The best premium card in Canada has its best offer in years — and it’s rare that it gets increased (it doesn’t even happen once a year). It’s your last chance to take advantage of the welcome bonus that has a net value of ≈ $883 (CA$1252) (which can be worth much more) and get unlimited access to VIP airport lounges, automatic hotel elite status, and many more luxury travel benefits.
WARNING: Many people have a normal initial reaction to the best premium card’s high fee, but I assure you that it doesn’t make sense to miss out on it for that — if you take the time to think about it rationally.
I invite you to at least look at the situation from the appropriate angle proposed today. Because airport lounges are really amazing. Points of the more lucrative type are amazing. This deal is absolutely amazing.
Here’s what you need to know about the increased offer, which ends at the end of the day on January 28, 2025.
Overview of the offer
It doesn’t make any sense to deprive yourself of it because of the high fee — knowing how to count is quite simply 1 of the 6 most important things in the world of travel rewards — and I’ll explain that well below.
BUT, however, the American Express Platinum Card has a minimum spending requirement that’s also increased while it has its increased welcome bonus. The requirement is higher than any other card: $7052 (CA$10,000) in just 3 months. That is a good reason not to get it at this moment, if you don’t have that much spending planned. It’s a lot (even with our tips).
As an alternative, the TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card also gives more than $705 (CA$1000) with the welcome bonus AND has just announced the addition of 4 free annual airport lounge passes starting April 30, 2025!!! And there’s no annual fee for the 1st year, so it can be completely free if you want.
That deal is also great if you don’t have that much spending. Or if you aren’t able to be rational about the American Express Platinum Card‘s fee, even when the fee gives a huge bonus, the most lucrative points out there, and incredible benefits (even after reading the 2 scenarios below that should change your mind).
So if you’ve got enough spending planned (the key to planning your travel rewards strategy for 2025 is obviously to know how much you’re going to spend), the American Express Platinum Card is a must-have right now.
You should get the luxurious metal card if you want lounge access and/or a huge amount of points of the more lucrative type with unlimited value.
Appropriate angle to consider the offer
Of course, it’s normal that your initial reaction is to not want to pay a $422 (CA$599) credit card fee! I had that reaction myself on the spot!
But then I analyzed it rationally.
Anyone who isn’t a travel rewards pro thinks it makes no sense to pay $422 (CA$599) for the Amex Platinum Card .
Yet, it’s not wanting to pay $422 (CA$599) that doesn’t make sense when you look at it the right way.
Here’s how.

Scenario you’ve surely done before
I’m guessing you’ve already bought a pair of plane tickets at $212 (CA$300) roundtrip (or 1 ticket at $423 (CA$600) if you’re solo)?
Of course.
You pre-paid for a flight. You pre-paid $423 (CA$600) and in exchange, you get 2 flights in the future. Nobody has ever hesitated to pre-pay $423 (CA$600); it wouldn’t make sense not wanting to do that. It would even be absurd to not want to pre-pay for flights.
Well, getting the American Express Platinum Card is exactly the same principle.
Scenario that’s even savvier
If you’re willing to pre-pay $423 (CA$600) to get 2 flights in the future… you should be willing to pre-pay $422 (CA$599) for 6 flights and incredible travel benefits like unlimited lounge access for 2 years (the current bonus includes a renewal bonus that makes the 2nd year profitable too; both years’ fees are already deducted from our Flytrippers Valuation and your profit is really ≈ $1252)!
If you’re not willing to get a lot more for exactly the same price, it’s just not rational.
With this deal, you pre-pay $422 (CA$599), but instead of getting 2 flights in the future, you get points that give you much more than 2 flights (and the points have literally unlimited value on top of that) AND lots of luxurious benefits for 2 years.
Unlocking the American Express Platinum Card‘s welcome bonus will give you 150,000 American Express points. That’s enough for 6 roundtrip reward flights in the future (or even more)! Way more than just 2, huh?
The points are transferable to Aeroplan and Avios at a rate of 1-to-1, so they can also get you a business-class flight in a luxurious lie-flat pod seat to Europe (roundtrip) worth $2116 (CA$3000) and more! If you choose that, the bonus’ value is obviously a lot higher!
