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$600 hotel credit offered with American Express Platinum Card® applies to prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings made via American Express Travel®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
The American Express Platinum Card® and its business counterpart, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express have some of the highest credit card annual fees on the market, but they also comes with some of the most lucrative benefits.
This is especially true after the recent Amex Platinum overhaul, where Amex added several brand new (or enhanced) benefits to the cards in exchange for a bump in the annual fee. These cards now offer an up-to-$600 hotel credit — up to $300 back in statement credits semi-annually for up to a total of $600 per year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection (minimum two night stay) bookings through American Express Travel.
For many cardholders, this upgraded benefit alone can offset a large portion of the annual fee. The credit is automatically active and requires no separate enrollment. That said, it still comes with some important limitations.
Here's how to use this perk each year and the benefits you can expect to receive when you visit your hotel.
Page Contents
- How to Use the Platinum Card® and Business Platinum Card Hotel Credit
- When Should I Use the Platinum Card® or Business Platinum Card Hotel Credit?
- When Shouldn't I Use the Hotel Credit?
- Benefits of Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection — Plus the Differences
- What About Hotel Loyalty Programs and Elite Status?
- What if You Carry More Than One Platinum Card?
- Bottom Line
How to Use the Platinum Card® and Business Platinum Card Hotel Credit
It's very easy to use the hotel credit attached to the Platinum Card® and Business Platinum Card. First, head to the Amex Travel® website, log in, and input your destination and dates.
While Fine Hotels + Resorts® bookings can be made with a minimum one-night stay, The Hotel Collection® bookings require a minimum of two nights. So, keep that in mind when choosing your check-in and check-out dates.
Personally, I'm planning a relaxed birthday trip to the beaches of Mexico in November, so I'm hoping to use my hotel credit for this trip:
Once you receive your Replace results, click “filter” and select Fine Hotels + Resorts properties, The Hotel Collection properties, or both. You can also filter by neighborhood, price, rating, property type, and whether the property is offering any special promotions.
If you're anything like me, you love a deal. So, I like to sort by lowest price. Or, you can leave it as sorting by recommended, which is the default.
Generally speaking, The Hotel Collection hotels are usually cheaper than Fine Hotels + Resorts hotels. Most FHR hotels are typically five-star hotels and retail for several hundred dollars a night. However, you might also find some Hotel Collection properties to be in a similar price range as their FHR counterparts.
You can also find some excellent deals and promotions through the Amex Travel portal. For instance, I can stay at a 5-star, adults-only property in Bacalar, Mexico, and receive my third night free. After factoring in my hotel credit, I'm paying a fraction of the sticker price for a luxury vacation.
Completing the booking, ensuring you get credit
After choosing your property and room type, you will be given payment options. Choose Book and Pay Today, as the credit only applies to prepaid bookings made with your Platinum Card® or Business Platinum Card.
Luckily, Amex makes it incredibly clear to see which option allows you to use your hotel credit. Plus, you might get a better rate when paying today by taking advantage of promotions.
Once you get to the checkout screen, ensure that your rate says either Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection underneath the section listing “My Trip Summary.”
Be sure to pay attention to the full trip cost. Amex displays the base room rate, but taxes, mandatory fees at booking, and on-property charges are not included in that headline number. If you're trying to land a booking that comes in close to the $300 credit, those extra costs matter — especially in major cities or resort areas where taxes and add-on fees can be substantial.
Fill out the guest information and complete your purchase. After the $300 credit, I'll pay just $530.78 out-of-pocket for three nights. Given that the room would cost $1,132.56 when booked directly with the property, this definitely feels like a good deal.
When do you receive the statement credit?
The statement credit is almost always applied within a day of your qualifying prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection booking through the Amex Travel portal. You can see below that my credit posted the same day as the day my purchase posted.
We can’t promise that it will always post within 24 hours; it occasionally takes a few days to receive the credit. But as long as you book through AmexTravel.com, select a hotel in Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection, and pay in advance, you should get the credit automatically. It's that simple.
What if I cancel my The Hotel Collection or Fine Hotels + Resorts booking?
Change and cancellation policies will vary. But let's walk through a couple of examples, assuming your rate is refundable, and you cancel after you get the statement credits from American Express.
If you cancel and make a new booking immediately, the statement credit often remains on the account. You will just pay the cost of the new hotel. You already got the credits, so you come out even.
If you cancel and don't make a new booking, expect American Express to take back the statement credits you received. Then, if you make a new booking later on, the process will work like normal, and you'll receive the credit on your ensuing booking. If you don't get the credit on this new booking, contact American Express for an adjustment.
When Should I Use the Platinum Card® or Business Platinum Card Hotel Credit?
You should use your hotel credit if the hotel's price is the same or similar to rates on the property's website. Using the earlier example for a stay at Our Habitas Bacalar, you'd pay $1,132.56 to book directly with the hotel, after taxes and fees.
Amex Travel advertises two different fares: one for prepaying using a promotion, and another for paying at check-in.
If you didn't prepay when booking through Amex Travel, I'd pay an additional $164.07 compared to booking directly. However, by taking advantage of the promotion, I'll save $301.78 by prepaying through Amex Travel and taking advantage of the promotion. And that's before the hotel credit even comes into play.
