First 6 things to do when you get the Amex Platinum

The The Platinum Card® from American Express comes with many travel and lifestyle benefits and perks, including Priority Pass lounge access, Uber credits and several statement credits that you can enjoy each year. However, not everybody knows how to take advantage of every perk their new American Express Platinum Card offers.

The Platinum Card is one of the best American Express cards on the market — but only if you know how to use it. Want to maximize your Amex Platinum welcome bonus? Curious about the shopping benefits you’ll get with your new Amex Platinum Card? Keep reading — we’ll tell you the first things you should do when you get your new Amex Platinum.

1. Maximize your welcome bonus

What’s the first thing to do after you get your Platinum Card? Begin earning your welcome bonus, of course.

The card offers 80,000 Membership Rewards points if you spend $6,000 in the first six months of card ownership. With these points worth 1 cent apiece when booking flights through American Express Travel, your intro offer could be worth $800.

If you spread out the spending evenly across the six months, you’ll need to put at least $1,000 of purchases on your Amex Platinum every month to earn your welcome bonus. And of course, you shouldn’t purchase more than you can pay off in full at the end of each billing cycle.

If you can’t pay off your bill in full, you can use Amex’s Pay Over Time feature to manage and pay down your balance — but be prepared for Amex to charge interest of 20.24 percent to 27.24 percent variable APR for the privilege.

 2. Get started with your travel benefits

The Amex Platinum Card is a luxury credit card that comes with a $695 annual fee. However, if you use your Amex Platinum benefits in the right way, you could save enough money to cover the cost of your annual fee, and then some.

Here’s how to get started with your Amex Platinum travel benefits.

Choose your airline fee credit

The Amex Platinum Card is one of the best cards for frequent flyers, likely because of the annual airline fee credit. This travel benefit gives you up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year after you choose a qualifying airline, including Delta Airlines, JetBlue Airways, United Airlines and more.

Of course, we recommend choosing the airline you prefer flying with. After you choose, you can earn statement credits on incidental airline fees such as baggage fees and flight change fees. These statement credits will automatically be applied to your Platinum Card account, so make sure you choose your airline as soon as possible to take advantage of this Amex Platinum travel benefit.

Enroll in Priority Pass for lounge access

Want even more airport benefits? The card provides a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, which gives you entry to more than 1,300 Priority Pass lounges around the globe. However, you need to enroll in Priority Pass before you can take advantage of this airline benefit.

Once you are enrolled as a Priority Pass Select member, you will get a separate Priority Pass card. With your Priority Pass card, you can visit any of the worldwide lounges in the network — and if the Priority Pass lounge allows guests, you can bring up to two guests for free as part of your membership. Note: You can’t use your American Express Platinum credit card to access Priority Pass lounges.

Take advantage of the American Express Global Lounge Collection

Your Amex Platinum travel benefits also give you access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection. With more than 1,200 airport lounges in 130 countries, the American Express Global Lounge Collection gives you ample opportunity to relax before a flight or rest up during an extended layover.

Included in the Global Lounge Collection are the Delta Sky Club, Airspace and the Platinum-exclusive Centurion lounges. Unlike the Priority Pass lounges, you simply need to present your Platinum Card, a government-issued I.D. and a boarding pass to enter. Other than yourself, the primary cardholder, you can bring in two guests for free.

Enroll in Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Clear

Like many top travel credit cards, the Amex Platinum Card offers fee credits for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership. If you haven’t yet enrolled in TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, you can receive a statement credit for up to $100 to cover the cost of your application.

If you’re already enrolled in one of these Trusted Traveler Programs, you can still take advantage of the statement credit when it comes time to renew your membership since Platinum Card members can access a new fee credit every four years (for Global Entry) and every four and a half years (for TSA PreCheck).

The American Express Platinum Card also offers an annual credit for Clear membership of $189. Clear is another program, though operated by a company, not the government, that helps frequent travelers get through airport security lines quicker through biometric identifiers. Clear works in conjunction with TSA PreCheck, so it makes sense to sign up for it as well.

