PlatinumCard® from American Express is a top-notch premium travel reward card with an annual fee of $695 (see Fees & Fees).
At first glance, annual fees can be daunting, but the good news is that numerous lifestyle benefits help cardholders prove that the Amex Platinum is guaranteed in their wallets, as these allowances offset a large amount of annual fees.
Let’s explore the useful benefits of Amex Platinum: Monthly Statement Credit for Eligible Digital Entertainment Subscriptions.
What is Amex Platinum Digital Entertainment Credit?
Amex Platinum offers up to $240 a year for “digital entertainment” statement credits, distributed in increments of $20 per month (registration is required, terms and conditions apply). You can use these credits for the following subscriptions:
- Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ – or Disney+ bundles (including all three services)
- Peacock
- The New York Times
- Wall Street Journal
U.S. Express regularly changes the services covered by credit for this statement, so please be careful to cover the subscription list. In the past, we have seen services like Sirius XM Radio.
How to use Amex Platinum Digital Entertainment Credit
Before using this privilege, you must register for a card before making a qualifying purchase. If you don’t do this, you won’t receive any declared points.
Go to your Amex Platinum homepage and click the Benefits tab at the top of the screen.
Once you enter the Benefits section, you will receive all benefits for all cards. Scroll until you see “Dollar Entertainment Credit for $240”. Then click the Start or Learn More button.
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with TPG Daily Newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG experts
Simply scroll through the details of the benefits, indicating that you understand the terms and conditions, and click Register Now.
Thereafter, any purchase with a qualified merchant will receive a declared credit.
Let’s take a look at the cost of each digital entertainment subscription. Remember that you must register directly with the provider to get the AMEX credit side to trigger. You cannot register through a mobile app or through a third party.
Related: How to Use Your American Express Uber Points for Rides and Meals
Program costs for digital entertainment credit coverage
Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+
Touted as a “Disney+ Bundle”, you can cover all your movie, TV show and sports viewing needs through Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+. You can also untie these products, and Digital Entertainment Credit will also pay back monthly services individually.
The service levels vary for each plan, but here are some of the current monthly prices we found:
- Disney Bundle Duo Basic: $10.99 per month – Visit Disney+ and Hulu (both with ads)
- Disney Bundle Duo: $19.99 per month – Disney+ and Hulu (neither advert)
- Disney Bundle Trio Basic: $16.99 per month – Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max (all with ads)
- Disney Bundle Trio: $29.99/month – Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max (all without ads)
- Disney Bundle Three Basics: $16.99 per month – Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ (all with ads)
- Disney Bundle Trio: $26.99/month – Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ (all without ads)
- Traditional Disney Bundle: $21.99 per month – Disney+ (no ads), Hulu (with ads), and ESPN+ (with ads). The plan is no longer available to purchase or switch to Disney+; they can retain their plan as long as they do not cancel or change existing subscribers.
- Hulu with Advertising: $9.99 per month
- Hulu without ads: $18.99 per month
- Hulu with ads, as well as live TV, Disney+ and ESPN+ (all with ads): $82.99 per month
- Hulu without ads, as well as live TV, Disney+ (no ads) and ESPN+ (with ads): $95.99 per month
- Hulu Plus Live TV with Ads, Disney+ (no ads) and ESPN+ (with ads): $87.99
- Disney+ Basic (with Advertising): $9.99 per month
- Disney+ Premium (no ads): $15.99/monthly or $159.99
- ESPN+: $11.99/month
As you can see, you can tailor the plan that suits your needs. Regardless of which plan you choose, you must purchase a monthly subscription directly through the provider’s website after signing up for the AMEX benefit.
Expert tips: Disney Bundle Trio Premium may provide the best value for your funds. It will maximize your digital entertainment credit of $20 per month, so it’s a great plan to cover all the basics.
Peacock
Peacock offers two paid products:
- Premium: $7.99 per month
- Premium Plus: $13.99 per month
You will not pay you back for subscriptions that are bundled with wired services or other bundles, nor will you use them for gift cards of any kind.
Expert tips: Ad-free Premium Plus subscription offers the best value as you can also download offline to view content.
Related: The Best Credit Cards for Streaming Service Subscriptions
The New York Times
Ignore limited time or introductory offers, which is the fee you expect to subscribe to The New York Times:
- Digital subscription: $25 every four weeks
- Paper copy: Starting at $10 per week (Sunday Edition)
- NYT Cooking: $1.50 per week
- New York Times Game: $1.50 per week
In order to trigger Amex Platinum credit, you must visit the New York Times website to access and register. Other purchases are excluded, such as advertising services, gift cards and the New York Times Company Store.
TPG credit card writer Danyal Ahmed has a digital subscription to NYT and has received $4 per four weeks plan and stacked this piece in a Disney+ subscription to maximize its entertainment credit.
Expert tips: Subscribe with the maximum value of limited-time offers.
Wall Street Journal
Here’s what you’d expect to subscribe to the Wall Street Journal:
- Wall Street Journal figures: $9.75 per week
- Wall Street Journal + Digital Bundle (WSJ, Barron’s, MarketWatch and Investor’s Business Daily Digital): $13.75 per week
- Weekend printing and Wall Street Journal figures: $11.25 per week
- Print Monday to Friday and weekends and Wall Street Journal figures: $16.25 per week
Expert tips: The Wall Street Journal regularly offers special prices for its services (digital and printed). These promotional periods are the ideal time to sign up to stack Amex Platinum Digital Credit and get other subscriptions and maximize $20 monthly letter of credit.
Related: Is Amex Platinum worth annual fee?
FAQs on Amex Platinum Digital Entertainment Credit
Is Amex Platinum Digital Entertainment worthy of praise?
Digital entertainment credit may have good value because many people purchase membership; however, this is usually the biggest savings in annual membership. Amex Platinum states that credit meets such a strategy. To get the most value from this benefit, you need to pay a monthly subscription fee, which can increase the effective price of your annual subscription.
For example, paying one annual subscription to the New York Times’ various assets annually can save you 33% of your monthly payment. In other words, you shouldn’t necessarily value digital entertainment credit at $240 per year.
Which digital entertainment companies participate?
Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, Peacock, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal triggered credits triggered by the following companies. This will change at any time.
What is the best use of AMEX Platinum Digital Entertainment Credit?
If you already have any of these subscriptions, this credit is a good deal for you. If not, credit may be enough to convince you to try a new subscription. However, do not include this credit into your annual savings unless you are spending money.
When can I receive my Amex Platinum Digital Entertainment Credit?
Reimbursement will require charging Amex Platinum for six to eight weeks during monthly recurring services. However, for many TPG employees, credit usually takes several business days before it appears in their statements.
Bottom line
As part of the Amex Platinum Benefits Suite, American Express offers up to $240 in digital entertainment statement credit. Just remember to register your card before paying for any participating services. Otherwise, the credit will not be applied.
To learn more, read our full review of Amex Platinum.
Apply here: Amex Platinum
Related: This is how much value you can get from your Amex Platinum Card in the first year
For rates and fees for PlatinumCard® for American Express, click here.
