ve only visited a lounge once. The Escape Lounge at OAK. And they didn’t even have 🍣! My main airline is Southwest and the lounges are never in that terminal. I’ve never used the Saks credit. No good reason for that.
I’ve had the card a couple of months and got it before a Europe trip. I used Centurion in the US and a nice Priority Pass Lounge in Rome. I didn’t have my Priority Pass card yet, but they let me in by showing my Amex card. Also, I paid $175 to get add on people (up to 3 for that price) to my account. So my husband and teenage daughter could use the lounges, too. Although not all perks extend to add on users, my husband was able to get his own TSA credit.
I had the card for over a decade. I didn't get much value from mine it's a business card and we do not travel ever. So as the annual fees kept jumping up eventually they hit $495 a year and I said enough. We down graded to the gold card one of the best moves I could of made. Gold gives you triple points on one of I think 5 categories that you could choose from. As a landscaping company it was sweet to be able to get that for gas and diesel. The points alone more than cover the cost of 2 gold card annual fees.
🍣 I love that Amex has retention offers although not guaranteed. I won’t be traveling too much for a few years so I was close to canceling and they offered 30k points for 3k spend in 3 months which is extremely easy to do for me. Hopefully they’ll do the same next year.
I recently booked an Alaskan cruise with the cruise privilege program to get $200 onboard credit and some other perks. Exceptional service from the Amex travel agent, smarter and better than the cruise line agent!
🍣 my favorite thing about Amex is how they go to bat for you on bad charges to your card. My dad used Amex travel services in the 1950s, and still have a steamer trunk with a London Amex office address on it
Word of the wise I signed up for global entry 5 and a half weeks to get an appointment. I plan on taking an international trip by then I will have to see if they let me interview when I get back in a few months
Air travel is only stressful if you make it so. Pack ahead of time Make sure you have everything you need out the night before Give yourself ample time to get ready and go to the airport, check in, drop off you luggage and stand on the tsa line. You do it this way You won’t be stressed And you can then chill out in the airport get a meal and do a little browsing or shopping. 🙌🏽
Lufthansa lounges comes in handy in Europe. I changed my airlines last year because I hadn't used my credit I may change it again later this year because I have not flown the airline tied to my airline credit for this year.
Centurion Lounges are usually over-crowded and the food sucks. NOT a benefit of any kind. My last attempt to visit was a new low ….. they were turning away new entrants because it was too full.
I feel like the Amex plat is like a tight shirt that a lot of people want to fit but doesn’t. For some people the tight shirt fits well but for most, it makes them look skinny fat. Amazing card for the right person but I think around 70% of people that have it, it doesn’t actually fit. They want it to fit
I would say that for most people who travel, it’s a challenge NOT to recover the annual fee in annual benefits offered by the card. I use the lounges (PP and Centurion), the Uber credit, entertainment and a few others. I dropped the card in 2022, because the main benefit I used essentially disappeared: of seven attempts to access the Centurion Lounge at SFO, I got in once. It was COVID-related, so this issue has resolved itself. The lounge is greatly expanded; it’s now a thing of beauty!! I signed up and got the card back a few weeks ago. Overall, it is a great card and serves the title King of Cards!
I get the "easy" benefits from: $200 Uber/Uber Eats (pick up your food to save, and if you think you might forget to use the monthly $15 then a recurring monthly calendar item around the 20th helps a lot (plus an extra reminder in December about it being $35 that month)). $240 Digital Entertainment on the Disney bundle. $189 CLEAR. $98 Walmart+ (I had this before at $98 annually, so that is what I value this at). That puts me at a $727 minimum value or a net positive of $32. I use a lot of the other benefits too, but the above would be a sure thing every year and I don't consider them part of the "coupons," so everything over that is golden. Any "coupon" portion is fine with me once I know that I have already covered the cost with the above items. The wide variety of lounge benefits is HUGE.
