Well, I pulled the trigger on new hot offer on Amex Platinum. Sure, some have been able to get this bonus to come up by going to different browsers and doing various tricks. Being IT illiterate person that I am, this offer has been a unicorn of sorts. I could never manage to get it to come up. Until few days ago. Unfortunately, it looks like it’s dead at the moment, but check this direct link anyway.
First, let’s give the credit where credit is due. Apparently, it was first posted on DDF (Dan’s Deals kosher hangout) and reposted on Reddit. I hope I didn’t mix it up. Giving credit to the original source is something I really want to make sure of. I apologize to anyone who I’ve unintentionally shafted in the past.
If you currently don’t have any American Express cards, check CardMatch tool to see if this offer comes up. There could also be other Amex cards you may prefer at this time like 50,000 points sign-up bonus on American Express Premier Rewards Gold. Your credit will not be pulled and I will be able to make commission on approval.
There are other methods you may also want to try. Assuming you’ll get 100K Amex Platinum offer to come up, whether you should apply or not will depend on your goals and ability to swallow $450 annual fee. This offer does come around now and again, and in all likelihood will reappear.
So, why did I apply? Well, the offer is 100K points after spending $3,000 in 3 months. So, it’s manageable for someone like myself who doesn’t do MS or reselling. Yes, there is an annual fee of $450. You can get a $200 airline credit per calendar year and as of now, gift cards qualify.
Actually, I don’t plan to buy any airline gift cards. Instead, I’m going to charge award ticket taxes and see if they qualify. In a few months, I plan to redeem some United miles for flights on Lufthansa and hope it works out as planned.
There are mixed reports on whether this method still works, and you can follow Flyertalk thread for updates. You have to select your airline first for charges to qualify. Also, see comment from reader Katye just below the post.
If it falls through, I’m still getting 100K points which can be redeemed for $1,000 in various retail gift cards. So, even if you deduct the annual fee of $450, this bonus is still worth $550. Of course, you’ll get less if you choose to resell them. But all in all, not too shabby.
I’ve written about American Express Mercedes-Benz and some of the perks that come with it. All of those are also complimentary with a regular version of Amex Platinum that I just got. To recap:
1) Premium Roadside Assistance
“Premium Roadside Assistance provides the following services at no additional cost up to 4 times per calendar year when Card Member is present with the eligible vehicle: towing up to 10 miles, winching, jump starts, flat tire change when Card Member has a workable spare, lockout service when key is in vehicle and delivery of up to 2 gallons of fuel.”
If you are paying for AAA membership, you can cancel it if you have a Platinum card.
2) Return Protection
“Return Protection can refund you for eligible purchase(s) charged entirely on an eligible American Express Card. Coverage is limited to 90 days from purchase, up to $300 per item and up to a maximum of $1,000 per Card Member account per calendar year based on the date of purchase. Shipping and handling costs for the purchase will not be refunded.”
3) Starwood Preferred Guest Gold Benefit for Platinum – Automated Enrollment
“As a Platinum Card® Member or Business Platinum Card® Member you are eligible to enroll in complimentary Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG ®) Gold Preferred Guest status.”
This could be a very nice perk if you plan to stay at Starwood properties. As a Gold, you can qualify for upgrades, late check-out and some other goodies. Read details on this status level here
4) Hilton HHonors Gold Status Enrollment
“As a Platinum Card Member you are eligible to enroll in complimentary Hilton HHonors Gold status. Offer available only to Platinum Card Members and is not transferable.”
Not a game changer, but nice to have. You can get free breakfast at most properties, plus a potential upgrade. Read details here
5) Complimentary lounge access.
“Card Member’s spouse and children under the age of 21 or up to two companions may enter the club as complimentary guests.”
This could actually come in handy on flights with long layovers. While this benefit is not critical to me, it is not worthless either because you can get free food. And free is always good. It rhymes!
You can make out like a bandit on some routes. My uncle-in-law and his family were able to hang out in the lounge in Dubai that had nap rooms, showers and free food. As a result, they saved money by not having to pay for two hotel rooms.
6) Cruise Privileges Program
“Valid for new bookings of voyages of at least five nights made with a participating supplier through Platinum Travel Service, Centurion Travel Service, any American Express Travel office or the Agency Services Desk.
May not be combined with other offers unless indicated. Blackout dates, category and fare restrictions may apply. Payment must be made with an American Express Card in U.S. Platinum Card Member or U.S. Centurion® Member’s name.
Card Member must travel on itinerary booked. Benefits listed require double occupancy and are non-transferable. Program benefits may not be available to residents outside of the contiguous United States.
Card Members receive $100 USD shipboard credit for inside and outside staterooms; $200 USD shipboard credit for balcony, verandah, and mini-suite staterooms; and $300 USD shipboard credit for suites on Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.”
There are other perks and I recommend you read this page on Amex Platinum application page, even if it shows regular bonus of 40K points:
To be honest, none of these benefits were swaying factors to me. I’m in it mostly for the sign-up bonus. The main reason I got this card is due to the fact that at the moment I have almost no flexible points left. My plan is to sign up for Amex Everyday no-fee version later this year. That way, I won’t be under pressure to speculatively transfer my points to an airline program or redeem them at a penny each for travel charges or gift cards.
But there is one unique perk that kind of excites me: Centurion lounge access. It only comes with regular Platinum card version. I think? Oh yeah, you don’t want to be in a Centurion lounge when my family enters the premises. It will suck all the exclusivity out of it, I promise you.
