The card’s benefits are constantly evolving and today it’s American Express’ turn to announce changes to one of the card’s main benefits. American Express® Platinum Card And The American Express Business Platinum® Card.
Most of the changes are good news, although they may disappoint cardholders who like to use their statement credits for overnight hotel stays.
Let’s start with the good news: Amex adds more than 1 million Airbnb listings to its American Express® Travel booking platform and the extension of the recently renamed Platinum Card’s annual lodging statement credit up to $600 to include select Airbnb Luxe stays. There’s also a new Airbnb Experiences statement credit of up to $250 that you can potentially unlock with these stays.
Here’s what you need to know.
Discover your Amex Platinum Card offer: New cardholders can learn about their offer and see if they’re eligible for up to 175,000 bonus points after spending $12,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. (Welcome offers vary and you may not be able to qualify for an offer.)
Amex adds Airbnb bookings and new Platinum statement credit options
Eligible cardholders can now win American Express Membership Rewards Points on prepaid Airbnb stays booked through Amex Travel or the Amex Travel App™.
Platinum or Business Platinum cardholders will earn 5 points per dollar spent on eligible reservations, including Airbnb Luxe and non-Luxury properties.
Based on October 2026 TPG evaluations which value Membership Rewards points at 2 cents each, that represents a 10% return on spend in the form of Membership Rewards points, which is pretty solid.
Most other eligible Membership Rewards cards will earn 2 points per dollar spent on prepaid Airbnb reservations through Amex Travel or the Amex Travel app.
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And while earning bonus points is always nice, being able to use your statement credits is even better. This is where two additional changes to the Platinum perks come into play.
$600 Amex Platinum Lodging Credits can be used on Airbnb Luxe
The Amex Platinum delivers $600 annual accommodation statement credit (formerly the $600 Hotel Statement Credit) is split into two semi-annual statement credits of up to $300: one from January to June and the other from July to December.
Statement credit can now be used for eligible prepaid payments Airbnb Luxury Stays booked through Amex Travel or the Amex Travel app, in addition to eligible Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection reservations.
To use one of these statement credits of up to $300 on an Airbnb stay, you’ll need to book through Amex Travel, stay at least two nights, and select a property that’s part of Airbnb Luxe.
Airbnb describes its luxury properties as “private residences located in sought-after destinations around the world, each selected by Airbnb for its quality, design and distinctive setting.”
In my test searches, Luxury properties represented only a small subset of Airbnb listings. But there are certainly some options where a $300 statement credit could go a long way towards a two-night stay, including this example I found in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where two nights later this year cost $874.
Assuming the reservation meets the statement credit eligibility criteria, the stay could drop to just $574 for two nights in a pretty nice three-bedroom place in the Smokies.
New $250 statement credit for Airbnb Experiences
If you book an eligible prepaid Airbnb Luxe stay through Amex Travel using your Platinum or Business Platinum card, you’ll unlock access to an all-new annual statement credit of up to $250 for eligible Airbnb experiences, whether or not you use your accommodation credit for the stay.
This additional credit can be released once per calendar year and is valid for the remainder of that year. Unlike Accommodation Credit, Airbnb Experiences can be booked directly through Airbnb.
In my research, Airbnb experiences cover a wide range of activities, including paddleboarding, airboat rides, sunset cruises, walking tours, food tours, and cultural experiences.
Prices for some experiences start at $10 to $20, while private tours and other high-end activities can cost several hundred dollars. In other words, $250 could go a long way toward an experiment.
There’s also some flexibility here: your Airbnb experience doesn’t need to take place during your Luxe stay or even in the same destination. This can happen before or after your stay, and even in a subsequent calendar year, as long as you purchase it after your Luxury reservation is confirmed and before the end of the calendar year.
There is no minimum spend requirement for a qualifying Airbnb experience, so you can use the credit for smaller purchases or a qualifying experience costing $250 or more.
For 2026, this means cardholders who now book an eligible prepaid Airbnb Luxe stay can unlock up to $250 in statement credits for eligible Airbnb experiences purchased before December 31, even if the experience itself takes place in 2027.
Amex adds a two-night minimum for all Platinum lodging credits
More ways to use existing credits and new credits to unlock are certainly good news.
But as Amex expands ways to use Platinum’s new $600 annual lodging statement credit, it’s also making a change that won’t be good news for everyone.
Previously, stays booked via The hotel collection (which I recently tried and loved) required at least two nights to use the Platinum Lodging Credit. However, Beautiful Hotels + Resorts stays had no minimum stay requirement, meaning you could use a credit of up to $300 for a single night stay.
This is changing.
Beginning January 1, 2027, all eligible uses of the Platinum Lodging Credit will require stays of at least two nights, whether you book through Fine Hotels + Resorts, The Hotel Collection, or Airbnb Luxe. You can still receive Fine Hotels + Resorts benefits on overnight stays, but without using the lodging credit.
This creates a consistent requirement for all three booking options, but it’s likely still disappointing news for cardholders who have enjoyed using their credits for overnight stays at Fine Hotels + Resorts.
The good news is that if you still have one of this year’s up to $300 statement credits, you can still use it for a qualifying one-night stay at Fine Hotels + Resorts before the new requirement takes effect in 2027.
Related: How I used my Fine Hotels + Resorts credit and earned $1 ahead
Conclusion
If you use the main credits and perks, it is possible to get substantial winnings more value with American Express Platinum and Business Platinum Cards each year that you pay in annual fees.
But the key to getting there is taking advantage of major credits and perks like the new $600 annual accommodation statement credit – and potentially even unlocking another $250 in Airbnb Experiences statement credits.
Having more ways to use these credits is certainly good news. However, cardholders who have gotten into the habit of using their credits for overnight stays at Fine Hotels + Resorts will unfortunately need a new strategy starting next year.
Let us know in the comments how these changes impact your strategy and what you think of the new Airbnb Luxury and Experiences options.
To find out more, read our Amex Platinum Review And Amex Business Platinum Review.
Apply here: American Express Platinum Card
Apply here: The American Express Business Platinum Card
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