American Express has refreshed the US consumer Platinum Card, and its American Express Platinum card annual fee has risen from US$695 to US$895. That higher fee is a US change, not a UK one. Sources: American Express US historical fee guide, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/credit-cards/credit-intel/platinum-fee/, and American Express US refresh announcement, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/newsroom/articles/products-and-services/there-s-nothing-like-platinum---american-express-unveils-updated.html; checked 23 September 2026.
For UK readers, the American Express Platinum annual fee remains £650. The US and UK cards have different benefits, credits and earning rates, so a tempting US headline is not a UK product update in disguise. Source: American Express UK Platinum Card page, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/credit-cards/platinum-card/; checked 23 September 2026.
The US refresh added more hotel and dining value, as well as US entertainment, wellness and shopping perks. The UK card has a different set of benefits, so here is the useful split rather than one muddled list.
Selected UK and US card benefits:
The UK Platinum Card Global Dining statement-credit benefit provides up to £200 per calendar year at participating UK restaurants and £200 per calendar year at participating non-UK restaurants. Each UK credit pot is split into £100 from January to June and £100 from July to December, unused value does not carry over, and the current UK offer ends on 31 December 2026. Source: American Express UK dining-benefit page, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/benefits/dining/the-platinum-card/; checked 23 September 2026.
The UK Platinum Card Hotel Collection benefit gives a US$100 hotel credit towards qualifying on-property charges on eligible bookings of at least two consecutive nights through American Express Travel, plus availability-dependent early check-in, late checkout and a room upgrade. This is a UK per-stay benefit, not an annual hotel statement credit. Source: American Express UK Hotel Collection page, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/benefits/travel/hotels/the-platinum-card/the-hotel-collection/; checked 23 September 2026.
The US consumer Platinum Card benefit includes complimentary Leaders Club Sterling Status with The Leading Hotels of the World. This status was not found as a UK Platinum Card benefit in the saved first-party research. Source: American Express US refresh announcement, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/newsroom/articles/products-and-services/there-s-nothing-like-platinum---american-express-unveils-updated.html; checked 23 September 2026.
What changed on the US card: The current US consumer Platinum Card benefits include up to US$600 per calendar year in hotel statement credits, split into up to US$300 semi-annually; up to US$400 per calendar year in Resy statement credits, split into up to US$100 quarterly; up to US$300 per calendar year in digital-entertainment statement credits, split into up to US$25 monthly; up to US$300 per calendar year in lululemon statement credits, split into up to US$75 quarterly; up to US$120 per calendar year for an eligible Uber One membership; and up to US$200 per calendar year for an eligible ŌURA Ring purchase. Source: American Express US refresh announcement, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/newsroom/articles/products-and-services/there-s-nothing-like-platinum---american-express-unveils-updated.html; checked 23 September 2026.
Enrolment and other conditions vary across the US card benefits, whilst the UK card benefits have their own eligibility, booking and payment rules. Treat each UK or US credit as a discount on something you would buy anyway, not as free money handed over with a tiny umbrella in it.
Lounge and status:
The UK Platinum Card travel benefits include access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection and enrolment for Hilton Honors Gold Status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold. Lounge, enrolment and partner terms apply. Source: American Express UK travel-benefits page, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/benefits/travel/the-platinum-card/; checked 23 September 2026.
The UK American Express Platinum Card annual fee remains £650. Source: American Express UK Platinum Card page, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/credit-cards/platinum-card/; checked 23 September 2026.
What Does This Mean for UK-Based Avios Collectors?
For the UK card, The Platinum Membership Rewards earning rates are two Membership Rewards points per £1 spent at amextravel.co.uk and one point per £1 on purchases. The current public UK page in the saved research does not show a fixed welcome-bonus amount, so check the offer displayed during your application rather than relying on an old headline. Source: American Express UK Platinum Card page, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/credit-cards/platinum-card/; checked 23 September 2026.
The welcome bonus can kick-start your balance. Check the live application journey for the current UK amount and eligibility. On the UK card: Membership Rewards move 1:1 into Avios, with a minimum transfer of 1,000 points and an estimated instant transfer time. Transfers are final, so knowing how to transfer American Express points to Avios is only half the job. Wait until you have a use for them. Source: American Express UK Membership Rewards partner page, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/rewards/membership-rewards/partner/British-Airways/British-Airways-Club/BART?categoryname=&linknav=uk-mr-vrp-travelpartners-bart-logo; checked 23 September 2026.
UK Travel Benefits That Match Premium Redemptions
The UK Platinum Card benefits include Global Lounge Collection access, eligible hotel status, and travel insurance subject to enrolment, payment conditions, exclusions and eligibility rules. If you're redeeming Club World, the UK lounge and hotel-status benefits can improve the ground experience, but they do not make an unsuitable redemption good value. Sources: American Express UK travel-benefits page, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/benefits/travel/the-platinum-card/, and American Express UK insurance page, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/benefits/insurance-and-protection/the-platinum-card/; checked 23 September 2026.
Value Is in Planning, Not Drifting
The UK card's credits can soften its UK annual fee only when they match spending you genuinely planned. If a restaurant or hotel booking exists solely to use a UK credit, the spreadsheet may be flattering you.
