The one-night booking trick that maximizes your Platinum credit

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If you haven't heard, here's the biggest news to hit the credit card space since the Chase Sapphire Reserve got a revamp a few months back: The Amex Platinum just got its own update, bringing the annual fee to $895 and adding new benefits like richer travel statement credits and lifestyle perks with brands like Oura.

One benefit that’s not going away happens to be one of the biggest value drivers of the card: access to the Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts (FHR) program.

Through FHR, cardholders can book stays at over 1,600 properties around the world and receive access to elite-like extras, such as complimentary breakfast and late check-out.

Here’s how I put this perk to use on a stay at the ​Fairmont Breakers Long Beach​ — and my favorite trick for maximizing these perks alongside the Amex Platinum's prepaid hotel credit.

Let’s go through a few logistics. First, to book through Amex FHR, you’ll need an Amex Platinum or Centurion credit card (either the personal or business version).

Once you log in to your account, go to Amex Travel and search for hotels in your chosen destination. Then, at the top of the results page, you’ll see a list of FHR properties. These luxury hotels are vetted by Amex. The collection includes a mix of independent boutiques and bigger names from Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, and more. (The list has even ​recently expanded​.)

There are some can't-miss perks you'll receive with every FHR booking—regardless of how long you stay:

• Room upgrade upon arrival, when available at check-in (properties may exclude some room types, and some may only give you a room with a better view)
• Daily breakfast for two people
• Guaranteed 4:00 p.m. late checkout
• Noon check-in, when available
• Complimentary Wi-Fi (when a property includes Wi-Fi in a mandatory resort fee, you'll receive a daily credit equal to the Wi-Fi cost)
• Experience credit (the experience should be valued at $100 or more and usually consists of a property, dining, or spa credit)

Booking through FHR can provide valuable benefits, but the program's rates are sometimes more expensive than booking directly through a hotel’s website. Consider checking how much a hotel may cost when not using the program and weigh any difference against the benefits you'll get to decide which option is best.

Both personal and business Platinum cardholders now receive up to $600 back in statement credits each calendar year — $300 semi-annually —when making prepaid bookings through Amex FHR or The Hotel Collection. (The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay, while FHR properties do not have a minimum stay stipulation.)

While Amex says it may take up to 90 days to credit the $200 to your account, a prepaid FHR booking for a recent hotel stay was credited to my Platinum card within a day.

One of the best ways to maximize the Amex Platinum prepaid hotel credit is to use it on one-night FHR stays. The shorter your stay, the better value this credit represents.

For instance, this year, I used the credit on a single-night staycation at the Fairmont Breakers, a luxury property in Southern California. The total cost for the night was $300 over Labor Day weekend, which included all the perks of FHR listed above.

Before the recent card refreshes, the annual Platinum credit was only $200 a year. After subtracting that credit, my out-of-pocket cost for this stay was a little over $100. Pretty good.

But today, because the credit is now $300 every six months, that stay would have been essentially free. Not bad for a luxury hotel stay booked over a holiday weekend!