Sign up for Uber credits

There’s one more step you need to take to get started with your Amex Platinum travel benefits, and that’s adding your Platinum Card to your Uber account. Once your card is connected to your Uber account, you’ll receive $15 in Uber Cash every month (which you can use for rides or food orders), plus an extra $20 in December.

In addition to up to $200 in Uber credits annually, you’ll also become an Uber VIP, a status exclusive to American Express Platinum and Centurion cardholders. The VIP program will automatically match you with top-rated drivers and help you enjoy as many five-star Uber experiences as possible, without paying more per ride.

3. Enroll in Amex Platinum hotel benefits

Don’t forget to take advantage of your Amex Platinum hotel benefits as well. Through the card, you can enroll in Hilton Honors Gold Status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status membership for free. The Hilton Honors Gold Status lets you choose your room, free Wi-Fi, 80 percent bonus points on booked stays and daily food and beverage credit. The Gold Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy gives you 25 percent more points on eligible hotel purchases, room upgrades and late checkout.

Other than elite privileges, you can also take advantage of the perks and credits that you’ll receive when you book hotels and resorts through Amex Travel. When you book an eligible prepaid stay at a Fine Hotels + Resorts property through American Express Travel, for example, you can earn an average of $550 in extras, including daily breakfast for two, room upgrades if available and an experience (such as a spa treatment) credit worth at least $100.

As for The Hotel Collection, you must book two nights or more to earn a $100 experience credit for qualifying activities like dining or spa treatments and a room upgrade, if available. You’ll also get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings with Amex Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card.

4. Add an authorized user to your Amex Platinum

Want to share your Amex Platinum travel benefits with a family member or trusted friend? Consider adding an authorized user to your Amex Platinum Card. Not only will authorized users earn Membership Rewards points with every purchase they make on your Amex Platinum account, but they’ll also be able to take advantage of other Amex Platinum travel benefits, such as the fee credits for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership.

Plus, making a spouse or child an authorized on your line of credit is a great way for them to build their credit score.

We should note that American Express charges a total of $175 for up to three authorized user cards, then $175 per card after that. Choose your authorized users carefully — make sure they are ready to use their card responsibly since you’ll be responsible for paying off any charges they make to your account. Authorized users do get their own airport lounge access, Gold elite status with Hilton and Marriott and access to American Express’ Fine Hotels + Resorts and Hotel Collection. However, authorized users do not get their own annual credits, instead the credits must be shared across all users of the Platinum Card.

5. Claim your shopping benefits

Your Amex Platinum Card benefits also include shopping perks, so make sure you take all the steps required to claim your shopping benefits. If you enroll in Shop Saks with Platinum, for example, you can earn up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue.

You should also claim your free ShopRunner membership, giving you access to free two-day shipping with dozens of online retailers. A ShopRunner membership typically cost $79 per year, so this perk is even more money going toward recouping your annual fee.

And don’t forget the recent addition of the statement credit for the full cost of a Walmart+ monthly membership ($12.95 a month, plus applicable taxes).

6. Enjoy digital entertainment and Equinox credits

The Platinum Card is known for its numerous statement credits, which extend to even entertainment and lifestyle. If you’re into luxury fitness experiences or would like to try an upgrade to your gym routine, you can get up to a $300 annual statement credit to pay for an eligible monthly Equinox All Access, Destination, E by Equinox or Equinox+ membership (enrollment required, see offer terms for details), plus up to a $300 statement credit if you use your card to purchase a SoulCycle At-Home Bike through Equinox+.

You’re also eligible for monthly statement credits toward digital entertainment. You can get up to $20 statement credits each month toward Peacock, Audible, Disney+, SirusXM, The New York Times and more. You do need to enroll in order to claim both the Equinox and digital entertainment credits, so make sure to do that as soon as you’re approved for the Platinum Card.

Bottom line

A lot of rewards credit cards are out there, but not every card offers the hotel, travel and lifestyle benefits that come with the American Express Platinum Card. Knowing how to enroll in Amex Platinum benefits, and which ones require enrollment or are automatic, are the first steps to taking advantage of everything that your new Platinum Card has to offer. Making sure you are aware of all the card’s perks and fully utilize them will also cover for the cost of its steep annual fee.