Frequent Miler on the Air - $900 Platinum card. Worth it? | Coffee Break Ep67 | 8-19-25

Episode Date: August 19, 2025

Another day, another premium credit card is making changes - this time, we've heard rumors that the Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum cards are both getting increased annual fees and other changes.$900 Platinum card. Worth it?(00:24) - Expensive changes are coming for Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum cards(01:47) - Some changes on the coupon side of things have leaked...(03:55) - Perks that appear on both cards (business and personal)Read our post on what works for your airline incidental fee reimbursements here.(05:31) - Perks on the (Consumer) Amex Platinum card(06:23) - Perks on the Amex Business Platinum(07:43) - Do these perks sound worth it for the new, higher annual fee?(18:58) - Learn more about MaxFHR here.Visit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don’t forget to like and follow us on social media.Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads

This is a Voyescape podcast. You can find all of our travel podcasts from around the world at voyescape.com. $900 platinum card. Is it worth it? What's going on, Nick? $900 platinum card? You know, 2025 is going to go down as the year of the ultra-premium credit card because we have just seen so many changes, enhancements, detractions.

I mean, a big mixed bag, but I don't think we're going to be. we've ever seen quite so much news in the ultra-premium card space in a single year. And now the latest is that, yes, the platinum cards are going to go up to $895 a year. That's the rumor anyway. We don't yet have that confirmed, but we're pretty confident about the rumors at this point. They've been around for a while. So it sounds like both the consumer and the business versions of the platinum card are about to increase the annual fee from $695 as we record this to $895.

we expect this is probably going to happen on September 18th. That's the day when we do know for sure that the business platinum card is going to lose, or I shouldn't say that, the business platinum card is going to change the 35% rebate when you're booking various airlines. So right now, you can book any airline in business or first class. And if you use your MX membership rewards points from a business platinum card, you get 35% of the points back. And then, of course, also on your chosen airline, whichever airline you've chosen for your airline incidental fee credit, same thing. Get 35% back in any cap and on your chosen airline. Moving forward, it's only going to work on your chosen airline, so it's going to have to be a U.S.-based airline, and it will be in any cab, an economy business, whatever, but it won't work on other airlines in business and first class starting on September 18th. So that's also when we expect the annual fee will change, and there's going to be a big change coming on the coupon side. Yeah, some leaked information has revealed that they're going to change the fine hotels and resorts and the hotel credit.

So currently, only the consumer platinum cards get $200 per year of rebate for when you book one night or more of fine hotels and resorts or two nights or more of the hotel collection. Consumer platinum cards currently get $200 a year back, up to $200 a year back for those bookings. But information was a leak that showed that they're changing that to $300 credit. So it'll be every six months. So $300 from January through June and then $300 July through December. And it'll apply to business platinum cards as well. So really big changes to that benefit, obviously.

And we'll talk more about the good or bad. But one thing that is good is the terms that were. leaked, showed that you can still apply this to single night bookings for fine hotels and resorts, which is something that is notable because when Chase came out with a very similar sounding benefit for their new Sapphire Reserve, they are limiting it to two nights or more bookings. Amex is not doing that except with the hotel collection, which was a restriction before as well. And you might wonder, well, why do you want to use, why do you want to stay at a nice hotel for only one night. But of course, there are hotels that could be entirely covered.

You could essentially turn it into a free night certificate if you can use it on a single night stay. And then, of course, if you're playing in two-player mode, maybe someone else that you travel with also has a platinum card, then you can book back-to-back nights, maybe, et cetera. So being able to use it on a one-night stay or more gives it some more flexibility. So that should be nice there. So I guess we should talk about the major perks of each of these cards and then decide, well, how do these fine hotels and resorts credits affect the equation? Yeah, yeah. So let's start with, there are a number of perks that both cards, the consumer and business, have in common. And I'm not going to list all of them, just like the really major ones that apply to most people.

They both offer $200 airline fee credits, and we maintain a page that shows. how you could effectively use those credits in ways that might not be as advertised so that you can always get $200 of value from that each year. They both also offer a wide array of airport lounge access opportunities. So you have Centurion lounges, you have Delta Sky Clubs, 10 day visits per year. You have airspace lounges, escape lounges, plaza premium lounges, and, of course, priority pass as well. So I can't think of any premium card that gives you as big a range of lounge access, airport lounge access. It gives you cell phone protection and emergency medical transportation assistance,

which is interesting because there's no set cap on how much that is. Also, there's no requirement that you paid with your card for your travel in order to use that benefit. I mean, it's one of those benefits you really don't want to use. But if you have to use it, I mean, it'd be great to have it. Yeah, and just being a card holder gives you access to that. Like Greg said, you don't have to book your trip with the card. You don't have to book any piece of the trip with the card. Just being a cardholder gives you that benefit.

