How I Recovered the $895 AmEx Platinum Annual Fee in 32 Days

The American Express Platinum card is worth it if you recover the high annual fee by claiming the credits that come with membership. Here’s how the author broke even in a little over a month with detailed how-to information and tips.

How I Did It (and You Can Too!)

• Booked a one-night stay at a participating Fine Hotels + Resorts property to claim a $300 Hotel Credit.
• Received a $100 credit after dining at a Philly Resy restaurant.
• Purchased a Lululemon crossbody bag for $73.70 (the quarterly credit is $75).
• Checked to ensure my Amex Platinum is my payment card for my subscribed streaming services to receive the monthly $25 credit.
• Renewed my Global Entry membership ($120).
• Linked my Uber account to my Amex Platinum to receive the monthly credit ($30 total for January and February).
• Paid for upgraded seats on United to claim the annual $200 Airline Credit.
• Made an in-store Saks purchase that qualified for the $50 semiannual credit.

Yes, the Annual Fee is $895

Social media lost its collective mind in September 2025 when American Express announced a refresh of its Platinum card. Several new benefits, including a $300-per-year Lululemon retail credit, were added. And, in return, Amex raised the annual fee to a jaw-dropping $895. As a card-carrying member since 2007, I took the announcement as a sign from the financial gods to examine my Amex relationship and determine if it was worth keeping the Platinum card. I went through the card’s inventory of perks and challenged myself to see if I could make the card pay for itself by claiming enough rewards to offset the annual fee. And, because I’m uber competitive, I challenged myself to see if I could do it in just one monthly spending cycle.

Mission accomplished!

Well, almost.

Here’s how I did it and why it took 32 days.

Are you ready to explore more? Let us inspire you!

What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You

I’ve carried the Amex Platinum card for nearly 20 years, primarily using it to pay for business expenses. I had a casual familiarity with the basic benefits.

For example, when checking out on Ticketmaster, the option to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points would appear and I’d suddenly remember I had them and could use them. Or, when faced with a long airport layover, I’d search to see if a luxe American Express Centurion lounge was tucked away on a nearby concourse.

A credit card points savant I am not.

The $200 annual credit card annual fee increase caused my heart to flutter and gave me reason to wonder if holding the American Express Platinum card was worth it. So, I began a research and experiment project. Sadly, I discovered many benefits I’d been missing out on for years. I challenged myself to recoup the $895 as quickly as possible to atone for years of financial sins.

Inventory the Benefits

Before I could begin the sexy, money-saving part of the task, I had to buckle down and list the card benefits. There are a lot. Fifty-one by my count.

My goal was to identify easy-to-claim benefits with a tangible dollar value that did not require committing to an extra expense. For example, I don’t own or intend to purchase an Oura ring. So the $200 annual Amex credit for the popular health monitoring wearable was not one I intended to bank. On the other hand, I have streaming subscriptions. Probably too many. So the $300 per year Amex Digital Entertainment Credit is a no-brainer.

Because I travel frequently, I concentrated my reclamation effort on the hotel- and flight-related benefits.

And, surprisingly, I was able to recoup the entire $895 (plus a little extra) in just over a month.

Here’s how.

$600 Hotel Credit

Recovering half of the annual Hotel Credit was my single biggest score for the month. Cardholders are eligible to receive up to $300 every six months for an annual total of $600. The credit is applied to bookings made at participating members of the American Express hotel portfolios.

Note: One-night stays are permitted for the Fine Hotels + Resorts Program; The Hotel Collection requires a minimum 2-night stay.

I had a planned trip to Philadelphia to visit my son, so I checked the available Amex options and booked The Hotel Bellevue, an architectural gem on the Avenue of the Arts section of Broad Street. The 184-room hotel reopened in 2024 after an extensive renovation that restored the grandeur of the 120-year-old hotel.

The Hotel Bellevue is a member of the Fine Hotels + Resorts Program, so my one-night stay ($436.39, including a destination fee and Philadelphia city tax) qualified for the semiannual $300 credit.

What I excluded from my benefit bank are the additional Fine Hotels + Resorts credits I received, including $75 toward breakfast for two and an additional $100 food-and-beverage credit. Factoring those in, The Hotel Bellevue paid me to stay.

Credit: $300

$400 Resy Credit

A $100 quarterly credit is applied to your statement when you link your Amex Platinum card to your Resy app and dine in member restaurants. I scored this one during the Philly trip by choosing Harp and Crown over two non-Resy restaurants. I’d return for the shareable small plates even without the credit. Best bite? The pierogis, topped with crème fraiche and caviar.

Credit: $100

$300 Lululemon Credit

I’m not a regular Lululemon shopper; I prefer Athleta for my athleisure. But my daughter is, so I accompanied her to our local Lulu, hoping to find something to purchase for the $75 quarterly credit. My goal was to purchase something I needed and not spend more than the credit. It’s not easy to do at Lulu. My daughter dropped $128 for leggings.

I immediately locked onto the Slouchy Sling Bag, a slim-profile cross-body with a roomy interior, sized perfectly to hold my essentials. I’ve been toting around the same everyday bag for 13 years. It was way past its prime. And the bag’s price was perfect. The $68 plus tax totaled $73.70, just shy of the credit max.

