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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.
There's no doubt that the American Express Platinum Card® is an expensive beast. With an annual fee of $895 per year (Rates & Fees), you really have to maximize the card's benefits in order to make the cost worthwhile.
If you have family or friends who'd like the benefits of an Platinum Card® without paying the full annual fee, you can add them as authorized users to your account.
Unfortunately, doing so isn't as cheap as it used to be. So, should you still add authorized users to your Platinum Card® account? Let's take a look at the benefits you'll get versus the cost to decide whether it's still worth it.
The Cost of Adding an Authorized User to the Platinum Card®
In August 2023, American Express increased the cost of adding an authorized user to American Express Platinum Card® from $175 to $195 (Rates & Fees). This may not seem like a huge increase, but a bigger change happened, too.
Previously, the cost for an authorized user was $175 for up to three additional cards, then $175 for each additional card thereafter. Now, it's $195 for each additional Platinum Card® for Authorized Users per authorized user.
This is a huge blow for those who've added a few friends or family members as an authorized user for benefits like lounge access and elite status. The good news is these authorized user cards still get most of the travel benefits included with the Platinum Card®, including airport lounge access. So, it can still make sense to add authorized users.
Let's take a closer look at all the included benefits.
The Benefits Of An Authorized User Platinum Card®
It's best to think of an authorized user on the American Express Platinum Card® as a sort of a Platinum-lite card. You'll get most of the card's benefits, but not all. The sections below outline the benefits available to these authorized users.
Note that you can add a “Companion Card” to your Platinum Card® account for no additional fee. These aren't the same as traditional authorized users, however, as the Companion Cardholder doesn't offer many perks. Instead, these cardholders can spend on your account while you earn the points.
Airport lounge access
Perhaps the most important benefit here is that eligible authorized users with an Additional Platinum Card® are granted access to the Global Lounge Collection®. This comprises more than 1,500 airport lounges worldwide, including American Express Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs®, Escape Lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, and select Lufthansa Lounges (until this access ends on October 1, 2026).
There are a couple of caveats to keep in mind, however. The Platinum Card® includes 10 Delta Sky Club visits per year, with each cardmember getting their own allotment of visits. Further, you must be flying Delta same-day to enter the Sky Club with their Platinum Card®.
Additionally, a handful of Lufthansa Lounges are part of the Global Lounge Collection. To access these lounges, you must be flying a Lufthansa Group airline on the same day. This includes Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Air Dolomiti, Edelweiss Air, Eurowings, Discover Airlines, Lufthansa, Lufthansa City Airlines, and SWISS.
There isn't another credit card that offers this much access to airport lounges, which can easily make the annual fee as an authorized user worth it if you're a frequent traveler. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Hotel elite status
Platinum Card® comes with a host of elite statuses, which are also offered to authorized users. This includes the ability to enroll for complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status and Marriott Gold Elite status.
Marriott Bonvoy Gold doesn't get you much beyond a 2 pm check-out and space-available room upgrades. Meanwhile, Hilton Gold entitles you to complimentary breakfast (or a food and beverage credit on stays in the U.S.) and space-available room upgrades.
Related: How to Get Hotel Elite Status for Free (or Almost Free)
Rental car elite status
The American Express Platinum Card® also provides rental car elite status:
- Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President's Circle
- Avis Preferred Plus
- National Emerald Club Executive status
These benefits are extended to authorized users, as well.
Related: How to Get Rental Car Elite Status for Free
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
Authorized users generally don't get their own credits on the Platinum Card® offers each year. The only exception to this is the Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, which offers up to a $120 credit every four years for Global Entry or four and a half years for TSA PreCheck. You'll simply need to charge the application fee to your card, and you'll be reimbursed.
Global Entry allows you to skip the standard queue at immigration in favor of automated kiosks, while TSA PreCheck allows you to bypass the regular line at airport security. It's worth noting that Global Entry includes TSA PreCheck access, so we recommend applying for Global Entry if you're eligible.
Related: 22 Credit Card Benefits Every Traveler Should Know About
Access to the Fine Hotel + Resorts® and Hotel Collection programs
The American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts program allows you to book high-end hotels with benefits that mimic elite status. This includes perks such as 4 pm checkout, complimentary breakfast, room upgrades, and more. Bookings even include a $100 on-property credit to use during your stay, and your authorized users can reserve hotels here.
American Express also offers The Hotel Collection. These stays offer fewer benefits than Fine Hotels + Resorts, but they tend to be at mid-range hotels with lower rates. You can book stays at The Hotel Collection and Fine Hotels + Resorts properties through AmexTravel.com.
Although authorized users aren't entitled to their own annual credit, they can still share in what the American Express Platinum Card® already offers. These include up to:
- $600 hotel credit
- $200 airline incidental fee credit
- $209 CLEAR+ credit
- $200 in Uber Cash
- $300 digital entertainment credit
- $120 Global Entry fee credit (every four years) or $85 TSA PreCheck credit (every four and a half years)
- $100 Saks credit
- $155 Walmart+ credit (up to a monthly $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Ups not included)
- $300 Equinox credit
- $300 off a SoulCycle bike (not factored into the annual value)
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Related: Full review of the Platinum Card® Card
Transferable points
Perhaps the most important benefit of being an authorized user is access to the card's shared points pool. Why is this such a big deal?