Wish I saw this a week ago. Moving from delta amexs to standard gold and plat. Just put in my application for gold, will check it out for my plat next year. 🍣
I'd love to hear your thoughts on paying the extra for a plat for player 2 (I'm stealing that). In the past I've been able to use passes with delta but won't have that now. I'm curious what other benifits get doubled up with 2 cards besides lounge access. I'll probably be using the gold for normal spend since it has the better points for normal purchases.
I worked for a company that had the black card. Issued by invitation only. Made out of titanium. We had our own travel agent. Car upgrades to premium. Coach to first class. Don’t know if this card replaced this but you couldn’t apply for it. This was 14 years ago and I know our boss paid $1,500 for each card.
🍣 I have not pulled the trigger on this card yet. I don’t think I would get value out of it. It is on my list of cards to consider. Thank you Sebby! ❤️
cabo san lucas priorty pass lounge has wine and snacks. I never forget the priority pass because it is on my phone .....you really should mention that the walmart plus allows you access to Sams Club gas stations which is a big bonus
🍣 I calculate I get 66% value out of the benefits I use lowering the Annual Fee to roughly $95. Portland doesn't have the Lounge access so I rely on my CSR. I did just discover AmEx covered my Alaska seat upgrade after I had already purchased the ticket. That was nice. Thanks for all your info.
🍣Still trying to figure out if I need 1 card, 2 cards, or 3 cards to make this system work. Thinking about switching from my backup CSP to AMEX after the Delta Reserve has turned into a paperweight.
The French one has no perks! When you ask for info or reservations in a country other than France, they refuse saying they don't offer this service 🤷♀
🍣The best value for me personally is the centurion lounge access. I fly out from SFO - HKG a lot and the lounges have been a blessing in disguise, especially the one in HK. Food is always on point and they even have hot chinese herbal soup! Shower is a must after spending the day in HK and before the flight. Priority pass is a close second, however, I have been denied lounge / food access due to being an AE priority pass (apparently you have to pay full price on PP if you want to access all the benefits it has)
🍣 Great video, as always! I love the Platinum card. I definitely use as many of the credits as I can. I'd have to say my favorites the Uber credit. I use that every single month, without fail. Add to that the travel credit, the streaming credit, the Saks credit and the $150 Corporate Advantage credit and I definitely come out ahead vs the annual fee. I have also earned quite a few points with the 5x on airfare and hotels. As for which credits I do not use, those include the Equinox and Walmart+ credits. I have so little interest in shopping at Walmart that I could not even tell you where one is near me in Los Angeles, though I am sure they are everywhere. For me, the Platinum card is a great value. I am going to have to look into the Concierge benefit.
🍣 I get so much value from the card and am tempted to add my fiancée as an AU but she only travels 2/3 times per year. Is it worth adding her as an AU?
You can add your Priority Pass to your Apple wallet. So no need to carry it around. One thing I’ve discovered recently is you have to pre-book and pay the fee for Priority Pass as the lounges are completely full
I hold the vanilla, Charles Schwab, and Morgan Stanley Platinum cards. I'm trying to cancel two of them in the near future and trying to decide which. I should get the $695 engagement bonus with Morgan Stanley around September.
🍣 There’s too much I want to write so I’ll just say Thank You Very Much for this Video Sebby it’s very useful and thankfully I’ve activated and am aware of most of the benefits.
Do I get points paying for rent, mortgages, car expenses, buying stocks, shares, cryptocurrency, and car loan (novated lease car loan), margin loan for stock investment?
I think I do well with the credits. My total credits exceed the exorbitant annual fee. I have never used the Saks credit but I will. I also love FHR. I thought I was the only one who changed hotels to get additional $100 hotel perks. 🍣
🍣 Hi Sebby. Did you ever get around to doing that video diving into FHR for the Platinum card? Also if you have a video on transferring points to airline partners to maximize travel. Thanks. Always enjoy your videos. ✌🏽
Hi Sebby, thanks for taking the time and responding. I’m a new Platinum card owner thanks to you. My questions are for FHR bookings (finding deals), how to access free breakfast, as well as rules around the $100 experience credit. Does this amount get credited back to your account next billing cycle? And in terms of transferring points for trips, is there a guide you have for new card members? How to use airline travel partners as well as hotels? How to book ahead and find the best deals? That was a lot but anything will help. Thanks Sebby. Love all your channels.@@AskSebby
I was thinking the chase reserve was a better overall card but the SUB for Amex was 125k and I was purchasing two international business class trips like 6 months apart. Chase only gave me 80k so I felt for now this was my best option.
