The American Express platinum credit card is the most ‘premium’ credit card available to the public in the UK, but is it the best? There is a lot to consider if you’re looking to apply. It comes with a lot of perks alongside a hefty annual fee and a lot of small print. I personally do hold one but only because I can make the most out of the benefits. This is very important if you want the benefits to outweigh the card fee. So, is the Amex platinum the best UK travel rewards credit card?
Amex platinum at a glance
The American Express Platinum credit card is aimed at frequent travellers who want more than just cash back or Avios points. I’m talking lounge access, hotel upgrades, dining credits, and comprehensive travel insurance. This is one of the credit cards I personally have and I personally think it is the best UK travel rewards card overall.
Here’s what you get upfront (as of July 2025):
Welcome bonus: The platinum welcome bonus is normally 50,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £10,000 in 6 months. American Express often offers enhanced welcome bonuses and upgrade bonuses if you upgrade from the preferred rewards gold card. When I upgraded from the American Express preferred rewards gold card, the bonus was enhanced to 80,000 points for the same spending.
Membership Rewards: 1 membership reward point per £1 spent (with lots of options to transfer to other rewards programmes).
Annual fee: £650, charged to your first statement.
What are the perks?
1. Airport Lounge Access
You get unlimited lounge access for you and a guest at 1,700+ lounges globally with Priority Pass Prestige (worth £419/year). I’d never been in an airport lounge until I got my first credit card so I had no idea what they were about. They usually offer complimentary food and drinks, wifi, work spaces, quieter and more comfortable seating and some even offer shower facilities.
As well as access to the Priority Pass Prestige membership, the Amex platinum card also offers access to the following lounges –
Centurion Lounges – This is amex’s own chain of luxury lounges. They are mainly in the USA however, there is one at Heathrow terminal 3.
Plaza Premium Lounges – Another lounge chain mostly found in the Americas but also in Heathrow terminal 5 and is included with the Priority Pass Membership.
Eurostar Business Lounge: You also get access to the Eurostar buisness lounge, usually only accessible when you buy a premium Eurostar ticket.
Airline Lounges: Finally, if you find yourself flying with airlines in the Lufthansa group or Delta Airlines, you can access their lounges with your platinum card.
2. Hotel Status and Perks
One of the most underrated benefits. You get Gold status with:
Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, MeliaRewards, Radisson Rewards and NH Hotels.
What does Gold status actually mean?
With gold status at these hotel groups, you can access room upgrades when available, late check-out, free breakfast (Hilton and Melia) and bonus points on stays. For example, with Hilton Honors, you get 80% bonus points on all bookings.
You also get access to The Hotel Collection and Fine Hotels + Resorts. These are Amex-only hotel booking portals that throw in extra perks. Things like a £75 hotel credit (e.g. for food/spa), noon check-in and 4pm late check-out, room upgrades and daily breakfast for two.
The first time I used a Hilton hotel with gold status, I asked for an upgrade as it was my birthday and they moved me from a standard king room to a junior suite which came with a living area, balcony and even table football.
3. Comprehensive Travel Insurance
The Amex Platinum card offers full travel cover for you, your partner, and your kids (up to the age of 25, if they live with you). This cover is very good and includes worldwide cover for trips up to 90 days, medical expenses up to £10 million, trip cancellation, delay, and baggage insurance and car hire excess cover.
I had to claim on this insurance a month after I got the card when I had to cancel my trip at short notice. They ask for receipts etc. but they refunded all my costs that were paid for on the card (you can only claim if booked with the card).
4. Annual Statement Credits (Money Back, Sort Of)
£400 Dining Credit: You get a £100 credit every six months on selected UK restaurants AND £100 credit every six months on selected European restaurants.
£100 Harvey Nichols Credit: You also get a £50 credit every six months to spend at Harvey Nichols.
I’ve never been into a Harvey Nichols before now, designer department stores are not in my tax bracket. But it offers a nice option to buy gifts or go for lunch in a premium establishment.
5. Membership Rewards Points
You will earn 1 Amex membership rewards point per £1 spent, and you can transfer those points to many other travel rewards programmes such as Avios, Virgin Points, Emirates Skywards, Singapore KrisFlyer, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, and plenty more.
The points are extremely flexible and don’t expire, although you do need to have an active amex card to keep them.
6. Referral Bonuses
You can earn referral bonuses with most amex cards, upto 90,000 extra points per year. The platinum card offers the highest referral rate at 12,000 points per referral (sometimes 18,000 when they run offers).
Are there any downsides?
1. £650 Annual Fee
The Amex Platinum comes with a big fee. This is a lot of money for most people and you must be able to get the value back from the perks. If you don’t travel often or don’t care about lounges, it’s not worth it.
2. Interest Rates
American Express cards do have high interest rates. The best thing for you to do with these cards is to pay it off every month so you skip interest all together. If you actually want to carry debt on the card, it’s probably not for you. Another thing to note is the stated interest rate of 696.4%, don’t be scared. This figure includes the £650 annual fee on an assumed credit limit of £1,200. The actual interest rate on spending is 30% (at the time of writing).
3. Limited Acceptance
Some small shops, independent cafés, and budget booking platforms still don’t accept Amex due to high merchant fees.
