American Express Platinum Card
Discussion
We debated this 3 years ago (link below) when they increased the card fee to £450. I decided to keep mine as I liked the hotel card benefits, annual travel insurance (we travel a lot) and most of all the Priority Pass card benefit.
Over the years many of the benefits such as the Hilton Hotels Diamond Membership have gone and £450 is starting to look expensive.
Any good alternatives out there?
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Over the years many of the benefits such as the Hilton Hotels Diamond Membership have gone and £450 is starting to look expensive.
Any good alternatives out there?
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Worthless card.
The travel insurance is only valid if you pay for trips using an Amex card.
I paid for a £7k cruise where the travel company wanted 2% (£140 in card fees) to use an Amex. I could use a debit card, save myself that £140 and buy a quality travel insurance policy with Amex themselves! Oh and then save the £450 card fee on top!
Kind of defeats the point doesn't it?
The travel insurance is only valid if you pay for trips using an Amex card.
I paid for a £7k cruise where the travel company wanted 2% (£140 in card fees) to use an Amex. I could use a debit card, save myself that £140 and buy a quality travel insurance policy with Amex themselves! Oh and then save the £450 card fee on top!
Kind of defeats the point doesn't it?
oyster said:
Worthless card.
The travel insurance is only valid if you pay for trips using an Amex card.
I paid for a £7k cruise where the travel company wanted 2% (£140 in card fees) to use an Amex. I could use a debit card, save myself that £140 and buy a quality travel insurance policy with Amex themselves! Oh and then save the £450 card fee on top!
Kind of defeats the point doesn't it?
No it's not worthless as I remind myself when I get into the airline lounges when flying with a budget airline. I'm just not sure its worth £450.The travel insurance is only valid if you pay for trips using an Amex card.
I paid for a £7k cruise where the travel company wanted 2% (£140 in card fees) to use an Amex. I could use a debit card, save myself that £140 and buy a quality travel insurance policy with Amex themselves! Oh and then save the £450 card fee on top!
Kind of defeats the point doesn't it?
I book my cruises with Amex travel who obviously do not add any cc fees. Amex travel are also good on flights but you are right if another agent is cheaper but charges 2% that does defeat the point somewhat.
Have you looked at a Hilton Honours card? I can't remember the last time I had to pay for a hotel at Gatwick thanks to this card. And it gives you some other perks like lounge access etc. I get a decent travel insurance policy with my bank. Do you get a concierge service included with that £450?
I considered my options after my renewal this year. For me, the below:
- Lounge access (you + guest, plus extra Platinum cardholder)
- Travel cover - this DOES cover you regardless of card used on personal accidents, legal, etc... Just doesn't cover your cash if it gets nicked.
- No foreign exchange fees
- Boingo wifi (new one)
- Car hire excess insurance
Is worth £450.
- Lounge access (you + guest, plus extra Platinum cardholder)
- Travel cover - this DOES cover you regardless of card used on personal accidents, legal, etc... Just doesn't cover your cash if it gets nicked.
- No foreign exchange fees
- Boingo wifi (new one)
- Car hire excess insurance
Is worth £450.
menguin said:
I considered my options after my renewal this year. For me, the below:
- Lounge access (you + guest, plus extra Platinum cardholder)
- Travel cover - this DOES cover you regardless of card used on personal accidents, legal, etc... Just doesn't cover your cash if it gets nicked.
- No foreign exchange fees
- Boingo wifi (new one)
- Car hire excess insurance
Is worth £450.
I had forgotten about the car hire excess insurance. Yes that is a valuable benefit.- Lounge access (you + guest, plus extra Platinum cardholder)
- Travel cover - this DOES cover you regardless of card used on personal accidents, legal, etc... Just doesn't cover your cash if it gets nicked.
- No foreign exchange fees
- Boingo wifi (new one)
- Car hire excess insurance
Is worth £450.
What do you mean by 'no foreign transaction fees'? They charge 2.99% which I think is outrageous, I get round it by booking hotels etc using the Amex card so that I have insurance cover. Then when I check out I pay with a Halifax Clarity card which has no foreign fees.
I was not aware of Boingo - will take a look.
20% discount on hertz puts us close to covering the fee, Mysteriously seem to be Hilton Gold again which is saving $20 odd a day on breakfast's but cant figure out how i qualified so guess its somehow connected to amex but i'm not going to ask anyone.
