American Express UK Platinum card

The card, its fee and who can apply

American Express lists The Platinum Card® with a £650 annual fee. [3] [5] The representative example published alongside it shows a purchase rate of 29.1% p.a. (variable), a representative APR of 685.3% APR variable and an assumed credit limit of £1,200; the issuer states that the credit limit and interest rates depend on its credit assessment and may differ from those shown. [3] [5]

The application page refers to "the new Platinum Credit Card", and the hotel programme terms refer to Cardmembers who hold "The Platinum Card (Credit)". [3]

To apply, American Express asks that applicants be 18 or over, hold a current UK bank or building society account, have a permanent UK home address, have no history of bad debt and earn at least £35,000 a year; approval is subject to status. [3] [5] The card page also states that an applicant will not be eligible for a welcome bonus if they hold or have held any personal Membership Rewards-enrolled American Express card in the past 24 months. [3] The first Platinum Supplementary Card is provided at no additional charge, and an annual fee of £285 applies to each additional Platinum Supplementary Card. [3]

Earning and holding Membership Rewards points

The card earns 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent, with 1 additional point per £1 at American Express Travel Online, and purchases made by a supplementary Cardmember also earn points. [3] Membership Rewards is American Express's own loyalty programme, available on selected American Express cards, and points are earned for every full pound of eligible spend. [4]

Several kinds of spending are excluded. American Express lists interest, all fees including annual membership and default fees, balance transfers, cash advances including transactions treated as cash, loading of prepaid cards, travellers cheque purchases, foreign exchange transactions, and amounts later credited back as refunds or other credits as ineligible for points; the card page also names late-payment, referral and returned-payment charges. [3] [4]

Points can be used at online retailers through SafeKey, at Amazon.co.uk, through PayPal, to donate to UK charities via JustGiving, to reduce the monthly card balance, to cover a card purchase, to buy gift cards, or to book travel through American Express Travel. [4] American Express quotes 1,000 points = £4.50 for the pay-with-points options and 1,000 points = £5 for gift cards. [4] Points can also be transferred to airline and hotel loyalty partners; transfers are irreversible, points can only go to an account in the member's own name, there is no limit to the number of partner programmes that can be linked, and American Express asks members to allow up to 14 days to verify an account. [4]

Inviting a friend who is approved earns at least 12,000 bonus points, up to 90,000 points a year. [3] More detail sits on the Membership Rewards UK page.

Travel benefits and statement credits

Lounge access. Cardmembers receive complimentary access to more than 1,550 airport lounges in over 140 countries, including American Express's own lounges, through the American Express Global Lounge Collection®. [3] Priority Pass lounge entry requires a valid Priority Pass membership in the cardmember's name, a boarding pass for same-day travel and government-issued ID; the main Cardmember and a Platinum Supplementary Cardmember may each bring up to one guest at no cost, further guests are charged at the prevailing rate to the card, and guest policies vary by location. [3] Priority Pass cards and welcome packs are sent separately and should arrive within 28 days of card approval. [3] Four complimentary lounge pre-booking entitlements apply in 2025, and eight complimentary pre-booking entitlements per calendar year apply from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027. [3] Priority Pass itself sells annual memberships at US$99, US$329 and US$469, describes a network of 1,900+ lounges and experiences in over 600 cities and 143 countries, and notes that access is subject to space availability and that pre-booking is available at select locations for a small fee. [6] See the Global Lounge Collection page for the wider network.

Insurance. Worldwide travel insurance covers the cardmember and supplementary cardmembers, including their partners and dependent children under 25, for trips of up to 90 days. [3] Some benefits require the trip or item to be paid for with the card, the medical assistance and expenses cover does not apply at 70 years of age or above, and pre-existing medical conditions are excluded unless they appear on the accepted conditions list. [3]

Hotels and car hire. Fine Hotels + Resorts bookings made through American Express Travel include noon check-in and room upgrade subject to availability, daily breakfast for two worth at least US$60 per room per day, and a property-specific experience credit, applied per room per stay with a three-room limit. [3] American Express quotes an average total benefit value of US$600 for Fine Hotels + Resorts, based on 2022 bookings for two-night stays, and states that the actual value varies. [3] The Hotel Collection gives a credit of US$1 per eligible US dollar spent, up to US$100, on new bookings of two or more consecutive nights made online through americanexpress.com/en-gb/travel, excluding taxes, gratuities, fees and the room cost. [3] Enrolment also brings Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite, MeliáRewards Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and ALL Accor Gold status, and free enrolment in the Avis Loyalty Programme and Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, where Hertz benefits include up to 15% off standard rates, one car-class upgrade subject to availability and up to a four-hour grace period on return. [3]

Dining credits. The Global Dining statement credit offers up to £200 a year at UK participating restaurants and a further £200 at participating restaurants abroad, each split into £100 for January to June and £100 for July to December, from a selection of more than 2,000 restaurants globally. [3] Enrolment is required and the benefit runs from the date it is saved to the card until 31 December 2026. [3] Cardmembers and Platinum Supplementary Cardmembers can also get savings on selected first, business and premium economy tickets with participating airlines on designated international flights booked through American Express Travel. [3]

Limits and exclusions

• Points can still be lost. Membership Rewards points have no expiration date, but if a member ends the card account and has no other linked cards on the points account, they have 30 days from the request to redeem or the points are forfeited; if American Express cancels or ends the account, unredeemed points are lost; and if a monthly payment is missed, the points earned in the previous month are forfeited. [4]
• Dining credit limits. Supplementary Cardmembers are not eligible, only the meal charge counts, booking fees and deposits paid towards a meal do not, and transactions made through payment facilitators are excluded. [3]
• Lounge guests. The no-cost allowance is one guest each for the main Cardmember and a Platinum Supplementary Cardmember, additional guests are charged to the card, and lounge access may be subject to availability or wait times. [3]
• Hotel bookings. Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection benefits require new bookings paid with an American Express card in the eligible Cardmember's name, the Cardmember must travel on the itinerary booked, the account must not be cancelled, and credits are applied at check-out in US dollars or the local currency equivalent and cannot be redeemed for cash. [3]
• Welcome bonus rule. The 24-month restriction applies to applicants who hold or have held any personal Membership Rewards-enrolled American Express card, and approval remains subject to status. [3]

Related pages

Rewards: Amex Membership Rewards UK. Lounges: American Express Global Lounge Collection, Amex Centurion Lounge, Platinum lounge access. Terms: charge card, glossary.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. The sources cover the UK consumer Platinum card and the UK Membership Rewards programme; American Express business, corporate and invitation-only cards are not covered.

1. The Platinum Card® product page, American Express UK, checked 18 October 2026
2. Membership Rewards® programme page and FAQs, American Express UK, checked 18 October 2026
3. Credit cards overview and representative examples, American Express UK, checked 18 October 2026
4. Priority Pass airport lounge access membership page, checked 18 October 2026