I was having a chat with my girlfriends today about travel credit cards and could not stop talking about why the American Express Platinum was such a great credit card for military families. They were like – Kait, why aren’t you writing about this? So okay, okay, here I am! Aside from the tremendous travel reward perks of the card, the steep annual fee that can seem daunting is WAIVED for military members and their families. If you are a military service member and you’ve been on the hunt of a credit card with excellent rewards, today’s post is for you! If you are a military spouse who has been looking for a travel reward card to make the most of time spent stationed far from “home”, today’s post is for you, too. I cannot say enough good things about the American Express Platinum and why it is the best travel credit card for military families. Want to know why? Read on!
The Best Travel Credit Card For Military Families
YEARLY FEE
The American Express Platinum has a $550 yearly charge. I know this sounds steep, but this is the point that makes it such a great card for military families. THE YEARLY FEE IS WAIVED FOR MILITARY, so you are essentially getting a top tier travel credit card, along with a slew of terrific travel perks, free of “charge”. I hate to use that cliche phrase, but there are some excellent benefits that come with this card (detailed below) that make it worth getting! In order to qualify to have the yearly fee waived, you just need to verify you are eligible for SCRA benefits. Once that information has been verified, your fee is gone and the perks are still there 🙂 Personally, I think American Express knocks it out of the park with this “thank you” for veterans.
SIGN UP BONUS
Why should you sign up for the American Express Platinum now?
American Express Platinum offers new cardholders 60,000 bonus points when you spend $5,000 in purchases over the course of the first 3 months.
TRAVEL CREDITS GIVEN
The first is a $200 airline fee credit each calendar year. Every January, you pick one airline for that credit to apply toward. While the credit doesn’t cover tickets, it covers incidental fees like checked bags, seat assignments on basic economy tickets, change fees, and more. Sometimes you can even be reimbursed for airline gift cards that you can apply toward tickets, even though this is an unpublished benefit — do some Googling to see whether that works on your airline of choice.
$200 to Uber, which is broken down into monthly chunks. Each month, cardholders receive $15 of credits to use on Uber rides or for Uber Eats. In December, that’s boosted to $35.
AIRPORT LOUNGES
American Express Platinum cardholders gain access to Amex’s Centurion Lounges, which can be found at nine airports (8 in the U.S.) and can enter Delta Sky Club lounges whenever they’re flying with Delta. Additionally, the card comes with with a Priority Pass Select membership, which grants access to a network of more than 1,000 airport lounges all around the world.
MISCELLANEOUS TRAVEL BENEFITS
American Express Platinum’s travel benefits are plentiful and make life while traveling so much easier. Some of the best perks include:
Gold elite status at Hilton and Starwood/Marriott hotels (you have to combine your account, but it’s very easy to do!)
Access to over 1,000,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in airports + cities around the world with a complimentary Boingo subscription (I’ve used Boingo in-flight which is awesome!)
Various purchase + shopping protections
Concierge service
Baggage loss and damage coverage
Travel accident insurance
A credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry (This can be used for both the primary cardholder and other cardholders on the account)
HOW REWARDS POINTS WORK
American Express Platinum makes it easy for frequent travelers to earn reward points and also gives points for everyday purchases.
Cardholders earn 5x points on flights purchased directly through the airline and prepaid hotel reservations made through the Amex Travel portal. Cardholders earn 1x points on everything else.
REDEEMING CREDIT CARD POINTS
American Express Platinum
The Points Guy breaks down a full year of exclusive earning with the American Express Platinum card and what you have the potential to earn! I really can’t explain it any better than they can (they are a wealth of knowledge on credit cards), but TL:DR — almost 4 roundtrip tickets to Hawaii, business class upgrades and more. It’s definitely the card to have when booking travel.
If you can’t tell by now, it’s a card that offers a big punch, particularly if you like to use your credit card rewards toward free travel like we do. We have capitalized on the benefits more times than I can count on two hands! Just to note, American Express did not sponsor this post, but if they are reading…HI, HELLO, YOUR CARD GIVES ME LIFE!, I just sincerely love the Platinum card and perks and wanted to share. Some of the links used within the text are referral links that add no additional cost to you, but help me to maintain this blog and I am always appreciative of your support.
Check out my other travel focused articles HERE!
The Best Travel Credit Card For Military Families
What To Wear In Hawaii In February
How To Market Your Skills As A Military Spouse Entrepreneur
How to Build An Emergency Fund As A Military Family