The Platinum Card® from American Express is one of the best travel cards available, and it's loaded with a host of luxury perks. Cardholders receive up to $1,500+ in annual statement credits, various travel and purchase protections and airport lounge access.
If these benefits are appealing to you, you'll want to do everything you can to maximize your approval odds. Knowing what credit score you'll need to qualify for the American Express Platinum Card® is an important first step.
The American Express Platinum card
The Platinum Card® from American Express
On the American Express secure site
Rewards
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, 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel, 1X points on all other eligible purchases
Welcome bonus
Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
Annual fee
$695
Intro APR
None
Regular APR
See Pay Over Time APR
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit Needed
Excellent/Good
See rates and fees, terms apply.
Read our The Platinum Card® from American Express review.
Pros
- Up to $200 in annual airline fee credits
- $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
- Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two-night stay, through American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peaco*ck, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
- $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month.
Cons
- $695 annual fee
- No special financing offers on new purchases
The American Express Platinum Card® is a premium card with a range of benefits that can make paying its $695 annual fee worth it (see rates and fees). This card offers statement credits for:
- Walmart+: Up to $155 annually (Subject to auto renewel)
- Saks Fifth Avenue: Up to $100 annually*
- Equinox: Up to $300 annually*
- Select digital entertainment services: Up to $240 annually*
- Airline fees: Up to $200 annually
- Trusted traveler programs: Up to $189 annually for CLEAR® Plus and up to $100 every four years for Global Entry or up to $85 every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck
- Uber: Up to $200 annually (Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only.)
- Hotels (Fine Hotels & Resorts® and The Hotel Collection): Up to $200 annually; Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
*(Enrollment required)
If you spend in just half of these categories and maximize the credits, it won't be hard to offset the cost of keeping the card.
It also earns American Express Membership Rewards points, which are useful for booking various types of travel. You can use Membership Rewards points to book cruises, rental cars, hotels, flights and more through the Amex Travel site. Amex points transfer to many valuable airline and hotel loyalty programs, many of which are great for booking luxury hotels or premium cabin award flights.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Credit score needed for the Amex Platinum card
To qualify for The American Express Platinum Card®, you'll usually need a good to excellent credit score.
FICO® Score is one of the most commonly used credit scores, and it classifies credit scores into the following groupings:
- Very poor:300 to 579
- Fair:580 to 669
- Good:670 to 739
- Very good:740 to 799
- Excellent:800 to 850
To give yourself the best chance of being approved, you'll want a credit score of at least 670. However, having a pristine credit score doesn't guarantee your approval. Amex considers other factors, such as your income and history with Amex.
There are additional restrictions on qualifying for the Amex Platinum card's welcome bonus offer. You may not be eligible for the intro bonus if you currently or in the past have had either The American Express Platinum card or:
- The Platinum Card®from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab
- The Platinum Card®from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley
- Previous versions of these Cards
During the application process, Amex will let you know with a pop-up window if you don't qualify for the bonus before you submit the application. If your application is rejected, you may want to call Amex's reconsideration lineto see if there is something you can do to change the outcome of your application.
Find the best credit card for you by reviewing offers in ourcredit card marketplaceor get personalized offers viaCardMatch™.
Improving your FICO® Score
According to FICO, your score is based on the following weighted factors:
- Payment history (35%)
- Amounts owed (30%)
- Length of credit history (15%)
- New credit (10%)
- Credit mix (10%)
Two of the most important things you can do to improve your credit score over the long haul are to pay off your debt and consistently pay your bills on time.
One way to potentially boost your credit score is to use a service that helps put certain types of payment activity on your credit report (like rent or utility bills) that typically isn't included. *Experian Boost™ and eCredable Lift, for example, allow you to add payment data for select services and utilities to specific credit reports.
Experian Boost™
On Experian's secure site
Cost
Free
Average credit score increase
13 points, though results vary
Credit report affected
Experian®
Credit scoring model used
FICO® Score
Results will vary. See website for details.
How to sign up for Experian Boost:
- Connect the bank account(s) you use to pay your bills
- Choose and verify the positive payment data you want added to your Experian credit file
- Receive an updatedFICO® Score
Learn more about eligible payments and how Experian Boost works.
FAQs
What should I do if I'm rejected for the Amex Platinum Card®?
If your Amex Platinum Card® application is rejected, you'll receive a letter detailing why it wasn't approved. At that point, you could call Amex's reconsideration line to see if there is anything you can do to address the issues and have your application approved.
Is it hard to qualify for the Amex Platinum Card®?
To be eligible for the Amex Platinum Card® you'll typically need a good to excellent credit score. This makes it one of the more difficult cards to be approved for.
What salary do you need to qualify for an Amex Platinum Card®?
There isn't a published income requirement for the Amex Platinum Card®. However, income is a factor that's considered and having a higher income will help improve your approval odds.
Bottom line
To qualify for the Amex Platinum Card®, you'll typically need a good to excellent credit score (670+). However, your credit score isn't the only thing that matters. Your income, history with American Express and other factors are also taken into consideration.
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Read more
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*Results may vary. Some may not see improved scores or approval odds. Not all lenders use Experian credit files, and not all lenders use scores impacted by Experian Boost.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, clickhere.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