4. Points Earning Is… Fine
1 point per £1 spent is okay — but there are other cards that offer higher return rates or multipliers (like 3x on travel or dining). The real value lies in the sign-up bonus, referrals and perks, not the day-to-day spend.
5. Perks Require Engagement
Although there are some great benefits, they don’t make it easy to claim them. You will need to activate certain benefits. For example, the dining and Harvey Nichols credits have to be activated through the app before you spend in qualifying establishments.
Amex Platinum vs British Airways Premium Plus
Sadly, UK cardholders don’t have access to a huge range of travel rewards credit cards. The closest premium alternative is probably the British Airways Premium Plus card. These two are probably the top dogs when you’re talking about the best UK travel rewards credit card. Here’s how they measure up.
| Feature | Amex Platinum | BA Premium |
| Welcome Bonus | 50,000 MR points if you spend £10,000 in the first 6 months | 25,000 Avios points if you spend £6,000 in the first 3 months |
| Referral Bonus | 12,000 MR points per person – up to 90,000 points per year | 9,000 MR points per person – up to 90,000 points per year |
| Annual Fee | £650 | £300 |
| Point Flexibility | Very flexible | Less flexible |
| Points earning rate | 1 MR per £1 spent | 1.5 Avios per £1 spent |
| Lounge Access | Global (unlimited) | None |
| Companion Voucher | None | Yes – Spend £15,000 in a year (Valid for 24 months, any cabin) |
| Hotel Benefits | Yes, several | None |
| Travel Insurance | Very comprehensive | Less comprehensive |
| Best for | Frequent travellers and lifestyle benefits | Frequent BA flyers and collecting Avios |
There are positives for both credit cards. The BA Premium Plus card is cheaper, it’s great if you fly regularly with British Airways and offers a companion voucher if you spend £15,000 on the card in 12 months. However, it has a smaller welcome bonus and a higher monthly spending rate to earn it, no lounge access, less comprehensive travel insurance and no hotel benefits. Also, Amex MR points can be transferred to Avios at rate of 1:1 so there isn’t really any Avios benefit other than the higher warning rate.
What is the American Express Platinum actually worth?
So, is the American Express Platinum card actually worth the price tag or simply overpriced nonsense? I want to show you the total monetary value that you can get for the card but I don’t want to inflate figures so I will compare the max value and a conservative estimate of what you could get in return.
Benefit
Priority Pass Lounge Access (you + guest) – £419
Centurion & Plaza Premium Lounge Access – £100 (conservative estimate)
Hotel Gold Status Perks (breakfasts, upgrades, late checkout) – £150–£300
The Hotel Collection / Fine Hotels + Resorts credits – £75–£150
£400 Dining Credit (£200 UK + £200 abroad) – £400
£100 Harvey Nichols Credit – £100
Travel Insurance (family-wide) – £150–£200
Car Hire Excess Cover – £50–£100
Welcome Bonus (50,000 points = £500+ in travel value) – £500+ (1st year only)
One thing to note is that it is very difficult to value airport lounge and hotel benefits as it really depends how much you currently use them. For example, if you currently use airport lounges twice a year that may only total £60 (or £120 with a partner) so it isn’t really worth £419 for you, it’s worth £60 or £120. On the other hand, if you stay in Hilton hotels 20 times a year, the value saved could be incredible over that time. The same applies to the points. If you use 50,000 points effectively, they could be worth £5,000 – £10,000, but if you use them as a lot of people do, they could be worth just £300.
Total Yearly Value (if you use everything): £1,500-£1,800+
Total Yearly Value (Conservative Estimate): £700-£900+
Additional First Year Value (Welcome Bonus): £350-£10,000+
As well as all of this, if you can refer 6-7 people per year, you can rack up another 80,000 – 90,000 MR points which can amount to £450 – £10,000+ worth of value depending how you use them. There is no other card in the UK that offers this much value which is why I think it is the best UK travel rewards card.
So, is the American Express Platinum the best UK travel rewards credit card?
Probably, if:
You travel internationally 4+ times/year
You value comfort (lounges, upgrades, hotel perks)
You’re happy to pay upfront to unlock value
You can stay on top of your credits and perks
No, if:
You travel occasionally or only within the UK
You’re on a tighter budget and would rather put the £650 fee directly towards travel
You prefer cash back or simpler rewards
You won’t make the most of lounge access, hotel status, or credits
Final Thoughts
The Amex Platinum is more of a lifestyle card, not a budget card. It won’t make sense for everyone. But if you’re a frequent traveller who enjoys a bit of comfort (without quite flying first class), this card can easily bring returns greater than the fee.
I’ve personally kept it because it elevates nearly every trip I take, and when travel is a big part of your life, that matters. But as always, the best travel card is the one that matches how YOU travel.
Would you get a card like the American Express platinum?
Quick Disclaimer
This post is for information only and does not constitute financial advice. Always read the full terms and conditions on the provider’s website, and consider your own circumstances or speak with a financial advisor before applying. I’m not FCA registered, and all views are my own.
I have many other articles on the site, whether you need inspiration, travel tips or itineraries.
