The Platinum Card from American Express vs IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

Annual fees: The Platinum Card from American Express $895/yr, IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card $150/yr. Strongest bonus categories: The Platinum Card from American Express on hotels, IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card on gas stations.

Card data as of November 13, 2026.

Overview

Annual fee
The Platinum Card from American Express
$895
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
$150
Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer
The Platinum Card from American Express
As high as 175,000 points — offers vary
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
Up to 190,000 points
Rewards
The Platinum Card from American Express
American Express Membership Rewards
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
IHG One Rewards
Foreign transaction fee
The Platinum Card from American Express
None
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
None
Network
The Platinum Card from American Express
American Express
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
Mastercard World Elite

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Car Rentals
The Platinum Card from American Express
1x
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
5x
Highest
Dining
The Platinum Card from American Express
1x
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
5x
Highest
Flights
The Platinum Card from American Express
5x
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
5x
Gas Stations
The Platinum Card from American Express
1x
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
5x
Highest
Grocery Stores
The Platinum Card from American Express
1x
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
5x
Highest
Hotels
The Platinum Card from American Express
1x
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
3x
Highest
Everything else
The Platinum Card from American Express
1x
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
3x
Highest

Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record

Travel
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • $600 lodging credit
  • $250 Airbnb Experiences credit
  • $219 CLEAR Plus credit
  • $200 airline credit
  • $120 Global Entry or up to $85 TSA PreCheck / 4 years · $120 every 4 years
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
  • $120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck · $120 every 4 years
  • $100 airline statement credit
  • $100/yr IHG food & beverage · $25 quarterly
  • $50/yr United TravelBank · $25 every 6 months
Rideshare & transit
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • $200 Uber Cash
  • $120 Uber One credit
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
—
Dining & delivery
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • $400 Resy credit
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
  • DoorDash DashPass
  • $10/mo Instacart+
Entertainment & streaming
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • $300 streaming credit
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
—
Shopping & wellness
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • $300 Equinox credit
  • $300 Lululemon credit
  • $200 Oura Ring credit
  • $155 Walmart+ credit
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
—

Perks & access— means none on record

Lounges
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • Airspace Lounge access at US airports with 2 guests
  • 26 Centurion Lounges worldwide with premium dining
  • 10 Delta Sky Club visits per year when flying Delta
  • Escape Lounge access at US airports with food and beverages
  • International Amex Lounges at select global airports
  • Global Lounge Collection with 1,550+ airport lounges
Show 3 more
  • Lufthansa Business Lounge access on Lufthansa Group
  • Plaza Premium Lounge access at airports with Global Lounge
  • Priority Pass Select with 1,300+ lounges globally
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
—
Hotel status & programs
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • Hilton Gold with 80% bonus points and breakfast
  • Leaders Club Sterling Status at Leading Hotels
  • Marriott Gold with 25% bonus points and upgrades
  • Fine Hotels + Resorts: $100 credits and upgrades
  • Hotel Collection access with room upgrades and credits
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
  • Automatic IHG Gold Elite status
  • Platinum Elite at $15K spend, Diamond at $40K
Airline perks
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • Platinum Member Airfares, 10% average premium savings
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
—
Car rental
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • Elite status with Hertz, National, Avis for upgrades
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
—
Other perks
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • Amex Offers
  • 24/7 premium travel assistance with medical transport
  • Premium Events Collection™
  • Early access to concerts and events
  • 24/7 Platinum Concierge for travel and lifestyle help
  • Free expedited card replacement in 24-48 hours worldwide
Show 5 more
  • Entertainment access with exclusive presales and VIP events
  • No foreign transaction fees on international purchases save
  • Roadside assistance with up to 4 service calls per year
  • Platinum Nights by Resy
  • Platinum Travel Service
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
  • 30% reward points discount

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Trip insurance
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • $10,000 trip cancellation coverage per covered trip
  • $500 trip delay Cover for delays exceeding 6 hours
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
  • Trip cancellation and interruption insurance · up to $5,000
Baggage
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • $3,000 baggage insurance for lost or damaged bags
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
  • Lost Luggage Reimbursement · up to $3,000
  • Baggage delay insurance · up to $100
Rental car
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • $100,000 primary rental car coverage for $20-$25/rental
  • $75,000 car rental loss and damage insurance
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
—
Purchase & returns
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • $10,000 purchase Cover against theft and damage for 90 days
  • $300 return Cover when merchants won't accept returns within
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
  • Purchase protection for new items · up to $500
Extended warranty
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • Extended warranty adds 1 year to warranties under 5 years
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
  • Extended warranty protection for eligible purchases · up to $1
Cell phone
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • $800 cell phone protection with $50 deductible
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
—
Other protections
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges
  • Global Assist Hotline with 24/7 emergency help traveling
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
—

