Earn rates
| Spending category | Earn rate | Value per $100 spent |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible dining & food delivery in Canada | 2 pts / $1 | ~$2.00 |
| Eligible travel (flights, hotels, tours and more) | 2 pts / $1 | ~$2.00 |
| Everything else | 1 pt / $1 | ~$1.00 |
This is a charge card: balances are due in full each month, with a Flexible Payment Option on eligible charges. 1 Membership Rewards point ≈ $0.01 CAD as a baseline; transfers to Aeroplan and other airline partners can return more per point.
Benefits
| Benefit | Details |
|---|---|
| Annual travel credit | $200 statement credit each year for eligible travel. |
| Annual dining credit | $200 in statement credits at select restaurants each year. Together with the travel credit, $400 of the fee is recoverable in everyday use. |
| Airport lounge access | American Express Global Lounge Collection: access to 1,400+ lounges worldwide, including the Centurion Lounge network and Plaza Premium lounges. |
| Hotel status | Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite and Hilton Honors Gold status by enrolment. Fine Hotels + Resorts benefits (room upgrades, late checkout, on-property credit) at participating properties. |
| NEXUS credit | $100 statement credit toward a NEXUS application or renewal, once every four years. |
| Priority Travel at Toronto Pearson | Priority security lane, complimentary valet, and a parking discount. |
| Additional cards | $250 per additional Platinum Card; up to two Gold Cards free, then $50 each. |
| Welcome bonus | A large Membership Rewards welcome offer applies to new Cardmembers. Verify the current offer with American Express before applying. |
| Foreign transactions | 2.5% currency conversion charge on purchases in a foreign currency. No waiver. |
Travel insurance on the American Express Platinum Card
Top 10 of 59 for coverage
Highest trip cancellation, $2,500
No coverage from age 65
The American Express Platinum Card scores 93 of 100 on the figures its certificate publishes, 8th of the 59 Canadian cards compared. Emergency medical is capped at $5,000,000 for trips up to 15 days. Coverage stops entirely at 65: not a smaller limit, nothing.
| Emergency medical | $5,000,000 · age 0–64: 15 days; age 65+: not covered · 90-day stability window |
|---|---|
| Trip cancellation | $2,500 per person · $5,000 per account |
| Trip interruption | $2,500 per person · $6,000 per account |
| Flight or trip delay | $1,000 per person · after 4 hours · $1,000 per trip |
| Baggage delay | $1,000 per person · after 6 hours |
| Rental car collision or damage | Pays first · rentals to 48 days · vehicles to $85,000 |
You must charge 100% of the trip cost to the card for the coverage to apply. A booking made with points still qualifies. You have 90 days from the incident to report a claim. Dependent children are covered to age 21.
Every figure from the certificate, with its own wording
| Emergency medical | limit: $5,000,000 (per insured person, per trip) age 0–64: $5,000,000, 15 days; age 65+: not covered pre existing stability days: 90 days (measured before the departure date for emergency medical) |
|---|---|
| Trip cancellation | per person: $2,500 (per insured person, per trip) per account: $5,000 (for all insured persons combined, per trip) covered reasons: Your medical condition or admission to a hospital following an emergency, The admission to a hospital following an emergency of a member of your immediate family (who is not at your destination), your business partner, key employee or caregiver (enumeration truncated at 40 words; the certificate chart lists 24 covered reasons grouped under medical condition, death, government advisories, employment and occupation, delays, and other covered reasons) |
| Trip interruption | per person: $2,500 (per insured person, per trip) per account: $6,000 (for all insured persons combined, per trip) |
| Flight or trip delay | per person: $1,000 (aggregate maximum for Coverage A missed connection, Coverage B delayed flight departure or denied boarding, and Coverage C emergency baggage delay, per occurrence for all insured persons combined) trigger hours: 4 hours (delay of the confirmed scheduled departure, or no alternative transport within four hours after denied boarding) per trip cap: $1,000 (stated per occurrence rather than per trip, aggregate across Coverage A, B and C for all insured persons combined) |
| Baggage delay | per person: $1,000 (aggregate maximum shared with Coverage A and Coverage B, per occurrence for all insured persons combined) trigger hours: 6 hours (measured from arrival at the outbound scheduled flight destination point; expenses must be incurred within four days of arrival) |