What to Watch Out For
The Platinum label can make every perk sound important. Your own travel and spending habits are less easily impressed, so read the rules before applying or renewing.
The High UK Fee
The UK Platinum Card annual fee is £650. List the UK benefits you would use without changing your habits, assign each a realistic value and compare the total with that fee. Source: American Express UK Platinum Card page, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/credit-cards/platinum-card/; checked 23 September 2026.
Different Reset Calendars
The UK dining-credit benefit uses two half-year redemption periods for each £200 annual pot, whilst the UK Hotel Collection benefit offers US$100 per qualifying stay of at least two consecutive nights. By contrast, the US Resy and lululemon credit benefits reset quarterly, and the US annual hotel statement-credit benefit is divided into two semi-annual allowances. Sources: American Express UK dining page, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/benefits/dining/the-platinum-card/, American Express UK Hotel Collection page, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/benefits/travel/hotels/the-platinum-card/the-hotel-collection/, and American Express US refresh announcement, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/newsroom/articles/products-and-services/there-s-nothing-like-platinum---american-express-unveils-updated.html; checked 23 September 2026.
UK and US Earning Rates
For the UK card, the Platinum card is best used at amextravel.co.uk, where the UK earning rate is two Membership Rewards points per £1; the UK rate on purchases is one point per £1. Source: American Express UK Platinum Card page, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/credit-cards/platinum-card/; checked 23 September 2026. The US consumer Platinum Card earning rate is five Membership Rewards points per US dollar on eligible flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel, on up to US$500,000 of those flight purchases per calendar year, and five points per US dollar on prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel. Source: American Express US Platinum Card page, https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/card/platinum/; checked 23 September 2026. That is why many Avios collectors compare the UK Platinum with another UK card or a British Airways card that can earn a British Airways Companion Voucher, rather than assuming one premium card must do everything.
UK Specifics Vary
The UK Platinum Card benefits do not follow the US card's rules. Enrol where required, check the UK Benefits tab before spending and read the relevant terms for eligibility, payment and booking conditions.
How to Use Membership Rewards with Avios
Using UK Platinum Card Membership Rewards with Avios is flexible, but transfers cannot be reversed. To transfer American Express points to Avios, log in to your Amex account, select the transfer option and link your British Airways Club account,then choose how many points to move. The UK transfer rate is one Membership Rewards point to one Avios, the minimum transfer is 1,000 points and the estimated transfer time is instant. Source: American Express UK Membership Rewards partner page, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/rewards/membership-rewards/partner/British-Airways/British-Airways-Club/BART?categoryname=&linknav=uk-mr-vrp-travelpartners-bart-logo; checked 23 September 2026.
Practical Playbook for Avios Travellers
Start with the UK card, not a US benefits list. Enrol in the UK benefits you can genuinely use, note each reset date, check participating restaurants before dining and confirm an eligible Hotel Collection booking before expecting the UK hotel credit.
Next, bring your travel perks together. Use UK lounge access and eligible hotel status when they fit an Avios trip, keep Membership Rewards untransferred until you are ready to redeem and check that insurance conditions suit the booking.
Final Verdict
Our UK verdict: the UK American Express Platinum Card can suit frequent travellers who would naturally use its UK dining, lounge, hotel-status, hotel and insurance benefits. The test is whether your honest value exceeds the £650 UK annual fee, not whether a marketing total does. Source for the UK fee: American Express UK Platinum Card page, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/credit-cards/platinum-card/; checked 23 September 2026.
The UK premium is harder to justify for occasional travellers or anyone who must rearrange spending to use the UK credits. If your goal is focused on Avios and a British Airways Companion Voucher, compare the UK Platinum Card with a lower-fee UK British Airways card rather than paying for travel benefits you will leave untouched.
For a UK traveller who values lounges, hotel status and flexible points, American Express and Avios are still a winning combination. Just remember that the new lifestyle toolkit and higher annual fee in this story belong to the US consumer Platinum Card, not the UK card.
US card, separate verdict: the US consumer Platinum Card now combines more US lifestyle credits with a higher US annual fee. It may reward a US cardholder who already spends with the eligible partners, but it is a poor yardstick for a UK application because neither the US credits nor the US fee apply to the UK product.
Key Facts & T&Cs
UK representative example: the UK Platinum Card has a 29.1% per annum variable purchase rate, a 685.3% variable representative APR and an assumed £1,200 credit limit. Its UK annual fee is £650. Source: American Express UK Platinum Card page, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/credit-cards/platinum-card/; checked 23 September 2026.
UK welcome offer: the current public UK page in the saved research confirms eligibility restrictions but does not display a fixed public bonus amount. Check the offer and terms shown during application. Source: American Express UK Platinum Card page, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/credit-cards/platinum-card/; checked 23 September 2026.
UK lounge update: eligible UK primary Platinum cardholders have eight complimentary Priority Pass lounge pre-book entitlements per calendar year from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027 at participating UK lounges. These are pre-book entitlements, not eight lounge visits. Source: American Express UK Global Lounge Collection page, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/benefits/travel/air/the-platinum-card/global-lounge-collection/; checked 23 September 2026.
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