Car insurance is usually a moot point as most often its cheaper to book with with the 20% discount through the uk hertz site which includes all the insurance.
Insurance is a so so benefit now especially as we need to cover per-existing conditions, but usually book the first couple of nights on amex and switch if possible at check out or just use other cards for later reservations once we know we aren't flight delayed or canceled.
Boingo is a maybe benefit, could be useful but not really needed it so far, and the free tat from jcrew etc is not really worth it IMHO especially when i didn't ever get my gift card from the art lot, just lots of worthless promises.
Not had much value out of Priority pass as the lounges are always in another terminal to us when in the US, a lot of the US carriers have dropped out and often we have lounge access with our ticket anyway.
Its going to be a hard choice to renew this year with the change in circumstances on the travel ins and we haven't used FHR for a while, but i think the hertz will still make it close
Car insurance is usually a moot point as most often its cheaper to book with with the 20% discount through the uk hertz site which includes all the insurance.
Insurance is a so so benefit now especially as we need to cover per-existing conditions, but usually book the first couple of nights on amex and switch if possible at check out or just use other cards for later reservations once we know we aren't flight delayed or canceled.
Boingo is a maybe benefit, could be useful but not really needed it so far, and the free tat from jcrew etc is not really worth it IMHO especially when i didn't ever get my gift card from the art lot, just lots of worthless promises.
Not had much value out of Priority pass as the lounges are always in another terminal to us when in the US, a lot of the US carriers have dropped out and often we have lounge access with our ticket anyway.
Its going to be a hard choice to renew this year with the change in circumstances on the travel ins and we haven't used FHR for a while, but i think the hertz will still make it close
Mine is staying for now although I agree it’s not what it was. Key benefits for me are:
5 supplemental card holders:
Mrs EJH Had the Platinum so lounge access, etc
Sister 1
Sister 2
BiL 1
Mother
All have golds so get the travel benefits and the car hire excess. I have had the unnerving experience of signing for a car with a £15,000 excess (it was a Focus in the Channel Islands...so the excess was more than the car was worth). Before I drove the car I phoned AmEx and they told me I was covered for £50,000 or €75,000 of excess cover...which was quite relieving.
BA Amex Premium membership (£150) is covered by the £450 a year. Whilst, again, Avios isn’t what it was, I used to fly quite a lot (100-120 times a year, mostly very-short-haul, 95% with BA) so I have a few points yet to spend (I have spent ~750,000 Avios in the last 4 years and still have ~250,000) and the companion vouchers are valuable to me.
The lifestyle stuff...is pretty useless and I haven’t ever used it in the time I have had an AmEx.
Edit: I did get the £50 freebie from JCrew...well, Mrs EJH spent it, anyway.
5 supplemental card holders:
Mrs EJH Had the Platinum so lounge access, etc
Sister 1
Sister 2
BiL 1
Mother
All have golds so get the travel benefits and the car hire excess. I have had the unnerving experience of signing for a car with a £15,000 excess (it was a Focus in the Channel Islands...so the excess was more than the car was worth). Before I drove the car I phoned AmEx and they told me I was covered for £50,000 or €75,000 of excess cover...which was quite relieving.
BA Amex Premium membership (£150) is covered by the £450 a year. Whilst, again, Avios isn’t what it was, I used to fly quite a lot (100-120 times a year, mostly very-short-haul, 95% with BA) so I have a few points yet to spend (I have spent ~750,000 Avios in the last 4 years and still have ~250,000) and the companion vouchers are valuable to me.
The lifestyle stuff...is pretty useless and I haven’t ever used it in the time I have had an AmEx.
Edit: I did get the £50 freebie from JCrew...well, Mrs EJH spent it, anyway.
bad company said:
I had forgotten about the car hire excess insurance. Yes that is a valuable benefit.
What do you mean by 'no foreign transaction fees'? They charge 2.99% which I think is outrageous, I get round it by booking hotels etc using the Amex card so that I have insurance cover. Then when I check out I pay with a Halifax Clarity card which has no foreign fees.
I was not aware of Boingo - will take a look.
