Amex Platinum Year‑End Checklist 2025: Max Out Your Credits Before 2026
Use this step‑by‑step Amex Platinum checklist to grab every dining, travel, Uber, shopping, and wellness credit before Dec 31, 2025 and beat the fee.
The $895 Amex Platinum Payback Checklist (Do This Before Dec 31)
The Platinum Card is not cheap.
For new cardholders, the annual fee is now $895. Existing cardholders move to that higher fee at renewal starting January 2, 2026.
Amex says the card offers over $3,500 in annual value across travel, dining, shopping, and wellness.
Cute. But I don’t care about “potential value.” I care about money you actually capture.
So here’s the mission for this post:
Use this checklist to recoup at least $895 of real value from your Platinum Card by December 31, 2025. If your fee is still $695 this year, you’ll beat that number even faster.
Grab your Amex app and your calendar. Let’s make this card pay for itself. 💳🔥
How To Use This Checklist
Open the Amex app → tap Membership → Explore Benefits → View All
For each step below, check:
Are you enrolled?
Have you used the 2025 credit yet? (Open the Amex app → tap Membership → Track Progress → View All)
If not, fix it this month.
I’ll show approximate value as we go and a running total so your readers can feel the payoff.
Step 1: Confirm Your Fee & Set Your Recoup Target ✅
☐ Open the statement for your anniversary month.
☐ Note the annual fee you actually paid in 2025.
If it’s $695, your minimum recoup target is $695.
If you opened the card after the refresh, assume $895 going forward.
For this checklist, we’ll play on hard mode and aim for $895+ in value by December 31.
Running target: $895
Step 2: Use Your Q4 Resy Dining Credit 🍝
Value: Up to $100 | Running total: $100
The refreshed Platinum gives you up to $100 per quarter in statement credits when you use your card at eligible U.S. Resy restaurants (up to $400 per year after enrollment).
☐ In Benefits, open Resy Credit.
☐ Check how much of Q4 you’ve used.
☐ If there’s anything left, book a December meal through Resy and pay with your Platinum.
That dinner can be:
A date
A client or collaborator dinner
A “CEO year‑in‑review” solo dinner
Doesn’t matter. Just don’t let Q4 expire.
Recouped so far: up to $100
Step 3: Grab Your December Entertainment Credit 🎬
Value: $25 | Running total: $125
The Platinum gives you up to $25 back each month (up to $300 per year) on select digital entertainment when you pay with your card and enroll.
☐ In Benefits, open Digital Entertainment Credit.
☐ Make sure at least one eligible subscription (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, NYT, WSJ, Peacock, Paramount+, YouTube Premium/TV, etc.) is billed to your Platinum.
☐ If not, move one over and let the December charge hit before your statement closes.
You’re probably already paying for half of these. Let the card refund some of that.
Recouped so far: ~$125
Step 4: Use Your Q4 lululemon Credit 🧘♂️
Value: $75 | Running total: $200
New Platinum benefits include up to $300 per year at lululemon, paid as $75 per quarter after enrollment.
☐ Open lululemon Credit in your benefits.
☐ Check your Q4 usage.
☐ If you still have credit, buy something intentional in December:
Travel uniform
Workout basics
Neutral pieces you’ll film in
Keep the spend close to $75. No “$300 haul because I wanted to use $75” energy.
Recouped so far: ~$200
Step 5: Use Your Second‑Half Saks Credit 🛍️
Value: $50 | Running total: $250
You get up to $100 per year at Saks, split into two $50 windows (first half and second half of the year) after enrollment.
☐ Open Shop Saks with Platinum in your benefits.
☐ Check if the Jul–Dec $50 credit has been used.
☐ If not, pick one thing and order it ASAP so it posts in 2025:
Luggage
Shoes you’ll wear constantly
A blazer or shirt you use for content and events
Treat this like a mini “brand upgrade” credit.
Recouped so far: ~$250
Step 6: Let Walmart+ Pay You Back 🛒
Value: ~$12.95 for December | Running total: ~$262.95
Platinum can cover a monthly Walmart+ membership, up to $12.95 plus tax each month (~$155 per year) when you enroll and pay with your card.
☐ Open the Walmart+ credit in your benefits.
☐ Make sure Walmart+ is active and billed to Platinum.
☐ Use at least one Walmart+ order this month for groceries or essentials.
If you’ve been on it all year, 2025 already gave you ~$155 of value here. For December, you just want to make sure this month’s statement credit hits.
Recouped so far from this month: +$12.95
Ballpark 2025 total if used all year: +$155
Step 7: Clear Out Your Airline Fee Credit ✈️
Value: Up to $200 per calendar year | Running total: up to ~$462.95+
The Platinum offers up to $200 per calendar year in statement credits for eligible incidental fees on one selected airline after enrollment.
