platinum card

The subtext was obvious: Amex is going to raise the Platinum card’s annual fee from $695 to something truly eye-watering.

In my endless quest to somehow optimize myself, I use the Platinum card and have offered myself many justifications for why.

When the Platinum card launched way back in 1984, its pitch was just regular old affluence.

Now there’s barely a whiff of that on Amex’s main marketing page for the Platinum card, which focuses much more on various statement credits.

At almost the exact same time, American Express announced that it would take its rival Platinum card “to a new level” later this year, “not only in what they offer in travel, dining and lifestyle benefits, but also in how they look and feel.”