Introduction
It’s worth remembering before we dive into this that these are two completely different types of cards. American Express is a credit card and Revolut is a debit card.
If you don’t know: A credit card spends the bank’s money — you pay it back later. A debit card spends your own money directly from your account (which you also can earn more interest from).
To me, this was the single biggest factor that I needed to decide. Does my financial situation suit a credit card? Only you or a financial advisor can answer that question. For me: I think it does, but it doesn’t need it. But I had to remind myself that there are other credits out there, without the fancy benefits or price tag. That’s a whole other article. I’m leaving it there before I go off on one.
I’ve been customers of both American Express (Platinum) and Revolut for quite some years now and I often as ask myself the question whether I’m paying for what I need through their packages? At time of writing, I’m currently a customer of American Express Platinum, but I’ve just finished an extensive period of travel across multiple countries and won’t be doing it again for while, so the time felt right to assess.
The results for me
I side-by-side compared the benefits by category, which there is a lot of with both products so it took some time to try and understand what I actually need. You can click directly on the categories below to see the breakdowns I found out.
| Category | Summary | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Points & Redemption | Revolut converts to airline points at twice the rate of Amex | 🥇 Revolut Ultra |
| Travel Benefits | Amex guest lounge access is free; Revolut charges €22 per visit | 🥇 Amex Platinum |
| Lifestyle Benefits | Revolut covers apps and services I was already paying for | 🥇 Revolut Ultra |
| Travel Insurance | Revolut wins on medical and delays; Amex wins on baggage and car rental | 🥇 Amex Platinum (just…) |
| Card Acceptance | Revolut accepted almost everywhere; Amex regularly rejected | 🥇 Revolut Ultra |
| Purchase Protection | Received purchases have much stronger protection with Revolut | 🥇 Revolut Ultra |
| Net Annual Savings | €639.99 saved with Revolut vs €75 with Amex based on my usage | 🥇 Revolut Ultra |
| Overall winner for me | 🏆 Revolut Ultra |
Revolut Ultra wins five out of seven categories for me and saves me nearly €640 a year in the process.
The only area Amex Platinum clearly comes out on top is travel benefits, specifically lounge guest access, which matters a lot if you regularly travel with someone. If that’s your world, the numbers look very different.
If you want to try out Revolut with over 75 million users, you can return the favour of me breaking this down for you by signing up through my referral link here.
Collecting and Redeeming Points
With both cards, expenditure per euro = collect points.
American Express Platinum payments collect Membership Reward points.
Revolut Ultra payments collect RevPoints.
Both points can be exchanged to take money off a transaction you’re making online, or redeemed to spend at variety of partners. I mostly use my points to exchange for partner airline loyalty scheme points to either purchase a last minute ticket or upgrade an existing flight. Again, this is a whole other article plenty of others have covered. Figure out what makes sense to you to spend them on. I’m focusing on exchanging reward points to airline reward schemes.
| Benefit | Notes | Amex MR | RevPoints | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points per € | Higher the better | 1 | 1 | Tie |
| Exchange points | 1 Flying Blue point = | 2 | 1 | Revolut Ultra |
| Exchange points | 1 British Airways avios = | 1.25 | 1 | Revolut Ultra |
| Exchange points | 1 Delta Sky Mile = | 3 | 1 | Revolut Ultra |
| Exchange points | 1 Cathay Pacific Asia Mile = | 3 | 1 | Revolut Ultra |
To understand the value here: let’s say I want to take a direct flight to KIX (Osaka, Japan) with KLM which a quick look on seats.aero costs 30k Flying Blue points (+€184 tax).
To get 30.000 points by just using my cards alone: I need to spend €60.000 on my Amex Platinum vs €30.000 on my Revolut Ultra.
HOWEVER… and it’s a big caveat.
American Express does a lot more points bonuses to get you there more faster. Infact I got 70.000 points when I signed up and 60.000 points when I introduced a friend. This rate varies a lot based on the time you sign up. I’ve never had that with Revolut.
BUT - Revolut does instead cash rewards for friends referrals and I’ve seen amounts between €10 and €200. So actually, if you’re on the higher end of the scale, you might just be better off with the extra actual cash reward.
The winner for me: Revolut Ultra.
See all airline point conversion rates here:
American Express Membership Rewards
Revolut Rev Points
If you want to try out Revolut with over 75 million users, you can return the favour of me breaking this down for you by signing up through my referral link here.
