The American Express Platinum Card and the American Express Business Platinum Card have many elite status benefits. It automatically gives you elite status with hotel chains and even a rental car company, without you having to meet the regular requirements. So you get amazing free VIP treatment and many perks during your trips.
These cards also have a separate benefit that gives you an experience that’s very similar to the elite hotel statuses: the Fine Hotels + Resorts benefit. It’s the same principle but at 2000+ luxury hotels only. I’ll do a separate post for this; it works very differently.
Here’s a teaser of the elite status benefits of the Amex Platinum Card and Amex Business Platinum Card.
Overview of Amex Platinum elite status benefits
Firstly, the elite status benefit is exactly the same for the Amex Platinum Card and the Amex Business Platinum Card (as is the Amex Platinum airport lounge access benefit).
Here are the basics of the elite status benefits included:
- Elite status with hotel chains
- Marriott Bonvoy Gold (9000+ hotels)
- Hilton Honors Gold (7000+ hotels)
- Elite status with a rental car company
- Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star (8000+ locations)
Elite status is really more interesting with the hotel chains: the benefits are better, and there’s a much greater chance that Marriott and Hilton will be your best hotel option anyway.
But it’s still nice to have the one for rental cars: it’s free and included! The world of travel rewards is infinitely less interesting when it comes to rental cars, and this is just another example.
Here are a few examples of the perks of hotel elite status:
- Bonus points
- Free room upgrades
- Free late check-outs
- Free breakfasts
- Priority queues
Marriott and Hilton are the world’s 2 largest hotel chains (by number of rooms). That makes your trips incredibly more enjoyable (and even more affordable) at 15,000+ hotels! Both statuses are interesting; the most interesting depends on your personal preference.
Hilton Gold status is higher up the status pyramid than Marriott Gold and has better benefits. But Marriott is by far the best hotel chain rewards program for Canadians.
(It’s that Marriott points are so much easier to earn! Thanks to the only card that’s for all travelers without exception — the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card — and a better transfer rate of American Express Membership Rewards points, either from the Amex Platinum Card or 5 other Amex cards!)
Here are a few examples of the perks of car rental elite status:
- Priority queues
- 4 free additional rental hours
- 2nd driver free (partner)
- Vehicle class upgrades
- Small discounts on rentals
- Bonus points
Elite status with the Hertz rental car company doesn’t have as great an impact, because Hertz isn’t often the cheapest. Personally, I don’t find these benefits worth paying more for (unlike hotel benefits).
But one time, I got to the Hertz counter at the airport, and there was just 1 employee and 10 customers waiting in line (who all seemed frustrated about waiting so long)… When I bypassed them all and was out in 2 minutes, I really did appreciate this elite status!
(The Amex site lists “Avis Preferred” as another rental car elite status benefit, but it’s not an elite status. Everyone who creates a free Avis account becomes an “Avis Preferred” member! You can still activate that Amex benefit as it gives you some perks even if it’s not an elite status per se!)
Here’s how the Amex Platinum elite status benefits work:
- You must have one of the 2 cards that have the benefits
- You must activate the elite statuses manually
- Only once at the beginning
- Automatically renews each year
- You can activate the elite statuses easily online
- Like almost everything in the world of travel rewards
- Log in and then go to the status benefits page
- You become an elite member of the programs in question
- Amex no longer has nothing to do with anything
- Amex just gives you the status for free
- You’re entitled to all the normal perks of these statuses
- Even if you get it for free, it’s not a different or inferior status
- It’s the same as if you’d earned it the real way
- You get statuses that are mid-level
- It’s far from the highest elite levels of the programs
- But it’s infinitely better than not having elite status
- You lose the elite statuses if you close the card
- You have the card = you have the benefits
- You don’t have the card = you don’t have the benefits
Essentially, Amex Platinum elite status benefits mean you don’t have to meet the normal requirements for elite status in any of the 3 rewards programs!
Therefore, these are great benefits that have a tangible impact on the quality of your trips, without costing you a penny more.
Don’t miss our ultimate guide to this benefit soon!
In the meantime, you can read our guide to the best of all the Amex Platinum elite status benefits: Marriott Bonvoy elite status.
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Summary
The elite status benefits of the American Express Platinum Card and American Express Business Platinum Card give you automatic elite status with the Marriott and Hilton hotel chains and with the Hertz rental car company.
What would you like to know about the American Express Platinum elite status benefits? Tell us in the comments below.
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