The American Express Platinum hotel credit has a new name: the Amex Lodging Credit. It got renamed because you can now book Airbnb vacation rentals through Amex Travel. There are three new perks and one big negative change, which hits Fine Hotels + Resorts on January 1.
Here's how it all fits together.
What the Amex Platinum Lodging Credit covers now
The credit is the same amount: up to $300 from January to June and up to $300 from July to December, for $600 a year. It's on the Platinum Card and the Business Platinum Card, and you don't need to enroll. The booking has to be prepaid through Amex Travel.
Perk 1: Book Airbnbs in Amex Travel and earn 5x points
You can now book Airbnb vacation rentals on AmexTravel.com or in the Amex Travel app. Platinum and Business Platinum cardmembers earn 5x Membership Rewards points on prepaid Airbnb bookings made there. Booking directly with Airbnb won't get you the 5x.
Other Membership Rewards cards earn less on the same bookings: 3x on the Green Card, 2x on most others.
Perk 2: Airbnb Luxe now counts toward the Lodging Credit
Airbnb Luxe is Airbnb's collection of high-end homes, the more expensive properties. Book one through Amex Travel for at least 2 consecutive nights, prepaid, and your Lodging Credit applies.
Regular Airbnb homes still earn 5x, but the Lodging Credit doesn't apply to them.
Perk 3: A $250 Airbnb Experiences credit you have to unlock
You don't get this one automatically. Book a prepaid Airbnb Luxe stay through Amex Travel and it unlocks a $250 Airbnb Experiences credit for the rest of that calendar year.
A few rules:
- It expires December 31 every year. Unlock it in December and you won't have much time to use it.
- Experiences that send you from Airbnb to a third-party site don't qualify.
The catch: Fine Hotels + Resorts goes to a 2-night minimum
Starting January 1, 2027, Fine Hotels + Resorts bookings need at least 2 nights to use the Lodging Credit. Right now 1 night works.
For a lot of people, a 1-night Fine Hotels + Resorts stay was the easiest way to use $300 without planning a whole trip around it. The Hotel Collection already required 2 nights, so after January 1 every property that counts for the credit needs at least 2 nights.
What to do before December 31
If you still have your July to December $300, use it on a 1-night Fine Hotels + Resorts stay while that still works.
- Process the booking by December 31, 11:59 PM Central. Amex counts the credit by when the prepaid charge is processed, not when you check in.
- Don't cancel or change it. Amex can take the credit back if the booking is canceled or refunded.
Max's Take: The Airbnb stuff is all great. Added benefits. But the 2-night minimum at Fine Hotels + Resorts is the big negative change, and it's going to make some people unhappy.