Travel Benefits
The winner of this totally depends on your travel regularity but I’ve realised it’s a big part of the membership cost so I needed to be sure if one of these packages are worth it at all.
| Benefit | Notes | Amex Platinum | Revolut Ultra | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lounge access | Unlimited access | Priority Pass | Lounge Key | Amex |
| Guest accesss | Travelling with you | Free +1 | Discounted €22 passes | Amex |
| Privium (AMS) | Lounge + Fast Track | Yes | ❌ | Amex |
| Loungebox | Free to go food at AMS | Yes | ❌ | Amex |
| Airport Fast Track | In other airports | ❌ | 100+ airports | Revolut |
| Hotel status | Upgrades etc.. | Hilton, Marriot etc. | ❌ | Revolut |
| eSim Data | To use globally | ❌ | 5GB p/mo | Revolut |
I often travel with someone and use the Airport Lounges which saves us combined a lot of money on food and drink and is lot more relaxing way to enjoy passing the time whilst being at the airport. On average I use lounges with someone about 15+ times a year. Also included with Amex Platinum is Privium at Schiphol, iykyk it can be worth it if you can use it.
15 lounge guest visits with Amex Platinum = Nothing.
15 lounge guest visits with Revolut Ultra = €330.
I need to figure out if the other benefits outweigh the cost of having to ask my companion to pay for their own entry. The winner for me: Amex Platinum
Lifestyle Benefits
The winner of this totally depends on your lifestyle. Again, this is a big part of the membership cost so figure out what makes sense to your lifestyle.
| Benefit | Notes | Amex Platinum | Revolut Ultra | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gym Access | Through a 3p scheme | ❌ | Classpass 20creds p/mo | Revolut |
| Dinner Credit | Through a 3p scheme | 3 x 2 pers meals a year “worth €100” | ❌ | Amex |
| App Subscriptions | Premium level | ❌ | NordVPN, Duolingo, Masterclass, Headspace, + 14 more | Revolut |
| We Work | Work from an office | ❌ | 3 visits p/mo | Revolut |
| Exclusive pre-sales | Or event benefits | Some | ❌ | Revolut |
My scenario with Revolut Ultra: I pay for Super Duolingo (€122,99p/yr), a VPN (€77p/yr), ClassPass (€360p/yr for 20 extra creds), working in coffee shops home/abroad (€35 a month/can use We Work instead) so this saves me €919,99.
My scenario with Amex Platinum: I do go out for dinner, but I prefer to chose exactly what I want from a menu. Not a limited set menu. I do go to shows, but nothing has ever interested me that’s been offered and it’s not saving me money anyway. But for arguments sake, this saves me €300.
The winner for me: Revolut Ultra
There we have it. The extra money I spend on guest passes for lounges is recouped.
If you want to try out Revolut with over 75 million users, you can return the favour of me breaking this down for you by signing up through my referral link here.
Travel Insurance
This is extremely high level. It’s incredibly important you read the conditions for yourself including exclusions and whether the insurance is suitable for you. Again, this is what I personally would be eligible for so it’s used for personal comparison rather than actual advice to others.
| Benefit | Notes | Amex Platinum | Revolut Ultra | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covers me + family | If travelling with me | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Card Spend Required | Must trip be bought on card to trigger policy? | No | Yes ⚠️ | Amex Platinum |
| Emergency Medical | Worldwide emergency limit and excess. | €3,000,000 (€100 excess) | €10,000,000 (10% up to €50) | Revolut Ultra |
| Trip Cancellation | Standard emergency cancellation cap. | €10,000 per person** | €5,000 per year | Amex Platinum |
| Cancel For Any Reason | Voluntarily skipping a trip out of personal choice. | ❌ | Yes (70% refund, max €2,500) | Revolut Ultra |
| Baggage & Belongings | Reimbursement for lost/stolen gear. | €3,000 | €1,500 | Amex Platinum |
| Flight Delay | Payout terms after a 4+ hour delay | €200 flat | €100 per hour (max €500) | Revolut Ultra |
| Baggage Delay | Buying emergency essentials after 4+ hours. | €400 | €400 | Tie |
| Car Rental Insurance | Vehicle theft, collision damage, or deductibles. | Full CDW (up to €75,000) | Excess protection only (up to €2,000) | Amex Platinum |
| Personal Liability | Legal cover for accidental damage to 3P’s | ❌ | €1,000,000 | Tie |
| Max Trip Length | Consecutive days per trip. | 90 days | 90 days | Tie |
The winner for me: Tie - but if I had to choose - Amex Platinum
Based on my lifestyle, I can’t draw a winner because you never know when you’ll need it. I rent a lot of cars and having a high protection of the Full CDW is a game changer for peace of mind and saves you money at the rental desk for not having to take extra insurance.
