Unveiled: the 2025 Amex Platinum dining and Harvey Nichols cashback changes

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• Emma says:

  31 Oct31 October 09:46

  Re the platinum card benefits, is it possible to upgrade the insurance to add extra sports? I currently have the free platinum insurance but also have to take out another one (with a non specialist company eg the AA) as I need to add some sports to my cover. Bit of a pain as it makes the Amex insurance benefit worthless to me.

• Chris says:

  31 Oct31 October 09:51

  Someone has mentioned the pro-rata refund option ending tomorrow.
  Is that true? Have I missed something? I thought that was on hold?

  • Lee says:

    31 Oct31 October 09:59

    I think Rob just comfirmed that in previous comments

    • Rob says:

      31 Oct31 October 10:00

      No, no at all.

      I believe it is now off and won’t happen at all, but I can’t get Amex to put this in writing.

      • JDB says:

        31 Oct31 October 10:07

        @Rob – wouldn’t it be difficult for Amex to put something in writing to you that contradicts the published terms?

        • Rob says:

          31 Oct31 October 10:09

          Not at all. We already have a written agreement that I get advance notice of any removal of the pro-rata fee refunds which in theory don’t even exist any longer.

        • JDB says:

          31 Oct31 October 10:20

          @Rob an agreement to give you advance notice doesn’t vary the terms. Something saying that the no pro-rata refunds term doesn’t apply does vary the terms. An unenforced term of this nature is generally considered to be an unfair contract term because those not in the know (eg an HfP) reader might act to their detriment in not cancelling a card until their renewal.

          It’s quite a strange state of affairs to have gone to the cost and palaver of changing the terms of all their paid cards and then being too scared to enforce it. It also sits strangely with the Plat retentions that have a high cost but no actual lock in.

• Jordan D says:

  31 Oct31 October 10:12

  Dining Credit – especially abroad – is a net negative. Don’t always travel to the places where it is available, and when I do, it is for a blow out meal. Three weeks ago, we went to one on the list in New York, spent over £300 and got that knocked off our two (separate) Platinum cards.

  It’s our only trip to one of the places where we could use the offer this year – so £100 each would be usable and the other £100 of the credit would be wasted.

  Disappointing.

  • TGLoyalty says:

    31 Oct31 October 11:44

    There’s plenty of European countries on the list but also don’t forget these have bars and the credit works perfectly well there

    Even works at a popular nightclub in Barcelona for example.

    I’m not sure why they need to be blowout meals either some of these places serve lovely lunches and snacks or Aperitivo

    • meta says:

      31 Oct31 October 12:13

      There are only 10 countries on the list out of 44 European countries. Hardly plenty.

      • TGLoyalty says:

        31 Oct31 October 12:55

        But atleast 10 of the 15 most visited so yes plenty.

• smitrax says:

  31 Oct31 October 10:14

  Would it be possible to redeem the £200 in one restaurant visit by asking to split the bill and just handing over the same card twice?

  • Stu_N says:

    31 Oct31 October 10:18

    If you timed it so you paid half your bill just before midnight on 30 June and half just after on 1 July, yes. If not, no.

    • Ken says:

      31 Oct31 October 11:15

      Very good Stu !

    • Neil says:

      31 Oct31 October 11:40

      D’oh. Will pay more attention in future.

• VinZ says:

  31 Oct31 October 10:15

  This is nice – are we expecting a bigger SUB anytime soon?

  • JDB says:

    31 Oct31 October 10:25

    @VinZ – on the basis the current SUB is 65k and they offer 50k p.a. retention bonus, what more are you hoping for? Current applications get two years of dining credits and an extra HN as well whatever they might be worth.

    • VinZ says:

      31 Oct31 October 10:40

      I can only see 50k SUB on their website. Where did you see 65k? Is that with a referral?

      • JDB says:

        31 Oct31 October 11:11

        No, not with a referral. I just googled it but it does say at the bottom, based on my cookies! The 50,000 is crossed out in the original.

        Earn 50,000 65,000 Membership Rewards® points
        when you spend £6,000 in your first three months of Cardmembership. Terms apply. 18+, subject to status.

        This Offer is tailored to you based on your cookie preferences and may change. Taking credit should be considered carefully. Please do not rush your decision.

        • VinZ says:

          31 Oct31 October 20:19

          Oh I see, will see if it changes based on cookies.

