Amex Platinum $695 Annual Fee Worth It?! Everything You Need to Know (2021)
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- Опубликовано: 4 авг 2024
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0:26 Common Complaints
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2:25 Amex Platinum Calculator
4:07 Amex Platinum Credits
7:11 Hotel Credit
7:48 Other New Credits
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We need a crossover video where creators take on the AMEX Platinum annual fee challenge. What is the best combo of cards you could have for the $695 annual fee(s)?
Great video! Really helpful in talking through the pros and cons of the card. Also I thought the valuations used for each perk were spot on. I’ll definitely be using the calculator in the future!
I happen to already be using audible and I was already breaking even between the existing credits and delta lounge at DTW. I'll have to look at using the hotel credit sometime. Great video as always!
Morale: spend $700 every year and then jump through tons of obstacles to break even.
Exactly why I’m thinking of canceling the card. You said it perfectly
The coupon clipping part really sucks imho. They know that most people are too busy and don’t have time to keep track to redeem the coupons. Amex should have just provided the following to simplify their Platinum benefits:
A. 5 MR Points for every dollar spent on airfares and hotel accommodations
B. Travel Insurance
C. 1.5% cash back on all other purchases, aside from airfare/hotel accommodation, in the form of MR Points which can be redeemed for various goods and services, or to offset purchase charges and/or annual fee.
D. Concierge Service
E. Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty
F. Emergency Travel Assistance
G. Roadside Assistance
H. Centurion Lounge Access and Priority Pass Lounge Access
I. Upper Tier Hotel Status
J. Access to private jet charter
do you enjoy the Platinum card?
Thanks for the insightful vid. We’ll detailed and informative. Long time Amex cardholder/traveler and your analysis and calculations validate my platinum mbrshp. Onward!
The Platinum Card is basically a board game now with a 200-page rule book 😂✌️
It's a game of 4D chess, jenga and extreme couponing.
@@SolidLiquidFox 😂👍
These calculators are always super helpful Sebby. After using this one I think it actually would make sense to me which I didn't expect to say. These are pretty much all credits I'd use in a normal year save a few of them. I was flabbergasted to see my local Equinox membership costs $200 per month, and the amex platinum would only bring it down to $175/month ... not worth it! But otherwise I've been wanting to get Sirius XM, I pay for hotels and airlines anyway, I do a lot of dining and food delivery, and all of these would fit my use case.
Still gonna finish the Chase Trifecta first though. Thanks again Sebby!
The centurion & escape lounges are more valued at minimum $25 per person per visit/$15 for meal & $10:for one drink. Add from there. So far in 2 months we have used Centurion 3 times. With escape opening more locations, that will increase to about 20 visits per year, plus the comfort versus gate area adds more. 5x pts, airline & hotel credit at $200 each is $900 without anything else. So yes, if you travel 20x a year as we do, it’s definitely worth it. But---spend on other cards to get status
I agree with you that the AE Platinum was previously a coupon card, but the price hike makes it more apparent because a some people only use 50% of the benefit in the past . Now with the increased fees, that same group ends up using only 30% of the benefits which makes owing the card difficult to swallow. Also to break even with the annual fee, you need to spend $7000 per yr on airlines/hotels.
Thanks for sharing!
The question is not so much if it's worth it, but how much time do you want to spend managing it. Given enough effort I think all of us can break even. The question is do we want to.
Exactly.
You summed it up perfectly.
Agreed. You need spreadsheets and Siri reminders to remember everything. Not worth it.
Lazy mofos
Truth!!!
I got $-125 in the calculator. Sebby, one nice addition to the calculator would be a custom CPP field. I use points for travel but despite usually getting 2+ CPP, I use 1.6 to be conservative. I don't fly biz/1st so my options are more limited.
Sebby, this calculator is great. With the Delta variant on the rise, and my value for the card only making a difference to me in year one, this makes my decision simpler before I'm charged the increased annual fee. Thank you!
I am under a friend benefits so I really enjoy the benefits. I travel a decent amount throughout the year as does my friend so we really get a lot of use out of the lounge access. 👍✈️
Good info. I have had my Platinum card for 7 years now. I dont' really travel much for work anymore (Covid change and now that I have a kid, I don't have the desire to be on the road every week). I've been contemplating dropping the card down to a Gold. I was using the perks quite a bit when traveling (and at the time lived close to downtown Phx for example, so the Uber credit was nice), but hardly get a change to. Although when my flight got cancelled and I had a 9 hour wait, the Centurion lounge access for the day was a nice perk recently.