I'm having a hard time finding value for this card since most of my travel is international. Great card for domestic though. Also I found that the concierge is nowhere near what they used to be.. or maybe they don't work internationally as well
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Booking flights with Alaska Airlines using my platinum card not selecting seats. Then after the flight is paid for I go and upgrade the seats to premium cabin costing ~$20-$50 each way triggers the incidental credit. I dont know if its specifically the amount charged, just alaska or if amex sees two charges from the same airline on the same day. This has worked 100% of the time.🍣
I’ve been a Platinum card holder for over a decade and use many of the perks, but I always learn something when I watch your videos. Brilliant
The car rental status is phenomenal. You get faster service and better cars for the same price. As a tall dude getting upgraded to a larger car for the same price is well worth it. It’s hard to put a value on the lounge access for delta but it is incredibly convenient when flying delta.
The premium rental insurance is top notch, 17$ per rental not per day is a great money saver
I use the Uber, Saks, Streaming, Walmart+, and entry into Delta Sky Club or Centurion Lounge several times a year. I did use the credit for Global Entry. Decided to add The Delta Platinum for the companion ticket since I've been doing a lot of traveling and Delta is who I usually end up flying with. 🍣🍣
Don’t forget about purchase protection which covers purchases within 90 days of purchase. I recently had an expensive sweater which was stained with sunscreen. I submitted a claim and was reimbursed the full cost of the item. You can claim up to $50,000 per year and $10,000 per claim item. This covers accidental damage and theft. Does not cover consumables like cologne or personal hygiene items. This gives great peace of mind if something happens to a new item within three months.
Hmm. Thanks for the tip.
I didn't of know about this! Thanks for sharing !👍
Thanks for the tip on switching airlines for the fee credit. I kept putting it off because I thought I would have to call Amex, but the chat function you recommended worked and it was switched in less than a minute lol. Thanks Sebby!
🍣 I feel like one day this video is gonna have to be about the 50 things you must do with your Platinum card with the amount of random credits they keep throwing on this card lol. This was a really great video highlighting stuff I'm sure a lot of folks were unaware of, so great work on this one as always Sebby!
A Saks store rep shared this tip.. stack the deal by buying gift cards w/ ur $50 credit! She said she has customers who do this and stash the cards for a future purchase. 🍱🍣
I did this a few years ago and used the gift card at offsaks which had cheaper things. Not sure if it still works
Hi, i know you commented this almost a year ago but do you know if this hack still works? I’m trying to use my credit towards a gift card before January comes up. Also do they have the gift card in stores or do you have to buy it online?
Thanks in advance!
Our travel advisor gets us $200 in on board credit (depends on cruise line and cabin) for each cruise through the platinum. It adds up.
Had precheck and clear while my family didn’t. The expedited line was just as long as the regular line on Saturdays. In fact, in NYC, the family finished faster, twice. Better trick for vacation travelers, fly Saturdays and you won’t need precheck or clear.
Yep! Huge YMMV. I've "raced" Mandy for fun a few times in the non-Precheck line since it looked shorter (and I don't mind taking off my shoes) and won.
Walmart+ has been an absolute game-changer in small college towns. They often deliver faster than Amazon does, and their customer service is better than what Amazon's used to be.
Also, I feel like there should be a big asterisk for the Saks credit. I'm someone who tries to stay as close to the credit value as possible, but it's so hard to do with Saks because of the free shipping requirement, and their return policy isn't amazing. While I did get some very helpful organizational stuff, I really only planned on buying $50 worth of stuff instead of $120. I still got quality stuff out of it, just not at the value I was expecting.
I buy cologne exclusively from Saks since colognes are almost never discounted.