So that stands out as an interesting one. Yeah, so those are definitely the main core collection of benefits that matter for most people. But then there's, of course, some differences on the consumer side versus the business side as well. Yeah, yeah. So on the consumer side, you have. have additional coupons. You've got $200 in Uber slash Uber Eats credits each year. It's broken up $15 per month, $35 in December for those credits. You've got what they call $240 digital entertainment credit, which is where you get up to $20 per month back for select digital

entertainment services. Like I use mine for a Disney Plus and Hulu bundle. And I, So that works out pretty well to pretty much exactly $20 a month. You get a free Walmart plus subscription, so that comes with various benefits. So there are other things, but those are just some highlights on the consumer side. On the business side, you have some very different ones. Like you have $200 in Hilton credits, which is broken up $50 per quarter, and that's for any spend at Hilton hotels. Sometimes you can use it by paying for meals or drinks at a restaurant in a Hilton hotel. That doesn't always work, but sometimes it does.

$120 in wireless credits, $10 per month. So pay your cell phone bill with it and get that back. Dell, there's a few different Dell credits, but the one I want to talk about is $150 back on your first $150 of Dell spend each year. And then the 35% points rebate on Air Force. with your selected airline that we talked about earlier. So those are some highlights of what the business platinum card has. All right. So they both have those coupons.

And we don't know for sure that all of those are going to remain the same. I think both of us feel pretty confident that the ones we just listed are likely to stick around. But it's worth mentioning that we don't know for sure. We've seen the rumored change that they're going to add these fine hotels and resorts credits, but we don't know what they may subtract. So it's possible that any of those could be. on the chopping block.

Right. But we think they'll probably hang around, and then they're going to add these fine hotels and resorts credits. So what do you think? I mean, are these fine hotels and resorts credits going to make it worth paying another $200 a year for a platinum card? Yeah, so assuming that they're not going to add additional credits that make it real attractive, that that's really the question.

You know, if I look at the main perks that are shared between the cards, things like the $200 airline fee credit and airport lounge access. Let me just stop there as the main ones. You know, that's kind of very widely how much people value those two together. But I don't think it's unreasonable to say, you know, I would pay, let's say, $400 a year for that combination of the core benefits that the card has. So then the question is like, okay, 400, but the card is going to cost $500 more than that. It's going to cause $900. Now, Amex might be like, wait, wait, not 900, only $895.

$895, $8.95, thank you for the correction. We're rounding up that, nice. We're rounding up. So how do we justify those $500 extra? So on the consumer side, you've got, you know, $200 in Uber credits, $240 digital entertainment and that Walmart stuff. Let's call that all around. I'm going to be generous.

say $300 of value in that, right? Yeah, that's a good generous value for it. Not like, you know, you might value it a little bit less. You're probably not going to value it way more, but 300 seem reasonable. Yeah, I'm not going to, you know, we're not going to value at face value, but we'll just, you know. So, all right, so now we're at like $700 value

before accounting for those fine hotels and resorts and the hotel collection credits. So then it all comes down to, are you going to use them? Are you going to, you know, because obviously if you were going to use $600 a year in credits, then this is a no-brainer. I mean, you don't even have to value, the things I mentioned before, you don't even have to value very much to make this card worth having if you were going to get the full $600 of value. But you got to think about like some things here. First of all, sometimes booking through fine hotels and resorts costs a lot more than some. other options. Not always, but sometimes. Often, the hotel you want to stay at is not going to be

available as a fine hotel and resort or the hotel collection hotel. So you either have to pick a hotel that wasn't the one you really wanted or, you know, or wait and hope that you will encounter one that's the one you want. And of course, you're constricted in booking dates. Now, it's not when you stay. It's when you book it because these are. are prepaid. So you have to book a prepaid rate in order to get that credit. Now it doesn't have be, it can be a cancelable rate, but it has to be prepaid. So if you're a big planner, you could, of course, book, you could book one night for next year. Like between January and June, book one night for next year. And then in July, book your second night for next year. So

you can book a weekend that way with just one card and get the full value. So if you're a big planner that'll work but but that's you know this is not one where you're going to just accidentally fall into using it I think is a right right right no yeah it's not going to be an accident you're going to have to plan to use it and not only plan to use it but your travel plans need to line up with where it's reasonable to use and reasonable is going to mean different things to different people but you know the fact of the matter is I've often booked through fine hotels and resorts over the years. And there were years where I booked multiple reservations through fine hotels and resorts and years where I only booked one or two. This year,

I have yet to find a use for my consumer platinum final hotels and resource credits for a stay that I need. I just haven't found a place in the locations I'm traveling to that is priced what I consider to be reasonable versus my other options. And so I haven't even used the $200 credit yet this year on all of our cards. So, you know, that makes me a little hesitant as to how much would I value two, three hundred dollar credits? I mean, it depends on the year. Some years, I could probably get $600 in value out of those other years.

