Due to no new stimulus deal being approved, Amex has stepped in and offered to fund it. Just kidding! But read on to see what I mean. 

I’ve got good news for you! Last week, Amex released a fabulous new offer. Earn 75,000 points after spending $5,000 within the first six months. In addition to that, you can earn 10 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets or U.S. gas stations after spending up to $15,000 (at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations combined), in the first 6 months. 

UScreditcardguide reported that there’s another offer available- 125,000 points, plus 10 points for every dollar, at U.S gas stations and U.S. supermarkets.  You can get this by checking your pre-qualified offers with this link or this link. 

It’s recommended that you try these links through an incognito tab or different browsers. You can also check via the CardMatch tool to see if you’ll be lucky (meaning, the higher offer will pop up). 

If you are not approved for the higher offer, please use our link for the public offer. That’s 75,000 points, plus 10 (per dollar) points at U.S. gas stations and supermarkets.

Let’s dig deep, crunch the numbers, and see why this is an awesome offer. 

The 75,000 points offer is not at all an all-time high offer. But, and this is a BIG but- the 10 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations is where (I think) this offer really gets exciting.

It should be fairly easy to spend the full $15,000. Here’s how:

I assume we have many readers that spend $2,500 or more a month on groceries and gas. If those numbers apply to you, you should be able to use the complete $15,000 in six months!

But even if you spend less, you can just add store credit on your account at your local supermarket, to be used even past six months. And there you have it- $15,000 used in 6 months!

Whichever way it’s done, if you spend the $15,000 in 6 months, you’ll earn 150,000 additional points. That’s on top of the original 75,000 points! This amounts up to 225,000 points- now you tell me that isn’t an awesome welcome offer!

Please note: In the past, Amex has clawed back points for consumers that purchased gift cards at gas stations or supermarkets, in order to get bonus points. In my opinion, buying gift cards to earn additional points should be avoided. 

Now is the best time of the year to apply for the Amex Platinum

Once the annual fee is charged to your card, you have 30 days, from when the next billing cycle ends, to cancel the card and not have to pay the annual fee.

This makes the end of November/beginning December the best time of the year to apply for the Platinum card. Why? Because of the $200 airline fee credit that you earn each year.

Applicants that apply now can earn a total of $600 in airline fee credits, while only paying the annual fee of $550 once. 

Here is how :

• Earn $200 in airline credit from now till January 2021. 
• Earn $200 in airline credit from January 2021 till January 2022. 
• Mid-December (2021), you will be charged the second annual fee of $550.
• Collect $200 in January 2022. 
• Cancel the card mid-January (2022) to avoid paying the second annual fee!

Because you have 30 days (after you’re billed) to cancel the card, you can still collect $200 in January 2022. 

The same thing will be true with the $50 Saks Fifth Avenue credit. You get one $50 credit from January to June, and another $50 credit from June till the end of December. If you apply today for the Amex Platinum card you can maximize a total of $200 free, to spend at Saks Fifth Avenue! 

*$50 from today till the end of December 

*$50 from January till June 

*$50 from June till the end of December 

* Final $50 in January 2022, before you cancel the card.

New temporary COVID benefits

Due to COVID and the new travel restrictions, Amex gave their cardholders a mini-stimulus package and introduced these additional credits to the card. (To be able to maximize the card, you need to apply asap)

• Cardholders receive up to $20 per month, from 05/01/20 through 12/31/20, in statement credits on select streaming and wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers. (Streaming credit can possibly be used for Amazon gift cards, here is how). If you apply today, you will get the credit in December of 2020.
• Cardholders receive an Eats pass membership, free for 1 year, valid through December of 2021.

More credits

Besides for the credits mentioned above, the Amex Platinum card also comes along with these additional credits:

• Earn $15 monthly in Uber Cash for rides in the U.S., plus a bonus of $20 in December. This totals to $200 annually.

• Statement credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check every 4 to 4.5 years- $100 value.

More benefits

The Amex Platinum card comes with many awesome benefits that will enhance your travel experience. Here are the details:

• Access to 12,000+ airport lounges, with a complimentary membership to Priority Pass Select. Centurion Lounges, AirSpace Lounges, Escape Lounges, Delta Skyclub (when flying Delta)

• Complimentary Hilton Gold status, Marriott Gold status, Uber VIP, National Emerald Club Executive Status, Avis Preferred Club status  (publicly available), Hertz Gold Plus Status (publicly available).

Travel protections

The card comes along with some awesome travel protections that will protect you from any mishaps that may occur during your trip.

• Trip cancelation insurance – Coverage for canceled or interrupted travel due to an unforeseen medical emergency. Max $10,000 per person per trip, with a max of $20,000 per year.
• Auto rental collision Insurance- Secondary worldwide coverage (excluding Australia, Italy, and New Zealand) on rentals up to 30 days (max $75,000). You can purchase a premium plan from Amex that will offer primary coverage up to 42 days (max $100,000).
• Lost luggage reimbursement – Up to $2,000 per person for lost or damaged luggage (max $10,000 per trip for NY residents)
• Trip delay reimbursement – If your flight is delayed for more than 6 hours, you can claim up to $500 per trip to cover expenses like meals, lodging, toiletries, medication, and other personal use items (up to two claims per year).

Purchase coverage

When you swipe the Amex Platinum card, you can feel secure with the following protections: 

• Return protection – Not happy with a purchase? Get a refund on purchases that have passed the store return policy, for up to 90 days. Max $300 per claim ($1,000 per calendar year).
• Extended warranty protection – Get one additional year on top of the original manufacturer’s warranty. (Will only cover if the original warranty is for 5 years or less. Max $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per year.)
• Purchase protection – Get refunded if your purchase is damaged, lost, or stolen, for up to 90 days from the date of purchase. Max $10,000 per claim ($50,000 per year)

Welcome offer eligibility

Keep in mind that if you already got a welcome offer with the Amex Platinum in the past, then you will most likely not be eligible for a new welcome offer. If you’re not eligible for the offer, Amex will notify you through a pop-up before you submit the application

Conclusion

To summarize NOW is the best time to apply for this card, because:

1.  75,000 points welcome bonus.
2. Earn 150,000 points for spending $15,000 at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations.
3. (Offer not available to everyone- 125,000 points welcome bonus.)
4. Earn $600 in airline credit, while only paying the annual fee once!
5. Earn $200 at Saks Fifth Avenue, for free!
6. Additional benefits due to COVID.

Have a good one!