3 Reasons Why November Is the Perfect Time to Sign Up for the Amex Platinum Card

Chasing credit card welcome offers can be risky. You might apply for a new card hoping to earn a bunch of cash back or points, but you might not be able to meet the spending requirement. And the higher this requirement, the more difficult it is to meet.

Such is the case with The Platinum Card® from American Express. The card has one of the most generous welcome offers you’ll find today: 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points bonus points (terms apply). And this is just the basics. If you receive a targeted offer you may be eligible for up to 175,000 bonus points.

Since reward points can be transferred to different airline and hotel partners at $0.02 or $0.03 per point, 80,000 bonus points can be worth up to $2,400 in travel. And 175,000 bonus points can be worth up to $5,250.

But the problem is that the spending requirement to capture your welcome offer is quite high. To claim this bonus, you must spend $8,000 on your Amex Platinum Card within 6 months of account opening (regardless of whether it’s 80,000 points, 175,000 points, or somewhere in between). Terms apply.

But if you sign up for the Amex Platinum Card in November, you may find that the spending requirement is easier to meet than expected. That’s why it’s beneficial to apply this month.

1. You can put holiday gifts on your card

Do you have a long list of holiday gifts to buy? I hope you have saved and budgeted for them. But if you’re going to spend that extra money, you can also put those expenses toward the Amex Platinum Card, so you’ll be in a great position to catch your welcome offer. And while you’re at it, charge your new card for your holiday decorations, too.

2. You can collect your holiday travel expenses

Traveling during the holiday season can be more expensive than traveling during the rest of the year. When you take a random vacation, you might choose an off-peak time when flights are cheaper.

But Christmas only comes once a year. And if your family wants you home for the holidays, you may have to pay an exorbitant amount of airfare.

But the good news is that you can charge your flight tickets with the Amex Platinum Card and get closer to meeting your spending needs. And if you’re flying the family somewhere, you’ll spend even more — which is a bad thing in theory, but a good thing in the context of soliciting a nice offer.

3. You can start accumulating bonus miles on your holiday trips

The Amex Platinum Card is one of the best travel rewards cards for bonus points on airfare. If you book flights directly through American Express Travel, you’re eligible to earn 5x points per $1 spent (terms apply). The same opportunity applies to prepaid hotels; You might need it if you were heading home for the holidays but your family has since downsized or there just isn’t enough room to fit everyone.

Meeting the $8,000 spending requirement is not easy; Therefore, you may be tempted to pass on the Amex Platinum Card despite its outstanding welcome offer. But remember, while some cards give you three months to meet spending requirements, you get double that with the Amex Platinum Card. This is a huge difference. And if you factor in your vacation expenses, for better or worse, you can find that it’s pretty easy to hit the $8,000 level in half a year.