by Daniel | Last Updated Mar 25th, 2023
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Have you ever wondered if all Amex Platinum cards are equal?
Well, they definitely aren’t! As you will see in this video I take a deeper look into Amex Platinum cards from the US, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia just to see what the differences are between the same card from different countries.
And it’s quite surprising how much each card differs depending on where you live.
Annual Fee
Now one important factor to take into account when applying for a new credit card is how much the annual fee will cost you, and needless to say, the Amex Platinum card is not exactly a cheap option.
But to be fair all of the cards in this video offer quite a decent sign-up bonus and plenty of benefits that can easily offset the cost of the annual fee.
So starting first with the United States, the Amex Platinum Card will cost you $695 for the annual fee.
This works out to be just over $57 each month.
Now the Amex Platinum Card in Canada costs $699 Canadian dollars on annual basis, which is just over $58 dollars per month.
Next up with the Amex Platinum Card from the UK, the annual fee is £575, which is just shy of £48 per month.
And finally, with the Amex Platinum Card for Australia, the annual fee is $1,450 AUD, this works out to be just over $120 per month.
Minimum Wage For Each Country
Now it’s important to consider that each one of these countries has different currencies and pay rates.
So for this example, I’ve decided to take the minimum wage in each one of these countries and then calculate how many hours of work it would take to pay for the annual fee of each card.
Now I know that almost no one who gets this card will be earning minimum wage, it’s really just to give you an idea of the difference in costs between each country.
Now I know that almost no one who gets this card will be earning minimum wage, it’s really just to give you an idea of the difference in costs between each country.
USA
So the minimum hourly salary in the US is just $7.25 (although this does vary across to country up to over $15 per hour in California), but for this example, I’ll use the latter.
So at the minimum wage, it will take just over 95 hours of work to pay for the annual fee.
Canada
Now in Canada, the minimum hourly salary is $14.30 = (which is equal to $10.44 USD).
Now this will only require you to work just over 48 hours to pay for the annual fee, which is 47 hours less than the US!
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has a minimum hourly salary of £10.42 = (which is equal to $12.70 USD).
This will require just over 55 hours of work to pay the annual fee.
Australia
And finally, the minimum hourly salary in Australia is 21.38 AUD = (and this is equivalent to $14.36 USD).
This will require a total of just over 67 hours to cover the cost of the annual fee.
So it looks like Canada has the most affordable annual fee (at least according to minimum wages) and the US has the most expensive annual fee.
And again, I know that this is not really an accurate means of determining the actual value of the annual fee, buts it’s an interesting one.
Sign-up Bonus
Now all of these cards have sign-up bonuses that change throughout the year but at the time of making this video here’s what each card is offering.
With the US card, it is possible to earn 80,000 Membership Rewards Points if you can manage to spend $6,000 on purchases within the first 6 months of opening the account.
And US Membership Rewards Points are worth 1 cent per point when redeem through American Express Travel for flights.
So this sign-up bonus is worth $800.
Next up, with the Amex platinum card from Canada, the sign-up bonus is split into two sections, initially, it is possible to earn 60,000 Membership Reward Points after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of card ownership.
Then it is possible to earn an additional 20,000 Membership Rewards Points if you make any purchases between the 14th and 17th month of card ownership, so a total of 80,000 points, it just means you will have to renew the card for the following year to actually get the second half of the sign-up bonus.
Now Canadian Membership Rewards Points are worth the same 1 cent per point as the US card, so this sign-up bonus is worth the same $800.
Now with Platinum Amex From the UK, it is possible to earn 30,000 Membership Rewards points after spending £4,000 whiting the first 3 months of card ownership.
And with UK Membership Rewards Points being worth approximately 1p per point when transferred to airline partners, this signup bonus is worth around £300.
With the Amex Platinum card from Australia, the current sign-up bonus is 225,000 Bonus Membership Reward Points after spending $5,000 within the first 3 months of card ownership.
Now Australian Membership Rewards Points in Australia are worth around 0.5 cents per point which means this sign-up bonus is worth around $1,125.00.
So all cards offer a similar sign-up bonus value of around $800 except for the UK Platinum card, which offers around £300.
Earning Points
Now when it comes to earning Membership Rewards points all 4 of these cards are quite different in terms of how many points you can actually earn.