@@seren1ty755 Fair, but I personally don't care about cologne since it doesn't really impact my day-to-day life. I personally got organizational stuff from Thule and North Face though they were a bit more expensive than I would've liked. The Thule cable organizers were well worth though
I saw someone said you can buy a gift card for the $50, and stack it for future use. Ima try that to see if it works
@@edocsil1635did you end up getting reimbursed? Asking because i also saw that same comment and I’m trying to use the credit before the January comes up and i want to get a gift card and stack up the credits. Please let me know if it worked for you.
@@abdurehimjufar5142 don't buy it online. I haven't tried in person yet, but if you buy a gift card online it goes under a different name for the vendor so it doesn't give you the reimbursement
My big beef with AMEX is that it’s not widely accepted overseas. I don’t want a card that requires a backup when I’m out of the United States. If AMEX could find a way to increase their footprint like Visa, I’d be more inclined to go with them. Other than that, it’s a very, very strong card for booking travel.
I agree. AMEX is not widely accepted like Visa or Mastercard so it is a card more for domestic uses or flight purchases but not something that you will carry with you for international travels. If they expand then they will get more potential customers
Just returned from Greece Croatia and Italy. Only the hotel in Venice accepted Amex because booked that hotel using Amextravel.
@jasondauphin see? How can they call themselves the ultimate card for international travelers when you can’t even use the thing internationally?!
I was in UK and found that everywhere I visited did except Amex...Not sure about places mentioned but UK it's widely expected...
Just came back from Spain and Portugal barely any stores accept Amex except for luxurious stores
My favorite lesser known perks:
- Return protection:
I have used this a few times when the retailer wouldn't accept the return and Amex covered the item cost
- Cell Phone insurance:
I haven't used it yet, but my wife recently cracked her screen so we will be fixing it and filing a claim soon. Screen repair is $330 and you're only on the line for $50 deductible.
One thing I have noticed about PP is that their lounges can be sort of subpar when compared to Airline lounges and AMEX lounges.
Yes, Priority Pass lounges in the US are terrible. Most are better overseas.
Sebby Love your channel please do FHR. I'm going to AUS and was thninking how can I maximize this benefit.
Please do how to maximize FHR! Especially in the East Coast!
With regards to the Uber credit, I love mentioning that the credits are tied to the USD (regardless of what the T&C say...as of June 2023). If your destination uses USD, then the credit should kick in.
I used it while in Ecuador, and it was super helpful since Uber scooters/motorcycles were about $1.25-$2/ride. I was able to zip around town for a while before paying out of pocket.
Most of the countries that use USD are in Latina American, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands.
I'm headed to Panama in 3 days. They have theirbown currency, but it seems like they are fine with USD too. Ill have to see if the credit works.
Happy Travels ✈️
Sebby, please do a video on getting max value from the FHR credit! 🍣
Even if you forget the priority pass, you can use the pass inside the app.
and let's be honest a lounge was nice because it was used to avoid crowds and get good food, but now I don't think so.
Super underrated channel. Great content.
Nice vid! Canadian viewer here, the benefits are a little different. Hopefully another video comes out for us (:
You have to do a video on how you got status at all of the hotels and airlines outside of the AE Platinum card.
Amex Plat went from a mid card to a W when I booked ANA F The Suite on Monday for December. I made a post on it. So now I’ve flown ANA F The Suite, JAL J + F and just need ANA J The Room to complete my first/business premium flight products to/from Japan.
Nice!!
I think that it is important to note that the perks in the US are different then the perks in Europe (NL). It would be good to go trough the differences of both.
For United, I get the credit just for the Wi-Fi. It works well.
🍣 super helpful. I have an offer to get the card but hadn't done it yet
I just did a deep dive of the benefits as I consider whether it is worth the annual fee. I realized that I was missing out on a lot of benefits. I just started traveling again and realized that my Priority Pass expired! It was quite the mission to figure out how to get it renewed but I did. I was disheartened to realize that there are so few lounges in the airports that I frequent. Thanks for this video and hopefully I can get more value from my card this year.😊 When I tried to switch my preferred airline online it said I had to wait until January even though I never used the incidental. I might try calling if I decide to use it before the new year.
