One of the most useful benefits of aAmerican Express PlatinumCredit card, and one that really helps me justify the £575 fee is the Fine Hotels & Resorts scheme.
as a reminderAmerican Express Platinum offers a generous sign-up bonus.Here is the latest offer:
American Express Platinum Card
Bonus: 30,000 points
Read our full review
Sign-up Bonus and Win Rate:
- Earn 30,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £4,000 in three months
- Earn 1 Membership Rewards point for every £1 spent
- 1:1 points transfer to Avios, Virgin Points and other airline and hotel programs
Other information:
- Two Priority Pass cards, each allowing two people access to 1,400 airport lounges
- Elite status in four major hotel loyalty programs
- All-risk travel insurance
- Restaurant credit of £300 a year
- £100 a year for Harvey Nichols
- Annual fee: £575
Representative458,2% TAEvariable based on an assumed credit limit of £1,200 and an annual fee of £575.28,8% TAEVariable.
apply here
See if you qualify for the 30,000 point sign-up bonus+
You receive 30,000 American Express Membership Rewards points as a Platinum Card sign-up bonus.if you spend £4,000 within three months of signing up.
Membership Rewards points are very flexible. You can use them on Avios, Virgin Flying Club or other airlines (in a 1:1 ratio) or on various hotel programmes, Club Eurostar or gift vouchers.
This is the ONLY personal American Express card that will still qualify you for the bonus if you already have a British Airways American Express card.
To qualify for the bonus, you must NOT have any other personal American Express card that earns Membership Rewards points, currently or in the past 24 months. These include the Platinum Card and Preferred Rewards Gold.
It's okay if you have an additional card on someone else's American Express account.
It's OK if you have or have had another American Express card in the last 24 months, including British Airways, Marriott and Nectar cards.
If you cancel your Platinum Card at any time, you will receive a prorated refund of your membership fee.You will not lose your sign-up bonus.
To be clear, you can apply for the Platinum card even if you don't qualify for the bonus. You would still benefit from the long list of other perks.
More information about card benefits+
The American Express Platinum Card offers an unparalleled list of benefits for the avid traveller.
Which one is the most valuable depends on your personal travel habits. The main advantages are:
Comprehensive travel insurance for you, your family and the additional cardholder's family, when contracted
Dopriority passEach card grants the cardholder and one guest free, unlimited access to 1,400 airport lounges
Elite status in four major hotel loyalty programs: Marriott Bonvoy (Gold), Hilton Honors (Gold), Radisson Rewards (Premium), MeliaRewards (Gold)
Access to Eurostar lounges regardless of travel class
£150 a year to spend in over 160 UK restaurants
£150 a year to spend in over 1,200 international restaurants
£100 a year to spend at Harvey Nichols, in-store or online (no minimum spend required)
Restaurant credits of £300 a year: £150 to spend in over 150 UK restaurants and £150 to spend in over 1,200 restaurants outside the UK
Bonus criteria for Platinum are more flexible than with other American Express cards. You can receive the bonus as long as you don't have a personal card that has accumulated Membership Rewards points in the last 24 months.
You get the bonus if your only Amex cards are British Airways Amex, Marriott Amex, Nectar Amex, Platinum Cashback or Business Gold / Business Platinum within the last 2 years.
OurThe full Platinum Card review can be found here. He canapply here.
How does American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts work?
The FCF as it is known isa collection of 1,300 luxury hotels worldwide committed to offering special benefits to American Express Platinum cardholdersif you book through Amex Travel.
These special perks vary in usefulness, to be honest, but they add up. They are:
- Check-in at 12:00, if available(I don't appreciate it! I want it for sure or it's useless).
- Room upgrade upon arrivalif available (can be very good but not guaranteed)
- Complimentary breakfast for two.(very valuable in expensive hotels)
- Check-out GARANTIDO 16h00(very valuable)
- Free WiFi in the room(Valuable, many luxury hotels still like to charge)
- An additional benefit worth $100, usually a $100 food and beverage credit per stay
For a complete list of participating FHR hotels, visit this dedicated Amex site.
