American Express Membership Rewards - Is it true that you have to have an annual income of $60,000 to obtain an AmEx plat??

https://www66.americanexpress.com/eapp/can/platinumcharge/en/welcome_can_platinumcharge_en.jsp



:confused: :confused: :confused:

That's the Canadian card. C$60,000 is barely US$53,000. That's not much of a hurdle for a so-called premium product.

so what would you say the minimum is for the US plat? :)

I'm not sure if there is a formal minimum, but in order to get much value out of the Plat Amex you (or your employer) need to be spending a reasonable amount on travel - so an income substantially below $60k might be eligible, but the product might not be all that useful to such a person.

pretty sure its $15K in the fine print

do you spend a fair amount per year?

If there is an income requirement it is typically stated like this...

The minimum income required to qualify for the “Card” is $XX0,000. If you are an existing American Express Cardmember there is no minimum income requirement to qualify for the “Card”.

In the past the USA Platinum Card application stated $100,000, but the second sentence effectively waives this. The current online application does not mention income.

For UK Plat, min income req is £30k. For Centurion Uk, there is no min income, just the willingness to accept crap service and diminishing benefits.

Thanks,
Richard

Hello OP,

I have gone from green to gold to platinum without providing any tax return to Amex. I believe that Amex goes by your credit history with Amex and perhaps they pull a credit report.

If you do nothave an Amex now, just apply for a green card. Then after a year, and everything is A-OK, Amex should offer you a gold card. After after that, then it should be platinum.

If you have an existing card, somewhere on the amex website, there's a link that says something like "what other card are you eligible for?" That is how I found out that I was eligible for a platinum card.

Now, if I can only get THE black card just as easily.... :rolleyes:

Good luck!

David

pretty sure its $15K in the fine print

do you spend a fair amount per year?


yes I would say I do I would love to cancel the rest of my credit cards and just get amex plat! I have gold right now but one thing is holding me back! I am going to bermuda on saturday and I dont want to get approved...say tonight and then my gold is no good and i have to wait for the other card. I am going to give the cruise my gold so I could charge whatever to it and then when i get back apply for the platinum. Unless I apply and I can keep my gold valid until I get back in a week or so...please help! :confused: :o

yes I would say I do I would love to cancel the rest of my credit cards and just get amex plat! I have gold right now but one thing is holding me back! I am going to bermuda on saturday and I dont want to get approved...say tonight and then my gold is no good and i have to wait for the other card. I am going to give the cruise my gold so I could charge whatever to it and then when i get back apply for the platinum. Unless I apply and I can keep my gold valid until I get back in a week or so...please help! :confused: :o

First of all, I really hope you're planning on keeping at least one MC/Visa since of course Amex isn't universally accepted. Secondly, you already have an Amex Gold, so what you want to do is UPGRADE the card to a Platinum rather than submit a new application. This is a much simpler process and you keep the same card number (so you can use the old Gold card until the new one arrives, but it'll work the same as a Platinum other than looking different.) Call Amex to do an upgrade.

And finally, please make sure you're getting the Platinum for the correct reasons—there are far too many people posting who seem to want the Platinum or Centurion cards for spurious reasons. Keep in mind that the rewards program on the Rewards Plus Gold is superior to Platinum and other Amex cards. But if you know you'll get value out of FHR, perhaps lounge access, and the other benefits (use the search function and read Amex's small print), then by all means upgrade. You can always downgrade later and be prorated the annual fee difference on a monthly basis if you want to.

Edit: And when I say superior rewards, I mean for MR (Membership Rewards) cards. General consensus seems to be that earning Starpoints with an SPG Amex is superior—and that's what I do if there's no MR bonus, no DL bonus, and I'm not earning the GRP 2x/1.5x partner MR bonus. At $30/yr (first year free + 10k Starpoints as well), that card is most certainly worth looking into.

American Express will not cancel or restrict your existing account when you open another. In fact they would prefer that you keep and use both cards.

I have been a AmEx cardholder since 2000 all by myself; just me on the account. I just recently turned 23. Now I have yet to update my credit profile or income (stated as $17K on the app. 6 years ago) with AmEx yet get offered the Plat card (currently have Gold). I have called and said I would accept the Plat card if I got either 50K points (so a free VS USA to London return) or Priorty Pass. No luck. Now with the end of the double point promos and 'Everyday Spending' my spending goes to my UA/Chase Visa or debit card with WaMu or Bank of America for the $0.03 a transaction or 5%. I liked the MR program but what it the point of paying $395 for Plat or $150 for Gold for no benefit that I use?