Great content Sebby. Just got the card last month and 100K offer. Year 1 EV $3400. Year 2 EV $434. Looks like a keeper card for me.
That equinox credit is the most useless credit I've ever seen.
Agreed- they should of just made this a exercise credit
Yes it is if it was for any gym that would have been amazing but leave it to Amex to fuck it up
I agree. That is basically saying that you need to be some rich dude who goes to equinox
Their partnership with Equinox is so annoying, I think I've seen on Equinox in my entire life. I don't live in LA and I usually don't travel to LA long enough to care about my daily workout cycle.
@@904TallerTim totally agree. I’m in austin and we have only one location. The gym I go to is 37 a month and I can go to any 15 locations in Austin. I was excited about a refresh and I want this card but it doesn’t look worth it to me
Very clear explanation
Although I have an Equinox membership (discounted through work), I was told that the Platinum Credit only applies to the highest tier membership (nationwide access). That’s super selective. I’d be more OK with it if the credit was applied to Equinox memberships in general but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Was thinking about switching over from CSR but guess I won’t.
I read a article that there were 36 overall benefits to the card. You should have added the private jet and a few other programs. Always good to know!
I used my platinum card at the LAX Delta Sky Lounge to get in my travel companion and it triggered the Airline credit. Twice. Just a heads up guys. I do have status with Delta and only flight Delta so that's what I picked as my frequently traveled airline. So don't forget to do that first!
Thank you, and now ... papers please
Sebby, do you know if the incidental fee works with code shares? I assume it only works with the airline operating the flight, and not the one you book the flight through correct?
I'm getting $405 in value a year. And I was being pretty conservative with the calculator. Clear, Saks, Equinox, GE/PreCheck, and PP... all credits I left at $0 and still came out better than I thought I would
Why do you need Clear and GE?
@@MrBuckaroo2014 Seems like the only benefit to CLEAR is if you arrive late and your flight is about to take off. Probably for Business men like Elon Musk who is a very busy man. GE/Precheck is good for faster entry and less time wasted. You dont need to take out anything or shoes or belt even, you just walk through there like "Hi there!!!" then have them quick scan your luggages and leave. So GE/TSA precheck is better to use than Clear. Clear is just a way for you to get cleared ASAP via Kiosk without the line or anything and go. Both helps you waste less time with long security lines and save you the hassle of all the work but if you don't use either of them, you should always arrive as early as possible before your flight.
I think what puts me over the top and makes it a keeper are the Amex Offers.
Seen all the new Amex platinum videos but still watching new ones cause “what if I missed something”
:)
The $180 PayPal credit that they offered this year was pretty useful for me and of course the Clear credit. Clear seems to be the only way to skip lines these days.
Great video Sebby, as always.
If anyone wonders if you can still get multiple welcome bonuses on the Platinum Cards, you can. Just got the Schwab version with the bonus.
Quick question Sebby what kind of lens do you use for the video?
Awesome, I'll get the Schwab then aswell... Also that bokeh in the back it is impressive.. curious about the lens aswell.
simple explanation:
amex plat: travel card; 2 or more times every month
amex gold: dining card; frequent dining
Sabby can you also make a video on Canadian Amex Platinum Business Card and thier offers as they are very different than US
Thank you
I went ahead and got the American Express Platinum card even though I pretty much knew that I would not meet the $6000 minimum spend. I really wanted the card for the prestige and perks. I figured why spend $6000 to get points for maybe 2 roundtrip airline tickets when I can just buy 2 roundtrip airline tickets for around $600. I view the $695 annual fee as club membership fees and the statuses that it provides. I also added my son as daughters as authorized users. They are college students with Amex platinum cards and when they fly home they get to enjoy the travel perks and statuses. To me that alone was worth the $695 annual fee. Great video.
Thanks for creating this great video. For the MS method, after depositing the min amount to waive monthly fee and setting up the $5K monthly deposits , how easy/hard is it to withdrawal the monthly deposit rather than have $25K to accumulate to $30K, $35K ?
Shebby, I was offered the Platinum card, but idk if it’s right for me right now. I confused on how use my points and want to learn how to properly use my card. Any tips?