Credit: $73.70

SheBuysTravel Tip: Want an inexpensive option? Here’s a slim Amazon crossbody for 1/3 the price.

$300 Digital Entertainment Credit

This one’s super easy to claim. Log into your streaming services and enter your Amex Platinum card as the payment method. The $25 monthly credit is automatically applied to your AmEx statement.

I should have taken the opportunity to prune my subscriptions, but didn’t, putting it on my to-do list for later in the year.

Credit: $25

Fee Credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry

The fee for TSA PreCheck ($85) or Global Entry ($120) is eligible for credit for new applications and renewals.

My Global Entry 5-year membership (which includes TSA PreCheck) expires in January 2027. I logged into the federal Homeland Security Trusted Traveler Program. My profile noted that I was eligible to renew as early as January 2026.

I submitted my information, received conditional approval and completed an in-person interview at Newark Airport. So, I’m cleared for streamlined US Customs processing until 2032. The $120 credit hit my Amex statement after I submitted my application.

Note: Amex issues the credit once every 4 years for Global Entry and once every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck.

Credit: $120

$200 Uber Cash

Like the Digital Entertainment credit, the Uber cash is accessed by entering your Amex Platinum card as your payment method. On the first of each month, $15 in Uber Cash gets deposited into your account ($35 in December!).

I use Uber infrequently, but usually manage to use the $15 each month since I live in New York where rides are pricey. One January Uber trip in Manhattan exhausted my balance, and then some.

Note: Amex offers an additional Uber-related credit, up to $120 for monthly or annual enrollment in Uber One. I signed up for the subscription-model discount service, but didn’t factor in any savings since I rarely use Uber and never use Uber Eats.

Credit: $15

$200 Airline Credit

This one’s tricky. You receive statement credit for “incidental” charges, including bag check fees and seat upgrades but NOT ticket purchases. And, the credit is only applicable to charges incurred on one airline. You must make a selection in January that remains in effect for the whole year.

My airline of choice is United. I don’t have award status with them, so I don’t receive free upgrades or waived bag fees as I do on JetBlue.

After booking round-trip United Economy flights for me and my hubby, I upgraded our seats to Economy Plus. My Amex account listed the initial fare purchase and upgrade fees separately, then they credited me $200 towards the $261.30 upgrade purchase.

Credit: $200

$100 Saks

In January 2026, the parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, so I thought it wise to hop on the $50 semiannual credit sooner rather than later. It was a smart move. Amex recently announced that it is retiring the Saks credit, effective July 1, 2026.

I headed online to browse for ideas, clicking into the “Sale” section and filtering results from lowest to highest price. My goal was to find a couple of small, easy-to-wrap items to stash away for the next time I needed a quick gift.

But the $50 and under options were extremely limited; no one in my friend circle needs a single beaded placemat or an XS bikini bottom.

Fortunately, I live near the brand’s flagship 5^th Avenue store in New York City so I could shop in-person.

I blew by racks of $1500 button-downs and $20,000 loafers and headed to cosmetics where I felt confident I’d be able to find an under-$50 mascara. Instead, I spied a small Aesop boutique off to the side. I adore the Australian luxury brand’s hand soap, but it’s too pricey for everyday purchase. But, with $50 off, it’s a bargain. My Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash with NYC sales tax totaled $50.08. I considered applying to be a contestant on “The Price is Right.”

Note: The Saks Amex credit cannot be applied to purchases at the brand’s Saks OFF 5^th outlet stores.

Credit: $50

Close, But Not Quite

I felt good, but was a little disappointed that, after 30 days, I’d come within $11.30 of payback. Then, as if Amex was reading my mind, at 2:34 a.m. on the first of the month, $15 in AmEx funds hit my Uber account.

Credit: $15

The Final Tally

My 32-day total for claimed credits came to $898.70, exceeding the annual fee by $3.70.

And I have more credits to go that I’ll claim throughout the rest of the year.

Several are on autopilot, like the Uber Cash and Digital Entertainment credits.

For others, I’ve made quarterly and semiannual calendar notes, so I don’t leave any money on the table.

Potentially, I can claim an additional $1,320 for an annual credit total of $2,168.70, with little or no heavy lift:

• Hotel Credit ($300)
• Resy Credit ($300)
• Lululemon ($225)
• Digital Entertainment ($275)
• Uber Cash ($170)

The experiment helped me justify keeping the American Express Platinum card, despite the $895 annual fee.

Until it’s time for me to renew my Global Entry again, it’ll take me longer to hit payback, but I’ll still get there and beyond, if I remember to stay familiar with the available benefits and claim them regularly throughout the year.

I’m relieved.

Breaking up with lounge access would have been hard, if not impossible, to do.

American Express Platinum Card Annual Fee FAQ

Read More:

• Why You Should Keep a Penny in the Freezer & Other Ways to Keep Your Home Safe While You’re Away
• Is The Disney Credit Card Right for You?
• Best Honeymoon Destinations on a Budget
• I Just Stayed in the Yacht Club Aboard the MSC Seascape Ship. Here’s What the Experience is REALLY Like.