American Express the Platinum Card is a mid- to high-end charge card issued by American Express. The main difference between the charge card and the “Credit Card” we talk about today is that it often has a strong purchase limit and various VIP rights, also it has a high annual fee and 30% repayment of the annual interest rate (so, repay on time).
American Express itself is both a bank (but there is no corresponding branch in Canada and related daily business) and a card issuer (like Visa/Mastercard), while a personal platinum card is a fist product of American Express, which has already become a popular American culture.
The personal platinum card issued by American Express in Canada is the favorite credit card of myself. At present, Canada’s Express Platinum Card is still a plastic card, I hope it can be the metal cards which is issued in the United States as soon as possible.
annual fee
The card costs is $699 per year, including $200 per year for reimbursement of annual air ticket and hotel consumption, so the equivalent annual fee is actually $499. Since the reimbursement amount of $200 is calculated on a calendar year basis, some people who do not hold the card for a long time can actually use the $200 again after the end of the card year. However, I do not recommend this way of using cards.
Application rewards
Currently, you can apply for this card through a friend’s referral link, and you can get a 60,000 MR card-opening reward with expense of $3000 or more in the first three months. If you apply directly on the official website, the card reward is only 50,000 MR. Welcome to use the recommended link on this site, thank you.
American Express cancelled the revenue requirement for all publicly issued cards in Canada in 2017, and currently the online application does not require the applicant to be a PR, only a Canadian credit record is needed. The application for Platinum Cards is not very difficult. Usually, as long as there are more than eight months of Canadian credit history and the records are good, the card can be successfully issued.
Point value
This card is still a point system, using American Express’s own Membership Rewards (MR), MR is rated at around 0.018 cad per quotation; 1.25 MR for every $1 spent (this is equivalent to at least 2 % of daily consumption returns).
The MR flexibility of the cards in different countries is different. In Canada, the flexibility of MR accumulated by different cards is also different, and the MR flexibility of gold and platinum cards is higher. Cobalt’s MR has more restrictions on use, and I only recommend conversion to SPG points (2:1 conversion ratio) or credit for bills (per MR=$0.01).
Points usage
Many people are wondering what the basis of the 1 MR=$0.018 valuation given by the bloggers, and I found in the daily life that a large number of card owners actually took the MR for the gift card, so the value is only 1 MR= Up and down $0.012, it is actually a loss.
The MR usage recommended by bloggers is:
1. Convert to aeroplan mileage in a 1:1 ratio for redemption of Star Alliance tickets. I don’t recommend using aeroplan to redeem economy class airfare on international routes – except when economy class tickets are extra expensive.
The picture below shows the actual flight of the Air Canada YVR-PVG business class that can be redeemed by 75000 MR+tax:
The meals are good too,
2. Convert to SPG points in a 2:1 ratio, and then combine the AmEx SPG card opening rewards, it is easy to get 90000 SPG points for the Marriott 7-day gift package. This usage is especially suitable for travel enthusiasts.
3. Can be used to directly exchange tickets with the Freight’s Fixed Point Travel Program
For the rest of the usage, the blogger does not recommend because of the low utilization of the point value.
Hotel Interests
The highlight of the hotel’s rights and interests is: Platinum Card (Personal / Commercial) is directly with the Hilton Gold Card, SPG Gold Card. The SPG Gold Card can be directly matched to the Marriott Gold Card.
For Hilton and SPG Gold members, it mean that when you live in a lot of their branded hotels (except for some top brands), you get direct access to free upgrades, free breakfast for two, lounge access, late checkout and more rights and interests. For those who travel frequently every year, with certain economic strength, they can consider using this right.
Fine Hotels and Resorts
In addition, it is worth mentioning that the company is proud of the Fine Hotels and Resorts Program (FHR). FHR is a high-end luxury hotel reservation platform for American Express for Platinum and Blackcard users, featuring top hotels around the world.
FHR is not only a luxury hotel, but also a high-end treatment. You don’t need to spend money or need to be a senior member of the hotel to get it:
- Early check-in at 12 o’clock and late check-out at 4 o’clock;
- Upgrade the room type according to the room status;
- Free daily breakfast for two (some are self-service early, while others give orders of 35 US per person per day;
- Hotel spending worth at least $100 (some hotels are $150, and if you have a black card, there is even $200/$300)
Aviation rights
Platinum cards can take some of the airport’s fast security checkpoints, and these airports will have corresponding signage. In addition, Platinum Card has better airport VIP lounge benefits:
1) Platinum Lounge Benefit, including free entry to the Plaza Premium Lounge and Servisair Executive Lounge, with a spouse and two children under the age of 21 or a fellow traveler. Canada’s current Plaza Premium Lounge covers YYZ/YVR/YEG/YWG.
2) Airport Club Program, currently only the Delta Lounge can be used free of charge, and only for the person, you need to show the boarding pass for the Delta flight on the day, and the extra person will charge 19 USD per person.
3) Priority Pass is also the most widely distributed airport lounge in the world. The Priority Pass (PP) from the Commercial Platinum Card only provide membership (worth $99 USD per year) and an additional $27 USD entry fee is required for each entry into the PP lounge. PP membership is a direct gift of Personal Platinum worth $399 USD per year, and the PP lounge at the airport can be used free of charge. This is also the main difference between the two cards in the VIP lounge of the airport.
4) The Centurion Lounge, the famous Centurion Lounge, is also the store’s own lounge. Most of the outlets are in the United States, and it is also a relatively popular lounge in the US airport.
The airport lounge is mainly suitable for people who travel a lot, and is especially useful for people who are not in the economy class but who are not senior members of the airline. In particular, there are times when I stay at the airport for a few hours. I have a place to eat and drink. I think it will greatly ease the journey and calm the mood.
Car rental interest
In the car rental section, Platinum Card provides Avis and Hertz related rights. Platinum card users can directly get Avis’s Preferred membership or Hertz’s Five Star membership. You can get a 7-8 discount through the Platinum card booking code rental, and there is a certain probability to upgrade the model.
For example, the last time I went to the waterfall, I originally ordered Corolla, and I got a S60: