AMEX Platinum Charge Card: starting my journey

Above Image Source: American Express

New 2023 update!

Hello Everyone! The current article here describes the Amex Platinum Charge Card’s benefits in 2020. For the most updated version (February 2023), please check out this link instead!

Update 2021: After using this card for over a year, I’ve also written a REVIEW of the Platinum Charge Card – do check out my post-one year usage review right here!

AMEX PLATINUM CHARGE CARD

The American Express Platinum Charge card is one of those cards unrivalled in terms of lifestyle benefits.

I hesistated a long time before getting this card, namely because

(i) Daily purchases: I already had the Amex Krisflyer Ascend card, which racks up a good amount of Krisflyer miles overall.

(ii) Dining benefits: I already owned the Amex Platinum Reserve card, which came with Love Dining benefits. Personally, I’ve used this card extensively for this purpose. And family and I enjoyed loads of discounts when it came to dining at hotel establishments and various reputable restaurants.

(iii) Cost: the Amex Platinum Charge Card has a hefty annual fee of SGD 1712.

Note: This was a huge jump from the Platinum Reserve card, which has an annual fee of $535.

However, this year, being unable to resist all the benefits of the Platinum Charge card, I pulled the trigger.

Since then, I have never looked back.

Warning: Detailed and lengthy read ahead. For the Quick Summary Version of all benefits offered by the Amex Platinum Charge Card, read my other post here.

BENEFITS: FOOD AND DRINK

Behold: a pile of redeemable vouchers, amazing dining discounts with the Love Dining programme, and complimentary or 1-for-1 drinks with Chillax by American Express.

(1) Extensive Dining Vouchers

As a welcome gift, every year, upon payment of the annual fee, Amex Platinum Charge Card holders would be gifted a bunch of vouchers for dining.

The extensive list of dining vouchers include:

$200 worth of dining vouchers at St. Regis Singapore (4 denominations of $50 each)

• I love this – it can be combined with Love Dining benefits. For example, if two Adults dine at $100, the Love Dining makes the bill $50, and you can offset the entire bill with a $50 voucher after!

50% off 8-10 Adults dining at either Asian Market Cafe (Fairmont), Clove (Swissotel the Stamford), or Ellenborough Market Cafe (Swissotel Merchant Court)

• Note: Not applicable during blackout dates (e.g. Chinese New Year, public holidays). Children’s Menu are not included in the offer.

Complimentary cake or bottle of wine at participating dining establishments at Fairmont, Swissotel the Stamford, or Swissotel Merchant Court (x2 vouchers)

• Note: wine can be either consumed at the restaurant itself or taken home. Cake orders should be made at least two days in advance

50% savings on high tea buffet for 2-6 persons at Marriott Cafe (Monday to Friday)

• Note: voucher cannot be used on public holidays (e.g. Christmas Day, Chinese New Year period) and special occasions such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Valentine’s Day. 

$50 off at participating restaurants at Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel (with minimum spend of $100)

• Note: For use at Marriott Cafe, Wen Hao Chinese Restaurant, and Pool Grill. Voucher cannot be combined with Amex Love Dining benefits.
• Do some Math before using this voucher. If 2 adults dine at $120 – it’s more worth it to use love dining benefits (Discount of $60 – 50% off 2 adults). However, if you’ve got 3 adults dining at $120, it’s more worth it to use the $50 voucher in this case (Amex love dining discount would be $40 – 33% off 3 adults)

Complimentary bottle of house wine with every 4 paying adults for buffet lunch or dinner at Marriott Cafe. 

• Note: wine can be either consumed at the restaurant itself or taken home. Valid only on birthday month of cardholder OR month after. 

(2) Love Dining Benefits

With the Amex Platinum Charge card – comes Love Dining benefits. Card holders get to enjoy tup to 50% discounts at participating dining establishments. Some noteworthy places include: St. Regis Singapore, Fairmont Singapore, Swissotel the stamford, and other distinguished dining venues.