Actually I just changed my preferred airline from United to Delta today (8-21). You just have to do it via the chat. Assuming you haven't spent any of the credits
Love this channel! Love AMEX Platinum. I get significant value (ravel lounges, saks, airline fee, uber, digital entertainment, clearplus, and occasionally fine hotels). The soul cycle and equinox have no value for me personally.
Great overview. For me I’ve had the card for just about one year now, and I’d say I’m at a comfortable $800 in value. Maybe slightly higher, but not too much. The one benefit that really frustrates me to be honest is the hotel stuff. I’ve needed hotels a few times this year, I check the travel portal, only to find that none of those credits would apply, because even if I’m choosing the right hotels in those two programs, they only apply to prepaid rooms, and I never seem to find them. It’s also difficult to use their filters to find which hotels have prepaid rooms. Last I checked they don’t even have a filter for prepaid rooms. So if you just booked a hotel with a normal standard reservation, you don’t get the credit. I don’t understand why I’m having such a hard time. Am I unlucky or is it just the locations that are making this difficult? 🍣🍵 (green tea for extra credit LOL)
IMO your not having a hard time this doesn't work outside of Vegas.
I’ve used the credit in Chicago area. Depends on ur hotel type, it’s usually for Fine hotels.
Can you not just prepay? I think prepaid is what's needed for the credit at all hotels on the portal regardless of location. I've had the card for about 10 months so far and have booked multiple hotels in various cities across the US (all prepaid) and have always gotten the benefits/credits.
Great video. 2 points I wanted to add. First is the extended warranty is fantastic. Our dryer broke and the company that we bought the dryer from wouldn't service it even though there was a manufacturer warranty because of where we live. I submitted a claim to AMEX and they fully reimbursed my payment because I paid with the platinum card. Two is the hertz status. I paid for a 5 passenger medium SUV (with my csp card for the primary insurance) that was around $290 for a future rental. Assuming we could get an upgrade, the 7 passenger medium SUV is around $635 so I'd be saving hundreds of dollars because of presidents circle status with the platinum card.
I would add the cell phone repair benefit! My screen is cracked and I can get it replaced.
🍣 we enjoy the Uber credits, Global entry, Clear, Lounge & priority pass, Airline credit, $200 hotel credit, and Walmart! Looking forward to new perks!!!
🍣Thank you for all the helpful info. I use the lounge perks, Priority Pass, the airline incidental credits and. Rge Walmart+ and the Saks. Plan to utilize the digital credit and the hotel credit.
Thank you Thank you! All the info was extremely helpful and valuable and saved me countless hours of research. I've been a AMEX card holder since 1986 and now I'm going to upgrade to the Platinum card with NO worries of loss value cost compared to the annual fee associated with the card. Cheers from Las Vegas ! Ps: Any card worth mentioning to avoid resort fees by chance?
Global Entry and TSA pre check have two distinct usages: one is international, the other is only national.
Great content keep it coming great reminder of the perks for the Amex Platinum Thanks for sharing🍣
🍣 Thanks for this super informative video. We are new to the APC, but we think our favorite benefit will be access to the airport lounges and the Equinox credits.
I got the clear credit. Now I’m a get the global entry credit. The airport lounge is nice. I like Delta Sky Club. I had to pay 50.00 for my young daughter. It was her first time flying so I didn’t mine paying. Uber credit is nice. Digital Entertainment credit. Thanks Seby.
🍣 Gotta say, putting P2 and both my retired traveling parents as AUs has been great! P2 flying for concerts, parents flying for cruises, everyone’s tickled to have lounge access.
Rakuten has been slick for me, since I buy all the work computers. Wait for 10% or better Dell deal, buy some servers, collect a couple/few hundred thousand MRs, and the servers were on sale too. Wins all the way down.
It’s basically just checkers though; I’m itching for some 4D chess moves once MGM and Marriott start rubbing tips. 😅 At least I live in LAS and don’t have to fly here to try my shenanigans.
