Is Amex® Worth It?

Platinum

Gold

Green

Amex Audit: Are You Overpaying?

American Express® cards, particularly the Platinum and Gold cards, offer premium benefits but come with high annual fees. Determining if an Amex® card is worth it depends on your spending habits, travel patterns, and ability to maximize the card's perks.

Key Benefits of Amex® Cards

Premium Travel Credits: Annual credits for airline fees, hotel stays, and Uber rides
Lounge Access: Access to Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass, and other premium lounges
Elite Status: Automatic hotel elite status with major chains
Transfer Partners: Transfer points to airline and hotel partners for maximum value
Purchase Protection: Extended warranty and purchase protection on eligible items

Annual Fees to Consider

Amex Platinum: $895/year
Amex Gold: $325/year
Amex Green: $150/year

How to Maximize Amex® Value

To make an Amex® card worth it, you need to:

Use all available credits (airline, hotel, Uber, Saks, etc.)
Take advantage of lounge access when traveling
Maximize points earning through bonus categories
Transfer points to partners for premium redemptions
Use Amex Offers for additional savings

Why Most Users Fail the Audit

Many cardholders struggle to maximize value due to these common challenges:

The Lounge Illusion

✗ Overcrowding: Centurion Lounges are often at capacity, especially during peak travel times. You may be turned away even with valid access.
✗ Limited Locations: Centurion Lounges are only in select airports. If you travel to smaller airports, you may have no lounge access.
✗ Guest Restrictions: Free guest access is limited. Additional guests cost $50+ each, reducing the value.
✗ Priority Pass Limitations: Many Priority Pass lounges exclude restaurants or have limited hours, reducing actual value.

The Points Trap

✗ Limited Award Availability: Premium redemptions (business/first class) often have no availability, forcing you to settle for economy at 1 cent/point.
✗ Transfer Partner Complexity: Finding the right transfer partner, checking availability, and navigating different award charts takes hours of research.
✗ Devaluation Risk: Transfer partners frequently devalue their programs, reducing point value without notice.
✗ Cash vs. Points Value: Many redemptions offer worse value than just taking cash at 0.6 cents/point, losing 40-70% of potential value.
✗ Expiration Concerns: Points don't expire, but transfer partners may have expiration policies, creating pressure to redeem quickly.

The Credit Expiration Game

✗ Airline Credit Restrictions: Must select one airline annually. If you don't travel with that airline, you lose the entire $200 credit.
✗ Uber Credit Expiration: $15/month expires if not used. Miss a month? You lose that value forever.
✗ Saks Credit Timing: $50 credit split into two $25 credits (Jan-Jun, Jul-Dec). Easy to forget and lose value.
✗ Hotel Credit Complexity: Must book through Fine Hotels & Resorts or The Hotel Collection, often at higher rates than booking directly.

The "Time Tax" Problem

Managing all these challenges requires significant time investment:

✗ 5+ hours/month tracking credits, researching redemptions, checking lounge availability
✗ 60+ hours/year managing your card—more than a full work week
✗ Even with all that time, 68% of cardholders still miss credits and lose $500-$2,000 annually

💡 The Juno Audit Solution: We don't just list perks; we audit your actual usage. We scan your history to flag unused credits (like Saks or Airline fees), calculate your true Net Cost, and provide a Recovery Plan to ensure you extract every dollar from that $895 fee.

Calculate Your Amex® ROI

Enter your annual spending in each category to calculate your return on investment.

Select Card

Annual Spending on Dining ($)

Annual Spending on Groceries ($)

Annual Spending on Travel ($)

Annual Spending on Transit ($)

Annual Spending on Other ($)

Credits Used (Face Value) ($)

Airline, Uber, Saks, hotel credits, etc.

Cheat Sheet (Amex Platinum): Uber ($200), Hotel ($200), Airline Fee ($200), Saks ($100), Digital Ent ($240), Clear ($189).

Credit Valuation (% of Face Value)

50% 80% 100%

Adjust if credits aren't worth full face value (e.g., Saks credit if you don't shop there)

Points Value per Point ($)

Typical value: 0.015-0.02 for cash, 0.02+ for transfers

Don't Guess. Audit Your Amex.

Connect your card once. We scan your last 12 months to see if you actually used the $895 value or just paid for a metal card.

Get Started - From $49