Strange - I don't get the charge. My card was originally a US card, which I've since transferred to GBP. I think the benefit transferred from there. I live in Mauritius and use the card as often as possible - and don't get charged any transaction fees. Looking at the breakdown on my statement it simply shows the price in MUR and the exchange rate.What do you mean by 'no foreign transaction fees'? They charge 2.99% which I think is outrageous, I get round it by booking hotels etc using the Amex card so that I have insurance cover. Then when I check out I pay with a Halifax Clarity card which has no foreign fees.
I was not aware of Boingo - will take a look.
Boingo - you get free access to all Boingo wifi spots. They're quite common in the UK and non-lounge parts of most airports. Also quite a few round Europe - in coffee shops, etc. Very useful for me especially as I am roaming when I come to the UK.
Re holiday insurance it is not always the case that you have to book with your Amex to be insured. I went on a stag do skiing recently which I paid cash as it was a group booking and phoned the help desk prior who said as I was unable to use my Amex to pay I would be fully covered in the event of an accident by their insurance.
So worth checking with them before hand.
So worth checking with them before hand.
Jockman said:
Never heard of boingo but I'm sitting in Dubai airport using it now !!!!!
If you ignore the charging structure you get access to one hour free online.
Obviously this can run out at
If you ignore the charging structure you get access to one hour free online.
Obviously this can run out at
Compared to Dubai's cripplingly slow "free wifi" available in public areas Boingo actually lets you connect to your exchange server and send an email!
jogon said:
Re holiday insurance it is not always the case that you have to book with your Amex to be insured. I went on a stag do skiing recently which I paid cash as it was a group booking and phoned the help desk prior who said as I was unable to use my Amex to pay I would be fully covered in the event of an accident by their insurance.
So worth checking with them before hand.
Yes I have done that before, when a trip was paid for by someone else.So worth checking with them before hand.
But other travel insurance I have doesn't necessitate me with phoning them up first to beg permission to be covered.
menguin said:
- Travel cover - this DOES cover you regardless of card used on personal accidents, legal, etc... Just doesn't cover your cash if it gets nicked.
What about trip cancellation, curtailment, delay, loss of baggage, delayed baggage? These are all voided if you use anything other than Amex where Amex was provided as a payment option.oyster said:
What about trip cancellation, curtailment, delay, loss of baggage, delayed baggage? These are all voided if you use anything other than Amex where Amex was provided as a payment option.
Correct. However most sites that I tend to use offer AMEX as a non-cost option - and if the site you're on charges you can normally find another with the same or very similar deal.I have a black card now but used to have the Platinum until recently.
If you can't be bothered sorting out insurance and lounge passes then I guess it does save time - but value for money wise I would question if it's worth £450 a year.
However, the more you spend the more perks you get (special invites and offers). The offers considerably outweigh the fees (even on the black card) and are the main reason I use Amex.
If you aren't spending big money I would just stick to a green one and buy insurance separately.
If you can't be bothered sorting out insurance and lounge passes then I guess it does save time - but value for money wise I would question if it's worth £450 a year.
However, the more you spend the more perks you get (special invites and offers). The offers considerably outweigh the fees (even on the black card) and are the main reason I use Amex.
If you aren't spending big money I would just stick to a green one and buy insurance separately.
Edited by gregf40 on Friday 29th May 14:31
gregf40 said:
I have a black card now but used to have the Platinum until recently.
If you can't be bothered sorting out insurance and lounge passes then I guess it does save time - but value for money wise I would question if it's worth £450 a year.
However, the more you spend the more perks you get (special invites and offers). The offers considerably outweigh the fees (even on the black card) and are the main reason I use Amex.
If you aren't spending big money I would just stick to a green one and buy insurance separately.
So what extra perks do you get with black and at what cost please?If you can't be bothered sorting out insurance and lounge passes then I guess it does save time - but value for money wise I would question if it's worth £450 a year.
However, the more you spend the more perks you get (special invites and offers). The offers considerably outweigh the fees (even on the black card) and are the main reason I use Amex.
If you aren't spending big money I would just stick to a green one and buy insurance separately.
Edited by gregf40 on Friday 29th May 14:31
I was invited once but my Amex spend has reduced considerably as I spend a lot of time abroad now and pay with a Halifax Clarity card to avoid the 2.99% foreign exchange fee. That with the membership fee is what is making me consider options.
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