Pros & cons

Pros
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • Access to 9 lounge networks including exclusive Centurion Lounges with 2 guests free
  • $200/year Uber Cash plus a $120 Uber One membership credit
  • $400/year Resy dining credit at select restaurants
  • Automatic Marriott Gold and Hilton Gold status with room upgrades and breakfast
  • 5X points on flights booked direct or via Amex Travel
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
  • $150 annual fee is offset by the Anniversary Free Night (up to 50,000 points) and the annual credits
  • 10X points at IHG properties; 5X on directly booked flights, car rentals, dining, grocery and gas
  • Automatic Gold Elite status; Platinum Elite after $15K annual spend
  • Fourth night free on award stays effectively gives 25% discount
  • Up to $100 in IHG food and beverage credits and a $100 airline statement credit each year
Cons
The Platinum Card from American Express
  • $895 annual fee requires significant credit utilization to break even
  • Many credits require specific merchants (Resy, Equinox, lululemon, Oura)
  • Only 1X points on non-travel purchases limits everyday earning
  • Secondary car rental coverage unless paying $24.95/rental for primary
  • $195 authorized user fee after first 3 free cards
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
  • Free night capped at 50,000 points excludes top-tier properties
  • IHG points valued around 0.5 cents per point - lower than competitors
  • No airport lounge access included
  • $50 United TravelBank credit requires separate registration
  • Diamond Elite through spend requires hefty $40K annual threshold
Add a 3rd or 4th card to this comparison →

Category-by-Category Winner

The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card wins in 5 of 5 categories. The The Platinum Card from American Express leads in 0. 2 more categories depend on booking channel or caps.

?

Hotels

Depends: via amextravel

The Platinum Card from American Express earns 5X when conditions are met; IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card earns 3X (3X without restrictions)

?

Vacation Rentals

Depends: via issuer travel portal; Link an Airbnb account in your name to your American Express online account and book prepaid through Amex Travel; Airbnb bookings made directly with Airbnb earn 1X.

The Platinum Card from American Express earns 5X when conditions are met; IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card earns 3X (3X without restrictions)

W

Gas Stations

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card earns 5X vs 1X

W

Car Rentals

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card earns 5X vs 1X

W

Grocery Stores

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card earns 5X vs 1X

W

Dining

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card earns 5X vs 1X

W

Everyday purchases

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card earns 3X on all other spending vs 1X

Year One vs Ongoing Value

Modeled net value (bonus categories at unconditional rates, caps applied). Spend mix: dining 15%, groceries 15%, gas 10%, travel 10%, everything else 50%. Statement credits use the same recurring usable estimates as each card's detail page; first-year-only credits count in year one only. Welcome offers valued at each card's program rate shown on this page.

Close — depends on how much of the credits you use

ScenarioThe Platinum Card from American ExpressIHG One Rewards Premier Credit CardOngoing winnerYear-one winner
Light spender: $1,000/month
Rewards: $180
Credits (our usable estimate): $1,381
− Annual fee ($895)
Ongoing: $666
Year one: $666
Rewards: $274
Credits (our usable estimate): $160
− Annual fee ($150)
Ongoing: $284
Year one: $1,394
Close — depends on how much of the credits you useIHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
Heavy spender: $4,000/month
Rewards: $720
Credits (our usable estimate): $1,381
− Annual fee ($895)
Ongoing: $1,206
Year one: $1,206
Rewards: $1,094
Credits (our usable estimate): $160
− Annual fee ($150)
Ongoing: $1,104
Year one: $2,214
Close — depends on how much of the credits you useIHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

Is the Fee Difference Worth It?

The The Platinum Card from American Express costs $895/yr — that's $745 more than the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card ($150/yr). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $745 in annual value from the card's higher earn rates and benefits.

The The Platinum Card from American Express includes travel credits, dining credits, lounge access, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, complimentary hotel status. Those perks are not included in the earn-rate scenario table above — compare their dollar value to the $745 fee gap for your own usage.

Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $745 fee gap means the The Platinum Card from American Express needs roughly $745 more in annual rewards (or credits you will use) to break even on hotels and vacation rentals and everyday spend.

What You Give Up

Choosing one card means missing out on these benefits from the other.

Choosing IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card means losing:

  • -Airport lounge access

Which Card Is Right for You?

Get the The Platinum Card from American Express if you:

  • +Fly frequently and value airport lounge access

Get the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card if you:

  • +Spend $300+/month on restaurants and dining out
  • +Do most of your spending at grocery stores
  • +Prefer a high flat rate across all spending

The Bottom Line

Close — depends on how much of the credits you use

Everyday (non-bonus) spend earns 3X on the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card vs 1X on the other card.

Published annual fees: The Platinum Card from American Express $895/yr, IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card $150/yr — a $745 difference before welcome offers and credits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the The Platinum Card from American Express worth the higher annual fee?
The The Platinum Card from American Express costs $895/yr vs $150/yr for the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $745 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use (the The Platinum Card from American Express also lists lounge access, travel credits, dining credits).
Which card earns more rewards, the The Platinum Card from American Express or IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card?
The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card has a higher base earn rate (3X vs 1X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.
What benefits does the The Platinum Card from American Express have that the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card doesn't?
The The Platinum Card from American Express offers lounge access, travel credits, dining credits, cell phone protection. The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card offers travel credits.
Should I get the The Platinum Card from American Express or the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card?
Use the spend scenarios on this page: the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card has a lower $150/yr fee; the The Platinum Card from American Express must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $895/yr.

Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published November 13, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.

Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published November 13, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.