          And don’t worry, I haven’t spent a single penny on cc interest in my life 😉

• babyg_wc says:

  31 Oct31 October 10:15

  Meh no pleasing some people, I’m happy with more “free” money on the table. The comments highlight how people thinking about money these days that, in that they would rather have the £150 NOW vs £100 NOW and another £100 in six months.

  • JDB says:

    31 Oct31 October 10:30

    I think the reality identified by many posters is that while the dining credits are ostensibly higher, they are now harder to spend such that more will go unspent. There is also £50 HN absent for H2 2025.

    I’m glad you put the word “free” in inverted commas as it is, of course, in no sense free.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      31 Oct31 October 11:00

      The other option was the end them completely and go back to the product as it was 3 years ago ofocurse.

      • ziggurat says:

        31 Oct31 October 11:18

        three years ago they were raining hundred pound Waitrose and Deliveroo vouchers on everyone.

        back in 2019 it had basically no credits: https://www.headforpoints.com/2019/06/09/should-you-apply-for-american-express-platinum/

        just Ad Lee for Londoners and onefinestay, though it was also £450 back then, though though that’s £560 in today’s money, so, surprisingly, we are better off, even if you only value the dining credits at 25% of par.

        • Andrew J says:

          31 Oct31 October 11:43

          We also used to get BAPP free with the Platinum card.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          31 Oct31 October 11:47

          They were “one off” because Covid was stopping pretty much all travel. Their lounge expenditure was near enough 0

          You can even see it with their advertising. It’s how many £ of value you get from every benefit to justify its existence as essentially a cash back card. Moving Down market for sure

        • Polly says:

          31 Oct31 October 18:41

          Agree, we managed to get 6 of those One Fine Stay credits. Had to phone Atlanta tho for them to accept the 6 different card payments. Had a gorgeous villa stay out of it, which we could never have afforded to stay in otherwise.

  • N says:

    31 Oct31 October 11:01

    In reality, it’s just harder to spend it without spending cash now. At the restaurants in the list, £100 is hardly much at all.

    • meta says:

      31 Oct31 October 11:43

      Actually, I was happier with the product in 2019. The fee was reasonable, it included a few extra hotels benefits and customer service was better (no nonsense with 150 days for statement credits to appear). I also did not have to eat in Amex-branded restaurants.

      • TGLoyalty says:

        31 Oct31 October 11:48

        The fee has hardly changed adjusted for inflation.

        What hotel benefits did you get? Accor Platinum.

        • Aston100 says:

          31 Oct31 October 12:31

          Shangri La

        • TGLoyalty says:

          31 Oct31 October 12:46

          Literally Useless in Europe

        • meta says:

          31 Oct31 October 15:59

          Before that increases were minimal or non-existant in annual fee so I don’t buy this inflation thing. Products that come with it did not increase that much to be followed by £200 extra in annual fee. In fact hotel benefits have been diluted not by Amex, but by their partners. They are probably unaware, just like they weren’t aware now that one of their main partners was leaving them.

          You also used to get a very good Platinum customer service line. This is gone. For me that is the main thing actually that I want from a premium card. Amex used to excel and be at the very too at this, now they are among the worst.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          31 Oct31 October 16:13

          When are we comparing to? As the price didn’t change but they took away benefits and held the price (Accor and Cathay come to mind and stoping free BAPP) so there was price inflation in another way.

          Not sure the equivalent policy cost of travel insurance or hire car insurance hasn’t increased over time cost of claims would have increased for sure.

          – Hilton hasn’t devalued Gold
          – Marriott Gold is actually the same benefits as SPG Gold but there was a nice period where Marriott matched SPG gold to Marriott Gold which was far better
          – Raddison benefits are better now but they stung a lot of customers with their devaluation
          – Shangri-la has gone but unless you were frequently visiting Asia it was no use and didn’t get you much anyway.

          – lounge benefit has probably stood still because it costs more to get in but it’s harder to get in.

        • meta says:

          31 Oct31 October 16:23

          @TGLoyalty Hilton Gold was devalued as breakfast benefit in the US is now just a credit which doesn’t cover Gold.

          Sure they removed some of the benefits, but there was also Add Lee Benefit added. Then we now also go into territory of MR points transfer devaluation now (SQ, EK, Marriott, etc.)

          I think what really killed the product for many is the customer service. Most of people I recommended the card to, cancelled their cards precisely because of that.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          31 Oct31 October 16:38

          @Meta and that’s the same for Diamond in the US. It’s a change to the overall programme a gold hasn’t been downgraded to silver equivalent for example.

