Amex Platinum Questions

[Mamba22]

Last week (August 2nd), Amex emailed me, inviting me to apply for the Platinum card with a SUB of 150k membership points. I am currently 8/24, will be 4/24 in February then 3/24 in May. I want to get the CSP and consider that as the immediate goal and the platinum later on when I can travel more because I didn't think I would qualify currently. My questions are for those who have the Platinum, CSP, or both cards. Are 150k points for the Platinum SUB rare and something I should take advantage of now? The Platinum card has many credits that I would use, but when it comes to booking travel, are transferring points to partners better than using the portal? Lastly, as someone who travels 2-3x/year, sometimes with family, is the Platinum a worthwhile card, or is it truly meant for those who routinely travel many more times a year?

They gave me a deadline at the end of this month.

[Jordan23ww]

The 150K Amex Platinum offer is one of the highest offers ever made for the Platinum.  There's a chance it could go higher but there's always the possiblilty it could also go lower. As someone who normally travels 2 to 3 times a year, but who hasn't traveled much since the pandemic began in 2020 I was hesitant to get the Platinum.  Amex put out the 150K offer though and so I decided to pick it up. I just got back from my 2nd trip of the year, and both trips the hotel was paid for entirely with points.  I think there's a great chance you might get your money's worth if you decide to pick it up.  So far I don't regret my decision.  Even if you don't keep the card long term I think in year 1 it can definitely be worth it. Definitely do what works best for you, because the annual fee on the Platinum is a lot more than the CSP. Best wishes to you with whatever you decide to do! Hopefully this helps!   

[pizzadude]

Good points above, it is possible that you'd get your money's work for the AF if you closely scrutinize the perks and can really use them in a year. 

Someone posted recently in this thread about a 170K MR points for the Business Platinum Charge Card, no idea if they'll ever up the personal offers to that level, but I think 150K is quite good assuming you can meet the minimum spend requirements. 

[W261w261]

If you eat out a lot, check out RESY.com.  If you apply for the Plat through them, the SUB is "only" 125k pts, BUT you get a big 10x pts for the first 6 mos of dining up to 25k spend.  I spend way too much eating out, so that was a biggie for me, I valued it at $1500 at least on top of what I would get with my Gold (4x). RESY is a reservation site owned by Amex.  Look at the upper right of the home page for the link.  They're featuring 3 cards, BCE (kicked off the Green),  Gold and Plat.  It's just a gateway to Amex, no difference other than the superior SUB.  For you, maybe the extra 25k pts is better than the dining reward.