Does the Amex Platinum have bonus spend categories now?

I know the CSR does.

OTOH, both CSR and Amex Plat have high actual AFs and even high "net" AFs (ie, they don't have tons of credits to lower the "net" AF close to or below 0, like some other Amex and Chase cards do). And it turn, that keeps them from being "best" for people who loathe paying high AFs.

And so if someone doesn't spend much on airlines because they want to do most of their flying with miles (except maybe a handful of cheap domestic flights a year), do those cards really work for them? It seems to me you've got to buy a lot of travel before the 5x overcomes the nigh "net" AF, compared to 3x on the Amex Gold where with full use of credits you can lower the "net" AF to just $30.

The AXP has $200 airline credit, $200 Uber credit, and $100 Saks credit, for a total of $500 or a "net" AF of $50. Granted, unless you travel with certain frequency, a $50 net fee can be more than a lot of folks want to pay.

AMEX Platinum really only pencils out if you are accessing lounges on a regular basis, using Uber on a regular basis, benefiting from the airline credit, and spending a bit on airfare every year. Works for me and for many people on Flyertalk, but it probably doesn't work for the OP of the thread.

On the other hand, a casual Delta flier who checks bags with his family every so often can get full value out of the Delta Amex Gold very quickly due to free bags. However, the Delta Amex Gold is a poor card in terms of generating miles to spend on reward flights. I believe this the same situation for other airline cards (though with Delta Amex Gold, you don't actually have to pay for the ticket with the card). So for the average flyer, I would say a cash back card plus whatever card gets you free bags is probably the way to go if you want to redeem for domestic travel.

Another option for those that spend a lot of money on dining is a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve - you get 2x or 3x earning on dining, plus the ability to redeem at 1.25 cents per point or 1.5 cents per point through their portal.

Finally, outside of signing bonuses and manufactured spending, I don't see how your average consumer can do most of their flying with miles in 2019. Domestic flights usually cost a minimum of 12,500 points, and often times a lot more. It takes a lot of spending to earn enough miles to take round trip flights, especially with family members. Better off with cash that you can use towards flights.

For American Airlines flyers, a good option could be two Citi cards - the Platinum Select and the MileUp. Free bags, priority boarding, 2x earnings on dining, gas, restaurants and AA flight purchases, all for $99 in combined annual fees.

EDIT - Replace "dining" with groceries, as mia has poitned out

Dining and Restaurants are the same category. I think you intended to mention Groceries, which is the MileUp 2X category.

The AMex gold/platinum cards are also good for American Airlines fliers if you are flying domestic U.S. flights or U.S. to Canada/Mexico. I always transfer MR points to BA when the 40% transfer bonus pops up and then use them throughout the year to fly on AA since it requires less miles/avios than booking with AA miles. Just booked round trip from DFW to YVR for 30k avios which was 10k on the outbound for economy and 20k on the inbound for business (there was no reward availability for economy)...so slightly over 21k MR points taking the 40% bonus into account. Also booked the Hilton in Whistler with one night free from the AMex Hilton card and two more nights on points from the same card.

That's true if you're on an AA nonstop or direct (through) flight. If your trip requires a connection, you will usually pay more Avios than AAdvantage miles for the same itinerary. (But with the 40% transfer bonus, it could be a wash.)

For relatively short-distance roundtrips requiring connections on AA, Iberia Plus Avios can provide a cheaper redemption than both AAdvantage miles and BAEC Avios. However, unlike a BAEC redemption, no refunds of Avios are permitted if you need to cancel an IB Plus redemption on AA.
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Airline credit I'm used to from other Amex cards, but I've never used Uber/Lyft/etc yet in my life and I've only used taxis (which Uber is trying to replace) about once every five or ten years (only ;when traveling to certain cities, like once in NYC when I arrived late at night into JFK and didn't fell like taking the train at that hour). So I don't see how I could use that credit, it's too specific for me. Maybe I could shift some buying to Saks, but that would still leave me with a "net" AF of $250.

If anything I feel like airline specific credit cards are more valuable now? I was on the fence of renewing my simple Delta Gold Amex ($95 fee), I am lucky to fly 3 times a year & have an extremely limited budget for travel. Now I can book basic economy & the only thing I have to give up is my seat selection! (which unless I have a long flight, I will do to save 50-100 round trip). I'll still get priority boarding & 1 free checked bag. Truly the only decision making I have to have is, "is saving x amount from booking basic economy worth not choosing my seat".