          The equation will continue to evolve over time and your personal circumstances so as the post by ziggurat says everyone always has to do their own cost-benefit analysis.

          These packages are never pulled together on the basis everyone will use everything. They’re just trying to entice enough people that think all of it is value to them but they actually only use some of it.

          I wouldn’t keep the card if they weren’t giving me 35-50k retention plus 60-70k referral points a year and £150 U.K. dining credits in places I’d visit anyway. Give the £100 HN credit away as gift to a friend who shops there and if I can use the dining credits abroad I do if not ah well.

        • meta says:

          31 Oct31 October 17:53

          @TG Loyalty Amex should have awareness of what is happening with other loyalty programmes to which they subscribe their customers to. It’s all part of ecosystem and they seem to be out of touch. They could have easily find another hotel partner to make it slightly better.

        • meta says:

          31 Oct31 October 17:55

          But I agree it’s quite a personal. I value good customer service other may not.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          31 Oct31 October 18:28

          @meta no other mid scale status gives breakfast. Hilton is literally an outlier and tbh it’s the US only. Rest of the world you get the actual breakfast buffet etc

        • meta says:

          31 Oct31 October 19:28

          @TG Loyalty But that’s the thing for a premium card they should offer more than the mid-tier status. Even Marriott Platinum is mid-tier actually.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          31 Oct31 October 20:38

          Marriott Platinum takes 50 nights. Stays don’t count like getting HH Diamond after 30 1 nights and/or points earned including via credit card spend like IHG Diamond.

          It’s higher than mid tier.

          They have the card you’re talking about it’s centurion.

        • meta says:

          1 Nov1 November 00:17

          @TGLoyalty it’s not as you have Titanium and Ambassador above Plat, you only have Diamond above HH Gold.

• Jake says:

  31 Oct31 October 10:16

  @rob – mentioned it yesterday in the thread but given you are away thought I would flag here.

  The BA business Amex has a decent 1 year no fee and bonus deal that makes it more attractive.

  Sure you know this anyway

  • roger says:

    31 Oct31 October 10:51

    Don’t see no first year fee option on Amex website.
    Do you have a link?

    • Jake says:

      31 Oct31 October 11:24

      hmm it appears to be tailored as an offer. I got an email about it too. not sure why it is not wide scale

• aq.1988 says:

  31 Oct31 October 10:27

  The increase to £200 for the UK credits is welcome, but the split means that I will end up spending more of my own cash, to use both halves, as the restaurants on the list are not ones I would ordinarily visit. So instead of spending £200 once, and getting £150 back, I’ll end up going twice (£200 each time), and getting only (£100 back each visit), so now spending £200 of my own money vs only £50. Granted, I will have 2 meals vs 1, but as mentioned, these are not restaurants I would ordinarily visit, without the offer.

  And the global credit is hard enough to use as it is. I managed to use it in Paris in 2023, but my 2024 has gone unused, despite 4 overseas trips this year. The lack of anything in the Middle East is a huge miss for me.

  I would have preferred £100 credit on Amex travel to make up for the eventual loss of HN.

  • TGLoyalty says:

    31 Oct31 October 11:01

    It’s a platinum card.

    If you don’t spend your own money on dining out, travelling or other experiences drop the card. It’s not for you.

    • babyg_wc says:

      31 Oct31 October 11:15

      ^^exactly this

    • N says:

      31 Oct31 October 11:30

      Spend money dining out? Yes.
      Spend money on the restaurants Amex has on the list? _different matter altogether_

      • TGLoyalty says:

        31 Oct31 October 11:54

        They’re hardly all high end. Plenty of choice for most pockets.

        If you’re looking for a £15 per head diner then again this is the wrong product for you.

        • Ken says:

          31 Oct31 October 12:15

          You need to let go of this “wrong product for you” nonsense when people point out that the overseas credit is harder to use.

        • Andrew J says:

          31 Oct31 October 12:20

          Although Ivy isn’t much more than that.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          31 Oct31 October 12:52

          It is harder but that’s life it was far too easy for some to rinse it and leave … these decisions are going to be influenced by that.

          And sorry I’m not going to let it go. If your whole approach to this card is maximising the coupon element it’s 100% not the product for you.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          31 Oct31 October 12:53

          I personally dislike the food at The Ivy but found no issue in enjoying a couple of their cocktails at the bar.

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