New AMEX Card? 8 Steps to Max Every Benefit

Why You Need This Checklist

What if your credit card has been silently giving you money back this whole time — and you never claimed it? Most people activate their new Amex or Chase card, start swiping, and assume the perks just show up automatically. They don't. And that gap between what you think you're getting and what you're actually getting could be costing you hundreds of dollars every single year.

Here's the frustrating part: the benefits are real. The credits are real. The rental car insurance, the dining bonuses, the airline credits — all of it exists. But if you don't know to enroll, activate, and opt in, those perks sit unclaimed while you keep paying the annual fee for a card you're only using at half power. Someone put $200 on their Amex Platinum expecting the airline credit to apply, and it didn't — because they never selected their airline and never activated the benefit. That's not a hypothetical. That's happening to cardholders every day.

Now imagine the flip side. You open your new card, and within the first week you've activated every credit, enrolled in the premium rental car insurance, added your cards to four airline dining wallets, and set up shopping portal access across every major airline and hotel brand. The next time you eat out, you're earning eight points per dollar instead of three — same meal, one swipe, no extra spend. The next time you rent a car, you're covered for everything up to $100,000 for a flat rate instead of paying $25 a day piecemeal. That's what using a card correctly actually looks like.

The 850 Club Credit channel has built a reputation for breaking down exactly this kind of insider knowledge — the stuff that frequent travelers and points maximizers know that casual cardholders miss entirely. This checklist distills those insights into a step-by-step action plan you can run through the moment your new card arrives.

This PDF checklist walks you through every critical step: activating hidden credits, enrolling in benefits that don't turn on automatically, setting up dining wallets with all four major airlines and hotel programs, accessing shopping portals for free bonus points on everyday purchases, and bookmarking the exact claim pages so you're never scrambling when you need them. Work through this list once, and your card starts earning what you're actually paying for.

What's Inside — Preview

Every checklist item comes with actionable notes to guide you — things like "Don't forget to do this before you start," "Avoid this common mistake," or "Set a reminder for 30 days out." Nothing vague, just clear next steps.

DO Activate your new card immediately upon receiving it

RESEARCH Identify every benefit and credit on your card that requires separate enrollment or activation

DO Select your preferred airline for the Amex Platinum $200 airline incidental credit and enroll

DO Opt into American Express Premium Rental Car Insurance before your next car rental

CHECK Review all other credits and benefits on your card for enrollment requirements and activate each one

+ 9 more action items inside...

New AMEX Card? 8 Steps to Max Every Benefit

Why You Need This Checklist

What's Inside — Preview

Get the Full Checklist