I already loved my Amex Platinum for its travel benefits, but I was even more impressed after using the concierge to score movie tickets in Mexico

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I already loved my Amex Platinum for its travel benefits, but I was even more impressed after using the concierge to score movie tickets in Mexico
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Beyond its luxury travel benefits, the Amex Platinum offers an amazing concierge service.

  • If you have the Platinum Card® from American Express, you can use the Amex Concierge service for all kinds of requests, from arranging travel plans to securing dinner reservations.
  • The Amex Concierge team helped me secure tickets to a midnight showing in English of Star Wars Episode IX in Guadalajara, Mexico - something I had no idea how to do myself.
  • I was extremely impressed with how friendly and attentive the Concierge was through nearly four months of working on my request.
  • See Business Insider's list of the best travel rewards credit cards »

If you've ever been to a midnight premiere of a movie, you know it's not like any other showing. Energy and anticipation from hundreds of other moviegoers fills the theater, and during the film itself, there's collective laughter at the funny parts, gasps at the sudden twists and applause at the triumphant moments.

This was the experience I had when I saw Star Wars Episode VII, and I was determined to repeat it for Episode IX-the end of the Skywalker saga, and the last chance (at least, for now) to see a Star Wars movie in theaters. The only problem was, I was going to be in Guadalajara, Mexico. Enter the Amex Concierge, which I have access to as an Amex Platinum cardholder.

Keep in mind that we're focusing on the rewards and perks that make these credit cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which will far outweigh the value of any points or miles. It's important to practice financial discipline when using credit cards by paying your balances in full each month, making payments on time, and only spending what you can afford to pay back.

Why I decided to use the Amex Concierge

I knew next to nothing about Guadalajara before booking my trip there, least of all how to find a theater showing the movie not only at midnight, but also in English. In fact, I wasn't even sure I would find one at all, and if I did, I had no idea when and how to procure tickets.

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After some unsuccessful googling, it occurred to me that this might just be the perfect time to use the Amex Concierge, a benefit I get through both my Platinum Card from American Express and my Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. Both are premium cards; the Amex Platinum has a $550 annual fee, while the Hilton Aspire card has a $450 annual fee.

I'd read plenty about the Concierge service and all sorts of travel-related - and non-travel-related - tasks it could help with. The Amex website itself mentions that you can use the Concierge for anything from help making dinner arrangements to "finding just the right gift."

Still, I'd never successfully used it myself - it didn't make my list of the six easiest-to-use Amex Platinum card benefits. But given that the website also specifically calls out the Concierge's ability to help secure "tickets to a sought-after event," I decided to go for it. I emailed my request to the dedicated address in late August - nearly four months before the movie's release date, but I was nervous about sellouts! - and waited.

Accountability and follow-up

It didn't take long to hear back from the Concierge team. It notified me within five hours of my email that it would need some more time to work my request. I was very impressed with the level of accountability; the email included the first and last name of the team member who was working on my request, as well as a specific date the following week that someone would get back to me. The Concierge team member who responded also offered to provide other Guadalajara info and restaurant recommendations in the meantime, which I happily accepted.

Just as promised, I received an email the following week from the Concierge team. The movie listings for December weren't out yet, making it impossible to know what languages would be available, but the Concierge had identified a theater that was known to play new movies in English and sent me the theater's information. The team also assured me it would continue to check with theaters and update me as the date got closer.

Over the next couple of months, I received an email every so often assuring me that the team was still working on my request. Each email ended with a date by which I'd hear back from the Concierge with the next update, and they always came on time.

Success!

One month before the release date, the Concierge emailed me with the information I needed: Names, addresses, websites, and phone numbers of theaters that would be playing Star Wars in English, as well as a heads-up that I could now purchase tickets online. But the help didn't stop there.

I tried unsuccessfully, with multiple different credit cards, to buy the tickets on the theater's website, but kept getting error messages. I finally emailed the Concierge to see if someone could help, and a team member - who was able to buy the tickets on her end - called me for my Amex Platinum security code to complete the transaction. She emailed the tickets over within minutes, and I was done!

As it turned out, there was absolutely no reason for me to worry about ticket availability; even at the midnight showing, there were only about 20 other people in the movie theater. Still, I was glad to have the peace of mind that the Amex Concierge provided, and I'll definitely be using the service again!

Click here to learn more about the Amex Platinum card »

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Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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