Hi - do you get lounge access? even if you didn't book the flights via the card?
Thanks for a realistic analysis. I use Amex fares a lot and the more than pays for the card. I also use digital benefits and uber. I have access to Priority Pass and Plaza Premium trough other lounges. I dont fly Delta so that is net zero. So it is in the range of net ~+500 per year.
Hi Sebby, how does it work towards annual subscription for Xm or Peacock like I paid a lump sum payment of 120 or something one time for my XM, will they keep crediting me every month or it's a loss if I'm doing one time pay?
Hey to clarify one point on the incidental credit, it doesn't work for any charges related to the ticket fare directly, including upgrades. Incidentals include things like food and drink on the flight, baggage, seat assignment fees, change fees, ect. Maybe I misunderstood that part but hope this helps. If you have any questions, of course just call Amex to clarify
Does your calculator automatically deduct the annual fee off the result? Or do we need to substract that annual fee on our own when we get the "value number" Thanks.
Yes, it already subtracts the annual fee
@asksebby is it bad for my credit to open the card for the first year, then get rid of it after the bonus?
Thank you for the calculator. I used it and compared it to the credits I've used so far this year and it's pretty accurate. The Paypal , Home Depot, Uber Eats, Saks and Best Buy credits have all been used, as have the fine hotel and airline credits so this card is worth it (to me).
Glad it was helpful!
What Home Depot and Best Buy credits do we get?
@@kimmiesorden8616 I think the benefit ended June 30th but I got $100 statement credit from Best Buy (I needed a new t.v.) and a $50 statement credit for spending $50 at Home Depot, which I did twice.
How should we think about the Delta reserve vs. platty now?
Just got the 150k points offer and got my card in the mail this past week!
I wasn’t a fan of the new “perks” that came with the card and the fact that the annual fee was going up was enough for me to cancel my Platinum card. My other 4 AMEX cards still serve me well though. I still think the Gold is the best all around card they offer but everyone has different needs/wants.
I got my platinum a week before the annual fee increase so I have a year to decide. The Uber credit and the audible and peacock credits I get full value so that makes it $295 a year and the phone protection replaces the phone insurance I was paying 400 a year for 2 phones with my carrier so I’m technically up $105 but rn I’m leaning towards switching to csr since I get Uber credits with the gold card. I’m hoping they add more limited credits like the PayPal one and more good Amex offers to keep me enticed to stay.
@@LandynG137, like I said, some things work more for other people but I always found most of the Platinum perks to be worthless. If they made the card based solely around travel, it’d probably attract more people but these weird credits (Equinox) make zero sense for most people.
It's all depends on what game wanna play. The main reason to have the Amex Platinum is not in the perks. Is to used with the others Amex Card to get as much as posible in MR points so, you can transfer to your Amex Platinum and them transfer it to Airlines Partners so you can get your aspirations flight (First Class) that otherwise you will never gonna paid that crazy expensive first class seat. The perks is secondary, used it to absorb the annual fee.
@@ramzaht, I get First Class upgrades for free without the Platinum so for me, it was time to close the card.
@@CornFed_3 How? Please share lol
Antony Beevor! Great author, great picks!
Does a Plat additional card holder get get any of these benefits or just the primary account? Have they raised the cost of additional cards?
Me working out on my peloton and being frugal is the opposite of what Amex wants haha. Have the platinum Charles Schwab. Amex gold and Amex everyday preferred
For me that is a no. I have the green and BCE, both cards serve me well.
Would it make sense to get the green card first so I can get that bonus, then get the platinum card the following year for it's bonus? I could then cancel the green card while keeping the amex points. Then I could downgrade to the platinum to the green card. Thoughts?
Hey Sebby I have an offer for 150k for the platinum card but was wondering if I should cancel after the year or downgrade if there’s an option but im leaning towards cancelling but worried about my credit score
Yes im a newbie
Do you purchase gift visa type cards for cash to give as gifts on your credit card?
We got our invites today for 150k. Searched for you to see if you had anything about it. Thank you for doing this.
So how many guests are you able to bring with you into the Centurion Lounge? That would be a big one for me as I usually vacation with 2 other people.
If you were to cancel, what would you do with the points if you dont want to travel?