Image courtesy of: American Express

In Summary, the deal is as follows:

• 1 cardholder + 1 other (50% off)
• 1 cardholder + 2 others (33% or 35% off, depending on location)
• 1 cardholder + 3 others (25% off)
• 1 cardolder + 4-19 others (20% off)*
• 1 cardholder dines alone (15% off)

Do note that this allowance of up to 20 people only applies to Restaurants. For participating Hotels, the benefits extend to a maximum of 10 people.

I am a huge fan of this and have written extensively about my personal Love Dining experiences multiple times on this blog. Check out my Hotel Dining Guide and Restaurant Dining Guide below:

I seriously cannot recommend this programme enough. However, If the Amex Platinum Charge card’s annual fee puts you off, do consider the most basic Amex Platinum Card – the annual fee here of SGD 321 will give you the Love Dining benefits.

Inspired by this post and want to apply for an American Express credit card? Apply through one of my referral links and receive either bonus Membership Rewards points or statement credit:

• The Platinum Charge Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$900 statement credits and Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25 (worth S$700) when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• The American Express Platinum Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$350 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 38, 000 Krisflyer miles and S$50 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met. 

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed on this page are that of Happy High Life and may not necessarily reflect the position of American Express. Happy High Life is not responsible for any decisions made by readers. The terms and conditions for each credit card's application and usage may be subject to change by American Express. Therefore, readers are recommended to check any matters with American Express or its partners; the list of all benefits of the Platinum Charge Card can be found here.

 (3) Chillax! By American Express

There is nothing quite like hitting the bar at the end of a workday.

With Chillax – Platinum card holders either get a complimentary drink, 1-for-1 drinks. or discounted drinks.

See here for the full list of participating drinking places here.

TRAVEL BENEFITS: HOTEL AND FLIGHT

For those who love staycations and travel, the Amex Platinum Charge card is practically unrivaled. To illustrate, it comes with a bunch of travel vouchers, Elite Hotel memberships, Special FHR (Fine Hotels and Resort) rates for hotel bookings, Priority Pass Membership, and discounted flights on the IAP (International Airline Programme) rates.

Bonus: There’s a concierge travel team to assist with bookings, and the staff are pretty helpful if phone calls are made to them.

(1) Voucher: Complimentary 2D1N stay at St. Regis Singapore or W Singapore Sentosa Cove

This is one of the best vouchers I saw in the stack:

Notes: The free night is either for the Executive Deluxe Room at St Regis Singapore, or the Wonderful room at W Singapore Sentosa Cove. Breakfast for two is included in the stay. 

(2) Hotel Vouchers: Discounts and Room Upgrades at Fairmont, Swissotel the Stamford, Swissotel Merchant Court

My family and I have done a staycation at Swissotel the Stamford before, and considering the price and entire experience, it’s worth a stay on these discounted rates.

Bonus: room upgrade vouchers (x5) were in the stack too. I’ve also received room upgrades at Fairmont by using these vouchers, so that’s another plus point.

(3) Complimentary 2D1N stay at Capella Singapore or 3D2N at Mandarin Oriental / Overseas Banyan Tree Resorts

Given to card holders about 8-10 weeks upon payment of the annual fee.

Check out my review of Capella HERE:

(4) Elite Hotel Status

Card holders receive Elite hotel status in the following four loyalty programmes.

Shangri La Golden Circle – Jade Membership 

• Benefits: complimentary breakfast, priority check in and out at designated areas, Early check-in / late check-out – 11am / 4pm (subject to availability), complimentary breakfast, 25% bonus points at Shangri La hotels and resorts, potential room upgrades. See Shangri La’s website for full range of benefits. 
• Side Note: the high tea buffet at the Rose Veranda is honestly THE best high tea buffet I’ve had in Singapore.