Where FHR really works for me is guaranteed 4pm. M. If you take a short vacation with an evening flight home, you don't want to leave your hotel at noon. Yes, the hotel will store your bag for you, but that's not the same as having full access to your room.
On our occasional trips to the Four Seasons Hampshire, as pictured above,Using FCF allows us to stay one night less and save a significant amount. With young children in tow, there's not much going on in the evening, so departure at 4pm. M. from the previous day does not make much difference to the departure the next morning.
Another situation in which the FCF stands out is overnight stays..The value here can be incredible. Let's say you pay £175 for a standard room at a city hotel via FHR, like you used to at the Park Hyatt Hamburg (now sadly closed). Receive a complimentary breakfast AND a $100 food and beverage credit AND 4 PM guaranteed. M. And a possible improvement. Your chances of upgrading also increase for a one-night stay, as the hotel doesn't need to have a better room available for multiple nights. You can clearly see how you can add real value here.
The big downside of Fine Hotels & Resorts is the price. Prices appear to be predetermined, so it's possible that the FHR price will be higher than the highest flex price on the hotel's website when the hotel starts discounting. However, for a shorter stay, the $100 food and beverage credit usually pays off, and you still get the benefit of free breakfast, late check-out, and a possible upgrade. However, I also had cases where the FCF rate was lower than the rate online.
UK Platinum members must book throughreise.americanexpress.co.uk– Make sure you are logged in, otherwise FHR rates will not be displayed.
Warning: Be careful when paying in advance for Fine Hotels & Resorts reservations
When making a reservation with Fine Hotels & Resorts you have two options: pay now or pay at checkout.
If your hotel is part of a hotel chain, you will NOT receive hotel loyalty points or elite benefits if you choose to prepay.
The only way to earn loyalty points and elite benefits is to pay at checkout.
The only good reason to prepay would be if you have Amex travel credit to use toward an Amex promotion, or if there is no way to earn points or claim elite benefits for your stay (eg, a Four Seasons reservation). .
Don't have an American Express Platinum card?
If you don't have an Amex Platinum card,You can get similar benefits for luxury hotel stays by using a Virtuoso Group memberby luxury travel agencies to make your reservation.
Emyr Thomas, our hotel booking partner, can access these offers:You can read more about Emyr's services here.
The main difference is the late check-out (Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts guarantees it, while Virtuoso does not) and the price. Virtuoso guarantees that you will not pay more than the Best Flexible Rate advertised on the hotel's website.
Would you like to earn more points with credit cards? - April 2023 update
If you're looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations.based on current sign-up bonuses.
In February 2022,Barclaycard has introduced two exciting new cards, the Barclaycard Avios Mastercardwith a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios.Here you can apply.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
25,000 Avios per entry and an upgrade bonus for spending £10,000Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
5,000 Avios per entry and an upgrade bonus for spending £20,000Read our full review
You can seeOur full list of all UK cards that earn points on airlines or hotels can be found here. Here are the best deals currently available.
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
25,000 Avios and the famous 2-4-1 annual bonusRead our full review
American Express Preferred Rewards Ouro
Your best starting card: 20,000 points, FREE for one year and four airport passesRead our full review
American Express Platinum Card
30,000 points and unbeatable travel benefits for one feeRead our full review
Belohnung+ Virgin Atlantic Mastercard
15,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every €1 spentRead our full review
Earn miles and points with small business cards
If you are a sole proprietor or run a small business, you can also check out these lists:
American Express Business Platinum
Bonus 40,000 points and an Amex travel credit of £200 per yearRead our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 point sign-up bonus and free for one yearRead our full review
British Airways accelerates business with American Express
Sign-up bonus of 30,000 Avios plus annual bonus up to 30,000 AviosRead our full review
Capital On Tap Business Rewards-Visum
Get a bonus of 10,000 points plus 500 extra points for our readersRead our full review
As a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select cashback card for individual merchants and small businesses. It's FREE and you get 1% back on your spend.
Barclaycard Choose cashback credit card
1% cashback and no annual feeRead our full review
Category
American Express Platinum-Karte