The Platinum Card® from American Express has one of the highest annual fees of any travel rewards card at $895 (rates & fees), so it’s easy to assume it’s only worth it for luxury trips or frequent travelers.
But I’d argue it’s one of the most useful cards in my wallet for family travel. When I’m traveling with my family of 5, the value of benefits such as lounge access, hotel perks, travel protections, and bonus points on airfare adds up quickly.
Here’s how the Amex Platinum card fits into my family travel strategy and how its perks help save money and add convenience to family trips.
1. Airfare Rewards Add Up Quickly
Traveling as a family is more costly than traveling solo or as a couple, and perks that might seem minor for 1 or 2 people make a bigger impact when I’m booking for 5. The cost of flights, airport meals, hotel stays, and rental cars multiplies, and savings from card benefits can add up to hundreds of dollars on a single trip.
Checked bag fees, seat selections, and hotel breakfasts all work the same way, and the more people you’re traveling with, the more valuable money-saving perks become on the Amex Platinum card.
While I don’t use my Amex Platinum card for everyday spending, I almost always use it when booking flights. So while costs multiply with family travel, so can the rewards.
The Amex Platinum card earns 5 Membership Rewards points per $1 on airfare booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. That multiplier is especially useful when you’re buying multiple tickets.
When I book flights for my family, I’m paying for 5 round-trip tickets. For example, a $1,000 airfare purchase earns 5,000 Membership Rewards points. We value Membership Rewards points at 2.2 cents each, so 5,000 points are worth $110 for future travel.
2. Airport Lounge Access Makes Travel Days Easier and Cheaper
Airport lounge access is one of the most valuable benefits of the Amex Platinum card for my family. Snacks, drinks, and full meals at the airport add up quickly when you’re traveling with kids, but lounge access gives us a place to relax and eat without having to spend at airport restaurants.
Instead of spending $50 to $100 on food at the airport, we can fill up at the lounge. It also gives us a quiet place to rest and charge our devices, so we are better prepared for our flight.
The Amex Platinum card includes access to the Global Lounge Collection, which includes Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges (upon enrollment), Escape Lounges, and 10 visits to the Delta Sky Clubs when flying Delta the same day. Unless you spend $75,000 on the card per year, lounge access is only for the primary cardholder at Centurion Lounges and Delta Sky Clubs.
However, Priority Pass and Escape lounges typically allow you to bring up to 2 guests. Since we travel as a family of 5, I can’t get everyone in with a single card.
My husband has The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, which has the same lounge access as the Amex Platinum card (upon enrollment).
That way, I can bring 2 kids into a Priority Pass or Escape lounge, and he can get himself and another kid in with his membership. When we travel without our kids, we visit Centurion Lounges together.
Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer as high as 300,000 points with the Amex Business Platinum card. Find out your offer. Terms Apply.
3. Hotel Benefits Offer Savings and Comfort
The Amex Platinum card includes Gold status with Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy and Leaders Club Sterling status after enrollment, further enhancing family travel. Elite status perks such as early check-in, late checkout, room upgrades, property credits, and free breakfast can chip away at family travel costs and add comfort.
With Hilton Honors Gold, we get space-available room upgrades and a daily food and beverage credit or continental breakfast at eligible properties. Marriott Bonvoy Gold offers room upgrades and 2 p.m. late checkout, while Leaders Club Sterling status includes early check-in and late checkout considerations and 5 prearrival upgrades annually.
It’s great to get into our room early to settle in and have some quiet time, or stay late and have an easier start to our day with late checkout. We’ve enjoyed mornings at resort pools with late checkouts, knowing we can go back to our room to shower and change after, instead of using a hotel bathroom.
Another hotel benefit of the Amex Platinum card is access to Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection bookings on AmexTravel.com. These bookings typically include perks such as a $100 property credit, room upgrades, early check-in and late checkout, and daily breakfast for 2 guests.
The card also offers a $600 annual credit for qualifying stays with Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection, so we can save on luxury hotel nights. Note that a 2-night minimum stay is required for The Hotel Collection bookings.
Room upgrades can also make our space more comfortable. It’s nice to have a room with a view or a balcony, and larger rooms can give us more space to enjoy ourselves without feeling cramped. Dining credits and breakfast for 2 don’t cover our whole family, but it lowers the cost of dining at the hotel.
4. Rental Car Status Helps With Larger Vehicles
My family can fit in a standard car as long as there are 5 seats, but it’s better for everyone when our kids aren’t shoulder to shoulder in the back seat. Booking an SUV or minivan can cost more than a standard or compact vehicle, but rental car status can help offset that.
The Amex Platinum card offers elite status with rental car companies after enrollment, including Hertz President’s Circle, Avis Preferred Plus, and National Emerald Club Executive. These statuses offer benefits such as faster pickup and occasional upgrades.
I typically book rental cars with National Car Rental because the airport pickup experience is easy. Instead of standing in line to visit a rental car counter, I can go to the Emerald Aisle or Executive Area in the garage to pick any rental car, as long as I book the midsize rate.
We see various vehicles in these aisles, but have reliably found minivans and SUVs that comfortably accommodate our family. Once we’ve chosen a vehicle, we can drive to the exit kiosk, show my driver’s license, and quickly get on our way.
After a long travel day with kids, skipping the rental counter and driving off in a new minivan with space for everyone feels like a small miracle.
5. Travel Protections Give Me Peace of Mind
When you’re managing travel for 5 people, eventually something will go wrong. Coverage for delays, lost bags, and cancellations can keep a bad travel day from turning into an expensive one.
The Amex Platinum card offers numeroustravel protections, including trip cancellation and interruption coverage, trip delay insurance, baggage protection, and rental car coverage. These protections can make travel snags easier to deal with.
For example, costs can add up when we’re buying meals and booking a hotel for multiple people if our flight is delayed. Likewise, replacing clothes and toiletries for 5 people can get expensive fast if we have lost or delayed luggage.
Hot Tip: Apply and find out if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer of as high as 175,000 points with the Amex Platinum. Welcome offers may vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
6. Benefits Help at Home, Too
Although the Amex Platinum card offers helpful benefits for family travel, some of its statement credits help with everyday family expenses, whether we are at home or on the go.
The up-to-$300 annual digital entertainment credit (enrollment required) helps cover our streaming subscriptions for Disney+ and Peacock, which everyone in the family uses wherever we have Wi-Fi. We would have paid for these subscriptions anyway, so that credit offers direct savings.
We also use the monthly Uber Cash credits for Uber Eats orders when we haven’t used them for rides, making it easier to pick up a family dinner without paying the full cost. With the Amex Platinum card, you get up to $200 annual Uber Cash ($15 per month with a $20 bonus in December, valid on U.S. rides and Uber Eats orders, you must add your card to your Uber account and pay with an Amex card to earn and redeem this benefit).
If we want to dine out, the up-to-$400 annual Resy credit (enrollment required) gives us up to $100 per quarter to use at numerous restaurants, whether it’s for a family meal while traveling or a local spot at home.
The up-to-$300 annual lululemon credit is good for clothing purchases, and Walmart+ membership benefits include free delivery, free shipping, and access to Paramount+ Essentials. We use Walmart+ for grocery deliveries at home and on the road. Enrollment is required for both benefits.
Final Thoughts
The Amex Platinum card has a high $895 annual fee, but the benefits pay off every year for my family because they make travel easier and more comfortable and typically offer savings. Perks such as bonus points on airfare, lounge access, hotel credits, and rental car status go a long way to level up family vacations.