🍣 my favorite credits are Uber and airline incidentals. The concierge and saks have been pleasant surprises. Using saks to buy cute kids clothes on sale is great value.
With those and getting decent value from entertainment and hotel credits I feel like I break even. But the multipliers on flights and amex offers (not all that much better then gold) bump it up to excellent value.
Equinox is an easy skip and Walmart+ feels a bit superfluous
🍣
Brilliant.. always something new and your channel is how i keep up with all the changes they make.. thanks much!
Tyvm. Uber, airline, lounge are enough for me to justify the Plat.
It would be helpful for me at least to say which perks are valid for “additional cards”
listening to your side comments I am sure I am doing fhr and Vegas much better than I; hopefully you can do a video on these someday
I’ve only visited a lounge once. The Escape Lounge at OAK. And they didn’t even have 🍣! My main airline is Southwest and the lounges are never in that terminal. I’ve never used the Saks credit. No good reason for that.
I’ve had the card a couple of months and got it before a Europe trip. I used Centurion in the US and a nice Priority Pass Lounge in Rome. I didn’t have my Priority Pass card yet, but they let me in by showing my Amex card. Also, I paid $175 to get add on people (up to 3 for that price) to my account. So my husband and teenage daughter could use the lounges, too. Although not all perks extend to add on users, my husband was able to get his own TSA credit.
Walmart+ added a $35 minimum, $6.99 charge so we deleted it. Why would we use this when we have Amazon Prime.
If you’re stressing about $35, this isn’t the card for you anyway
Side note if you pair this with the gold card, which gets $10 a month for Uber, it DOES stack for a total of $25 a month.
🍣Great video. Thanks for providing such great info. Love your channel.
I had the card for over a decade. I didn't get much value from mine it's a business card and we do not travel ever. So as the annual fees kept jumping up eventually they hit $495 a year and I said enough. We down graded to the gold card one of the best moves I could of made. Gold gives you triple points on one of I think 5 categories that you could choose from. As a landscaping company it was sweet to be able to get that for gas and diesel. The points alone more than cover the cost of 2 gold card annual fees.
I think it’s important to mention this: TSA precheck, Clear, etc are ONLY for residents and citizens. Not usable by us internationals, sadly.
There is a trip protection if your flight is delayed more than 6(?) hours to pay for accommodation.
🍣 I love that Amex has retention offers although not guaranteed. I won’t be traveling too much for a few years so I was close to canceling and they offered 30k points for 3k spend in 3 months which is extremely easy to do for me. Hopefully they’ll do the same next year.
Would be nice. That is the best way for them to keep existing customers.
There’s an FHR rabbit hole 😳🕳️ def do a video on it :))
I recently booked an Alaskan cruise with the cruise privilege program to get $200 onboard credit and some other perks. Exceptional service from the Amex travel agent, smarter and better than the cruise line agent!
🍣 my favorite thing about Amex is how they go to bat for you on bad charges to your card. My dad used Amex travel services in the 1950s, and still have a steamer trunk with a London Amex office address on it
🍣 I appreciate all the work you do to inform us about credit card perks 😊
Word of the wise I signed up for global entry 5 and a half weeks to get an appointment. I plan on taking an international trip by then I will have to see if they let me interview when I get back in a few months
Air travel is only stressful if you make it so.
Pack ahead of time
Make sure you have everything you need out the night before
Give yourself ample time to get ready and go to the airport, check in, drop off you luggage and stand on the tsa line.
You do it this way
You won’t be stressed
And you can then chill out in the airport get a meal and do a little browsing or shopping. 🙌🏽
Lufthansa lounges comes in handy in Europe. I changed my airlines last year because I hadn't used my credit I may change it again later this year because I have not flown the airline tied to my airline credit for this year.
Centurion Lounges are usually over-crowded and the food sucks. NOT a benefit of any kind. My last attempt to visit was a new low ….. they were turning away new entrants because it was too full.