So starting first with the Amex Platinum Card from the US it is possible to earn 5x points on flights that are booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel, and this is limited to a total of 500k points each year.
It is then possible to earn the same 5x points on Prepaid hotels through AmexTravel.com
And then all other purchases that are made on the card will earn 1 point per dollar spent.
Now with the Amex Platinum Card from Canada, it is possible to earn 3x points on dining & food delivery purchases from within Canada.
It is then possible to earn 2x points on travel, this includes eligible flights, hotels, tours, and more.
Then all other purchases that are made on the card will earn 1x point per dollar spent.
Now along with these points earning opportunities, it is also possible to earn 1 additional point through Amex travel online, on eligible hotel or car rental bookings.
Now with the Amex Platinum Card from the UK, it is possible to earn 2x points for purchases that are made through amextravel.co.uk
Then all other purchases that are made on the card will earn 1 point per £1 spent.
And finally, with the Amex Platinum Card from Australia, it is possible to earn 2.25 points per dollar spent on everything excluding government bodies in Australia.
Then it will be able to earn 1 point per dollar spent at government bodies in Australia.
And if you’re wondering what Government bodies are basically it covers businesses such as the Australian Taxation Office, the Australian Postal Corporation (or Australia Post), or Federal/State and Local Government bodies.
So in terms of earning Membership Rewards points, the US Amex Platinum Card offers the highest points earning potential of up to 5x points, and then the UK Amex Platinum Card has the least favorable points earning potential with the ability to earn just 2x points on travel.
Benefits and User Perks
Now when it comes to Benefits and user perks, The US Amex Platinum Card is renowned for offering a ton of value from a wide variety of different perks, but is that the case with the same card from these other countries?
Well, let’s take a closer look now.
So as I mentioned before the US Amex Platinum card comes with a ton of benefits, these include:
- $200 Uber credit
- $240 Entertainment credit
- $100 for TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry
- $189 Clear credit
- $200 Hotel credit
- $469 Global Lounge Collection and Priority Pass
- $300 Annual Equinox credit
- $200 Airline fee credit
- $100 Saks credit
These benefits have a combined value of at least $1,998 USD
Next up, with the Amex Platinum Card from Canada, you will receive the following benefits:
- $200 Annual Travel Credit
- $100 NEXUS Card Statement Credit
- $469 USD = $641.29 CAD Global Lounge Collection and Priority Pass
- Benefits at Toronto Pearson International Airport
- Access to Pearson Priority Security Lane
- Complimentary valet service at Toronto Pearson Airport Terminal 1
- 15% discount on parking rates at the Express Park and Daily Park.
These benefits have a combined value of at least $964.29 CAD
Now with the Amex Platinum Card from the UK, you will receive the following perks:
- $469 USD = (£382.77) Global Lounge Collection and Priority Pass
- £300 Global Dining Statement Credit
- £100 Harvey Nichols Lifestyle Credit
- $200 (£163.23) statement credit for every booking with onefinestay.com.
These benefits have a combined value of at least £946 GBP
And finally, with the Amex Platinum Card from Australia, there are the following benefits:
- $450 Travel Credit each year
- $400 Global Dining Credit – $200 local and $200 abroad
- $469 USD = ($701.46 AUD) Global Lounge Collection and Priority Pass
- $84 credit for Amazon Prime Subscription
- $150 credit for Complimentary Fashion Credit with NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER
- $50 voucher at Langton’s fine wines
These benefits have a combined value of at least $1,835 AUD
So both the US and Australian Amex Platinum cards have offers of almost $2,000, whereas the Canadian card is offering just under $1,000 and the UK card offers £946.
Insurance coverage
So for the last part of the review, I’ll go over all of the insurance-related coverage that comes with each card, and to be honest they all offer quite a lot.
So with the US Amex Platinum card, you will receive the following coverage:
- Cell Phone Protection of up to $800, with the ability to make 2 claims per 12-month period.
Each claim will incur a $50 deductible fee.
- Purchase Protection which provides 90 days of coverage on new purchases against damage or theft, this covers up to $10,000 per occurrence and $50,000 per year.
- Return Protection provides 90 days of coverage for items that a merchant won’t take back.
This covers up to $300 per item and a total of $1,000 per year. - Extended Warranty provides you with 1 extra year of coverage on warranties that are 5 years or less.
- The Baggage Insurance Plan covers up to $3,000 for both checked and carry-on luggage.