Membership Rewards points earned by spending points on an Amex card. You can't pool or transfer Amex points directly from one person to another. But you can transfer points to someone else's hotel or airline rewards program if they're an authorized user on your account.
If you're looking to share your Amex points with another person, they'll need to be an authorized user on your card — full stop. Further, they need to have been a user on your card for at least 90 days before points can be transferred to their partner accounts.
Finally, you'll want to note that authorized users of the Platinum Card® earn points at the same rate as the primary cardholder:
- Get more for your travels with 5X Membership Rewards® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings. You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
- Earn 1X points on other eligible purchases.
The Benefits of a Companion Platinum Card® Card
Formerly known as an Additional Green Card, the Companion Platinum card is another card option for those looking to add users to the Platinum Card®. This no-annual-fee option (Rates & Fees) has far fewer benefits than a standard authorized user, but it maintains two key features:
- Global Entry/ TSA PreCheck credit
- Transferable points
As noted above, it's important to have users on your account if you'd like to share points with a friend or relative. If the $195 annual fee is a little too expensive — or if the person you're adding won't make use of the card's travel benefits — the Companion Platinum Card is a great alternative.
Is It Worth It To Add Authorized Users on the Platinum Card®?
Now that we've broken down the benefits authorized users get, here's the real question: Is it still worth adding them?
The biggest consideration is how often your authorized user travels. If they're on the road often enough to use the card's airport lounge access and elite status benefits, it can be a no-brainer to add them as an authorized user. This can be the case even if you travel together, as your authorized user gets their own allotment of 10 Delta Sky Club visits.
However, if you travel together often and don't use the Delta Sky Club, you might be looking at redundant benefits by adding them as an authorized user. The Platinum Card® includes guest privileges at Priority Pass, Plaza Premium, and Escape lounges regardless of spending activity. And if you spend $75,000 or more on your card annually, you'll have guest privileges at Centurion Lounges. Hitting this spend threshold also unlocks unlimited Delta Sky Club access, but not guest access.
In short: Consider how often your authorized user travels alone and how often you will visit Delta Sky Clubs or Centurion Lounges together. Guest passes for either lounge cost $50 per visit, so if you plan to use them a combined total of four or more times per year, you're better off adding them as an authorized user.
Final Thoughts
Adding an authorized user to your American Express Platinum Card® can be a cost-effective way to share its extensive travel benefits — but it's still not cheap at $195 per person. Whether it's worth it for you depends on how often you and your authorized user travel.
Before adding an authorized user to your card, do the math to decide if the numbers make sense. Is your friend or relative getting $195 in value? If not, consider giving your friend the no-annual-fee Companion Card, which still allows you to earn and transfer points without costing a dime.
(Terms apply)
- You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you're approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount - all with no credit score impact. If you're approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Get more for your travels with 5X Membership Rewards® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings. You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
- With over 1,550 airport lounges - more than any other credit card company on the market* - enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection®, over $850 of annual value, with access to Centurion Lounges, 10 complimentary Delta Sky Club® visits when flying on an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations), Priority Pass Select membership (enrollment required), and other select partner lounges.* As of 07/2025.
- $200 Uber Cash + $120 Uber One Credit: With the Platinum Card® you can receive $15 in Uber Cash each month plus a bonus $20 in December when you add your Platinum Card® to your Uber account to use on rides and orders in the U.S when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. Plus, when you use the Platinum Card® to pay for an auto-renewing Uber One membership, you can get up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year. Terms apply.
- $300 Digital Entertainment Credit: Experience the latest shows, news and recipes. Get up to $25 in statement credits each month when you use your Platinum Card® for eligible purchases on Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN streaming services, Hulu, The New York Times, Paramount+, Peacock, The Wall Street Journal, YouTube Premium, and YouTube TV when you purchase directly from one or more of the providers. Enrollment required.
- $600 Hotel Credit: Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection* bookings through American Express Travel® using the Platinum Card®. *The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- $400 Resy Credit + Platinum Nights by Resy: Get up to $100 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card® to make eligible purchases with Resy, including dining purchases at U.S. Resy restaurants. Enrollment required. Plus, with Platinum Nights by Resy, you can get special access to reservations on select nights at participating in demand Resy restaurants with the Platinum Card®. Simply add your eligible Card to your Resy profile to book and discover Platinum Nights reservations near you.
- $209 CLEAR+ Credit: CLEAR+ helps get you to your gate faster by using your face to verify you are you at 55+ airports nationwide. You can cover the cost of a CLEAR+ Membership* with up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR+ with your Platinum Card®. *Excluding any applicable taxes and fees. Subject to auto-renewal.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to the Platinum Card® Account. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
- Start your vacation sooner, and keep it going longer. When you book Fine Hotels + Resorts® through American Express Travel®, enjoy noon check-in, when available, and guaranteed 4PM check-out.
- $300 lululemon Credit: Enjoy up to $75 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card® for eligible purchases at U.S. lululemon retail stores (excluding outlets) and lululemon.com. That's up to $300 in statement credits each calendar year. Enrollment required.
- $155 Walmart+ Credit: Receive a statement credit* for one monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) after you pay for Walmart+ each month with the Platinum Card®. *Up to $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Ups not eligible.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- $895 annual fee.
- 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.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express Platinum Card® (Rates & Fees)