Amex points have unlimited potential value that can give you so much more!!! If you use them right, it can be worth $2116 (CA$3000) even in economy class! That’s the beauty of points of the more lucrative type. Amex points are literally the most lucrative and the best in Canada!
What’s more, the future flights you get are much more flexible than when you buy flights at $423 (CA$600) because you don’t have to book them right away (there’s no time limit for using points, as is almost always the case).
AND most importantly, the American Express Platinum Card will give you 2 full years of incredible travel benefits!
It gives you unlimited free access to the world’s largest network of VIP airport lounges (1400+ lounges) for you and 1 guest, automatic Gold elite status at Marriott (9000+ hotels) and Hilton (7000+ hotels), VIP treatment at independent luxury hotels (2000+ hotels), automatic elite status at Hertz (rental cars), a NEXUS credit to avoid queues in airports, and so much more.
That’s free food and drinks in airports, free upgrades and breakfasts in hotels, time saved at security and customs, and more… the American Express Platinum Card is extraordinary to make your travels more enjoyable.
Realization you should now get to (and link between this offer and being a pro)
So there are 2 scenarios:
- The one you’ve surely already done in the past
- Pre-paying $600 to get:
- 2 flights
- Pre-paying $600 to get:
- The one you thought made no sense
- Pre-paying $599 to get:
- 6 reward flights
- Flexibility to book the flights later
- Option to use the points better and get more value
- Free unlimited access to VIP airport lounges
- Automatic hotel elite status
- Many other benefits
- Pre-paying $599 to get:
I repeat: if pre-paying $423 (CA$600) for 2 flights is logical (and of course it is), pre-paying $422 (CA$599) for 6 flights (or better) and 2 years of luxurious travel benefits with the American Express Platinum Card is even more logical.
Then, after the 2 profitable years with the welcome bonus, not all types of travelers should keep it (as with most cards, but even more so here of course). For those who travel frequently and/or luxuriously, it makes a lot of sense. For others, most likely not.
But it obviously makes a lot of sense to get the American Express Platinum Card for the first 2 years with the huge welcome bonus! As with most cards that have welcome bonuses, really.
It’s the basics of doing math: look at both sides of any equation. Always. Yes, the net fee of $422 (CA$599) is high ($563 (CA$799) minus $141 (CA$200) on day 1), but that’s more than offset by the welcome bonus of $1587 (CA$2250) and the annual dining credit (we give it a conservative valuation of $71 (CA$100) but that gives you $141 (CA$200)).
We’re not saying to not look at the fee. We’re simply saying to look at both sides of the equation. As with any calculation.
This deal happens to be a great test to see if you’re a travel rewards pro or not: you just can’t be a pro if you don’t understand the logic behind this! You can be a pro without wanting the premium cards of course, but you have to at least understand that it doesn’t make sense to look at just the fee!
It’s fine not to be a pro, by the way! If you’re not yet there, you can still get lots of free travel easily (like with the TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card). But we’ll keep trying to help you become a pro!
We’ve always been brutally honest to tell you things how they really are. And if you don’t understand that, to do the math right, you have to look at both sides of an equation… you’ll just never be able to be a pro in this wonderful world of travel rewards. It’s the undeniable reality.
More details on the offer
Our resource page for the American Express Platinum Card has 10+ tabs with lots of information, just like we have for all the other good cards.
To mark the final week of the amazing increased offer, I’m also going to share with you more detailed posts on a few topics related to the American Express Platinum Card:
- Airport lounge benefit of the card
- Elite status benefit of the card
- Logistics of cashing out the $141 (CA$200) travel credit
- Annual dining credit of the card
- How Amex points work
Sign up for our free newsletter specifically for travel rewards to receive it.
If you’d like to ask a question about the deal, you can join us for our monthly live video Q&A about travel rewards this Monday at 9PM (Eastern).
If you prefer, if the answer isn’t in the 10+ information tabs on our resource page (or the information in the tabs isn’t clear to you), I’ll be happy to answer your question if you fill out this form. However, make sure you’ve read our infographic that summarizes the basics of travel rewards.
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Summary
The American Express Platinum Card rarely has an increased welcome bonus; not even once a year. So if you’re interested in the card and its amazing benefits like free unlimited access to airport lounges, grab it before the offer expires at the end of the day on January 28, 2025.
What would you like to know about this amazing offer? Tell us in the comments below.
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