Amex Platinum’s “Hidden” Luxury Hotel Benefit (And How to Activate It)

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For most people, the American Express Platinum Card’s “headline” perks are the obvious ones: airport lounge access, credits, and the Fine Hotels + Resorts (FH&R) program.

But one of the newer, under-the-radar Platinum benefits is a lot more niche — and a lot more valuable if you ever book truly high-end independent hotels: complimentary Leaders Club Sterling status with The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW).

And, like so many “simple” enrollments, mine came with a small snag… that turned out to be easy to fix or even prevent from happening in the first place.

What are The Leading Hotels of the World and Leaders Club?

If you book luxury hotels, you’ve probably run into the “preferred partner” world — programs that add perks like breakfast, upgrades, and late checkout when you book through the right channel. Amex has Fine Hotels + Resorts (FH&R), Chase has The Edit, and many travel advisors can book through networks like Virtuoso or Hyatt Privé.

The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) is a different kind of animal. It’s not a hotel chain — it’s a curated collection of independent luxury hotels around the world that operate under their own brands but participate in LHW as a group.

Their loyalty program is called Leaders Club. And that’s where the Amex Platinum benefit comes in: Platinum cardholders can get Leaders Club Sterling status, which is elite status in the LHW ecosystem.

The big difference versus booking programs like FH&R / The Edit / Virtuoso / Privé is simple:

• Booking programs usually deliver perks because you booked through a specific channel.
• Elite status delivers perks because you’re recognized as a status member on eligible stays at participating hotels.

In other words, this isn’t just “a way to book an LHW hotel.” It’s a way to show up to one with Sterling status already attached to your profile — which can matter for upgrades, breakfast, and other on-property benefits.

What you get with Leaders Club Sterling status

If you want the full side-by-side breakdown (Club vs. Sterling), LHW has it on their official comparison page:
Leaders Club: Compare Benefits.

But here’s the short version of what Sterling is actually helpful for on real stays:

• Upgrade priority at arrival (availability-based)
• Daily continental breakfast for two
• Early check-in / late check-out considerations (availability-based)
• Complimentary Wi-Fi (still not always a given at high-end properties — we’ve covered that here:
  Why Luxury Hotels Charge For Wi-Fi (But Cheap Hotels Don’t))
• 5 pre-arrival upgrades annually (a one-room-category upgrade you request at booking; not suites; not guaranteed)
• 5% stay bonus in Leaders Club points on qualifying stays
• Sixt Platinum status match (nice extra if you rent cars often)

As always with hotel “elite” perks, the fine print matters: benefits are tied to eligible rates/booking channels, and upgrades (including pre-arrival upgrades) are still subject to availability and hotel discretion.

A quick note on the “confirmable” upgrades

One quick precaution: Sterling’s “pre-arrival upgrades” aren’t a guaranteed suite upgrade. They’re limited (you only get a set number per year), they’re typically for a one-room-category upgrade, and they’re still subject to availability and the hotel’s discretion. Also important: pre-arrival upgrades generally don’t apply to award stays booked with Leaders Club points.

How to enroll (online or by phone)

There are two ways to do this: online through your Amex account, or by calling Amex.

Option 1: Enroll online

1. Log into your American Express account.
2. Go to your Platinum Card benefits page and look for the Leading Hotels of the World / Leaders Club Sterling benefit.
3. Start the enrollment and enter your Leaders Club information (or create an account if you don’t already have one).

Option 2: Enroll by phone

If you’d rather not deal with web forms, call the number on the back of your Platinum Card and ask the rep to enroll you in Leaders Club Sterling status.

What to know before you enroll (this is what got me)

Here’s the biggest “don’t learn it the hard way” tip:

The email address on your Amex profile must match the one on your Leaders Club account.

Mine didn’t — and my first enrollment attempt failed with a message saying the email didn’t match their records:

Fixing it was straightforward:

1. I called Leaders Club and updated my email on their end.
2. Then I called Amex and asked them to resubmit the enrollment.

Even better: both reps immediately knew what I was talking about, and neither call felt like I was asking for something exotic.

Amex told me it could take 48–72 hours for my status to update… but I received the confirmation email before the end of the phone call:

The fine print that actually matters

This is the part people skip — but it’s also where the “why didn’t I get my perks?” questions come from.

Here are the most relevant details:

• Benefits are tied to eligible rates/channels. Leaders Club benefits are only provided on publicly available rates and Leaders Club members-only rates booked through eligible channels. If you’re on a corporate/negotiated rate, you may earn points but not the other benefits.
• Upgrades aren’t guaranteed. “Upgrade priority at arrival” and pre-arrival upgrades are both subject to availability/hotel discretion.
• Pre-arrival upgrades aren’t for suites. They’re valid for a one-room category upgrade, but can’t be used to upgrade to (or within) a suite category.
• Points bookings aren’t eligible for pre-arrival upgrades. If you’re redeeming Leaders Club points for a stay, don’t count on using one of your pre-arrival upgrades on that reservation.

Is this worth doing?

If you never stay at luxury independents, you’ll probably enroll once, forget you have it, and that’ll be the end of the story.

But if you do book high-end hotels — especially ones that aren’t part of the major chains — Sterling status is one of those “nice to have in your back pocket” benefits. Breakfast for two and confirmed upgrades can move the needle quickly at properties where everything costs extra.

And since it’s an included Platinum perk, the only real “cost” is taking a few minutes to enroll (and making sure your email matches on both sides so you don’t get bounced as I did).

Note: For anyone who’s going to ask (because someone always does 😄): Leaders Club is also a Citi ThankYou transfer partner, meaning eligible Citi cardholders can convert ThankYou Points into Leaders Club points for award stays. Just keep in mind that pre-arrival upgrades aren’t eligible on award stays booked with Leaders Club points. (And as with any transfer partner, always double-check the current transfer ratio and award pricing before moving points, since transfers are typically one-way.)

Final Thought

This is exactly the kind of Platinum benefit that can fly under the radar — because it’s not a shiny credit, and it’s not something you’ll see every time you open the Amex app.

But if you’re ever looking at a Leading Hotel and wondering how to get a few “elite-style” perks without chasing yet another loyalty program, this one is worth a look. Just make sure your email addresses match before you click enroll.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary