American Express Platinum Card

Is the annual fee worth it?

It earns about $625 a year on the illustrative household's spending, which is −$270 once the fee is paid. The best card with no fee, American Express Blue Business Plus, nets $1,058 on the same spending — so this card is $1,328 a year behind. On earning alone it does not catch up at any level of spending this looks at — its credits and perks have to make up the difference, or the fee is not paying for itself.

Priced on an illustrative household spending $2,205 a month on a card — the assumption, in full. Credits and perks are not priced: they are worth their face value only if you would have spent that money anyway.

Where it ranks

Against every card in the catalogue, scored in dollars per $100 with no rotating categories switched on:

• #1 of 68 for flights — $10.00 per $100

Where a year's rewards come from

Priced on an illustrative household spending $2,205 a month on a card — the assumption, in full. Credits and perks are not priced: they are worth their face value only if you would have spent that money anyway.

Protections and travel benefits

From the issuer's own benefit summary as of 2026-09. These are read from summaries rather than the full guide to benefits, which has the exclusions — check it before relying on one.

• Rental car — secondary cover
• Purchase protection — up to $10,000 per claim · 90 days
• Extended warranty
• Trip delay — up to $500 per claim
• Trip cancellation — up to $10,000 per claim
• Baggage — up to $3,000 per claim
• Priority Pass lounges
• Centurion lounges
• Global Entry / TSA PreCheck
• Airline fee credit
• Concierge

What the issuer lists besides rewards

• Annual airline incidental fee credit with a selected airline
• Hotel credit on Fine Hotels & Resorts and Hotel Collection stays
• Monthly Uber Cash and digital entertainment credits
• Centurion Lounge, Priority Pass and Delta Sky Club access
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, and a CLEAR Plus credit
• Trip cancellation and interruption cover up to $10,000 per trip
• Trip delay after 6 hours up to $500, and baggage insurance up to $3,000
• Secondary rental car coverage
• Purchase protection up to $10,000 per claim for 90 days after you buy
• Extended warranty adds a year to manufacturer warranties of five years or less
• Platinum Card Concierge

Similar cards

• Chase Sapphire Reserve — annual fee $795 a year
• Citi Strata Elite — annual fee $595 a year
• Capital One Venture X — annual fee $395 a year
• American Express Gold Card — annual fee $325 a year
• Every travel card, ranked
• When an annual fee pays for itself
• The best two- and three-card combinations