The Amex Platinum benefits that SEN families don’t realise

When people talk about the Amex Platinum, they usually talk about the airport lounges, hotel upgrades, late check-out, early check-in and all the other perks that come with the card.

And yes, the perks are genuinely incredible. But here’s the part I don’t think gets talked about enough: for families with additional needs, these things aren’t always luxury.

I have a SEN son, and for our family, the ability to use airport lounges, have access to hotel benefits and potentially get things like early check-in and late check-out can be the difference between having an actual holiday and just literally burning our money and coming home even more tired than before.

A quiet space at the airport instead of a crowded gate. Not having to rush out of a hotel room at 10am. Having somewhere comfortable to sit while we wait. These things might sound like luxuries, but for us, having those options is worth 1000%. And all of that came from investing the time to learn how points and miles actually work.

Let me give you an example.

We went to spend my birthday at a Hilton in Bournemouth. Hotel rooms always make me anxious when we’re travelling with my son. He was five at the time, and we needed a bed that was comfortable but not too high, with some sort of protection, like a bed guard. It’s very specific, because he looks for the corner of the bed to rest his face against. It’s something that helps regulate him while he’s sleeping.

And, of course, I have my daughter to think about too. Sofa beds in hotel rooms are often tiny, and we’ve experienced this first-hand. We stayed at a luxury hotel here in the UK once where the family room cost around £300, and honestly, I was livid. For that price, I expected much better. The sofa bed was tiny and the bed gigantic. we had to share the bed between the 3 of us and my son got the sofa bed. Not a nice experience!

Anyway, this Hilton was different. It had a massive sofa bed with two single mattresses inside it, which made such a difference. We also got a higher-floor room with a lounge area shared by only two rooms.

And because it was my birthday, I actually got to sit on the sofa outside the room with a glass of wine while my husband did bedtime.

That might sound like a small thing, but it wasn’t.

Bedtime can be tricky when he’s somewhere new. We bring his pillow, his teddies, his night light, a book (basically everything we can possibly think of to make the environment feel familiar). But even with all of that, the early check-in is what matters most.

It gives him time to get to know the place, to explore the room and absorb everything around him before it’s time to sleep.

For a “normal” family, this might sound silly. For us, it’s one of the reasons we either travel or we don’t. We tried arriving around bedtime before, IT WAS NOT PRETTY!

And this is where I think the Amex Platinum can be particularly valuable for families like ours. You get hotel status benefits across some of the world’s biggest hotel chains, which can potentially give you access to things like room upgrades, early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability. With the right strategy, you can also potentially leverage those statuses further through status matches with other hotel programmes.

The airport lounge is another one of those things people assume is just about getting a free drink. You’d be surprised how much people actually drink at lounges!

But for us, it’s about having a quiet, safe and predictable space. Enough seats for everyone, clean toilets, food and drinks readily available, and somewhere we can wait without having to navigate a busy airport environment.

And when I say drinks, I mean I can get the hot chocolate my kids have every morning without having to explain it all to a waiter. I just go and make it for them. Just one hot chocolate, a glass of cold milk and will be just right!

Do you get it?

It’s not just the hot chocolate. It’s not just the nice hotel room. It’s not just the flight.

Everything needs to be thought through meticulously, and it’s exhausting.

So yes, I pay £650 for a card that gives me more options and, ultimately, better options, without having to constantly ask, explain and negotiate. And let’s be honest, nowadays, if you arrive at a hotel without status, you don’t even always get a bottle of water!

For me, the Amex Platinum isn’t about travelling in luxury just for the sake of it. It’s about making travel easier and more manageable for my family.

Travelling with additional needs means thinking about things that other families might never even consider. The environment, the noise, the food, the room, the bed, the timing, the transitions and the routines. There are so many moving parts.

So when a card gives me options that remove some of that pressure, I value those benefits very differently.

And that’s ultimately why I use the Amex Platinum for my family.

I hope this article has helped you, especially if you have additional needs and value having more flexibility when you travel.

But there is a right time to apply for this card if your goal is to maximise the welcome bonus. Unfortunately, right now isn’t that time, sorry! 😩

The good news is that we share the best strategies and the best times to apply for cards like this on our Instagram. So make sure you’re following us so you know when it makes sense to apply and can maximise your points from the start.

Because with points and miles, timing matters.

Nat