Thread: I broke down and got the Platinum

I have had a "green" card for many years and never really saw any advantage to upgrading my card. I called them last week to change some account information and just for the hell of it I asked if I could upgrade my card to a Platunum. After a short wait I was told that my account would be upgraded and I would receive my card in 5-10 days.

Is the $450 a year worth it? Are the services really as great as they make them sound on the phone?

Originally Posted by Mogul of Pineapples

To be honest I feel the benefits beyond the gold aren't worth it unless you travel extensively. Did they give you 25,000 bonus points for upgrading? Usually the phone reps offer 25,000 bonus membership reward points to try and pursue you to upgrade.

Yes I got the 25,000 for the upgrade and I get 25,000 more if I spend $1,000 in my first month.

Let us know how it goes with the platinum. I just got a gold. I have always avoided AMEX for various reasons but I decided it was time to do it for reasons I have mentioned here and won't repeat. There are a few things about the platinum that are attractive and I might go for one in a couple of years. The goldis $175a year. The platinum is $450 but they give you membership in Hertz #1 gold, which I pay $50 a year for...and there are other things I pay for occasionaally that you get. I travel internationally every 2-3 years and try to fly business class so teh free companion ticket might make it worth it even if I only get one every few years.

My biggest gripe is that they charge you extra for a second platinum card on teh same account for a spouse. That is idiotic in my book. They don't do this with other cards and they don't do it with the platinum card in Europe or Asia. Hopefully they will stop doing it here. If so I might go for it in a couple of years.

Originally Posted by DoingHomework

Let us know how it goes with the platinum. I just got a gold. I have always avoided AMEX for various reasons but I decided it was time to do it for reasons I have mentioned here and won't repeat. There are a few things about the platinum that are attractive and I might go for one in a couple of years. The goldis $175a year. The platinum is $450 but they give you membership in Hertz #1 gold, which I pay $50 a year for...and there are other things I pay for occasionaally that you get. I travel internationally every 2-3 years and try to fly business class so teh free companion ticket might make it worth it even if I only get one every few years.

My biggest gripe is that they charge you extra for a second platinum card on teh same account for a spouse. That is idiotic in my book. They don't do this with other cards and they don't do it with the platinum card in Europe or Asia. Hopefully they will stop doing it here. If so I might go for it in a couple of years.

A am not sure about the cost for an additional Plat. card but I got my wife a gold card on the account and I believe it was $75 a year.

I will say that I contacted their concierge today to get tickets for a Jeff Dunham show that was suposedly sold out and for a very reasonable price I got floor seats, and limo service to and from the show. So far so good, we'll see how they do with booking a last min trip. I plan on testing their services next month with a trip to Florida to see what they can come up with last min.

Originally Posted by realest145

A am not sure about the cost for an additional Plat. card but I got my wife a gold card on the account and I believe it was $75 a year.

I just think that is really backwards of American Express to treat spouses differently by giving one a gold and one a platinum. Do they not know it is the 21st century? Spouses are equals these days and Amex shoudl treat them that way. I find what they do is offensive.

I'm sure they are trying to get the most fees possible in the event that two spouses travel extensively and would use too much of the benefits (airport club access, companion tickets, etc.) But they could address that with limits or some other way.

The bottom line is that if you live in most other parts of the world you do not have to pay extra to share an account with your spouse. And gold cards for your family (up to 5) are free if you have a gold card so it seems bizarre to me that they would chareg you for one when you have a plat!

Great that you were able to get tickets to a sold out event though

Originally Posted by DoingHomework

I just think that is really backwards of American Express to treat spouses differently by giving one a gold and one a platinum. Do they not know it is the 21st century? Spouses are equals these days and Amex shoudl treat them that way. I find what they do is offensive.

I'm sure they are trying to get the most fees possible in the event that two spouses travel extensively and would use too much of the benefits (airport club access, companion tickets, etc.) But they could address that with limits or some other way.

The bottom line is that if you live in most other parts of the world you do not have to pay extra to share an account with your spouse. And gold cards for your family (up to 5) are free if you have a gold card so it seems bizarre to me that they would chareg you for one when you have a plat!

Great that you were able to get tickets to a sold out event though

I think that you are charged a fee because even though they only have a gold card in their hand they still have access to the services that you have through plat. I may be wrong though so you might want to check with someone else who has had the service for longer than me.

I've had the Platinum card for a few years now and by far it's the best card I have. I use it for everything that I can. They services have been top notch and they have worked with me on everything (tickets, dinner reservations, they even got one of my best friends and his wife out to my wedding from TX at a very resonable price for flight, hotel and car when their plane tickets got messed up, mind you they pulled this off 2 days before my wedding and got them a cheaper rate than they originally had.) I hope you enjoy your Platinum as much as I've enjoyed mine.

Originally Posted by Extreme z28

I've had the Platinum card for a few years now and by far it's the best card I have. I use it for everything that I can. They services have been top notch and they have worked with me on everything (tickets, dinner reservations, they even got one of my best friends and his wife out to my wedding from TX at a very resonable price for flight, hotel and car when their plane tickets got messed up, mind you they pulled this off 2 days before my wedding and got them a cheaper rate than they originally had.) I hope you enjoy your Platinum as much as I've enjoyed mine.

Do they give your wife a platinum too or just a gold? If so do they make you pay an extra fee for her plat?

At least is sounds like you get great benefits that make it worthwhile.