The American Express Platinum card is in my opinion the best credit card in The Netherlands you could have when it comes to travel. The card costs € 65,- per month but offers a lot of benefits most people aren’t aware of yet. Until March 6, you can get a welcome bonus of 170,000 membership rewards when signing up for an American Express Platinum card. In this article, we’ll cover the10 benefits you get with the card.
1. Membership Rewards Points
Let’s start with the one of the main reasons people get an American Express card. You collect membership rewards points with every purchase you do with the card. You can convert these membership rewards points into airline miles to then book business and first class award flights. At the moment, you can convert to the following programs:
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue at a 5:4 ratio
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles at a 5:4 ratio
- British Airways Club at a 5:4 ratio
- Delta Air Lines SkyMiles at a 3:1 ratio
- Iberia Club at a 5:4 ratio
- SAS EuroBonus at a 3:2 ratio
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles at a 5:4 ratio
A few years ago, you earned 1,5 membership rewards point for every euro spent. Unfortunately, the number of membership rewards points you now earn has been reduced to 1 per euro spent.
You also can convert them into hotel points. Although, this is not a really interesting choice since you’ll not get that much value out of them as with airline miles. You can convert membership rewards points to the following Hotel programs:
- Hilton Honors at a 1:1 ratio
- Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1 ratio
- Radisson Rewards at a 1:2 ratio
Apart from converting them into airline miles and hotel points, you also can convert them into gift cards or pay your credit card will with them. These options are not that lucrative though. In a later article, I explain more in detail about the best ways to convert them.
2. Privium Membership
No need to queue up anymore at security lanes and border clearance at Schiphol, Eindhoven and Rotterdam Airport anymore. An American Express Platinum card includes a Privium Plus membership with a value of € 320,- per year. This makes your whole airport experience a lot more comfortable.
Apart from the fast-track at security lanes and border clearance, Privium Plus also grants you access to the Privium lounges. These lounges offer a high level of comfort with good quality food and beverages. So far, I reviewed the following Privium lounges:
At Schiphol there is also an ExpressLounge. However, this lounge is less interesting than the lounges I reviewed. You can find this lounge at the beginning of the D-gates at the second floor. in the Schengen zone.
So far, Privium is exclusive to EU and EEA nationals (Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland). Read more about it in my dedicated article about Privium.
3. Lounge Access
Apart from the Privium lounges, you also get access to Priority Pass lounges at airport worldwide. This is because the American Express Platinum Card includes a Priority Pass Prestige membership with a value of € 459,- per year. Although Priority Pass lounges are not that great as Privium lounges and most airlines lounges, this is still an awesome benefit to have since you always have lounge access at any airport worldwide.
You can bring up to one guest for free into the lounge. In a later article, I go more in depth about all the 3 memberships of Priority Pass. the American Express Platinum card card that is including a Priority Pass membership by the way. Also Revolut is including this in their Ultra plan. I wrote about it in my dedicated article about Revolut. Apart from the Priority Pass lounges you also get access to the following lounges:
- American Express Centurion lounges
- Lufthansa Business Class lounges
- Virgin Australia lounges
- Delta Sky Club lounges
Please note that for access to the Delta and Virgin Australia lounges, you need to fly with that airline. Read more this in my dedicated article about lounge access with American Express Platinum.
4. Lounge On The Go
No time to go to the lounge before your flight? American Express found a solution! You can pick your lounge box at the Grab and Fly stores at Schiphol Airport before you make your way to the gate. After scanning the QR-code in the Experience App, you have access to the following without being charged:
- A dish of your choice (e.g., a sandwich or salad)
- A piece of fruit or croissant
- A hot or cold non-alcoholic drink
You can do this with a maximum of twice per month. Since this concept is meant for those who don’t have time to visit the lounge, your not allowed to grab a lounge box if you also visited a Priority Pass lounge the same day.
You also can grab a lounge box after landing. Good for those who need to travel further by car or train. Since January 2026, the Lounge On The Go concept is also available at Rotterdam and Brussels Airport.
5. Hotel Elite Status
With the American Express Platinum card, you also get access to a few hotel elite statuses. No need to qualify every year anymore to get your desired status. You’ll get the following hotel elite statuses:
- Hilton Honors Gold
- Marriott Bonvoy Gold
- MeliáRewards Gold
- Radisson Rewards Premium
Myself, I stay a lot in Hilton hotels and therefore, I give a lot of value to this benefit since Hilton Gold give you complementary breakfast and lounge access if being upgraded to a higher room category.