In addition, because the Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection rates also include a $100 property credit to be used during your stay and are eligible for the Amex credit, your out-of-pocket cost of booking with your Platinum Card® or Business Platinum Card on AmexTravel.com is several hundred dollars below Our Habitas Bacalar's hotel rate.
The hotel credit is also great for covering all (or nearly all) of the entire cost of cheap bookings as well. Take this $172 nightly rate at Hôtel des Arts Saigon – MGallery Collection in May 2026.
After taxes, the total cost for a room for two nights at this property is $391.04.
More than 75% of the cost would be covered by your Platinum Card® or Business Platinum Card hotel credit — you'd pay just $91.04 out of pocket. At check-in, you would also receive a $100 hotel credit for amenities, more than covering the amount you paid! Plus, you'll have your other $300 semi-annual hotel credit waiting for a future stay.
Keep in mind that this credit is doled out semi-annually. It's a use-it-or-lose-it style credit, so you'll want to make sure you maximize your bookings twice per year so you don't leave money on the table.
Related: How to Use MaxFHR To Find Cheap Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts Stays
When Shouldn't I Use the Hotel Credit?
At times, we've seen hotel prices in Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection significantly higher than rates offered directly from the hotel. If the rate is significantly more expensive than booking directly, hold off on using your credit. Unless you have no plans to use the credit for the remainder of your statement year, you should wait for a better opportunity.
You also should think twice about booking here if your hotel elite status benefits are essential. We'll discuss this in detail below.
Benefits of Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection — Plus the Differences
Both Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection properties offer wonderful benefits. While you can use your Platinum Card® or Business Platinum Card statement credit at both Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection hotels, there are some important differences in benefits to understand.
Fine Hotels + Resorts
The Fine Hotels + Resorts program offers luxury hotels with elite benefits. You’ll get a $100 hotel credit to spend on things like dining, spa, and resort activities, free breakfast every day, room upgrades (when available), late checkout, and other elite perks. There are more than 1,800 properties in FHR.
The Hotel Collection
The Hotel Collection offers a wider array of hotels, ranging from three to five stars. With The Hotel Collection, you’ll get room upgrades when available, plus up to a $100 hotel credit. It’s also important to note that The Hotel Collection bookings require a booking of at least two nights. FHR bookings do not have this requirement. There are at least 1,300 properties in The Hotel Collection.
Similarities and differences to note
Both Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection include a $100 credit. However, it is important to mention that purchases that qualify for this credit are at the hotel's discretion, rather than Amex's. While some hotels might allow you to use that credit at swanky hotel restaurants, others might only allow you to use the credit when taking items from the minibar or the lobby's grab-and-go. FHR credits typically cover higher-end amenities than The Hotel Collection credits.
You may get free breakfast included with The Hotel Collection bookings, though this isn’t guaranteed. Perks you enjoy can vary by property, but the items mentioned above in the FHR and The Hotel Collection sections are the standards you should expect to enjoy at any property when using your prepaid hotel credit.
What About Hotel Loyalty Programs and Elite Status?
Since you are not booking directly through the hotel or loyalty program, hotels aren't required to honor your elite status. That said, during the booking process, there is a space to input your loyalty number. If you are booking a property that belongs to Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, Hilton Honors — or any loyalty program you participate in — it doesn’t hurt to put in your loyalty number.
We've noticed the big chains often honor elite status and provide points, upgrades, and elite nights for bookings made via AmexTravel.com. And yes, this comes alongside any Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection perks. With that said, it is safer to assume you will not receive status perks with any third-party booking. That's because these benefits are not guaranteed.
Related: Credit Card Hotel Collections That Offer Elite-Like Benefits Without Needing Elite Status
What if You Carry More Than One Platinum Card?
If you carry more than one version of the Platinum Card® — whether that’s a personal card paired with a Business Platinum Card or, like me, multiple business cards under the same account holder — each card receives its own separate hotel credit. That means you'll have multiple semi-annual $300 credits to utilize.
For travelers in this situation, it's important to note that these credits don’t pool, and you can’t split payment across cards. Using more than one credit requires making separate prepaid bookings.
Booking back-to-back stays can be a great strategy for maximizing your credits. For example, you can book a two-night stay with one card and another two-night stay with your second card. That can give you a total of $600 off four nights in a destination — or even more if you have 3+ eligible cards.
Just note that while you can book back-to-back stays to use multiple credits, not all properties will give you a $100 property credit on consecutive reservations. By the terms and conditions, properties are allowed to treat multiple back-to-back reservations as a single continuous stay.
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- Earn 5X points on Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings.
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase with U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase with U.S. electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase with U.S. shipping providers.
- 2X earning rates are subject to a cap of $2 million in purchases per calendar year.
Bottom Line
If you can utilize the perk to fit your travel needs, the up to $600 hotel credit is an excellent feature of the Platinum Card® and now the Business Platinum Card as well.
You receive up to $600 in credits for prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection bookings each year, as well as an additional $100 credit at check-in on each stay. This enables you to potentially save hundreds on accommodations. You don’t need to sign up in advance, unlike most Amex benefits. If you make a booking of less than $300, you can use the remainder of the credit on any additional bookings.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express Platinum Card® (Rates & Fees), and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees)
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