I swore off the Amex Platinum Card. Here's what changed my mind.

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As a digital nomad who spends most of the year outside the U.S., I used to feel silly even considering the American Express Platinum Card®.

Sure, Centurion Lounge access would be nice, but I already had access to Priority Pass airport lounges through my Capital One Venture X, and the card offers a suite of U.S.-based statement credits in exchange for an eye-watering $895 annual fee.

But then I received a targeted welcome offer I just couldn’t resist. I ended up applying — and here’s why I don’t regret it at all.

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At the time, I didn’t have any cards in my wallet that earned American Express Membership Rewards points, which was a huge gap in my points and miles strategy.

I figured I could cancel or downgrade it after a year if I didn’t enjoy the benefits, but now I realize the value was there all along.

It’s unrealistic to expect to use every single credit offered by a credit card. However, you should ideally use enough to justify the annual fee, no matter how big or small it is.

Here are the credits that I always use:

• $600 hotel credit
• $200 airline fee credit
• $300 digital entertainment credit
• $300 Lululemon credit
• $155 Walmart+ credit
• $400 Resy credit
• Up to a $120 fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck

It’s incredibly easy to book a boutique hotel through the Amex Travel portal to use the annual hotel credit. Plus, when booking a Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection hotel, you get extra benefits like flexible check-in/checkout, property credits, and upgrades.

I travel full-time with my cat, so I use my airline fee credit to cover her pet travel fee when I fly with Delta. My Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max bundle is paid for entirely by my digital entertainment credit, and although I’m not an avid Walmart shopper, I use my Walmart+ membership to subscribe to Peacock. Similarly, I love Lululemon, so I find it very easy to purchase a new item once per quarter. Even if I’m not in the U.S., I order online and have my parents bring it to me when they visit.

I normally use the remaining credits for gifts. Since I’m not in the U.S., I use the Resy credit to purchase gift cards to select Resy restaurants to give to loved ones. I have several credit cards that offer a fee credit for Trusted Traveler Enrollment, so I cover the fee for loved ones.

In total, I’m getting $1,955 in value from these annual credits, plus another $120 every four years.

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No card is perfect. The Platinum Card is a mainstay in my wallet, and I use it whenever I need to pay taxes and fees on award redemptions thanks to the 5x Membership Rewards points earned on airline purchases. However, the 1x on all other purchases means it doesn’t leave my wallet very often.

Plus, there are several credits that I don’t take advantage of:

• $200 Oura Ring credit
• $300 Equinox credit
• $200 in Uber Cash and $120 in Uber One credits
• $209 CLEAR+ credit

This quick math shows that I’m leaving $1,029 in annual value on the table. However, I don’t want an Oura Ring, and although I technically “used” the Equinox credit, I rarely open the Equinox+ app.

The same goes for Clear — I’m enrolled in the program, but I’m rarely in the U.S., and even when I am, my home airport doesn’t offer Clear lanes. I’d love to use the $200 in Uber Cash and $120 in Uber One credits, but I’m not in the U.S. enough to maximize them.

Still, $1,955 in annual value from statement credits is more than enough to justify an $895 annual fee. Add in elite status benefits, the value of my Membership Rewards point balance, travel protections, and best-in-class airport lounge access, and I come out way ahead.

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