American Express wants Platinum cardholders to hit the gym as evidenced by the latest perk added to the Platinum Card: a $300 Equinox Credit. But what is this credit all about and is it worth it? Below, I will break down all of the details you need to know about the $300 Equinox Credit.
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What is the $300 Equinox Credit?
The $300 Equinox Credit is a perk offered by the American Express Platinum Card that provides you with a monthly $25 credit that you can use towards the following Equinox memberships: Equinox All Access, Destination, E by Equinox, or Equinox+ membership fees.
In case you are not familiar, Equinox is a network of upscale gyms found around the US and the world. You can find them in highly populated cities but there are just over 100 locations so they are still not super easy to find. For example, Texas only has five locations. Arizona has none. You can search for a nearby Equinox location here.
Tip: Use WalletFlo to help you keep track of all of your monthly credits! It’s free and is one of the best ways to manage all your credit cards and promotions!
How to use the Equinox credit
In order to use this benefit you must enroll (do that here) and create an eligible Equinox or Equinox+ membership or sign into your existing account. Then use your Platinum Card as the payment method and you are all set. It’s actually pretty simple.
You can also enroll in an eligible Equinox membership in person at a Club.
Equinox Membership Types
There are two main types of memberships: in-person and in-app. The in-person memberships start at ~$176 a month for the “destination” membership and go up from there. Meanwhile, the membership for the app is only $39.99 a month.
Below I have some examples of the membership types with some pricing I pulled up from the Equinox website. It doesn’t appear that every type of membership is available at every location. Also, based on what I saw it looks like the in-person memberships usually require a minimum 12 month commitment.
And finally, it looks like you also have to pay expensive initiation fees that differ based on the type of membership. The price for the initiation fee seems to vary but based on reports I have seen it range from $200 to $750. Reportedly, you can sometimes get the initiation fee waived but it’s not clear to me how often that happens.
Single access
- $176/mo.
This membership will provide you with access to a single club.
Multiple Clubs (Single state)
- $205/mo.
This will grant you access to all Equinox clubs in one state (like FL), including all classes and amenities.
Multiple Clubs (US)
- $275/mo.
This will grant you access to a local Equinox club plus 81 clubs across the U.S., including all classes and amenities.
Equinox All Access (Worldwide)
- $315/mo.
With this membership you will get exclusive access to all Equinox Fitness, Destination, and Sports Clubs locations worldwide.
E by Equinox
- $26K/yr?
Equinox+ membership fees
- $39.99/mo.
Equinox+ is the membership for the mobile app. This is probably the type of membership that many Platinum card holders will be eyeing since so many people don’t have an Equinox gym nearby. You’ll be able to find lots of different classes on this app including those offered by partners like SoulCycle.
Since the credit is only for $25 per month this means that you would still have to pay out $15 every month to take advantage of this benefit. That’s something that I don’t think a lot of people will be interested in.
Note that all All Equinox memberships include complimentary access to the Equinox+ app.
Things to know
Authorized users
This credit can be used by the primary cardmember and also the authorized users but there will only be a total of $25 available across all accounts each month.
Charge directly
In each case, membership fees must be charged directly by Equinox or Equinox+ (as applicable) to their Platinum Card, to be eligible for statement credits.
Age limits
Eligible Card Members must be at least 18 years old, or must have the written consent of a parent or legal guardian if they are between the ages of 16 and 18.
Statement posting
Allow 2-4 weeks after an eligible purchase is charged to your card for statement credit(s) to be posted.
Exclusions
Certain clubs are excluded from each membership type, and Equinox reserves the right to in the future exclude other clubs from its All-Access and Destination Access memberships.
Final word
This is one of the least exciting credits now offered by the Platinum Card in my opinion. If you don’t live near one of these gyms you have to pay $15 a month to get any type of benefit which is just not very appealing. On the flipside if you already were an Equinox member then you just found a nice way to save $300 a year.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.