Also the other hotel elite statuses are nice to have. In a later article, I dive deeper into the hotel elite statuses you get with American Express Platinum as well as how valuable these can be.
6. Dining For 2
Another amazing benefit is the Dining for 2 experience. Dining for 2 has replaced the previous dining credit of € 300,- per year. You now get invited by American Express 3 times per year in a specific month. The rounds for 2026 are as follows:
- February 1 through February 28
- June 1 through June 30
- October 1 through October 31
You still can choose from a menu and everything over € 100 is at your own charge as well as the drinks. You can choose a restaurant in the Experience App.
The Dining For 2 Experience is less flexible than the previous dining credit since you need to visit a restaurant in a specific month of the year. Apart from that, I still like it. Last year, I visited Voilà in Groningen, Proefverlof in Leeuwarden and Ledeboer in Almelo. Especially, the latter is a good recommendation. You can read more about it in my dedicated Dining For 2 article.
7. Travel Insurance
The American Express Platinum travel insurance is an automatic coverage that applies when you pay (partly or fully) for your trip with the card. It typically includes protection for medical expenses abroad, trip cancellation or interruption, delays, lost or damaged baggage, and personal liability.
Coverage usually applies not only to the cardholder but also to traveling family members, depending on the policy terms. American Express uses Europ Assistance as their travel insurance. If something goes wrong, you file a claim with American Express’s insurance partner and submit documents such as receipts, booking confirmations, and medical reports.
The insurance has high coverage limits, especially for medical emergencies, which makes it attractive for long-haul or frequent travelers. Exclusions apply, such as pre-existing medical conditions or trips not paid with the card. In short, it acts as a comprehensive safety net while traveling, as long as you follow the card’s payment and policy conditions.
8. Car Rental Benefits
With the American Express Platinum card, you get elite status with a few car rental companies. You benefit from a faster pick up or drop off as well as car upgrades and more. You’ll get access to the following car rental elite statuses:
- Avis Preferred Plus Status
- Hertz President’s Cercle (via Gold Plus Rewards)
The latter is one of the highest elite statuses you can get with Hertz. It gives you guaranteed upgrades worldwide and 50% more points. What most people don’t know is that a car insurance is included. So no need to take out another car insurance.
9. Purchase Protection
If something you recently bought is stolen or damaged, you can file a claim and be reimbursed or repaired, up to a maximum amount per item and per year. You usually need to provide proof of purchase, such as a receipt, and sometimes a police report for theft. The protection typically applies to personal items, not consumables, tickets, or items meant for resale. Normal wear and tear, loss, or intentional damage are excluded.
The purchase protection also applies on all other American Express cards. They also have a 90-day money back guarantee. If you purchased a product that doesn’t turn out to be working as it should be, you can request a credit on your card statement if you file a complaint within 90 days after purchase.
10. American Express Travel
American Express has its own travel booking engine. You can access this through the Experience App. You can book flights, hotels, car rental and combo packages there. As a Platinum member, you sometimes ca get discounted business class tickets.
When it comes to hotels, American Express works with two brands, Both require you to stay at least two nights in order to get the benefits. The brands are:
- Fine Hotels & Resorts
- The Hotel Collection
The most valuable benefits are an early check-in, a room upgrade (if available), a complimentary breakfast, a late check-out and a $ 100 voucher which you can spend on dinner or spa facilities during your stay. It has to be said that the price can be cheaper at other booking engines sometimes. Then it is still better to book through American Express Travel given the benefits you get.
Platinum For 2
With the American Express Platinum card, you’re entitled to get up to one partner Platinum card. That person also gets most of these benefits. So no need to pay twice the € 65,- fee. There is an additional charge of € 10,- per month though but then it’s still worth it, even if you don’t travel that much. The second Platinum cardholder is entitled to
- Privium membership
- Priority Pass Prestige membership with bringing up to one guest into the lounge
- Lounge on the Go
- Same hotel elite statuses as the main card holder
- Travel Insurance
- Car rental insurance and benefits
- Purchase protection
Also the additional Platinum cardholder is entitled to bring up to one guest into the lounge. The dining for 2 experience is only for the main card holder though.
Bottom Line
The American Express Platinum card is way more than just a credit card for collecting some membership rewards points. Even if you don’t travel that much, the card can bring your lots of benefits. I personally like most the Privium Plus membership, hotel elite status and Dining for 2.
Until Mach 6, you can get a 170,000 welcome bonus for signing up for an American Express Platinum card if you don’t have one yet. What benefits do you like most? Let me know in the comments below.
Images: Schiphol, American Express, Priority Pass
