Prediction: These 4 Amex Platinum Perks Will Get Changed in 2025

Published on Nov. 25, 2024

Brittney Myers

By: Brittney Myers

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KEY POINTS

  • The Platinum Card® from American Express often has some of the best welcome bonuses.
  • The digital entertainment credit seems to be a constant work in progress.
  • I could happily bid farewell to at least two of the perks.

Cards get changed all the time, some more than others. The Platinum Card® from American Express saw a few changes in 2024, though not as much upheaval as previous years. Its current iteration is still an excellent travel card for the right people.

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Rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Earn 1X Membership Rewards® Points on other purchases. Terms and limitations apply.

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$695

Welcome Offer Circle with letter I in it. Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

80,000 Membership Rewards® Points

  • This luxury travel card has some of the most prestigious perks you'll find — access to over 1,400 airport lounges, elite status with Hilton and Marriott Bonvoy (enrollment required), and spending credits worth over $1,500 in value every year. Just be ready for the hefty annual fee, which can be offset in the first year with a welcome bonus worth $800 in points. Terms apply.

    • Big welcome offer
    • Substantial spending credits
    • Airport lounge access
    • Hotel benefits
    • Flexible travel points
    • Annual fee
    • Limited bonus categories
    • Spending credits can be complicated to manage
    • Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
    • Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
    • $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
    • $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
    • The American Express Global Lounge Collection® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market. As of 03/2023.
    • $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month.
    • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®.
    • $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card® Members can get out and about and explore their local area with $15 in Uber Cash for US rides each month, plus a bonus $20 in December. That can be up to $200 in annual Uber savings. Simply download the Uber app and add your Platinum Card® to your Uber account to get started. Available to Basic Card Member only. Effective 11/8/2024, an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit.
    • $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues.
    • Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
    • Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
    • Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile.
    • $695 annual fee.
    • Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
    • Terms Apply.
Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Trip delay and cancellation insurance and cell phone protection underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. Extended warranty, purchase protection, car rental insurance, and baggage insurance underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

Given that the last annual fee increase was in 2021, it wouldn't be entirely unexpected to see yet another increase in 2025. With that increase, however, we'd also expect to see a bit of an overhaul in perks to help offset a higher cost.

What perks would we see revamped in this case? Here are my predictions.

1. Mind-boggling welcome bonuses

We saw a lot of truly eye-popping welcome offers from Amex cards this year, the Amex Platinum Card included. The current standard offer: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.. But the largest offer I saw reported for the flagship card was for a whopping 175,000 Membership Rewards points (which made me a little jealous, not gonna lie). Terms apply.

But I'm not sure we've seen the top of the welcome offer mountain with this card just yet. I think there's a good chance we see a 200,000-point welcome offer on this card next year. (We've already seen 250,000-point welcome bonuses on the business version of the card.)

Amex isn't the only issuer that has been offering outsized bonuses lately. I have seen some amazing offers, especially from travel rewards cards. Check out our favorite travel rewards cards for sign-up bonuses worth $750 or more in free travel.

2. An(other) update to the entertainment credit

Alright, so this isn't exactly an out-of-the-box "prediction" since Amex has tweaked the digital entertainment credit pretty much every year since it came out. But I really think we'll see some changes in 2025 -- one of which will, ideally, be an increase in the size of the monthly statement credit.

The statement credit currently caps out at $20 a month. While this used to be enough to cover the top-tier Disney Trio Premium bundle, that's no longer the case, as that now costs $27 a month (plus tax). The $20 credit only covers the mid-tier Disney Duo Premium bundle (and you pay your own tax). Terms apply.

If the size of the credit isn't increased, I'd hope to at least see more eligible services added to the list. Right now, your options are fairly limited and they don't include a lot of popular -- and more affordable -- streaming services.

Want to earn more on all of your streaming? Click here to see our favorite cards for rewards on streaming services.

3. Saks gets replaced with something useful

I will put this on every prediction, suggestion, and inspiration list I write until it happens. And I seriously doubt I'm the only Amex Platinum Card holder who feels that way.

The only way to use the Saks Fifth Avenue credit (terms apply) is to pay outrageous shipping fees, spend at least $300 online for free shipping, or go to one of only 42 stores. 

It's time to ditch this credit and offer us something more people can use.

4. Amex adds something new we don't see coming

This is another easy thing to add on here because it's been true most years. Amex is constantly reimagining ways to keep its cards fresh, adding new credits and perks that surprise and, occasionally, delight us (and our wallets).

Personally, I'd love to get some more luxury travel perks to go with my airport lounge access. Perhaps airline status with Delta, with whom the issuer already has a partnership, or maybe another airline? That would certainly make the likely inevitable fee increases go down smoother.

As with most things, sadly, the only way to find out what's coming is to wait for it to happen. Patience, friends.

Our Research Expert

Brittney Myers
Brittney Myers icon-button-linkedin-2x

Brittney is a data-obsessed finance nerd whose personal credit card collection is in the double digits. She has been sharing personal finance advice with readers since 2016.