Best Offer for Amex Platinum Card

American Express made a big announcement on July 1. It added some new benefits to the Amex Platinum Card and more importantly, it increased the annual fee to $695. Along with those changes there’s also a new welcome bonus. The official welcome bonus is 100,000 Membership Rewards points plus 10x earning at Shop Small merchants and restaurants.

But as you know, there are often much better offers than what’s widely advertised. In fact you can get a bonus as high as 150,000 Membership Rewards points, or earn 15x instead of 10x at Shop Small merchants and restaurants, and even get a big referral bonus that can add up to the best possible offer.

There are also offers from the other Platinum cards, such as Charles Schwab and Morgan Stanley. While these two cards only have the 100K plus 10X offer, they give you some extras that you don’t get with the regular Platinum Card. You can cash out points for 1.25 cents each, or have the annual fee waived.

Offers

Here’s the list of best offer for Amex Platinum Card:

• Referral Offer (YMMV)

  • Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
    • Open the link in a new clean browser window. You can also get up to 30,000 Referral bonus, but don’t self-refer.

• Amex Pre-Qualified Offers (YMMV)

  • Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

• Resy Offer

  • Earn 125,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
  • Plus, earn 10x points at restaurants worldwide on up to $25,000 in purchases during your first 6 months of Card Membership. That’s an additional 9 points on top of the 1 point you earn for these purchases.

• Public Offer

  • Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

Other Platinum Flavors

Besides the regular Amex Platinum Card, there are also two other versions that have the public offer only, but give you some extras.

• Schwab Amex Platinum Card

  • Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
  • Cash out points at 1.10 cents each if you have an eligible Charles Schwab account. Learn how.
• Morgan Stanley Amex Platinum Card
  • Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
  • Cash out points at 1 cent each if you have an eligible Morgan Stanley account.
  • You can waive annual fee
  • Add first Platinum Authorized User for free

Card Details

• Earn
  • 5X MR points on airfare booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel
  • 5X MR points on eligible hotels booked through Amex Travel
  • 1X MR points on all other purchases
• $200 in annual Uber savings ($15 in Uber Cash for U.S. rides every month plus a bonus $20 in December)
• $200 in statement credits per calendar year for airline incidental fees. Enrollment required.
• $200 Hotel Credit for prepaid bookings at Fine Hotels + Resorts(R) or The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two-night stay, through American Express Travel.
• $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue or Saks.com. That's up to $50 on a semi-annual basis. Enrollment required.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit ($20/month) on eligible purchases or subscriptions: The Disney Bundle, Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, Audible, SiriusXM and The New York Times.
• Receive one Global Entry ($100) statement credit or one TSA Precheck ($85) statement credit
• $189 CLEAR Credit annually.
• Access to over 1,400+ airport lounges, including The Centurion lounge, Delta Sky Clubs, Airspace Lounges and Priority Pass Select membership
• Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status
• Hilton Honors Gold Status
• Walmart+ Monthly Membership Credit ($12.95/month) 
• $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit
• Get up to $300 in statement credits each year on a digital or club membership at Equinox.
• Complimentary membership in premium car rental programs, including Hertz President's Circle status and other upgrades and discounts.
• 20% discount on Wheels Up Connect and a 40% discount on Wheels Up Core memberships. Plus, get a $500 or $2,000 credit added to your Wheels Up account to use toward your initial flight
• Resy Dining Benefit
• Platinum Card Concierge available 24/7 to help with anything from special dinner reservations to finding the perfect gift. 
• More perks and benefits.
• Annual Fee: $695

Best Offer for Amex Platinum Card: Guru’s Wrap-up

In major news outlets you will most likely see the public 100K offer only. But if you’ve been reading this site for a while you already know that you can always do better than what’s widely advertised.

The best offer for you, depends on your conditions and whether you can get those specific offers to show up. As far as the welcome bonus alone, the 150K points are obviously the best choice. If a family member or friend can refer you, and you get the 150K offer to show up, then you can get a total of up to 180K points.

Otherwise, check the Amex Pre-Qualified offers or go with the Resy offer can get you 125K points, plus 10X at restaurants.