The Amex Platinum perk I use more than any travel benefit
Reading Time: 3 minI love my Amex Platinum. From Centurion Lounge access to 5x points on flights to Resy credits, it has killer travel and dining perks — even if the $895 annual fee is a bit dizzying.
Despite traveling a bit less than I used to, I still find the card way too valuable to cancel. In fact, one of my favorite Amex Platinum benefits is something I use at home: an annual Equinox credit.
Here’s why I love this perk so much and why I’m surprised more people aren’t talking about it.
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Shop our editors' picksHow I stumbled across this statement credit
I used to work out with a personal trainer, which I highly recommend if that option is available to you. About a year ago, though, some life changes meant I needed to start cutting back on discretionary spending, and that meant no more one-on-one workout sessions.
While trying to figure out how to fill the new exercise void in my life, I remembered that my Amex Platinum card had a benefit I’d never even bothered to enroll in: up to $300 in statement credits each calendar year for an Equinox club membership or Equinox+ digital subscription.
This credit would cover a single month of membership at my local Equinox at most, but Platinum cardholders get a discounted annual Equinox+ app subscription for exactly $300, so I was able to get reimbursed for the entire purchase after charging it to my Platinum card. One catch: you have to enroll and buy through Amex’s Equinox partner page, not the app store, or the credit won’t trigger.
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Why I broke my own rule and applied for an in-flight credit cardThe app is better than I expected
I paid for an annual Equinox+ subscription and begrudgingly started browsing the app’s workout library, expecting to be underwhelmed. But I was pleasantly surprised to see that there are hundreds of workout videos, across many categories: high-intensity interval training (HIIT), yoga, strength, stretching, and more.
There’s a good variety of workout lengths, from 45-minute HIIT videos that kick my butt to 15- and 20-minute sessions that can still pack in a surprising amount of work.
It took me a few months to find my favorite instructors, but I now have a reliable list of favorite classes and instructors that I’ve starred in the app and always come back to.
- For HIIT: David Reyes and Devin Buchanan
- For yoga: Johan Montijano
- For sculpted yoga: Nicole Uribarri
I like that the app tracks activity, both in terms of hours active and specific classes completed each month. It will show you how your activity level compares to the previous month, too, and you can connect wearables like Fitbit and Oura so it captures all your other workouts.
Another great thing about Equinox+ is that new workouts get added on a regular basis. I like variety when I exercise (read: I prefer not knowing what torturous move is coming up next), so I always try to find a video I haven’t played yet.
Is reimbursement for a high-end fitness app the most important feature of Amex’s premium travel card? No, probably not. But the quality of the videos is high enough to keep me logging workouts several times a week, and I’d value that even higher than the app’s $300 annual subscription fee.
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