My credit card gets me free priority pass membership, travel benefits

• I’ve had an American Express Platinum card for over two years and have found it to be a good value.
• The annual fee is $695, but the card got me gold status with two hotel chains and a Priority Pass.
• I’ve used the digital entertainment card credit for my Audible and Netflix subscriptions.

In 2023, I added a new credit card to my portfolio: the American Express Platinum.

At first, I balked at its $695 annual fee — but I’ve found this card to be well worth the cost to me. The travel benefits are huge and, in many ways, the card helps me save on purchases I would have made anyway.

Here are some of my favorite American Express Platinum benefits, especially as a frequent traveler.

My free Priority Pass membership is one of my favorite parts of the card

One of the biggest perks of the card is the free Priority Pass membership, which gives me access to over 1,700 select airport lounges worldwide.

A Priority Pass membership alone can cost hundreds of dollars a year, so I love getting it for free. Plus, I put it to good use.

The city I live in has a smaller airport, which means most of our trips require a layover. A layover is much more comfortable when you have lounge access.

Airport lounges can be more comfortable and quieter than larger lounge areas. Plus, most have free food and drink, including alcohol. Not having to buy expensive airport food and drinks has definitely saved me money too.

I have lounge access with my Delta card, but I have to pay $50 each for my guests, which is not cost effective when traveling with my husband or kids.

However, with my Priority pass, I can take three guests into a lounge with me at no extra cost. That way, my family of four can eat for free and have a nice place to wait for our flight – win win!

This card also gives me access to American Express Centurion Lounges. My guests don’t have free access to these, but I enjoy them when I travel alone.

I also get other travel benefits

With my card, I was able to get automatic gold status with Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton. Get accelerated points, options for upgrades or delayed checkouts, food and beverage credits, welcome gifts and more.

Benefits vary from hotel to hotel, but anyone who travels frequently with these hotel brands will receive immediate benefits.

I also get a $199 annual credit to cover my CLEAR membership, which speeds up the time I spend going through airport security. It’s useful for me as a frequent traveler, but probably wouldn’t be for someone who only travels occasionally.

Digital entertainment credits save me money on my essential subscriptions

This card gives me $240 in digital entertainment credits per year that I can use on select subscriptions.

Credit can be applied to subscriptions to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Peacock, Disney+, Hulu and more.

In the past, I’ve used this to cover a year of Audible and some of my Netflix subscriptions – both of which come in handy when I’m traveling and want something to watch or listen to.

Although the card has more benefits, I think it is the best for travelers

The card has a lot more perks that I haven’t touched on and don’t always use, like $100 in Saks Fifth Avenue purchases each year, $300 in club memberships or Equinox digital subscriptions, and Uber Cash.

For me, however, the biggest benefits are travel related.

I travel very often, both for work and with my family. We live simply, but we do take vacations two to three times a year, and maximizing free time and recreation is important to us.

Although I was initially interested in the card to upgrade my hotel status, I quickly discovered other money-saving benefits, determined the value, and decided the annual fee was worth it.

I really looked into the benefits before deciding this card was for me – and it’s the best move for anyone looking to add something new to their wallet.