☐ Open Airline Fee Credit.
☐ Check how much of your 2025 credit is left.
☐ Use the remainder in December on:
Seat upgrades
Checked bags
Onboard food or Wi‑Fi that codes as incidental
You want that tracker as close to $0 remaining as possible by December 31.
If you max this, you’re up roughly $200 for the year.
Recouped so far (if fully used): ~$462.95 + $200 = ~$662.95
Step 8: Use December Uber Cash 🚗🍔
Value: $35 in December | Running total: ~$697.95
Platinum gives you up to $200 in Uber Cash per year: $15 per month plus a $20 bonus in December, when your card is added to Uber.
☐ Open the Uber app → Wallet.
☐ Make sure your Platinum is added and Uber Cash is toggled on.
☐ Use the full $35 in December on rides or Uber Eats.
If you’ve used this all year, that’s $200 total in 2025.
But even if you only use December, that’s still $35 toward your goal.
Recouped so far (with full airline + Dec Uber): ~$697.95
If your current fee is still $695, you’ve essentially broken even right here.
Step 9: Use Your Second $300 Hotel Credit (If Available) 🏨
Value: Up to $300 | Running total: up to ~$997.95
The refreshed Platinum now offers up to $600 per year in hotel credits, split into two $300 semi‑annual credits on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings via Amex Travel.
☐ Open the Hotel Credit benefit.
☐ Confirm whether:
You used the first $300 earlier in 2025.
You still have the second $300 for the July–Dec window.
If you still have a $300 credit sitting there:
☐ Book a prepaid FHR or Hotel Collection stay before December 31.
The stay can be in early 2026.
The charge just has to hit in 2025.
This one move can push you far past the annual fee on its own when combined with everything above.
Recouped so far (if you’ve hit all major buckets):
≈ $697.95 + $300 = ~$997.95
At this point, even if we round down a bit, you’ve paid off a $895 fee and then some.
Step 10: Optional Power‑Ups (Only If They Fit Your Life) ⚡️
These can push you even further over the top, but only if you actually want them:
CLEAR Plus credit – Up to $209 per year if you enroll and pay with your Platinum. Nice if you travel enough to care about security lines. American Express+1
Oura Ring credit – Up to $200 per year when you buy an Oura Ring with your card. Great if you want data for sleep and recovery. American Express+1
Equinox credit – Up to $300 per year for Equinox/Equinox+ memberships. Only counts if you’ll genuinely use it. American Express+1
If even one of these fits your actual life, you’re deep into “Amex is paying me, not the other way around” territory.
Quick Reality Check: Did You Beat The Fee? 🧮
At this point, if you’ve:
Used your Q4 Resy, lululemon, Saks, entertainment, Walmart+, and Uber
Maximized your airline fee
Taken both $300 hotel credits
You’re sitting on:
~$400 dining (full year)
$300 entertainment (full year)
$300 lululemon
$100 Saks
~$155 Walmart+
$200 Uber
$200 airline
$600 hotel
That’s over $2,200 in credits alone if fully used, plus lounges and other perks, against an $895 fee.
Even if 2025 wasn’t perfect and you only cleaned up the December pieces with this checklist, you can still claw back a big chunk of your fee before the year ends.
Don’t Have The Platinum Yet? Use My Link 💳
If you don’t have an Amex Platinum (or Business Platinum) yet and you’ve been thinking about it, here’s your moment.
When you use my referral link, you’ll see all available American Express Personal and Business Card offers. If you decide to go big and grab the Business Platinum Card®, you could:
Earn 200,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on your new Business Platinum within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
That’s a massive points haul if you’re already putting that kind of spend through your business anyway.
A few things I’d tell a friend:
Only do this if you can hit the minimum spend with real business expenses you were going to pay for anyway.
Always pay in full. We’re not playing the interest game.
Treat the card like a tool to level up your travel, perks, and protections, not an excuse to overspend.
👉 Apply for an Amex Platinum or Business Platinum with my referral link
The Point Of This Isn’t The Card. It’s The Habit. 💸
This isn’t about the prestige of the Platinum perks.
It’s about moving from “I hope this is worth it” to “I know exactly how I made this pay me back.”
You just built a simple, repeatable habit:
Know what you’re paying.
Know what you’re getting.
Put dates on how and when you’ll use it.
That’s the same skill you need to build offers, run your business, and grow your online income in 2026.
If you want your newsletter to be the thing that casually covers this annual fee every year, that’s literally what I help people do inside Substack Bestseller Academy.
But card or no card, this is the energy:
You’re not hoping money works out.
You’re running the numbers.
You’re squeezing the value.
You’re in charge.