May 7, 2026
picksbycard
American Express

Platinum Card

Earns 5x points on flights booked directly through Amex, redeemable for real value.

American Express
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Platinum Card
Platinum

You'll break even on the $695 fee after earning around $35,000 in 3 years with moderate travel spend. This card makes sense for frequent flyers who want high-end perks without foreign transaction fees or a huge balance due each month. But you'll need to maximize those 5x points categories and carry no revolving debt.

What you actually earn

flights booked direct or amex ×5
hotels prepaid amex ×5
everything else ×1

Who this card is for

High-income professionals with excellent credit scores and regular travel expenses of at least $10,000 annually.

The compliance footnote

The Platinum Card carries a $695 annual fee with an APR range of See terms (charge card). Foreign-transaction fee is none. The current signup offer is 80,000 points after $8,000 in 6 months. These terms are accurate as of 2026-05-06 and may change at the issuer's discretion. We earn a referral fee on approved applications referred via the Apply link, at no cost to you.