| Lost, stolen or damaged baggage | per person: $1,000 (maximum payable for any one occurrence for all insured persons combined) per item sublimit: $300 (jewellery sublimit per occurrence; golf clubs including golf bags are capped at $250 per occurrence) |
| Travel accident | limit: $500,000 (maximum indemnity per Covered Person for loss of life or loss of both hands, both feet or the sight of both eyes) common carrier only: Yes (Common Carrier Benefit plus an Alternate Transportation Benefit for conveyances arranged by the carrier for a delayed or rerouted scheduled flight) covers 24h: No (the certificate describes only the Common Carrier Benefit and the Alternate Transportation Benefit; the fare must be charged to the Card before any injury) |
| Hotel or motel burglary | $1,000 (per burglary occurrence for all insured persons combined; requires visible signs of forced entry) |
| Emergency travel assistance | offered: Yes (provided by Global Excel Management Inc. as assistance and claims service provider) |
| Rental car collision or damage | is primary: Yes (except for losses waived or assumed by the rental agency or its insurer, and where local insurance legislation states otherwise; no deductible) limit basis: the actual cash value of the rental auto and valid rental agency loss of use charges (the Cardmember must decline the rental agency CDW and charge the full cost of the rental to the Card) vehicle value cap: $85,000 (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price in the vehicle model year, excluding all taxes, at the place the rental agreement is signed) max rental days: 48 days (consecutive days; a rental exceeding 48 consecutive days has no coverage from the first day onward) excluded classes: trucks, pick-up trucks, off-road vehicles, motorcycles, mopeds, motor bikes, recreational vehicles, buses, vans, cargo vans or mini cargo vans (other than mini-vans) (wording taken from the issuer product summary; the certificate list also excludes limousines, trailers, campers, vehicles towing trailers, vehicles with production under 2,000 per year, antique vehicles over 20 years old, and tax-free cars) territory: The rental auto may be driven across provincial and state boundaries in Canada and the U.S. and between Canada and the U.S. (stated as an exception to the exclusion for operating the rental auto in violation of the rental agreement) |
| Purchase protection | days: 120 days (from the date of purchase, for direct physical damage or theft anywhere in the world) limit per item: $1,000 (stated per Cardmember per occurrence, even if the occurrence involves more than one insured item) |
| Extended warranty | cap: $10,000 (per insured item, not to exceed $25,000 per Cardmember per policy year for all occurrences and insured items combined) |
| Mobile device | Not included |
Figures above are from the Certificates of Insurance, The Platinum Card, effective 2025-07-01, underwritten by Belair Insurance Company Inc.; Travel Accident underwritten by Chubb Life Insurance Company of Canada. Checked against the certificate for 13 coverage types. Terms change without notice; verify with the issuer before relying on any figure.
What your monthly spend earns
| Category | Monthly spend | Rate | Monthly pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining & food delivery | $300 | 2x | 600 |
| Travel | $250 | 2x | 500 |
| All other spending | $1,950 | 1x | 1,950 |
| Total | $2,500 | 3,050 pts / mo |
36,600 pts / year (~$366 at the $0.01 baseline). The card is not bought for everyday earn: the $400 in annual credits, lounge access, and hotel status carry the value for frequent travellers.
Good fit if
- You travel enough to use lounges often. The Global Lounge Collection, including Centurion and Plaza Premium, is the card's centrepiece.
- You will use both annual credits. The $200 travel and $200 dining credits recover half the fee before any points are counted.
- You stay at Marriott and Hilton properties. Gold status and Fine Hotels + Resorts perks add up across a year of travel.
If that describes you, apply for the American Express Platinum Card. Not sure yet? Book a free conversation and we will walk through it together.
Less useful if
- You travel only once or twice a year. The lounge access and status will not return the $799 fee on light use.
- You want a card that pays its own way on everyday spend. Most non-dining, non-travel purchases earn 1x here.
- You prefer to pay over time. This is a charge card; balances are due in full each month outside the Flexible Payment Option.