Update 11/8/23: Offer is slated to end at midnight ET tonight
Update 9/28/23: The 125k offer has come back again now after many months of being lower. (ht USCCG)
The Offer
- American Express is offering 125,000 points after $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of being a cardmember
Card Details
- Annual fee of $695 is not waived the first year
- Morgan Stanley version of the Platinum card offers one free Platinum authorized user, then $195 for each one thereafter
- Authorized Gold cards are free
- Full details here
- Card earns at the following rates:
- 5x points per $1 spent on purchases made with airlines or with American Express Travel
- 5x points per $1 spent on hotel & airline bookings made directly from the American Express travel website
- 1x points on all other purchases
- $200 airline incidental credit per calendar year
- $200 Uber credit ($15 per month and additional $20 in December)
- Lounge access:
- Centurion lounge access
- International American Express lounge access
- Delta SkyClub lounge access
- Priority pass select membership
- Airspace lounge access
- $240 digital entertainment credit. This is a credit of $20 per month and can be used on Peacock, Audible, SiriusXM and The New York Times.
- $200 hotel credit. This can be used on select prepaid bookings (Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection) when using American Express Travel
- $179 Clear credit
- $300 Equinox credit. This is a $25 credit each month
- Global Dining Access by Resy
- The Global Lounge Collection
Our Verdict
You need to be a Morgan Stanley customer to be eligible for this card and you can no longer use the access investing work around unfortunately. It’s rare we see increased offers on these co-branded versions of the Platinum card, so it’s worth signing up if you are eligible and can make use of all the various credits. We will add this to our list of the best credit card bonuses.
Hat tip to FM
I had applied on 11/8 before it expired and went pending. Had opened up an ETRADE individual brokerage a day or two after and put a small amount of funds in. Waited a few days after that and MS Plat card still appeared pending online. Ended up opening an AAA account @ MS earlier this week in case after speaking to a phone rep who mentioned that as long as funded > 25k and not used for investing they could sweep into the savings account on their backend and earn 5% APY and not have to pay the $150 annual fee. Once a balance showed at MS after funding saw that the MS Plat card appeared denied on 11/27 via the online status check. At that point, called the AMEX new accounts #, spoke to a rep, mentioned I had an MS account that was funded. Rep put me on like a 2 min hold then came back to say that the app was approved if I accepted. Unsure if ETRADE inidividual brokerage account alone did it or if what made it go through was the MS account (more than likely, I would think)
Finally approved for a platinum card a couple of days ago. Opened E-Trade Managed Portfolios, applied on the same day. Application went pending, received a paper mail explaining that I had no Morgan Stanley account. Called their phone and provided E-Trade account number. The rep said they’d forward my info to the appropriate team. A few weeks later, I got an email saying that my card was approved, and I needed to accept it.
Bottomline: E-Trade account works, even though probably unofficially. If anyone has a denial letter from Amex, it’s worth giving them a call once you have such account opened.
I am so stupid… clicked the link at 10:30pm Mountain time and of course it’s expired at midnight Eastern. Hope this returns but not hopeful before end of the year.
I seriously could have sworn there was a countdown timer on the link and there were four hours to go at 8pm PST last night. So I casually opened an ETrade account after the Warriors game finished, then clicked the Amex link again. DOH.
Have a “Morgan Stanley at Work” account for my company’s ESOP, but it is a legacy E*TRADE account and still has an eTrade login. Anyone know if it qualifies?
I just got approved. I also had an old ETrade account in addition to my Morgan Stanely at work/stock plan connect though.
It’s less an issue of getting approved, more if Amex sends you a 30 day letter later (“we couldn’t find an eligible brokerage so we’re closing your card”).
This is ultimately why I passed, am under 5/24 on Dec 1 and a Chase Ink 90k bonus seemed like the better opportunity given the shutdown risk.
Anyway I can open some sort of Morgan Stanley account by the day’s end and be eligible for this card to sign up by tonight?
I don’t see an online option.
For those who got approved with an Etrade account, can the annual fee be waived with >$25K asset? thx
Just wanted to clarify for folks as the post doesn’t make this clear. If you read back through the recent comments you will find this is a No Lifetime Language offer!
Thanks, didn’t know this and I just appled even though I currently have this card. APPROVED! 😀
Just following up. This worked. I completed the spend this month. 125k points just posted. I had this card before and closed it summer 2023.
Has anyone downgraded to the lower tier pathway account with a min of 1k and still maintained their plat?
I got this card last year and it’s up for renewal and not sure if it’s worth keeping but I’ll see what retention has to offer
following
Just to double check:
Would I still be able to get the bonus on the regular plat and Gold cards? I have not had those and trying to get this since it ends tonight but not sure it prevents me from getting Gold and regular plat bonuses in the future. Please confirm if sure
Same boat over here!
This card won’t prevent you from getting the bonus on the other cards you mentioned.
This is wrong. I just double checked. Gold and Plat new terms include this
Apologies. I did a search to see if this was incorrect. Apparently I missed this post. I haven’t had time to completely read through the comments and data points. It could be an issue. https://www.doctorofcredit.com/amex-platinum-increases-au-fees-further-restricts-sign-up-bonus-audible-removed/
Note for anyone still considering this NLL offer – today is the last day!
I applied today and as others reported, no pop up despite closing a MS Plat 6/23. I still have the old access investing account that I used to get this card the first time. Hopefully that will still work. I also have several E*trade accounts. Thanks DOC!
same here. no pop up and still had the 1st MS Plat. Chatted to rep and see no sign up bonus attached to it. what about you?