Recently, American Express teamed up with Walmart to offer a special benefit to Walmart+ members who sign up for the American Express Platinum card.
If you are a Walmart+ member who also has an American Express Platinum card, Amex will cover 100% of the cost of your monthly Plus membership. No strings attached–just savings.
It also doesn’t matter which you had first, if you already have both, or if you have neither just yet. As long as you link an Amex Platinum card to your monthly Walmart+ account, you can start receiving the savings right away whether you’re an existing customer or a new signer.
To read more about the Walmart+ offer through Amex Platinum, click here.
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Walmart Plus Benefits
Some American Express customers might be wondering whether a Walmart+ membership could really benefit them. Afterall, Amex is geared at luxury shoppers while Walmart is known as the world’s biggest discount store.
But rest assured that a Walmart Plus membership comes with a ton of its own perks that could benefit just about anyone.
Walmart+ members enjoy the following benefits…
- Free grocery delivery
- Free shipping for online orders
- Walmart rewards (similar to cashback that can be used towards future purchases)
- Member discounts on fuel at Walmart, Murphy, and beyond
- Contactless checkout through Scan & Go in stores
How To Activate Your Walmart Plus Membership
To simplify the process of getting you your Walmart Plus membership, American Express does not facilitate the activation of your membership.
Instead, once you’ve been approved for your Amex Platinum card, simply sign up for a Walmart Plus membership as you normally would. When it comes time to enter your payment information, be sure to pay using your American Express Platinum card. By doing this, you will automatically receive a monthly credit back to your account to cover the cost of your membership.
In other words, Amex gets you that free account by reimbursing you for the money you spend each month on your membership.
But keep in mind that Amex only reimburses for monthly Walmart+ memberships. If you have an annual payment plan set up for your Walmart+ account, you will need to switch to a monthly plan to receive the Amex credit.
If you already have a Walmart+ membership but you want to switch to Amex to cover your membership costs, don’t worry! Existing Walmart+ members can also take advantage of this perk simply by updating the payment information attached to their Walmart+ account. To do so, simply log into your Walmart account and update your Walmart+ billing information to your Amex Platinum card. Just remember to make sure that your account is set up for monthly billing.
You will be charged for $12.95 when you sign up for your membership (and each subsequent month). However, you should see an equivalent charge credited back to your account each month within a few days of your posted payment.
The Walmart+ membership credit is not a signup bonus, so anyone can take advantage of this perk at any time.
How To Get An American Express Platinum Card
If you’re interested in getting an American Express Platinum credit card, start by clicking here.
From there, you can review all of the main details about the card to help you decide whether or not to apply. If you decide to go through with applying, click “Apply Now.”
You might notice that Amex doesn’t offer a pre-approval option for their Platinum card. This is because the Amex credit application process allows you to see whether or not you have been approved without your credit score being affected. If you decide to accept the card after your approval, then you will see the hit to your score. If you get approved and decide not to accept the card, your credit score will remain unaffected.
Once you start the application process, you will be asked to provide the following information…
- Full name
- Email address
- Birthdate
- Phone number
- Home address
- Social security number
- Annual income
- Income source
Applicants must be 18 or older to apply for a credit card.
Unlike most other credit cards, American Express Platinum Cards do not have credit limits.
Amex Platinum Walmart Rewards
The only major benefit the Amex Platinum card offers to Walmart shoppers is a monthly reimbursement for the cost of a Walmart+ membership ($12.95 per month). Amex Platinum does not offer cashback, so using your Amex card to shop at Walmart specifically will not increase your rewards.
However, all purchases made with your Amex Platinum card earn you at least 1x points that can then go toward things like booking airfare or purchasing gift cards.
If you are newly approved for an Amex Platinum card, you can also use your Walmart purchases to earn you 80k bonus points within the first 6 months of signing up. This offer is available to shoppers who spend at least $6,000 with their Amex Platinum card within the first six months of being a cardholder. If you spend a lot of money at Walmart, your purchases can help you reach this goal and earn you those 80k points.
American Express rewards points can be redeemed in the following ways…
- Book travel with airlines and hotels
- Pay with points at select online retailers
- Buy gift cards
- Cover your card charges
- Upgrade your seat on a flight
- Donate to charity
To learn more about redeeming your Amex points, click here.
Card Fees
The American Express Platinum card comes with a $695 annual fee. Prior to 2021, this fee was $550, so it’s possible that the annual fee will continue to rise over time. For a look at American Express cards with zero annual fee, check out this article from NerdWallet.
The APR associated with your Amex Platinum card ranges from 20.49% to 27.49%.
These fees are, of course, quite high, meaning that most people will probably opt for a lower-cost credit card option. However, American Express cards come with lots of rewards and perks aimed at high-income customers who will likely charge a lot of money to their credit card every month.
Is It Worth Getting An Amex Platinum Credit Card?
The first thing to remember is that applying for a new credit card is really only worth your time if you feel fairly confident you’ll be approved.
American Express requires a good-to-excellent credit score for approval. Those with a credit score less than 690 should work on improving their credit prior to applying for an American Express credit card.
If you know you’d qualify, there are some other factors to consider before deciding whether or not this card is right for you.
American Express credit cards are known for being luxury cards geared towards those who spend a lot of money each month. If you’re not planning on spending at least $1,000 per month on your credit card, then you might want to look for a different card.
The American Express Platinum Card might be worth it if you…
- Have a highly monthly expenditure and shop primarily with your credit card
- Shop at Walmart and are interested in a Walmart+ membership
- Travel a lot (especially with Delta Airlines, Uber, Marriott, or Hilton)
- People who buy from luxury brands (specifically Saks Fifth Avenue)
To view all of the perks and rewards you can expect to earn as an Amex Platinum cardholder, click here.
For a closer look at who should and shouldn’t sign up for an Amex Platinum Card, check out this helpful article from The Points Guy.