I was added as an additional user to my family’s Platinum account, but they mostly fly Delta and I fly United based on location logistics. Did I hear that you can only use the Centurion lounge if you’re flying Delta?
What’s about the Delta Reserve American Express card. How does that stack up?
Hi. I appreciate the video. I was an Amex customer back in 2009. I cancelled my gold card around 2014. Last month I really felt like re -applying and got approved for the Everyday cash with a lower limit. I really wanted the gold amd a few days later I was approved for the gold. Love the gold card. I have not gotten an invite to apply to Platinum but I really hope to get it one day. I think It will strenghten my spending habits because id pay it off monthly.
Im approved for all amex cards.
Platinum mainly for traveling but i barely travel as of now.
Im not sure if i should get the platinum why would i if i dont travel .
Im loooking for something to fit my lifestyle.
Maybe gold?
Or everyday?
Im approved for all amex cards.
Platinum mainly for traveling but i barely travel as of now.
Im not sure if i should get the platinum why would i if i dont travel .
Im loooking for something to fit my lifestyle.
Maybe gold?
Or everyday?
I had platinum and gold but hate paying annual fees on cards so canceled and now just use a basic no fee amex card. I am a cheap bastard and usually dont get the fees back in card perks.
I called them and told them it wasn’t worth it and I wanted to cancel. They refunded me the fee for the year.
sebby your mic has pretty heavy bass
Does RUclips work for digital entertainment credit? Or Apple Music?
125k MRP bonus + 15x spend on up to 25k small biz + restaurants makes the card worth it if you haven't gotten it yet. Upwards of $5000 in real dollar value, excluding any other card benefits or points received from regular spending.
AmEx offered me 30k points to keep the vanilla Platinum at $550 while trying to cancel it after getting the CS Platinum at the $550 fee. I didn't spend a whole bunch the past year but did use a lot of offers. Felt nothing like getting the Centurion card.
Thank you for this!
I have the Schwab. I'll definitely run the numbers because I'm totally uncertain on my best move.
I found value at 550. Lucky for me I actually pay for clear. Just for that fact alone, this card still makes sense however it won't stop me from looking to see if I could leverage something better. I could easily drop this card down to something less and run off of other cards I have.
Nice video! I got a letter saying I was pre approved but this card makes absolutely no sense for me. But, it may make sense for others.
I get comp rooms in vegas so I don’t think the hotel credit will help me there
There is a weird buzzing sound with the mic just a heads up
And I was thinking about coming back to the Platinum card after the pandemic, but it just gets ever more complicated…
Platinum card holders can visit the lounge even if they are not flying Delta and but Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Card Members only have to fly Delta to visit the lounge is that not correct?
Can someone explain why the price for the same hotel is so different (2X) on AmEx travel portal and on the booking.com? Even with $200 bonus from AmEx, booking seems to be more preferable...
Because it's amex
BRO - You're a legend!
Like .... sincerely tho!!
can you do an updated video on amex charge cards vs. amex credit cards (pros/cons + which ones are charge cards and credit cards)? i was surprised when i was approved for this card and it didn't carry a limit which i was hoping would help my credit utilization
Did it help your credit score?
I am just going to stick with BMO World Elite!
Is this a charge card or credit card?
I'll probably cancel my card next year or downgrade, run the Blue business Plus and gold card with my reserve.
Similar: BBP, Bus Gold, Delta Platinum, add Hilton Aspire.
They will probably raise the reserve soon to further reduce lounge access
@dottiLites ideally you want one but keep in mind that many things qualify as having a business. Selling stuff on ebay, cutting lawns in the summer and most side hustle.
If you travel with your family, the hotel benefits are great. For example, in Hawaii, the late checkout is super useful so you can enjoy your day at the pool or beach then shower and change before taking a late flight home. The free breakfast for two is also great because my wife and I use it and the kids eat for a lower price typically. Even under the Covid closures when we couldn’t eat the buffet, we were given a $70 daily credit to cover the food we could order at our table or other places on the hotel resort. If you take 2 weeks off a year and get the equivalent $70 daily credit, you come out way ahead. That plus getting 5x points for airline tickets is why I prefer the Platinum card (even relative to the Centurion Card).
Is it worth it to sign up, get the points then cancel?