Revolut Travel Insurance Details Amex Platinum Insurance details*
Card Acceptance
It’s true. American Express cards are not accepted everywhere in The Netherlands where payment by card is accepted, or a lot of other countries I’ve visited in fact. Sometimes I’m forced to pay with a Visa or Mastercard credit card. However this also goes for credit cards in general, some merchants only accept debit cards. Well - Revolut uses Visa or Mastercard debit cards and I’ve had significantly less rejections paying with it that I have my Amex.
Remember: Everytime you can’t use it, you don’t get your points. On to that…
The winner for me: Revolut Ultra
Purchase protection
You need to value the fundamental differences between a credit card and debit card transation when considering “Purchase Protection”. This is strictly based on protection of purchases you have already received. Not if you make a purchase and didn’t receive it.
| Benefit | Notes | Amex Platinum | Revolut Ultra | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protection Window | Days covered after purchase against theft/damage | 90 days | 365 days | Revolut Ultra |
| Maximum Cap | Max payout limit per claim | €2,500 | €10,000 | Revolut Ultra |
| Deductible | Out-of-pocket cost per claim | €50 ⚠️ | None (5% monthly depreciation after day 90) | Revolut Ultra |
| Minimum Item Value | Lowest purchase price to qualify | None | €50 ⚠️ | Amex Platinum |
| Refund Protection | If a store rejects a return within 90 days | Up to €400 | Up to €300 | Amex Platinum |
| Ticket Cancellation | Miss a gig/event due to illness or transit delays | ❌ | Up to €1,000 | Revolut Ultra |
My scenario: I rarely break or lose new gear, but the ticket cancellation protection is a huge bonus if you regularly book concerts or festivals in Europe and hit a sudden scheduling conflict or travel delay.
Breaking a €3k laptop with Amex Platinum = €500 out of pocket for excess (due to the €2,500 cap).
Smashing a €3k laptop with Revolut Ultra = Covered in full
The winner for me: Revolut Ultra
Revolut - Trip/Event cancellation details
Revolut - Every Day purchases details
Amex Platinum Insurance details
The cost & savings
The winner in cost can only be determined by the value of the proposition to your lifestyle. You need to do your own calculation to see if it makes sense for you. Which for now you can see is different between the two.
| Term | Notes | Amex Platinum | Revolut Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per month | If you pay monthly | €65 | €55 p/mo (3 months ) / then €65 p/mo |
| Annual cost | If you pay all at once | €780 | €650 |
My annual card, lifestyle and travel costs minus the savings I get from them from what I actually use.
| Term | Notes | Amex Platinum | Revolut Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual card fee | Paid annually | +€780 | +€650 |
| Travel net saving | 15 guest lounge passes | -€555 | +€330 |
| Lifestyle net saving | Benefits I actually use | -€300 | -€619.99 |
| Net annual saving | Based on my usage | €75 | €639.99 |
The winner for me: Revolut Ultra I worked out the real cost of each card by starting with the annual fee, then adding or subtracting what I’d actually spend or save based on my lifestyle. With Amex Platinum, the €780 fee is offset by €555 in free lounge guest passes (15 visits at €37 market rate) and €300 in dining anyway — a net saving of €75.
With Revolut Ultra, the €650 fee plus €330 in guest pass costs (15 visits at €22 each) is more than covered by €919.99 in apps and services I was already paying for separately, minus €300 I still spend on restaurants Revolut doesn’t cover - a net saving of €639.99.
These are my numbers based on how I actually live. Your mileage will vary — if you don’t use Duolingo, a VPN or ClassPass, Revolut’s saving shrinks significantly. If you never take a guest to a lounge, Amex’s does too.
If you want to try out Revolut with over 75 million users, you can return the favour of me breaking this down for you by signing up through my referral link here.
Make your own decision
I can’t stress this enough.