New customers of the Amex Platinum credit card will receive 55,000 points as a welcome bonus until March 18th. We reveal here what conditions it is tied to and what it can best be used for.
The American Express Platinum credit card is being touted with a welcome bonus of 55,000 Membership Rewards points until March 18th. The Amex credit card also offers a few other advantages that can be particularly interesting for frequent flyers. With every euro spent, customers collect a bonus point and participation in the Membership Rewards program is free. Credit for travel, rental cars and shopping is also included, as well as two priority passes that give members free lounge access at airports around the world. Now comes the catch: the credit card costs an impressive 60 euros per month. And a minimum turnover of 10,000 euros is required within the first six months after completion in order for the welcome bonus to be credited. Is the deal worth it? And how can the bonus points be used?
Use Amex bonus points effectively
The best way to use Amex Membership Rewards points is to convert them into miles and use them for additional flight amenities, such as business class or first class tickets. With 55,000 bonus points, you can sit in first class on your next flight without having to collect any more points. According to American Express, the number of business and first class products that can be booked is high. Amex currently covers a total of twelve frequent flyer options, including Miles & More, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, British Airways Executive Club and many more. The next time you fly, you can choose the right program and take advantage of the benefits.
When used cleverly, customers can not only benefit from the American Express Platinum credit card when flying; the Membership Rewards points can be used in a variety of ways when traveling. The points can also be transferred to the bonus programs of participating rental car providers or hotels and used for discounts, additional services and upgrades. If new customers choose the Amex Platinum by March 18th, they will receive 55,000 points – provided they spend 10,000 euros with the card in the first six months.
Amex Platinum for frequent flyers – convert bonus points into miles
The 55,000 welcome points can be converted into airline miles, meaning around 44,000 miles are available for certain frequent flyer programs. With Miles & More it is 27,500 miles, with KrisFlyer and SkyMiles it is 36,666 miles each. The Amex Platinum is particularly worthwhile for mile collectors and frequent flyers. Here are a few examples of one-way award flights that are within reach with the welcome bonus:
- British Airways Economy, flight Germany – London: 5,938 points, 4,750 Avios miles
- Air France / KLM Economy, flight Germany – Paris: 7,500 points, 6,000 Flying Blue miles
- SAS Economy Class, flight Germany – Spitsbergen: 12,500 points, 10,000 EuroBonus points/miles
- Lufthansa or SWISS Business Class, Europe – Dubai: 50,250 points, 33,500 KrisFlyer miles
- Iberia Business Class, Madrid – USA East Coast: 42,500 points, 34,000 Avios miles
- Iberia Business Class, Madrid – South America: 53,125 points, 42,500 Avios miles
Purchases on Amazon with Membership Rewards points
With the points from the welcome bonus, it is also possible to deposit the Platinum card on Amazon as a payment method and pay for purchases on the online marketplace with the available Membership Rewards points. The number of points can be flexibly selected for each payment process.
Pay with American Express welcome points
Membership Rewards points can also be used to make regular payments, even retroactively. And it goes like this:
- Pay in the classic way with the Amex Platinum credit card.
- Then log into your Membership Rewards points account.
- Select the payment transaction that should be settled with points.
- A credit will be issued within 48 hours.
The alternative for frequent flyers: The Eurowings Classic credit card
The Eurowings credit card from Barclays also makes traveling easier for frequent flyers. For new customers, the Miles & More program offers a bonus of 500 welcome miles, which can be redeemed at around 40 airline partners. However, these must be credited to the Miles & More account within six weeks. Additional award miles are available when you use the card; one mile is added for every two euros spent on the card. The miles are valid for 36 months, after which they expire.
However, redemption is only possible from 3,000 miles. However, these can then be used for numerous rewards, such as hotel stays or Eurowings flight bookings.
Other travel benefits:
- Fastlane access at five German airports subject to availability
- Sports luggage such as skis, bicycles or golf equipment can be taken along free of charge
- Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance is included
- There is no cash withdrawal fee abroad (within Germany it is four percent and at least 5.95 euros withdrawal fee)
Important: The flight benefits only apply when booking Eurowings flights via eurowings.com that are paid for with the Eurowings Classic credit card.
Amex welcome bonus: Use the advantages cleverly
You can get a lot out of the welcome bonus of 55,000 points at American Express. Frequent flyers in particular will be happy about the Amex Platinum offer, but you can also use the points to make payments, for example at Amazon. However, when converted into miles, the equivalent value is greatest. It should be noted that the card costs a monthly fee of 60 euros, but the offer can still be worthwhile due to the numerous discounts and benefits.
A cheaper alternative is the Eurowings Classic credit card from Barclays, which offers fewer advantages but has a monthly fee of zero euros in the first year. In the following year, this credit card is also cheaper than the American Express Platinum credit card with fees of 29 euros per month.
Source: Stern