I don't know whether I'll get any. I think that's a really good way of putting it and 100% true with me, too, especially if you are also, if you also have other premium cards that also have these kind of things, then you have to judge, should I use up my Chase credits, my, my, my Capital One credits, my city credits, you know, so it gets very complicated. But I would assume for most people, you're only looking at one or maybe two of these premium cards. So for some people, it might be, you might think of it more as an exciting opportunity. Like, like, you know, a couple times a year. You plan a getaway where you're going to, you know, live it up and you get $300 off. Plus, you get

all the fine hotels and resorts benefits, which are things like up to, you know, it depends on the property, but let's say $200 property credit of some sort. You get free breakfast, you get usually $100.00. $100. Okay. And you get things like early, potentially early check-in and guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout for final tousin resorts, which is really great benefit, I think. So, yeah, it's really tough. And then, you know, on the business platinum side, I think you have just a very similar analysis where you have the $200 Hilton credit. credits, $120 wireless credits, the $150 Dell credits, which I don't know, I would have a lower valuation for those personally, just because I find those Hilton credits, like, hard to use.

I'm not staying enough to reliably use them. Wireless credits are easy to use, Dell. I mean, easy to use, but there's only so much I want to buy it, Dell. So I'm looking at more like $200 value or something like that for those, that collection. But still, overall, you know, if I, I. valued the the free the um fine hotels and resorts stuff a lot it would be worth the annual fee and that's really what it comes down to right is is do you want to prepay for a big discount on fine hotels and resorts if you do then i think and and you don't mind doing that then i actually

think that it the card's well worth it 95 it's a hard sell otherwise so okay and i totally agree But now, I want your opinion, Greg the frequent miler. Now, forgetting the fact that you're a blogger for a minute and you keep some cards just to be able to write about the benefits, would you, Greg, not the frequent miler, I suppose, just you, the Greg, would you keep a platinum card? Would you be willing to prepay for the FHR credit essentially like this? Would it be worth it to you? And if so, would the consumer or the business be the stronger card for you? Yeah. Let me answer the latter first. For me, the consumer is the better one because I use up those Uber credits very easily. I use up the digital entertainment credit very easily. So that's a lot of value right there on top of things that are in common between the cards. And I do value the airport lounge access. There are times where you're in an airport without other good lounge options and you go to an escape club and airspace. lounge, whatever it is, and you're happy that you have that platinum card. So I like all that.

So, yes, for my first platinum card, I think it's worth it. So, and what I mean by that, like, if I was going, if it was like, I would have zero platinum cards or one, then I think it's worth $8.95, and I'm willing to put up with, you know, one card's worth of these, these credits that I have to figure out how to use every year. Going beyond that, like, having a consumer and a business platinum or multiple of each, which I actually currently have multiple of each in my household, I don't want to pay $200 more to have more of a headache of trying to figure out how to use all these credits. So that's where it stands for me. I'll do one. Yeah, you know, I think between my wife and I, I don't know, we probably

have four or five platinum cards at least, and I'm not going to pay essentially, you know, like $4,000 a year and platinum card annual fees for not keeping them all. So I'm not going to not going to use that many FHR credits. You know, I'm a little torn because I agree with you. I think the credits on the consumer side are better as things stand. The 35% rebate, I think, would be strong for people who travel primarily domestically because it gives an opportunity to get good value out of your points for domestic economy trips on your chosen airline.

Essentially, you're getting a little more than one and a half cents per point in value towards your chosen airline. So if you're loyal to a specific airline and you travel a lot, again, I'd say especially domestically. And the reason I qualify it that way is because internationally, you might do better transferring to partners for award tickets. But domestically, for award tickets, one and a half cents is, I mean, that's better than a lot of award tickets. And it gives you access to a wider range of flights because you're not, you know, hamstrung by award availability. So I think the business platinum has a place for some folks with that 35% rebate, even after the change.

But I agree. I think the collection of benefits on the consumer side is better. I'll probably keep one for a year to see if I use the FHR credits, probably. And then it would depend a little bit on what next year looks like. I don't really have next year's travel plans yet. But I'm hesitant because, like I said, I've had a hard time using it this year. And even in places where, like, I'm going to Orlando and there's a bunch of places in Orlando, but the places on FHR and hotel collection are so much more expensive than my other options that it's just not very appealing.

And so that's been my problem with it this year. It's just the places where I've been looking to go. it hasn't really fit. So I'm hesitant moving forward, even though I agree with you. I think it can be well worth the price. I'm not sure that it's going to be for me in future years. Yeah. Yeah. And that's a great way to conclude it. And I just want to add one more thing about the places you go, how that makes such a big difference. Because when my wife and I went to Taipei, there's lots of fine hotels and resorts options there. And a lot of them are very reasonably priced. So I think we booked a hotel that was about $250 a night. And we had a whole bunch of these credits. So we just

booked, you know, back-to-back reservations for our whole stay. So we got most of it back and then got all the benefits, you know, with the free breakfast and all that stuff. So that worked out great. But we don't go to Taipei every time, every year. Right. Right. Or every six months in this case. So yeah, it's going to depend on your travel habits. And we should add to that. Max FHR is a good tool for finding the most reasonably priced FHR properties. So we have a post on that. We should include a link in the show notes to that post so that you can find the more reasonably priced properties

if you want to plan your trips around when you can get a hotel for $200 or $300 a night. Great point. If you love travel, you'll love winglet travel Every Monday I share stories from 75 countries, from backpacking tips, epic adventures and plenty of travel inspiration. Alongside that, I host guest interviews every two weeks. Check it out at voicegate.com.