I feel like the Amex plat is like a tight shirt that a lot of people want to fit but doesn’t. For some people the tight shirt fits well but for most, it makes them look skinny fat. Amazing card for the right person but I think around 70% of people that have it, it doesn’t actually fit. They want it to fit
Very well said. I recently got the Capital one Venture X so likely gonna cancel this one
I would say that for most people who travel, it’s a challenge NOT to recover the annual fee in annual benefits offered by the card. I use the lounges (PP and Centurion), the Uber credit, entertainment and a few others.
I dropped the card in 2022, because the main benefit I used essentially disappeared: of seven attempts to access the Centurion Lounge at SFO, I got in once. It was COVID-related, so this issue has resolved itself. The lounge is greatly expanded; it’s now a thing of beauty!! I signed up and got the card back a few weeks ago.
Overall, it is a great card and serves the title King of Cards!
Always great, informative videos Sebby!
I get the "easy" benefits from:
$200 Uber/Uber Eats (pick up your food to save, and if you think you might forget to use the monthly $15 then a recurring monthly calendar item around the 20th helps a lot (plus an extra reminder in December about it being $35 that month)).
$240 Digital Entertainment on the Disney bundle.
$189 CLEAR.
$98 Walmart+ (I had this before at $98 annually, so that is what I value this at).
That puts me at a $727 minimum value or a net positive of $32.
I use a lot of the other benefits too, but the above would be a sure thing every year and I don't consider them part of the "coupons," so everything over that is golden. Any "coupon" portion is fine with me once I know that I have already covered the cost with the above items.
The wide variety of lounge benefits is HUGE.
Wish I saw this a week ago. Moving from delta amexs to standard gold and plat. Just put in my application for gold, will check it out for my plat next year. 🍣
I'd love to hear your thoughts on paying the extra for a plat for player 2 (I'm stealing that). In the past I've been able to use passes with delta but won't have that now. I'm curious what other benifits get doubled up with 2 cards besides lounge access. I'll probably be using the gold for normal spend since it has the better points for normal purchases.
I worked for a company that had the black card. Issued by invitation only. Made out of titanium. We had our own travel agent. Car upgrades to premium. Coach to first class. Don’t know if this card replaced this but you couldn’t apply for it. This was 14 years ago and I know our boss paid $1,500 for each card.
does that company have any openings?
🍣 I have not pulled the trigger on this card yet. I don’t think I would get value out of it. It is on my list of cards to consider. Thank you Sebby! ❤️
🍣 As always a great video. I really enjoyed the platinum and have watched your contact on the card and got a lot of value out of it.
AMEX is gradually becoming a coupon book with a fancy Roman fighter on it.
Does your P2 have to have the card or be added as an authorized user for them to also be able to go through the TSA pre check and CLEAR? 🍣
cabo san lucas priorty pass lounge has wine and snacks. I never forget the priority pass because it is on my phone .....you really should mention that the walmart plus allows you access to Sams Club gas stations which is a big bonus
Good suggestion on Sams!
🍣 I calculate I get 66% value out of the benefits I use lowering the Annual Fee to roughly $95. Portland doesn't have the Lounge access so I rely on my CSR. I did just discover AmEx covered my Alaska seat upgrade after I had already purchased the ticket. That was nice. Thanks for all your info.
🍣Still trying to figure out if I need 1 card, 2 cards, or 3 cards to make this system work. Thinking about switching from my backup CSP to AMEX after the Delta Reserve has turned into a paperweight.
The French one has no perks! When you ask for info or reservations in a country other than France, they refuse saying they don't offer this service 🤷♀
🍣 I get value from it every year. Using the Ask Sebby calculator and being very very conservative with it, I break even (+$1).
🍣The best value for me personally is the centurion lounge access. I fly out from SFO - HKG a lot and the lounges have been a blessing in disguise, especially the one in HK. Food is always on point and they even have hot chinese herbal soup! Shower is a must after spending the day in HK and before the flight. Priority pass is a close second, however, I have been denied lounge / food access due to being an AE priority pass (apparently you have to pay full price on PP if you want to access all the benefits it has)
Can you explain more on your PP denial? I currently have PP paid under Chase and was going to either create a new AMEX PP or see if I could merge?
