American Express has just rolled out its biggest Platinum Card refresh in years. Yes, the fee is going up as expected, but so are a lot of benefits. The question now is whether the upgrades are enough to justify the price jump and in this case, I’d actually say yes.

Amex Platinum Fee Rises To $895 With New Upside: Hotel, Dining & Lifestyle Perks Beefed Up

Effective for new cardmembers as of September 18, 2025, the Amex Platinum annual fee is increasing from $695 to $895. Existing cardholders will see the increase at their next renewal. That’s a $200 jump, making this one of the priciest mainstream premium travel cards in the U.S. market.

Hotel Credit Upgraded

Previously, hotel credits on Fine Hotels + Resorts / The Hotel Collection were worth $200 annually. With the refresh, that credit now becomes $600 per year, split into two halves ($300 January–June, $300 July–December). If you use Amex Travel’s FHR or Collection often, that change alone will more than offset the fee increase.

LHW Club Sterling Status

In addition to the increased hotel credit, Platinum cardholders can now receive Leaders Club Sterling status from Leading Hotels of the World (LHW), which includes like five confirmed upgrades. Enrollment is required.

Dining & New Resy Credit

A new credit of $400 annually for Resy dining is now part of the package ($100 per quarter). It works via statement credits when you dine at qualifying Resy restaurants across the U.S., enrollment required. This adds to the existing food/dining benefits, making dinner-out lovers very happy. The Resy network includes over 10,000 restaurants.

Lifestyle & Wellness Credits Expanded

Amex is adding or increasing several lifestyle-type credits: $300 at Lululemon, $200 toward Oura Rings (I just bought one), and new perks for Uber One ($120 annually and separate from the $200 annual Uber Cash benefit). These are in addition to the digital entertainment credit that has also been increased (from $240 to $300). Importantly for me, the digital entertainment credit now covers YouTube. All of them require enrollment.

Other Key Benefit Enhancements

• Existing perks like lounge access, elite hotel status (Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold), and many Travel/Hotel benefits remain intact
• Amex says cardholders will see new Centurion Lounges in Newark (EWR), Salt Lake City (SLC), and Amsterdam (AMS) in thecoming years

Is The New Fee Worth It?

If you travel often, stay in high-end hotels, eat out regularly, engage with wellness brands, and value perks like lounge access, this is a very compelling refresh. On the other hand, casual travelers or those who don’t use many credits might find that the increased fee eats into the benefit rather than making them feel rewarded. Also, keeping track of all these credits can be a hassle.

Amex claims the new mix of credits and perks adds up to over  $3,500 in value annually…if you use everything. For some, the upgrades more than make up for the $200 fee increase. But if many of these credits go unused or if you don’t travel often or dine out a lot, this card is overpriced. The bigger hotel credit and the Resy credit are strong draws, but you’ll need to be intentional to extract full value and since almost every perk requires enrollment or deliberately spacing out purchases over months or quarters, it takes a lot of organization..

CONCLUSION

The Amex Platinum Card refresh is now official. Yes, the fee has gone up significantly. But Amex didn’t just raise the price, it added serious value in hotel, lifestyle, dining, and entertainment credits. Whether it is “worth it” depends entirely on how many of the new perks you’ll use. For frequent travelers, foodies, and wellness enthusiasts, the new Platinum is likely to be a winner. For everyone else, it will require closer calculation and discipline to make it pay off.