We actually plan to be in Dallas airport terminal that happens to have one of these fancy establishments. There are only a few in US so far, and you can see more details on them here Obviously, I didn’t get the card for Centurion lounge access. In fact, when I applied, I didn’t even know that there was one in Dallas. But it sure looks nice on pictures, plus it’s free, so why not? We may be able to use one in Seattle, but I’m not certain we’ll be in the same terminal.
I’m going to rock that benefit! But first, I need to actually receive the cards in the mail. We are flying out next Saturday. Readers, what do you think? Will I get the card in time?
Place your bets on the day I end up getting it in my mailbox. The winner gets a smiley face from yours truly.
Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
That’s not the flyertalk link….A few days ago I was confused with united gift registry and United Plus App, but they are entirely different things. United Plus App is an app that you download on the phone, then you can buy giftcards and get bonus united points from it. Apparently there are data points suggesting that they are recognized as Airline fees.
United gift registry can only be used for revenue tickets. At least I was only able to search revenue tickets. I would hope that it is otherwise. A few days a go I was confused with “united gift registry” and “gift cards on Mileage Plus app). Now I am stuck with $200 united credit that will expire in three years. Not the worst thing, but I wish I can undo it.
@Katye Thanks for clarification! It’s all a little confusing to me, so hopefully, readers will be pointed in the right direction due to your comments. I would hate to give the wrong information on this one and like I said, this method could be dead tomorrow. Hope you can use your United credit soon!
You can also use the $200 credit for amazon and various gift card via United Plus App, if you shop at Amazon often that would be handy:
http://thepointsguy.com/2016/01/amex-airline-credits-for-amazon-gift-cards/
So at a minimum you are getting $1200 worth of giftcards, if it still works next year, it would be $1400!
@Katye Thanks for stopping by and for the link! I’ll update the post. Yeah, I’ve heard about this loophole and it’s mentioned in Flyertalk thread that I’ve linked to in the post. It’s weird that this method still works. I’m almost afraid to mention it because for a certainty, it will die by the time my readers try to take advantage of it. 🙁 Then they will be stuck with United credits. Could be worse, obviously, but it seems safer to actually stick to airline you prefer. I wonder if United app would work for award ticket taxes? Something I need to look into.
It’s a great card. I think you will get it tomorrow or Friday at the latest. Amex is pretty quick – I believe they even sent my no-fee HHonors card via FedEx or UPS 2nd business day. Don’t forget to register for the National Executive status so you can walk past the Emerald Aisle and pick a nice premium vehicle from the Executive Aisle – while paying for only a mid-size. Also the free Boingo internet access is useful for many paid WiFi hotspot locations.
@Erik Thanks for your tips! My husband is in charge of internet access, so I’ll let him know. I hope we can take advantage of this Boingo benefit.
We are not really planning on renting cars any time soon, but I will keep your tip in mind. It could come in handy.
Fingers crossed, I get my cards soon! I’m very excited, well, except for annual fees. I’m trying to put them out of my mind. We’ll be able to pay them, of course, but it’s still a little intimidating. I didn’t tell my husband yet…
We got our first PRG the 2nd business day after applying. I really like the little things with Amex, like how quickly they get you your cards, their phone reps, and their online account management system is great.
I love how Amex shows you how much of last months balance you still have to pay vs 0ing it out if you pay over the minimum balance but not the whole thing. Does that make sense? Like, every other card provider is trying to trick me into thinking I paid the balance in full except Amex.
it is pretty frustrating not having the card accepted at about 20% of the places i go to. And their AFs are stupid high.
On a related note, was this offer even around for 24 hours? This card doesn’t fit into my plans (Miami and Disney later this year, and Maui and Kaui next year), so I had no plans on paying 450$ for it, but was keeping an eye on the feeding frenzy. I’m laser focused on Hawaii next feb/March and I just need to hit the 3k spend on my wife’s not quite soon to arrive Citi AA.
Which brings me to another related point: Citi takes too long to get me my cards!
@Cheapblackdad I also like Amex, especially their “Offers for you” program. It’s amazingly lucrative, more so for cards with no annual fee. I agree, this fee on Platinum is totally ridiculous. I’m hoping I can reduce it some via airline credits. I did hesitate for a moment because of it, but this deal just seemed too good to pass up.
Like I said, I can always cash out my points for gift cards if we are short on money. I’ll have another post on this because we do need to cut back on our expenses. That said, we have an emergency fund, even if it’s not as adequate as it should be.
This offer was available for a little over 24 hours. It looks like it was supposed to be targeted, but someone coded it wrong. Still, I would say don’t worry about passing on it. You need to focus on your immediate needs. If you are working on that, why add stress to your life? With me, I was actually planning on applying for PNC card X 2. It would require $6,000 in spending in 3 months.
At the moment, we are almost done with our current set of cards. So, in a way, it did come at a good time. I’ve decided that PNC offer should be around in 3 or 4 months, but this Platinum deal would most likely be short-lived (and it was). So, I made the call to go a different route. I’m not sure I would have done it if I just signed up for AA card.
I’m certain that at some point down the road you’ll get your chance with Platinum.
Congrats to the new addition to your fam….. er, wallet!! 😉
My guess is you’ll get it this Friday. Enjoy the lounge!!
@TropicGal Haha! My cards are my babies. I know, it’s very sad… I’m looking forward to bringing my riff raff to the Centurion lounge. Looks like we may be able to hit one on the way back as well since we are connecting in Dallas. My husband is not a fan of lounges, but I’m going to make him go!
My guess is you will have it tomorrow. The first time we opened an Amex they overnighted it to us. I don’t know if that was a strange occurrence or not.
Michelle, I think you may be right! I just remembered that my last Amex came within few days. Hope it happens this time. The lounge access isn’t a big deal, but it would be fun to check it out.