BGR has partnered with The Points Guy for our coverage of credit card products. BGR and The Points Guy may receive a commission from card issuers.Please note: the offers mentioned below are subject to change at any time and some may no longer be available.You don’t have to look far to discover some pretty lucrative credit card welcome bonuses that are available right now and open to anyone, as long as certain conditions are met. But when it comes to the most sought-after offers in the realm of credit card rewards, it really doesn’t get much better than this incredible 100,000-point targeted offer from the Platinum Card® from American Express.
The key word being “targeted,” because that reward is only open to a select group of consumers. And even then, Amex only makes it available within a brief window of time, so if you’re eligible, you really can’t delay at all in applying for it. In this post, we’ll talk about a way you can do so — by checking the CardMatch Tool, where we’ve seen the return of the 100,000-point offer in recent days, which comes with a spending requirement of $5,000 within the first three months of opening the account to earn that six-figure bonus.
A few important points to note about Amex welcome bonuses: It’s worth keeping in mind that they’re “not available to applicants who have or have had this product,” a once-per-lifetime limitation that’s found on this 100,000-point offer. And in addition to finding that offer via the CardMatch Tool, another newly available offer that’s possible to find via the tool is an almost as sweet 50,000-point welcome offer for the American Express® Gold Card, which comes with a spending requirement of its own — at least $2,000 within the first three months of card ownership. This is yet another reason why it’s definitely worth checking out the CardMatch Tool, because even that 50,000-point offer is still 15,000 points sweeter than the current publicly available offer for the Amex Gold (35,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first three months).
We should also point out that using the CardMatch Tool, which we’ll walk you through next, generates a so-called “soft” inquiry on your credit report. That’s another way of saying that the inquiry will show up on your report, but it will have no impact on your credit score, the same way as if you checked your credit report yourself via the free annual check that everyone is allowed.
The CardMatch Tool is great, though, because it will match you with offers from in less than 60 seconds. You’ll get matched to those special offers based on your credit profile, and what’s even better is you can get matched to the card feature that’s right for you. So, for example, you can find cards with low interest, cash back, balance transfers and travel rewards, depending on what you need.
How to use the CardMatch Tool:
The service is pretty straightforward to check out. From the CardMatch homepage, enter your first and last name, home address and the last four digits of your social security number. There’s a box into which you can enter your email address if you want to be contacted by CardMatch — if you’d prefer not to be contacted, just proceed to the “Get Matches” prompt. Click it, then check the box to accept the terms & conditions, and after hitting “Submit,” you’re all done. If you are eligible for any pre-approved offers, they’ll be displayed after about 60 seconds or so.If you don’t see that you’ve been targeted for the 100,000-point offer, don’t fret, because there still may be a chance for you to nab a solid Amex Platinum offer. The current publicly available welcome bonus offer for the card is a 60,000-point offer that’s available once you spend $5,000 within the first three months. Of course, it’s that six-figure offer everyone will want, so about that:
Is the top-tier Platinum offer actually worth it?
On an empirical basis, most definitely. Using the valuation of 2 cents per Membership Rewards point as calculated by The Points Guy, that makes the welcome bonus alone worth $2,000, which helps take a bit of the sting out of the card’s $550 annual fee. Setting aside the welcome bonus, the Amex Platinum will reward frequent travelers with benefits like 5x points on airfare purchased directly through either the airline or American Express Travel, in addition to 5x earnings on prepaid hotels that are booked through Amex Travel. On top of all that, the card will reward you with up to $200 in credits each year for Uber rides, as well as $100 in credits for Saks purchases. Cardmembers can also enjoy access to nine existing Centurion Lounges, with more coming in major markets like New York and Los Angeles. When traveling with Delta, cardholders can also access Delta Sky Clubs plus more than 1,200 lounges and 28 airport restaurants around the country through a Priority Pass membership. But remember, to get all of these benefits with the 100,000-point offer, don’t wait — check out your status now, and act fast to claim your reward.