🍣 Great video, as always! I love the Platinum card. I definitely use as many of the credits as I can. I'd have to say my favorites the Uber credit. I use that every single month, without fail. Add to that the travel credit, the streaming credit, the Saks credit and the $150 Corporate Advantage credit and I definitely come out ahead vs the annual fee. I have also earned quite a few points with the 5x on airfare and hotels. As for which credits I do not use, those include the Equinox and Walmart+ credits. I have so little interest in shopping at Walmart that I could not even tell you where one is near me in Los Angeles, though I am sure they are everywhere. For me, the Platinum card is a great value. I am going to have to look into the Concierge benefit.
🍣 I get so much value from the card and am tempted to add my fiancée as an AU but she only travels 2/3 times per year. Is it worth adding her as an AU?
You can add your Priority Pass to your Apple wallet. So no need to carry it around.
One thing I’ve discovered recently is you have to pre-book and pay the fee for Priority Pass as the lounges are completely full
I hold the vanilla, Charles Schwab, and Morgan Stanley Platinum cards. I'm trying to cancel two of them in the near future and trying to decide which. I should get the $695 engagement bonus with Morgan Stanley around September.
🍣 I don’t use the peloton credit but I do use the Centurion Lounge benefit.
🍣 There’s too much I want to write so I’ll just say Thank You Very Much for this Video Sebby it’s very useful and thankfully I’ve activated and am aware of most of the benefits.
except in atlanta where everyone has clear lol
🍣I love the hotel upgrades, the FHR are my best since me and my wife are going on a 3 weeks vacation.
Walmart + and Rakuten are the best to benefits to me of the card and make it go over the edge of making since to keep.
Do I get points paying for rent, mortgages, car expenses, buying stocks, shares, cryptocurrency, and car loan (novated lease car loan), margin loan for stock investment?
Extra note: the Platinum airline incidental credit will also go towards a Sky Club guest entry . $50 added back into my statement this month.
Good tip
🍣 Do you have to have the Uber One $9.99 per month to get the platinum Uber credit?
No
Amex needs to get rid of equinox and even Walmart + for something else
I think I do well with the credits. My total credits exceed the exorbitant annual fee. I have never used the Saks credit but I will. I also love FHR. I thought I was the only one who changed hotels to get additional $100 hotel perks. 🍣
🍣 Hi Sebby. Did you ever get around to doing that video diving into FHR for the Platinum card? Also if you have a video on transferring points to airline partners to maximize travel. Thanks. Always enjoy your videos. ✌🏽
Any specific questions you want me to cover for those videos? :)
Hi Sebby, thanks for taking the time and responding. I’m a new Platinum card owner thanks to you. My questions are for FHR bookings (finding deals), how to access free breakfast, as well as rules around the $100 experience credit. Does this amount get credited back to your account next billing cycle? And in terms of transferring points for trips, is there a guide you have for new card members? How to use airline travel partners as well as hotels? How to book ahead and find the best deals? That was a lot but anything will help. Thanks Sebby. Love all your channels.@@AskSebby
What do you think about use points to pay for purchase? It’s 100 point for $1 in Canada since we don’t have same as much as USA benefits
🍣 I live outside the US, so I can't use the Uber credit for rides, but CAN use Uber eats to order take-out for our elderly father.
🍣 still debating on card. Thanks for this video!
I was thinking the chase reserve was a better overall card but the SUB for Amex was 125k and I was purchasing two international business class trips like 6 months apart. Chase only gave me 80k so I felt for now this was my best option.
I'm having a hard time finding value for this card since most of my travel is international. Great card for domestic though. Also I found that the concierge is nowhere near what they used to be.. or maybe they don't work internationally as well
Is there a way to get very specific guidance/direction for a special case/unique scenario?
🍣 Great video! Thinking of this vs the Delta SkyMiles Purple card. I’m in a delta hub city. Thoughts? I have the Delta Gold card currently.
How do you find cheat FHR dates in Vegas? I cannot seem to find anything near that low, regardless of of the day.
Any recommendations for a card holder/book to keep all of my keeper cards in? 😅
Would love a video diving deeper into FHR strategies.