So back to the topic. If you make $60K or $600K, will you have ANY use for Plat beside the lounge access if you must fly SkyTeam? Put the $400 in an IRA and take Capital One card. Atleast they do not rape there cardmemebers on the foreign currency charges.

the number doesnt change when you upgrade... :D (so there is nothing to worry about if you want the upgrade)

but i would agree, with all your posts, it sounds like you really need to figure out what you need/want/are looking for.

pimp, the only reason to get a capone is if they offer permanent 5% apr and you need that.

their rewards are worthless.

if you dont want to pay, get a starwood amex for $30 a year.

or if you want a priority pass get a chairman card for $400, it can be cheaper than buying direct because citi pays for 2 guests.

I'm sure the qualifications to obtain a platinum are pretty minimal. The card colors are not decided by credit rating or income, but rather by "how much are you willing to spend for these benefits?" I never saw a fine print income requirement. I know the annual income required for a Chairman is pretty low, like $15K.

My annual fees are coming due at the end of this billing cycle. Every day I come very close to downgrading my platinum to Rewards Plus Gold. Right now I'm paying $395 for mine and $175 for my wife. For that money, I can downgrade to RPG and get her and I both a Chairman card (when it comes available again). I really think RPG is the sweet spot for cost vs. benefits.

I travelled a lot on NWA this year and made good use of the lounge benefit, but the other stuff I don't really use. Many of the bennies are provided by any Visa Signature or World MC. Maybe if we take a cruise or something and also get a retention bonus it might be worth keeping.

Honestly, if you're looking for status from cashiers and waitresses, get the Amex Platinum Cash Rebate card or USAA Amex. 99% of the public wouldn't even know the difference and you save yourself 395 bacon cheeseburgers.

hrm this is news to me. I am a plat holder and my annual income is not 60k, but not too far from it. However, when I had my green card, I spent roughly 12-18k yearly, always paid on time, etc. Not sure if they are strict on it, or if they just make exceptions here or there such as being a great green/gold member or something

The German website states 60k€.

I obtained one 15 years ago when I was an undergraduate in college. The requirements at the time were:

1. Cardmember for at least two years (any AmEx charge card product).
2. Charge at least $10K to the card in the prior 12 months.

Needless to say, as an undergraduate my income was nowhere near $60K

pimp, the only reason to get a capone is if they offer permanent 5% apr and you need that.NO. They also do not mark up the currency exchange rate to the high degree that AmEx does.

their rewards are worthless.

Agreed

What's the saying -- if you have to ask, then you can't afford it? :)

If you go to the card questionnaire and tell it you want travel benefits, you don't have an Amex card, you are 18-24 years old and your income is $10,000-$49,000, it pops up with the Platinum and Gold Rewards Plus, so I have to think the minimum income is $10,000. Tres exclusive.

Honestly, most of the Visa Signature and World MC cards are going to be harder to get from an income/credit rating perspective. Amex charge cards are relatively easy to obtain, as long as you haven't defaulted on an Amex card previously.

Citi platinum Amex required $50,000. Maybe that should be the REAL Platinum card.

If you go to the card questionnaire and tell it you want travel benefits, you don't have an Amex card, you are 18-24 years old and your income is $10,000-$49,000, it pops up with the Platinum and Gold Rewards Plus, so I have to think the minimum income is $10,000. Tres exclusive.

Honestly, most of the Visa Signature and World MC cards are going to be harder to get from an income/credit rating perspective. Amex charge cards are relatively easy to obtain, as long as you haven't defaulted on an Amex card previously.

Citi platinum Amex required $50,000. Maybe that should be the REAL Platinum card.

Amex generally requires higher credit ratings. Citi is quite strict on most cards, but many Signature/WMC cards are not all that hard to obtain.

so what would you say the minimum is for the US plat? :)

In the US it used to be $100,000 if you were not a current Amex card member at the time you apply. The annual income requirements are eliminated for current cardmembers. Now I think they eliminated income requirements for new card members, but I am not sure.