This Huge Amex Platinum Welcome Bonus Offer Could Pay for Your Next Vacation

Published on Jan. 23, 2026

Joel O'Leary

By: Joel O'Leary

Full-Time Personal Finance Writer

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Right now, the American Express Platinum Card® is offering a massive welcome offer -- potentially enough to cover your next full trip. If you've been eyeing a vacation, this could be the time to stack up a six-figure pile of points.

Here's how to check your eligibility -- and why this card is one of the most powerful travel tools out there in 2026.

How the current Platinum Card® offer works

The American Express Platinum Card® has one of the biggest offers we've seen so far in 2026.

Apply and find out if you are eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

Since the welcome offer can be different for each person, you'll see your actual offer during the application process. The good news is there's no credit score impact to check. If you're approved and choose to accept the card, your score may be impacted.

Translation: There's no harm in seeing what you qualify for.

American Express Platinum Card®

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American Express Platinum Card®
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4.90/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent
Apply Now for American Express Platinum Card®

On American Express' Secure Website.

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Credit Score Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

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Rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®. 1X Membership Rewards® Points on other purchases. Terms apply.

1X-5X Membership Rewards® Points

Annual Fee

$895

Welcome Offer Circle with letter I in it. You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

As High As 175,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

  • The American Express Platinum Card® isn’t just a credit card — it’s a status symbol. With over $3,500 in annual credits like $400 for dining with Resy, $600 in luxury hotel stays, and $300 in digital entertainment, plus VIP access to 1,550 airport lounges and automatic Hilton and Marriott Bonvoy elite status (enrollment required), it delivers prestige few cards can match. The fee is steep, but for those who want the best, the Platinum Card® can more than pay for itself — starting with a powerful welcome offer. Terms apply.

    Read Full Review
    • Big welcome offer
    • Substantial spending credits
    • Airport lounge access
    • Hotel benefits
    • Flexible travel points
    • Annual fee
    • Limited bonus categories
    • Spending credits can be complicated to manage
    • You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
    • Get more for your travels with 5X Membership Rewards® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings. You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
    • More Value! With over 1,550 airport lounges - more than any other credit card company on the market* - enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection®, over $850 of annual value, with access to Centurion Lounges, 10 complimentary Delta Sky Club® visits when flying on an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations), Priority Pass Select membership (enrollment required), and other select partner lounges. * As of 07/2025.
    • More Value! $200 Uber Cash + $120 Uber One Credit: With the Platinum Card® you can receive $15 in Uber Cash each month plus a bonus $20 in December when you add your Platinum Card® to your Uber account to use on rides and orders in the U.S when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. Plus, when you use the Platinum Card® to pay for an auto-renewing Uber One membership, you can get up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year. Terms apply.
    • More Value! $300 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $25 in statement credits each month after you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card® at participating partners. Enrollment required.
    • More Value! $600 Hotel Credit: Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection* bookings through American Express Travel® using the Platinum Card®. *The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
    • New! $400 Resy Credit + Platinum Nights by Resy: When you use the Platinum Card® to pay at U.S. Resy restaurants and to make other eligible purchases through Resy, you can get up to $100 in statement credits each quarter with the $400 Resy Credit benefit. Plus, with Platinum Nights by Resy, you can get special access to reservations on select nights at participating in demand Resy restaurants with the Platinum Card®. Simply add your eligible Card to your Resy profile to book and discover Platinum Nights reservations near you, enrollment required.
    • More Value! $209 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps get you to your gate faster by using unique facial attributes to verify you are you at 50+ airports nationwide. You can cover the cost of a CLEAR Plus Membership* with up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR Plus with the Platinum Card®. *Excluding any applicable taxes and fees. Subject to auto-renewal.
    • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to the Platinum Card® Account*. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
    • Start your vacation sooner, and keep it going longer. When you book Fine Hotels + Resorts® through American Express Travel®, enjoy noon check-in upon arrival, when available, and guaranteed 4PM check-out.
    • New! $300 lululemon Credit: Enjoy up to $75 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card® for eligible purchases at U.S. lululemon retail stores (excluding outlets) and lululemon.com. That’s up to $300 in statement credits each calendar year. Enrollment required.
    • $155 Walmart+ Credit: Receive a statement credit* for one monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) after you pay for Walmart+ each month with the Platinum Card®.*Up to $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Ups not eligible.
    • $100 Saks Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue or saks.com on the Platinum Card®. That’s up to $50 in statement credits from January through June and up to $50 in statement credits from July through December. No minimum purchase required. Enrollment required.
    • Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
    • $895 annual fee.
    • Terms Apply.

What the max 175,000 points could cover

Amex Membership Rewards points are some of the most versatile in the game. You can transfer them to airline and hotel partners, book travel directly, or even use them to erase travel purchases through Amex Travel.

Here's a rough idea of what 175,000 points could get you (estimated by Motley Fool Money):

  • Round-trip flight to Europe -- around 60,000 to 90,000 points
  • Three nights at a luxury hotel in Tokyo -- roughly 60,000 to 85,000 points
  • Domestic flights + rental car for a week -- about 90,000 to 120,000 points
  • 7-night Alaskan cruise -- between 60,000 and 85,000 points

The exact value of each Amex point varies based on how you redeem them. For most flights you'll find points are worth $0.01 each, but you can stretch that up to 2X with transfer partners and some special hotel offers (as estimated by Motley Fool Money).

That means with a little strategy, it's not hard to get $1,750 to $2,000+ in travel value from a top-end welcome offer. That's a pretty huge chunk of travel costs covered.

Why it's worth it (even with the annual fee)

The Platinum Card® comes with a $895 annual fee (see rates and fees), which is high even for a luxury credit card.

But for frequent travelers or even once-a-year vacationers, the perks can easily outweigh the cost. Here's what you get beyond the welcome offer:

  • $600 Hotel Credit -- Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings (two-night minimum on THC).
  • $400 Resy Credit -- Up to $100 back quarterly on eligible Resy dining purchases.
  • $300 lululemon Credit -- Enjoy up to $75 in statement credits each quarter for eligible lululemon purchases.
  • $200 Oura Ring credit -- Up to $200 back each year when you use the Platinum Card® to purchase an Oura ring through Oura.
  • $300 Digital Entertainment Credit -- More than before, covering services like Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Peacock, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.
  • Access to over 1,550 airport lounges -- more than any other credit card company on the market.
  • Terms apply; enrollment may be required

And that's just the beginning. There's actually more than $3,500 in annual value packed into this card -- not including the value of your welcome offer or points earned on spending.

Check your personalized offer today

Starting an application won't impact your credit score -- you'll see your exact welcome offer first and if you are pre-approved. Only if you choose to accept the card will the application officially move forward and potentially affect your credit.

This is one of the biggest welcome offers we've seen on the Platinum Card®, and it's packed with premium travel perks that can pay for themselves (and then some).

Check your eligibility and dive into our full American Express Platinum Card® review here.

Our Research Expert

Joel O'Leary
Joel O'Leary icon-button-linkedin-2x

Joel O’Leary is a full-time Personal Finance Writer at Motley Fool Money, covering credit cards, bank accounts, investing, mortgages, and other personal finance topics. Joel has been writing about personal finance since 2018, previously leading editorial content for the How To Money podcast and serving as a resident writer at Budgets Are Sexy. He bought his first rental property at age 18, funding the down payment with savings from his high school job at McDonald’s -- a testament to his lifelong passion for smart money decisions. His work aims to make personal finance accessible and actionable for everyday readers. When he’s not writing, Joel enjoys surfing and spending time with his family.