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance covers up to $75k in case of an accident, and this is secondary insurance.
- Trip Delay Insurance provides up to $500 per covered trip with the ability to make 2 claims per 12-month period.
- And finally, Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance provides coverage of up to $10,000 per covered trip and a total of $20,000 per 12-month period.
Now with the Canadian Amex Platinum Card, you actually get a ton of coverage included with this card and this includes:
- Buyer’s Assurance Protection Plan – this provides you with one additional year of coverage on manufacturer’s warranties from both Canada and the U.S. as long as it does not exceed 5 years.
- Purchase Protection Plan that provides you with 120 days of coverage against accidental physical damage or theft and covers up to $1,000 per occurrence.
- Out of Province/Country Emergency Medical Insurance – Up to $5,000,000,
- Trip Cancellation Insurance of up to $2,500 per insured person, per trip, up to a maximum of $5,000 for all insured persons
- Trip Interruption Insurance of up to $2,500 per insured person, up to a maximum of $6,000
- Flight Delay Insurance of up to $1,000 in coverage (aggregate maximum with Baggage Delay Insurance) This is to cover any items that are purchased within 48 hours when you have been delayed or denied boarding for 4 hours or more.
- Baggage Delay Insurance of up to $1,000 in coverage, if your outbound trip is delayed for 6 hours or more.
- Hotel Burglary Insurance of up to $1,000
- Lost or Stolen Baggage Insurance of up to $1,000 per trip.
- $500,000 Travel Accident Insurance
- Car Rental Theft and Damage Insurance of up to $85,000
Next up with the Amex Platinum Card for the UK, you will receive the following coverage:
- Medical Assistance and Expenses – This includes £2,000,000 for necessary medical, surgical, and hospital costs during a trip, and £1,000 for emergency dental treatment.
Then up to £2,500 for a local funeral.
- Canceling, Postponing, and Abandoning Your Trip – This covers up to £7,500 for unused travel and £7,500 for costs to return home.
- Personal Belongings, Money, and Travel Documents – This includes £2,000 in total per trip, £500 for the current value or cost to repair any item.
And up to £500 for money and travel documents limited to £50 for children under the age of 16.
- Car Rental Benefits, Theft, Damage, and Liability – This covers up to £50,000 for theft or damage to a vehicle.
And £50,000 (US$1 million in the USA) for damage to another person or their property.
- Travel Inconvenience – This covers £300 for a missed departure due to an accident or breakdown, travel delay, overbooking, or missed connection.
And £300 for baggage delayed by an airline, and then an additional £300 for extended baggage delay by the airline.
- Personal Accident Whilst on a Trip – This covers £50,000 for death or permanent disablement on a trip caused by an accident (increased to £250,000 when traveling on a public vehicle).
- Legal Assistance and Compensation – This covers £25,000 in legal defense costs and legal costs in the pursuit of compensation.
And then £1,000,000 for legal liability for injuring another person, or damaging their property or possessions.
And finally, with the Australia Amex Platinum Card, you will receive the following coverage:
- Buyer’s Advantage Cover – this covers up to $20,000 per year and basically extends the manufacturers’ warranty on eligible items purchased with your card by up to 12 months
- Card Purchase Cover – The item must be stolen or broken within 90 days of purchase, and you will be covered for up to $30,000 per year and $3,500 per claim with a $50 excess per claim
- Card Refund Cover – Must be within 90 days of purchase. And you will be covered for up to $5,000 per year and $1,000 per claim, with no excess
- Fraud Protection Guarantee – This is basically the same as card refund cover.
So all of the cards offer a lot of great coverage that is generally related to travel.
And I must say that both the Canadian and UK Platinum cards stand out for this section as they offer quite a large amount of coverage for emergency medical assistance.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it, that pretty much covers everything there is to know about the Amex Platinum cards from the US, Canada, Uk, and Australia.
And I must say that the US Platinum card looks to be the most rewarding card as it has the highest points-earning potential of all 4 cards and offers the most benefits and user perks.
Then the UK Platinum card appears to be the least desirable as its sign-up bonus is only worth approximately £300 and its points earning potential only offers a maximum earning of 2x points, which is far less than what the US Platinum Card is offering, which is a maximum of 5x points.
And If you found this article interesting I think you’ll like this review where compare the most expensive and exclusive credit cards that are available now.