Lol at the “always has been” meme
I can justify using my Amex platinum or chase reserve card but I just haven’t enjoyed using my citi prestige yet 🤷🏻♂️ might downgrade that one
Hey Sebby, do you by any chance have an ongoing list of cards that are keeper cards without putting any spend on them? (Like Chase World of Hyatt and Marriot Boundless cards)
Can’t justify it, will cancel next year, unless they raise Aspire’s fee or end the aspire program
Why do you think they’d do that? I think the Aspire card is perfect the way it is for what it is. I’ve got a lot of value and perks from Diamond status but if they raised it above $450, I’d probably cancel.
@@CornFed_3 Too many Diamond members is probably why
Hilton Surpass then.
I agree. It's not even worth it. They need to raise benefits that almost everyone can use to justify the 695 annual fee
i dont like what i heard about tha limit thing...how they do limit you or something how they go about it
Seb should I cancel my cell phone insurance if I have the insur from Amex?
The Amex insurance only applies if the phone is damaged to the point that it can’t make phone calls.
I smashed the top of my screen and it broke the camera. Phone still works otherwise so the Amex insurance does not cover it.
I use the uber credit (for eats), Saks, Global Entry (I figure that one at $20/year), cell phone insurance (I value it at $10/month), Clear, and trip delay/cancellation/baggage insurance (which I value at about 100/year). None of those is duplicated on my other cards, and they total $719. That covers even the new annual fee, and then there are the lounges and the 5X points for my airfare. So the Platinum Card still has value for me.
How u get cell phone insurance,?
I'm looking for a card to help my parents maximize their spending with cards and now that they're retired they travel several times a year. However, it seems complicated for them because I know they wouldn't be able to manage a bunch of monthly credits to use to make a card worth it and remember to use only certain sites to book their trips on. Any suggestions on a card that would help maximize travel benefits and rewards without hassle of the credits and coupons to remember to use? I guess just an overall rewards card like 2% on everything is the easiest?
Have them use the chase freedom unlimited and either the chase sapphire preferred or reserve. Anything travel related is purchased with the sapphire card and anything else with the unlimited. You can then transfer the points to the sapphire and redeem them for a higher percentage. If they can manage it, they should also add the freedom flex for the quarterly rotating categories.
@@mdel310 thank you so much for the recommendation and reply! I will look into those. Appreciate it
Someone probably already posted it but I’m not going through all the comments if you are going to use clear sign up for delta rewards they get a discount then u can add a person for $60. Credit works signed myself and gf up and it covers the whole thing.
what is transfer partners?
Prob will cancel my Plat in the 2nd year. Equinox credit is worth $0, Sak's credit worth $0, FHR worth $0, Streaming credit worth $0. Good job Amex.
That’s good ! That’s why I left the Gold Card
I thought they took away all the the current benefits and replaced them with the new ones but its in addition. 🤔 hmmm might have to keep the card. The $300 equinox credit is useless to me.
The only reason I’m considering one of these cards is to try and use the concierge service to try and get tickets to a sold out music festival next year. For me if they could score such tickets then their annual fee is worth it.
Question, I know AMEX wavies annual fees for active-duty military. Does anyone know if they will continue to waive fees even after exiting from service?
I wonder the same thing... I was only even considering it cuz I know I’ll get it for free being in the navy
No, they don’t waive it if you’re no longer a service member
I long since dropped the Platinum. They play too many games with their benefits, making them inconvenient to redeem. Thats fine if you want to play games with your members, you reap what you sow.
The lounge access is honestly 0 for me right now, went to the centurion lounge at SEA and they had a waitlist of 45 mins, literally told me not to come back because by the time I get in there’s only 30 mins they are still open. The Alaska lounge on the priority pass didn’t accept anyone. Honestly platinum card so overrated right now, thinking about canceling and just switch to CSR next year. Much more straight forward. 3% back with 1.5 multiplayer makes it pretty much 5%
Tech sales guy her making 6 figures+ in NYC and I'm also an equinox member. Just got the Gold will eventually get the plat to compliment it.
Already got my $168
Hotel credit for Vegas and $179 CLEAR membership. *Mic Drop*
Initially I was going to cancel. After looking through the new credits and checking their usability, I like the updates even more than the previous $550 version.
Can you explain cause I’m thinking of canceling and I have only had the card for 2 months.
I don't believe you need to be flying delta in order to access the centurion lounge...at least I've never had issues with that 🤷♀️🤷♀️