Card benefits are always evolving, and today, it’s American Express’s turn to announce some changes to one of the big benefits on the American Express Platinum Card® and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.
Most of the changes are good news, though one may disappoint cardmembers who enjoy using their statement credits for one-night hotel stays.
Let’s start with the good news: Amex is adding more than 1 million Airbnb listings to its American Express Travel® booking platform and expanding the Platinum card’s newly renamed up to $600 annual lodging statement credit to include select Airbnb Luxe stays. There’s also a new up to $250 Airbnb Experiences statement credit you can potentially unlock with those stays.
Here’s what you need to know.
Find out your Amex Platinum Card offer: New cardmembers can find out their offer and see if they are eligible for as high as 175,000 bonus points after spending $12,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. (Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.)
Amex adds Airbnb bookings and new Platinum statement credit options
Eligible cardmembers can now earn American Express Membership Rewards points on prepaid Airbnb stays booked through Amex Travel or the Amex Travel App™.
Platinum or Business Platinum cardmembers will earn 5 points per dollar spent on eligible bookings, including both Airbnb Luxe and non-Luxe properties.
Based on TPG’s October 2026 valuations that value Membership Rewards points at 2 cents each, that’s a 10% return on spending in the form of Membership Rewards points, which is pretty solid.
Most other eligible Membership Rewards cards will earn 2 points per dollar spent on prepaid Airbnb bookings through Amex Travel or the Amex Travel App.
And while earning bonus points is always nice, being able to use statement credits is even better. That’s where two additional changes to the Platinum’s benefits come into play.
$600 Amex Platinum lodging statement credits can be used on Airbnb Luxe
The Amex Platinum’s up to $600 annual lodging statement credit (formerly the $600 hotel statement credit) is split into two up to $300 biannual statement credits — one from January through June and the other from July through December.
The statement credit can now be used toward eligible prepaid Airbnb Luxe stays booked through Amex Travel or the Amex Travel App, in addition to qualifying Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection bookings.
To use one of these up to $300 statement credits on an Airbnb stay, you’ll need to book through Amex Travel and stay at least two nights and select a property that’s part of Airbnb Luxe.
Airbnb describes its Luxe properties as “private homes in sought-after destinations around the world, each selected by Airbnb for its quality, design and distinctive setting.”
In my test searches, Luxe properties made up only a small subset of Airbnb listings. But there are certainly some options where a $300 statement credit could go a long way toward a two-night stay, including this example I found in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where two nights later this year cost $874.
Assuming the booking meets the statement credit’s eligibility requirements, the stay could drop to just $574 for two nights at a pretty great-looking spot with three bedrooms in the Smokies.
New $250 statement credit for Airbnb experiences
If you book an eligible prepaid Airbnb Luxe stay through Amex Travel using your Platinum or Business Platinum Card, you’ll unlock access to an all-new up to $250 annual statement credit for eligible Airbnb Experiences, whether or not you use your lodging credit toward the stay.
This additional credit can be unlocked once per calendar year and is valid for the remainder of that year. Unlike the lodging credit, Airbnb Experiences can be booked directly through Airbnb.
In my searches, Airbnb Experiences cover a wide range of activities, including paddleboarding, airboat rides, sunset cruises, walking tours, food tours and cultural experiences.
Prices for some experiences start around $10 to $20, while private tours and other higher-end activities can cost several hundred dollars. In other words, $250 could go a long way towards an experience.
There’s also some flexibility here: Your Airbnb Experience doesn’t need to take place during your Luxe stay or even in the same destination. It can happen before or after your stay, and even in a future calendar year, as long as you purchase it after your Luxe booking is confirmed and before the end of the calendar year.
There’s no minimum spending requirement for an eligible Airbnb Experience, so you can use the credit toward smaller purchases or an eligible Experience costing $250 or more.
For 2026, that means cardmembers who book a qualifying prepaid Airbnb Luxe stay now can unlock up to $250 in statement credits for eligible Airbnb Experiences purchased by Dec. 31 — even if the experience itself takes place in 2027.
Amex adds two-night minimum for all Platinum lodging credits
More ways to use existing credits and new credits to unlock are certainly good news.
But as Amex expands the ways to use the Platinum’s newly renamed $600 annual lodging statement credit, it’s also making a change that won’t be welcome news for everyone.
Previously, stays booked through The Hotel Collection (which I recently tried and loved) required at least two nights to use the Platinum’s lodging credit. However, Fine Hotels + Resorts stays had no minimum stay requirement, meaning you could use an up to $300 credit toward a stay of just one night.
That’s changing.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, all eligible uses of the Platinum’s lodging statement credit will require stays of at least two nights, whether you’re booking through Fine Hotels + Resorts, The Hotel Collection or Airbnb Luxe. You can still get Fine Hotels + Resorts benefits on one-night stays, just not utilize the lodging credit.
This creates a consistent requirement across all three booking options, but it’s still probably disappointing news for cardholders who have enjoyed using their credits toward one-night Fine Hotels + Resorts stays.
The good news is that if you still have one of this year’s up to $300 statement credits burning a hole in your pocket, you can still use it toward an eligible one-night Fine Hotels + Resorts stay before the new requirement takes effect in 2027.
Bottom line
If you use the major credits and benefits, it’s possible to get substantially more value from the American Express Platinum and Business Platinum Cards each year than you pay in annual fees.
But the key to doing that is taking advantage of major credits and benefits like the newly renamed $600 annual lodging statement credit — and potentially even unlocking another $250 in Airbnb Experiences statement credits.
Having more ways to use those credits is certainly welcome news. However, cardholders who have gotten used to using their credits for one-night Fine Hotels + Resorts stays will, unfortunately, need a new strategy beginning next year.
Let us know in the comments how these changes impact your strategy and what you think of the new Airbnb Luxe and Experiences options.
To learn more read our Amex Platinum review and Amex Business Platinum review.
Apply here: American Express Platinum Card
Apply here: The Business Platinum Card from American Express
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Source: thepointsguy.com