Marriott Bonvoy – Gold Elite Status

• Benefits: 25% more base points, room upgrades where available, 2pm late checkout, and more. For complete list of benefits check out Marriott Bonvoy’s website here.
• Personal Note: One of the perks of Marriott Bonvoy, is the extensive choice. In this list of Elite loyalty privileges, Marriott Bonvoy has the most number of hotels, both in terms of actual numbers and variety. Read more for my stay at one of their lovely hotels in Japan:

Radisson Rewards: Gold Status

• Benefits: Complimentary room upgrades where available, Early check in and/or late checkout subject to availability, in-room welcome gift, 15% discount on food and beverage, and more. See all benefits at Radisson’s website here.

Hilton Honors – Gold Status

• Benefits: Complimentary breakfast, room upgrades subject to availability, access to hotel Executive Lounge (if upgraded to an Executive Room), 80% bonus points, late checkout subject to availability. For full terms and conditions, please refer to Hilton’s website.
• Personal Note: Among the four programmes listed here – Hilton Honors is my favourite. Only Hilton Honors and Shangri La actually give complimentary breakfast. Additionally – there’s the perk of possibly given access to the Executive Lounge. I have stayed at both Hilton Singapore and Conrad Centennial Singapore, and have loved both the stays there. 

Usually, one needs to stay a minimum number of nights to qualify for Elite hotel statuses (Annually – it’s 20 nights/10 stays in for Shangri La’s golden circle, 25 nights/year for Marriott Bonvoy, 30 nights/20 stays for Radisson, and 40 nights/20 stays/ 75000 base points for Hilton Honors).

But Amex Platinum Charge card holders can maintain these statuses even without hitting the minimum stay or nights requirements. Score!

(5) Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR) Benefits

Reserved only for the Centurion card holders and Amex Platinum Charge Card holders, the FHR program provides exclusive hotel perks in over 500 cities worldwide and over 1000 participating propeties.

The list of benefits includes:

• Complimentary breakfast for two daily
• Room upgrades at check-in, subject to availability
• 12pm check-in, subject to availability
• 4pm late check-out – this is gauranteed
• Hotel credits – usually about USD 100, to be used during the stay at either the spa or dining establishments.

Bonus: The FHR benefits can be combined with benefits of hotel loyalty programmes. This means that, for example, a stay at a Hilton Honors property – even if booked through the FHR programme – will award the guest with Hilton Honors points.

The Shutterwhale has written very extensively about the Fine Hotels and Resort programme. I’d recommend checking out his article for a more in-depth review.

(6) International Airline Programme (IAP) Benefits

According to American Express,

“As a Platinum Member, you can take advantage of the International Airline Program, which offers you special airfares on some of the world’s finest airlines to destinations around the world.”

Airline Partners include: Singapore Airlines, American Airlines, Japan Airlines, British Airways, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Emirates.

I have yet to use this service – but I do know people who have called the travel concierge desk and have used the IAP to get discounts on Business and First class flights.

Again, the Shutterwhale has written about how he managed to save money on Business Class and First Class travel through the programme – a worthy read for the literal high flyers out there 🙂

(7) Travel Credits worth $800

Specifically, AMEX Platinum Charge Card holders are given:

• $400 Air Travel Credits
• $400 Lodging Credits

Note:

– The $400 travel credits can be used on IAP (International Airline Programme) rates

– To use the $400 Lodging credits, Bookings can be made either on the Amex Travel website or by calling the Platinum/Travel concierge.

– I personally have used the $400 Lodging credits for a Staycation at Fullerton Singapore; do check out my reviews here!

(8) Unlimited Airport Lounge Visits

Amex Platinum Charge card holders also can receive a complimentary unlimited Priority Pass membership – for both the principal card holder and ONE supplmentary card holder.

(For the other benefits listed here e.g. Elite hotel status, Love Dining programme – ALL supplementary card holders are entitled to them. It’s just Priority pass that can only be given to the main card holder + 1 other)

With access to over 1,200 lounges across more than 130 countries – regardless which class or airline you fly with – this does give one an incentive to visit the airports much earlier ahead of flight times, haha!

