The Offer
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Amex is offering an increased signup bonus on their Platinum Mercedes-Benz (MB) card until June 22, 2016.
- Get the Amex Platinum MB and receive a signup bonus of 75,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 within 3 months
- Annual fee of $475
Multiple Platinum Cards
Can I get the MB Platinum card if I already have a different Platinum card version? And will I be eligible for the signup bonus as well?
Yes, many people have multiple versions of the Platinum card, and it seems that each version is considered a separate product and you can get the signup bonus on each card separately.
As with all Amex cards, you can only get the signup bonus for the MB Platinum card once. The Platinum card is a charge card, not a credit card, and is thus not subject to the (
The Platinum card is a charge card, not a credit card, and is thus not subject to the (possible) limit of 4 Amex credit cards per person.
Card Details
All Platinum cards come with lots of benefits, among them:
- $200 airline incidental credit per calendar year
- Priority pass select
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓
There are also a few Mercedes benefits, which probably won’t apply to most of us:
- 5x Membership Rewards points on select Mercedes purchases
- Receive a $1000 certificate each year you charge $5,000 in purchases, good toward the future purchase or lease of a new Mercedes-Benz
- Up to 2,000 excess miles waived at lease-end on leases through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services
- $100 certificate at renewal of your Card account, good toward Genuine Mercedes-Benz Accessories
And you can get a free coffee mug or similar type of item at a Mercedes dealership with the $100 MB certificate (#4 above) which comes after your first purchase and each year thereafter. We wrote more about the $100 accessory certificate in this post.
Our Verdict
This is an excellent deal, albeit with a steep $475 annual fee. While on the standard version of the Platinum card we’ve seen an offer of 100,000 points or higher, we haven’t seen that on the MB version. The 75k offer is especially worthwhile if you value the premium benefits and you don’t currently have a different Platinum card to get those benefits.
If we’ll assume that you can get the $200 airline incidental credit for 2016 and for 2017, all while paying just one $475 annual fee, that offsets most of the annual fee and leaves a net fee of $75. Nice price to pay for 75k Membership Rewards points, even without any of the other benefits.
It’s worth reading the 20 Things Everybody Should Know About American Express before applying.
HT: Reddit
Happy to report that I just got credited for the 75K MR points for this card. That was quick! I just completed the spend and it popped up. So no problem with having the Business Platinum card and this one… yay!
anyone get the 75K MR points on this card (and also holding a Business Plat card)? I have the Business Plat card for my Business; the Mercedes card is a personal card….
You made purchases so yes. It’s different than a merchant refunding a purchase making it not worth any points / ms.
Does the $200 airline credit counted towards the 3k spending if we get reimbursed?
Awesome, thanks!
Has anyone confirmed whether someone with a personal Amex Platinum (vs. business) can get this offer?
Yes, it’s a different product so the only thing that matters is if you’ve had the Mercedes-Benz card before or not.
What about term #6 that says “Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had a Platinum Card account enrolled in the Membership Rewards® program.”
The phrase “have or have had a Platinum Card account” seems to indicate a regular personal Platinum Card would make you ineligible for a bonus on the Mercedes Benz version of the Platinum card. Any thoughts?
That’s not how it’s being enforced, multiple people have confirmed this. Myself included. All the Platinum cards are considered separate products.
I just applied for this card and got approved.
Applied for the Hilton 75k no fee card also and got approved, both were done last night…
So will it be just one credit inquiry?
Lastly, How do i buy gift-cards to southwest/united, for 200$ reimbursement? Can someone specify?
Thanks a lot.
Bob, With your Amex platinum card you’ll get this benefit …
“Select a qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 a year in statement credits when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card® Account”
Although the wording says “This benefit doesn’t offer credit toward airline tickets, mileage points purchases or mileage points transfer fees, gift cards, upgrades, duty–free purchases, or award tickets”, it is not enforced if you purchase gift cards on-line. With mine, I chose American Airlines and purchased 2 AA on-line e-gift cards for $100 each and these charges were reimbursed a few days later.
@ReconScott
Is it possible to cancel the card once the points + $200 in airline miles hits?
Could someone add the Amex platinum Mercedes Benz card to samsung pay and get the 20% off Southwest GC plus get the $200 reimbursement from Amex for buying southwest gc?
Nope, buying gift cards from Samsung Pay won’t trigger the credit. It’s like buying a Southwest gift card on eBay or Gyft.
I got the “regular” Amex Platinum card last December and love the DFW Centurion lounge and other benefits. I wouldn’t mind an extra 75,000 Amex points with this MB card, but I’m concerned about wording in the application which explicitly states I’m out of luck (see below). Does anyone have recent experience with getting sign up bonuses on multiple Amex Platinum cards?
75,000 Membership Rewards® points
You can earn 75,000 Membership Rewards® points when you charge $3,000 of eligible purchases on a Platinum Card® from American Express exclusively for Mercedes Benz in your first 3 months of Card Membership starting from the date your account is approved… ***This offer is not valid for existing Platinum Card Members from American Express. You are eligible to receive points for only one Card account.***
I chatted with an online rep and he said I can still get the bonus, despite currently holding a business platinum. If you are concerned you can easily get your confirmation from an online agent.
Nvm, I just realized that Mercedes is a personal card while I hold a business platinum. So YMMV. Do a search on flyertalk, there are mixed data points regarding this.
Just so I am not missing anything, the only reason to get this card is if you are buying a new Mercedes right? The points are not transferable to anything else correct?
These are ordinary Membership Rewards points which can be used for anyone, unrelated to Mercedes. There are a few extra perks, noted in the post, that only apply for Mercedes owners.
That is correct. The MB Platinum Card has full Membership Rewards points that can be used for airline and hotel transfers. I have the revolving MB Card and it gives bonus MR points for gas and restaurants. I also get a $50 certificate for MB accessaries.