How to Maximize Amex Platinum Perks with PayPal Credits
Here’s an overview on how to maximize AMEX Platinum perks by stacking deals with PayPal and the Slide App.
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I finally applied for the The Platinum Card® by American Express last week. It took me a while to look past the hefty $550 annual fee, but with a wide range of new cardholder perks, I know there’s more than enough value and savings for me to come out ahead.
Why You Should Get the AMEX Platinum?
Right now, there is a limited-time welcome offer that includes 10X Points at U.S. Gas Stations & U.S. Supermarkets up to $15,000 for the first 6 months. I cannot overstate this enough: that is an insane amount of points per dollar!
Most credit card enthusiasts agree that AMEX Membership Reward® points are worth at least 2 cents per point. If you can maximize that, it comes to 150,000 Membership Reward points, which is least $3,000 worth travel. That means you would be earning a whopping 20% return on your gas and grocery purchases.
If you haven’t checked out my recent article about redeeming Membership Rewards®, it’s possible to beat 2 cents per point redemption. For example, I recently booked a hotel stay where my return was 2.7 cents per point.
AMEX Platinum also grants you Gold Status with Hilton once you enroll. That means that all my future Hilton travel will be that much more rewarding.
Another lucrative temporary perk of the The Platinum Card® is that $30 PayPal credit per month from January to June of 2021. Terms apply, but this comes to $180 worth of free money.
How Can I Maximize My AMEX Platinum Benefits?
Many retailers accept PayPal during checkout, so the $30 per month credit should be easy enough to redeem. Just make sure your Platinum Card is set as the preferred payment method. I really want to make the most of this offer, and that is where the Slide app comes into play.
Slide offers 4% cash back on tons of retailers. The key here is that Slide accepts PayPal as payment. I am a big fan of the Raise app which resells gift cards often at a discount, and that same company recently launched Slide.
I pay for a few Google services including YouTube Premium monthly. These can be paid for using Google Play gift cards, and Slide offers Google Play gift cards for the standard 4% cash back. Plus, if you preload money into the Slide app you earn an additional 1% cash back.
By doing this each month and using PayPal during the length of the AMEX Platinum offer, I will add an additional $9 in savings to help pay for a service I was paying for already. This turns the Platinum Card® PayPal benefit from being worth a total of $180 to $189.
That might not seem like a huge win, but if someone offers me a free lunch then I’m going to take it. It’s modest savings like this that accrue overtime and turn into hundreds of dollars each year in savings.
Still not convinced? How does another $20 sound?
If you use this referral link for Slide, you will get $5 back on your first four purchases for a total of $20 in cash back savings.
How Does the Slide App Work?
Slide allows you to buy gift cards in the exact amount you require and earn 4% cash back. You can increase this to 5% cash back by preloading funds onto the app.
You can use Slide to make a purchase from a wide range of retailers, whether you are shopping in-person or online.
To use the app, you simply select the store you wish to purchase from, type in the exact amount you need, review, then pay. You can use PayPal, but you can also pay with a credit card directly or use other services like Apple Pay, Google Play, or BitPay.
The gift card you buy is available immediately on the Slide app. Because you are typing in the exact amount you need, you do not have to worry about keeping track of leftover balances. Also, the cash back earned is available immediately.
Another thing that I really love about Slide is that you do not have to use your earned cash back with them. Once you earn $15 or more in cash back, you can send it to yourself via PayPal or Venmo.
What Does American Express Platinum Give You?
Let’s get back to all the other benefits the AMEX Platinum Card® has to help make that $550 annual fee worthwhile. Other perks include:
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel.
- $200 annual airline incidental credit, good for luggage, seat selection, change fees, priority boarding and more. (Airline selection required)
- $200 annually in Uber Credits (that is $15 per month, $20 in December), this includes UberEats.
- American Express Global Lounge Collection® which includes
- Access into Centurion Lounges
- Priority Pass, enrollment required
- Delta Sky Lounge when flying Delta
- And more
- Up to $100 TSA PreCheck/Global Entry Credit
- $100 credit at Saks Fifth Avenue (it is $50 semi-annually)
- Automatic Gold Status with Marriott Bonvoy
- Automatic Gold Status with Hilton Honors
- Access to exclusive Amex Offers
What Does Your Credit Score Need to Be for the AMEX Platinum Card?
In order to get approved for the AMEX Platinum Card, you will need to report your income to American Express. They perform either a hard or soft pull on your credit. The type of credit check is determined by whether you already have an existing relationship with American Express or not.
You will need a credit score of 700+ to be approved and a moderately decent income. What that income is exactly is unknown, but as a teacher I was able to be approved for the personal card.
American Express has a limit on the number of open credit cards you can have with them. They limit you to five credit cards (personal and business) at any given time.
However, The Platinum Card®is a charge card, not a credit card. This means it’s exempt from that rule. The main difference is that charge cards have no preset spending limits, and it can effectively be the sixth American Express card in your wallet.
Approval of The Platinum Card® should count towards the 5/24 rule. This is Chase’s infamous rule that bars you from being approved for any of their credit cards if you have opened 5 or more credit cards across multiple carries in the timespan of 24 months.
Keep in mind that the welcome offer for The Platinum Card® is once in a lifetime. If you previously held this product in the past and closed the account, you will be ineligible for another welcome offer.
I am very excited to finally put this card in my wallet. The perks and benefits provided by The Platinum Card® are something I plan to maximize to their fullest potential.
David is a science teacher, world traveler, and credit card enthusiast. He lives in downstate New York with his family of four and loves the outdoors. Check him out on Twitter @David_LaMagna.
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“teachingmillionaires.com has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. teachingmillionaires.com and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered. I am not a financial advisor. The information I share is for educational purposes only and shouldn’t be considered as certified financial or legal advice. It is imperative you conduct your own research. I am sharing my opinion only.”