Lounge programs and partners:

• The Centurion^® Lounge
• International American Express Lounges
• Priority Pass™
• Delta SkyClub^®
• Plaza Premium Airport Lounge

OTHER LIFESTYLE BENEFITS

It’s as if the benefits would never end (I’m kidding, this is the last segment)

(1) Spa Vouchers and Discounts

Adeva Spa

• One voucher for complimentary triple de-stress massage, and
• 25% off for other a la carte services

The Ultimate

• One voucher for complimentary facial (hyaluronic firming face spa)
• 50% off other a la carte services

Spa Rael

• One voucher for complimentary facial (Collagen face spa)
• 30% off other a la carte services

(2) Exclusive Club Access

Tower Club

• $100 voucher for dining at Tower Club (read my reviews here!)
• Complimentary Gym Access to Tower Club
• Complimentary usage of Tower Club meeting room (booking required)

Nook by Platinum

• One complimentary drink for member
• 50% off other a la carte services
• Access an exclusive food menu designed by three Michelin-starred Chef Alvin Leung, along with a newly curated list of Robert Parker rated wines at attractive prices by Park 90.

(3) Fee Wavier of other Amex credit cards

One of the lesser-known card benefits: Platinum charge card holders do NOT have to pay the annual fees of other American Express cards that they own.

Personally, I also hold the American Express Platinum Reserve card (not to be confused with the Platinum Charge card), and the Krisflyer Ascend Credit card – and both annual fees of $535 and $337.05 respectively are waived.

The Platinum Charge card has all the benefits of the Platinum Reserve card, so technically I don’t actually need the latter. However, the Platinum Reserve card comes with a complimentary 3D2N stay at a participating Fraser property – worldwide, not just Singapore. (The list of participating locations can be found here.) With no annual fee payment required on this card, this complimentary stay is pretty much a sweet add-on to my other American Express benefits.

Read more about my staycation at Capri by Fraser Changi City here:

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Amex Platinum Charge Card is indeed a lifestyle card. To justify the high annual fee of $1712 and fully make use of the card, it is recommended that card users should:

• Love travelling (Use IAP rates to book flights, visit airport lounges)
• Enjoy hotel stays or staycations (make use of Hotel loyalty Elite statuses and hotel vouchers)
• Enjoy spa treatments
• Appreciate fine dining or high-end dining (Love Dining programme and Chillax, anyone?)
• Appreciate the use of Tower Club – a members-only business style club that comes with a complimentary gym

While regular spending (e.g. on groceries) does collect points (that can be used to offset purchases or be converted to airline miles), unless there is a promotion – the rewards’ return of investment is one of the poorer ones. In fact, I very much prefer the Amex Krisflyer Ascend card for regular spending as I get a better Krisflyer miles exchange rate on that card.

Nevertheless, i am so excited to embark on this journey of enjoying the Amex Platinum Charge card. Stay tuned for future blog updates – i’ll be blogging more about personal experiences with the card’s benefits as time goes by.

Note: This post is a lengthy, comprehensive one that details all the information of the Amex Platinum Charge card. For the quick summary version of the card’s benefits, please check out my other post here.

Update: After using this card for over a year, I’ve also written a REVIEW of the Platinum Charge Card – do check out my post-one year usage review right here!

New 2023 update!

Hello Everyone! The current article here describes the Amex Platinum Charge Card’s benefits in 2020. For the most updated version (February 2023), please check out this link instead!

Above Image Source: American Express

Inspired by this post and want to apply for an American Express credit card? Apply through one of my referral links and receive either bonus Membership Rewards points or statement credit:

• The Platinum Charge Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$900 statement credits and Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25 (worth S$700) when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• The American Express Platinum Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$350 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 38, 000 Krisflyer miles and S$50 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met. 

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed on this page are that of Happy High Life and may not necessarily reflect the position of American Express. Happy High Life is not responsible for any decisions made by readers. The terms and conditions for each credit card's application and usage may be subject to change by American Express. Therefore, readers are recommended to check any matters with American Express or its partners; the list of all benefits of the Platinum Charge Card can be found here.

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