How I Saved Thousands on a Universal Orlando Vacation with my AMEX Platinum

Since I was a teenager, I’ve loved Harry Potter. It was my escape from reality, and I was totally one of those nerds who lined up to see each movie the day it came out.

As an adult, I’ve always dreamed of visiting Universal Orlando to see the Wizarding World come to life. I wanted to sip a butterbeer, wander through Diagon Alley, and ride the Hogwarts Express. But I’d heard about the long lines and the need for an Express Pass, and that combined with all the other expenses, it just felt out of reach.

Until I opened my AMEX Platinum a few weeks ago.

I travel on credit card points and miles all the time, but the annual fee of this card initially scared me. However, when I realized the AMEX Platinum could save me thousands on a Universal Orlando vacation, it was a no brainer.

In this post, I’ll share exactly how I used my AMEX Platinum to make my Universal Orlando trip not only more affordable, but more enjoyable, and how you can do the same.

How did the AMEX Platinum save me thousands of dollars at Universal Orlando?

One of the best perks of the AMEX Platinum is the semi-annual $300 Fine Hotel and Resort (FHR) Credit. When you book a prepaid stay through the AMEX Travel portal under the Fine Hotel and Resorts program, you’ll automatically receive up to $300 back as a statement credit.

But that’s not all – FHR bookings also come with amazing perks, including:

• a room upgrade (when available)
• daily breakfast for two
• a $100 property credit to use on dining, spa, etc
• guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout

This is already such a great value, but with Universal, it gets even better…

The Loews Portifino Bay is part of the Fine Hotel and Resorts program, which means you’ll receive all of those perks PLUS free Unlimited Express Passes . Oh, and you get those passes on both the day you check in and the day you check out.

These passes can run hundreds of dollars per person. When we were there, the Unlimited Express Pass cost $389 per person. So for a family of four, it would cost $1,556 for just the passes alone.

Step-By-Step: Booking and Using the AMEX Platinum for Universal Orlando

Once I had the card in hand, I knew I wanted to use my Fine Hotel and Resort credit before the end of the year (the credits are semi-annual).

So I went to Max My Fine Hotel and Resort’s website, which allows you to search by city. I searched ‘Orlando’ and found the Loews Portifino Bay. Notice, you’ll also find the Loews Sapphire, but it requires a two night stay, and it does not come with unlimited express passes.

When you click on the hotel, you should get a calendar view like you see below. This allows you to select a date that is more reasonable.

Once I selected my date, I went into the AMEX travel portal, searched for availability, and booked it. My total was $642, and the $300 credit showed up a few days later.

Our Experience using our AMEX Platinum for a Universal Orlando Vacation

We flew down on Saturday (using points and our Southwest Companion Passes – click here if you want to learn more about BOGO flights). We used Chase Ultimate rewards points to stay at the Hyatt Regency Orlando the first night. This was a good decision as out flight was delayed hours because of the government shutdown.

Check-in

At 6:45 AM the next morning, we scheduled an Uber to the Loews Portifino Bay. This is where I used the AMEX $15 monthly Uber Credit. We checked into the hotel by 7 AM, and the staff couldn’t have been more helpful. They walked us through the AMEX FHR benefits, issued our Unlimited Express Passes for the day, and stored our luggage so we could head straight to the parks.

By 2 PM we received a text that our room was ready, which was perfect timing since it had just started raining. When we got back, we found out we’d been upgraded to a Bay View room with a balcony right next to the water taxis. We couldn’t have asked for a better location. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate, but the resort does have a gorgeous pool and even a waterslide!

Using the Fine Hotel Resort Credit

To save on food, we used our $100 property credit for an early dinner at Sal’s Market. This pizza and subs were delicious, and we still had about $30 left over, which we used the next day to cover the kids’ breakfast (since breakfast for two adults was already included through the FHR). Later that evening, we headed back to the parks for more rides and butter beer, before ending the night with turndown service and a small welcome gift – such a nice thoughtful touch.

After we used our breakfast credit the next morning, we headed back to the park to enjoy another day of our Unlimited Express Passes.

How the AMEX Platinum Saved Us Even More

We did take a mid-day break to pack up our room, check out, and store our luggage with the hotel (the FHR program allows for a 4 P.M. check out). Here’s where the AMEX Platinum saved even more money – before going back to the parks, we used our $100 RESY Credit (one of the AMEX Platinum’s Quarterly Perks) at Trattoria del Porto. This saved us another expensive meal in the park.

At the end of the night we returned to grab our bags and took an Uber to the Hyatt House Orlando Airport, where we stayed using 8,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

So How Much Did I Really Save on our Universal Vacation?

Universal is expensive, but did using my AMEX Platinum actually save me money? I will show you how much it saved below, but the more importantly, it made our trip so much more enjoyable.

• $300 hotel credit through the FHR Program
• $78 breakfast for two adults
• $100 resort credit (which we split between dinner and breakfast for our kids)
• $1,556 on Universal Orlando Unlimited Express Passes (valid for IOA and Studios)
• $15 Uber Credit
• $100 Resy Credit used for Dinner

The Amex Platinum saved me $2,149. When I think about that, my head spins.

This card saved us so much money, but it also made our trip so much more enjoyable. The water taxi service is seamless. We never had to wait thanks to our express passes, and we were able to clear security at the hotel where there were no lines.

The Unlimited Express Passes were a real game changer. We never waited more than 20 minutes for a ride, and we got to ride our favorites multiple times. My son and I rode Hagrid’s Motorbike five times!

Do You Really Need Universal Unlimited Express Pass?

It honestly depends on your priorities, but for us, it was a huge time-saver, here’s why:

The Unlimited Express Pass allows you to skip the lines at Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios as many times as you want. Normally this pass would cost $389 (depends on when you visit) per person in addition to your park ticket.

The Unlimited Express Pass doesn’t just save time, it made our vacation feel like a vacation. Theme parks can be stressful, ensuring you ride all the rides, beat the crowds, and don’t spend hours waiting in line. With the Unlimited Express Passes, I wasn’t glued to my phone like I am at Disney, and we just hopped in line when we felt like it.

If you don’t have an Unlimited Express Pass, you can still do Universal and have a great time. Just be prepared for some long wait times and have a solid park strategy (rope drop and park close will be essential here).

So is the AMEX Platinum worth it?!

If you have your eyes on a Universal trip, I would say 1,000% YES.

The AMEX Platinum saved us over $2,000 on this trip alone. And when you add in all the other credits like Wal-Mart+ membership, $75 quarterly Lululemon credit, $25 monthly entertainment credit, and all the other credits, we will get way more than our annual fee back this year.

Oh, and did I mention right now it has an elevated bonus where you can earn all the perks and up to 175,000 AMEX Rewards Points?! I truly never believed I would have a credit card like this, but when you run the numbers, the credit card pays for itself.

Want to Learn More about the AMEX Platinum?