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The terms of the credit card mentioned in this article have changed since it was first published. See our details page on the The Platinum Card® from American Express for the current offer.

The Platinum Card® from American Express isn’t just another card with perks — it’s a staple in the card community. Not only does it come with some of the best benefits in the industry, its welcome bonus offer just increased. If you were considering applying for the card, now just might be the time to do it with the elevated bonus.

The new welcome bonus offer

For a limited time, the offer on The Platinum Card® from American Express has increased: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. This new reward is 25,000 points higher than the previously available public offer on this card.

New cardholders will also have the ability to earn 10x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on worldwide dining and when they Shop Small in the U.S. for the first six months (capped at $25,000 in combined purchases). Terms apply.

Even if all your minimum spending falls into non-bonus categories, you’ll end up with at least 100,000 Membership Rewards points.

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What you can do with 100,000 Membership Rewards points

Let’s say that roughly half of your minimum spending is in the 10x bonus categories, and the rest isn’t. This leaves you with about 100,000 Membership Rewards points, which can get you a lot of travel. Let’s take a look at a few possibilities.

Fly from the U.S. to Hawaii for 35,000 miles in economy on Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines is a SkyTeam partner of Air France and KLM, which run a joint loyalty program called Flying Blue. It’s possible to transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to Flying Blue at a rate of 1:1 and book flights on SkyTeam partners, such as Delta.

A one-way economy flight from the United States to Hawaii will set you back 17,500 Flying Blue miles, or you can go round-trip for 35,000 miles.

So, with the points earned from the welcome bonus offer alone, you and a plus one can fly to the Aloha State and back for just the cost of taxes and fees — with some points left over.

Fly from the U.S. to Japan for 75,000-90,000 miles in business class on All Nippon Airways

Tokyo-based All Nippon Airways (ANA) is another Membership Rewards airline partner to which you can transfer points at a 1:1 ratio.

ANA’s award chart is largely based on when you travel — the program charges fewer miles for off-peak dates and more miles for peak dates. Let's say you want to go to Japan during the regular season. A round-trip award ticket in business class from the United States is going to run you 85,000 miles. This is a solid rate for business class on an award-winning airline.

Off-peak awards for the same trip require just 75,000 miles, while peak pricing goes up to 90,000 miles. Still, that's not bad for a round-trip to Japan in a premium cabin.

Fly from the U.S. to Europe for 100,000 miles in business class on Delta Air Lines

Another Membership Rewards airline partner worth considering is Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Although Virgin Atlantic isn’t a SkyTeam member, Delta has a 49% stake in the British carrier and is a non-alliance partner.

If you have an eventual Europe trip on your mind, Virgin Atlantic requires 50,000 miles to fly on Delta from the U.S. to Europe (nonstop flights only) in business class, aka Delta One. Points transfer 1:1 here as well.

That means with 100,000 miles, you can take a round-trip journey to Europe completely in the front section of the plane. Keep in mind that flights with connections will require more miles.

The Platinum Card® from American Express: Key benefits

On top of the elevated welcome bonus offer, you get to use all the benefits of The Platinum Card® from American Express as well. Although the card’s annual fee is $695, you can offset it by utilizing the following perks.

$200 airline credit: Select an airline each year and get $200 back (as a statement credit) toward incidentals, such as checked bags, seat selection and in-flight meals when you charge the purchases to your card.

$200 hotel credit: Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your card. The Hotel Collection stays must be two nights minimum to qualify.

$300 Equinox credit: Get $25 a month in statement for eligible Equinox charges.

$200 Uber credit: Receive $15 per month ($35 in December) toward Uber rides and Uber Eats orders.

$100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit: Shop at Saks Fifth Avenue (either in store or online) and receive two $50 statement credits ($50 between January and June, and another $50 between July and December). Don't be scared off by the high cost of its products; check out the clearance section for more reasonably priced deals.

Clear membership credit: Get a $189 annual credit when you use the card to pay for a Clear membership.

Complimentary lounge access: Access The Centurion Lounge, Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta Air Lines) and lounges in the Priority Pass network. Enrollment required.

Gold Elite status with two hotel chains: Receive Gold Elite status with Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy programs just for being a cardholder.

Fine Hotels & Resorts: Book hotel nights in the Fine Hotels & Resorts network and receive perks such as room upgrades, daily breakfast for two, early check-in, late checkout, complimentary Wi-Fi and a property credit.

Terms apply.

The bottom line

The new welcome bonus offer on The Platinum Card® from American Express, and especially the 10x earning rate at worldwide dining and certain small businesses in the U.S., will get you enough points to have a variety of redemption options. Even if you redeem points toward economy flights, you’ll still end up extracting great value. Additionally, the benefits of this card can offset most of (if not the entire) annual fee if you take advantage of them. Terms apply.