The Business Platinum Card® from American Express offers an impressive array of benefits, making it an ideal option for frequent business travelers. This ultra-premium card comes with a generous welcome bonus, airport lounge access, a high earnings rate for certain travel bookings through American Express Travel and a slew of other benefits that could make it a valuable addition to your wallet.
While the Amex Business Platinum has numerous benefits, it also comes with a hefty annual fee of $695 (terms apply, see rates & fees), a cost that could be too high for certain small business owners. Still, it’s possible to offset this cost fairly easily if you access many of this card’s benefits—just be realistic when assessing which benefits you’ll use.
If you’re in the market for a new business card, here’s an in-depth look at the Business Platinum Card’s benefits to help you decide if it’s right for you.
Amex Business Platinum Card Points and Travel Perks
Welcome Bonus
New Amex Business Platinum cardholders can earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $20,000 in eligible purchases with the card within the first 3 months of card membership. While the minimum spend to earn the bonus might seem high, if you’re using the card to cover all your business expenses, it may be easier to meet that threshold than you think.
As long as you can hit the spending target and earn the welcome bonus, you can easily beat the cost of the Business Platinum Card’s annual fee the first year. The value of Membership Rewards points depends on how you redeem them. If you book a flight through Amex Travel, points are worth 1 cent each. So, for example, 120,000 points would be worth $1,200.
You can also transfer points to a wide variety of airline and hotel partners (more on that later) and redeem them for bookings through those loyalty programs at potentially outsized value.
Earning Rates
Besides the welcome bonus, cardmembers earn 5 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels through American Express Travel, 1.5 points per dollar on eligible purchases at U.S. construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software and cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases.
If you often book travel through the Amex portal, you could earn a significant number of points on flights and prepaid hotels. And if you opt to use points to book flights through the Amex portal, you’ll get 35% of your points back—up to 1 million points back per calendar year.
Lounge Access
Business Platinum cardholders also get free access to over 1,400 lounges through The American Express Global Lounge Collection, including the following:
- The Centurion Lounge
- The International American Express Lounges
- Priority Pass (enrollment required)
- Delta Sky Club (when flying Delta)
- Plaza Premium
- Escape Lounges
To offer some context on the value of these benefits, if you were to purchase a Priority Pass membership on your own, you’d pay from $99 to $469 depending on the membership tier you chose. And you’d pay $695 annually, as an individual member, for Delta Sky Club access. Effective February 1, 2025 eligible card members will receive 10 visits per year with the ability to earn unlimited access after spending $75,000 in purchases in a year.
Travel and Business Credits
As an Amex Business Platinum cardholder, you’ll get several travel credits that can help you save time and money, including an up to $200 annual statement credit for airline incidentals (when you select one qualifying airline), an up to $189 CLEAR® Plus statement credit per year, and a fee credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.
Beyond travel credits, you’ll also get several statement credits in the first year of membership that can offset the cost of certain business expenses, including an up to $400 Dell statement credit ($200 between January and June and $200 between July and December), an up to $360 Indeed statement credit, an up to $150 Adobe statement credit and an up to $120 wireless in statement credits per year for wireless telephone service purchases made directly with a wireless provider in the U.S.
Enrollment is required to access certain benefits.
Elite Status
Some premium travel cards provide elite status with certain hotel programs—and the American Express Business Platinum delivers that. With this card and enrollment, you’ll get complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite and Hilton Honors™ Gold status, and access to benefits like late checkout, room upgrades, bonus points in the respective hotel company’s loyalty program and more (exact benefits will vary depending on whether you’re staying at a Marriott or Hilton property).
Fine Hotels & Resorts
You’ll get additional value when you book with a Fine Hotels & Resorts property through Amex Travel using your Business Platinum Card. Benefits include complimentary breakfast for two, late checkout, early check-in and an up to $100 credit that can be used for food, drinks, or spa visits. There are over 2,000 hotels and resorts to choose from, which means you’ll probably be able to upgrade your travel experience no matter your destination.
Rental Car Upgrades
In addition to elite status in certain hotel programs, you’ll also get premium status in popular rental car programs (when you enroll), including Hertz, Avis, and National Car Rental with this card. As a premium member, you’ll enjoy free upgrades when available and perks such as priority access.
Travel Insurance
If you’ve booked a trip using your Amex Business Platinum, you have some extra peace of mind thanks to the card’s travel protections—including trip cancellation and interruption insurance¹, trip delay insurance¹ and coverage for lost or damaged baggage². These benefits can compensate you if your trip is canceled, cut short or delayed for a covered reason, or if you need to replace checked or carry-on luggage lost or damaged due to a covered reason.
Other Protections
The Business Platinum from American Express also offers other protections beyond travel insurance. Its cellphone protection will reimburse you up to $800 for a covered incident (subject to a $50 deductible), while its purchase protection coverage provides up to $10,000 worth of protection for covered purchases from 90 days of your purchase date³ . You’ll also get extended warranty protection².
Can I Transfer My Amex Membership Rewards Points?
Apart from its array of benefits, the Amex Business Platinum offers the flexibility to transfer your Membership Rewards points to several different partners, including 16 airlines and three hotel programs. Your points will typically transfer at a 1:1 ratio, though you could net a few extra points by transferring to certain partners, such as AeroMexico or Hilton Honors.
Amex travel partners and transfer ratios include:
| Partner | Transfer Ratio |
|---|---|
|
Aer Lingus AerClub
|
1:1
|
|
AeroMexico Club Premier
|
1:1.6
|
|
Air Canada Aeroplan
|
1:1
|
|
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
|
1:1
|
|
All Nippon Airways Mileage Club
|
1:1
|
|
Avianca LifeMiles
|
1:1
|
|
British Airways Executive Club
|
1:1
|
|
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
|
1:1
|
|
Choice Privileges Rewards
|
1:1
|
|
Delta Air Lines SkyMiles
|
1:1
|
|
Emirates Skywards
|
1:1
|
|
Etihad Guest
|
1:1
|
|
Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
|
1:1
|
|
Hilton Honors
|
1:2
|
|
Iberia Plus
|
1:1
|
|
JetBlue TrueBlue
|
0.8:1
|
|
Marriott Bonvoy
|
1:1
|
|
Qantas Privilege Club
|
1:1
|
|
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
|
1:1
|
|
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
|
1:1
|
Is the Amex Business Platinum Card Worth the Annual Fee?
The Amex Business Platinum may be worth the $695 annual fee if you travel often and you’re able to tap into the many benefits the card offers. While earning the welcome bonus alone can offset the annual fee the first year, to recoup the cost on an ongoing basis, you’ll need to turn to the high earnings rate for Amex travel purchases, the complimentary lounge access and the generous credits for travel and various business services.
But, for small businesses that don’t require frequent travel, a cheaper card alternative may be better. For instance, less frequent travelers might consider the American Express® Business Gold Card. This card comes with a lower annual fee than the Business Platinum—$375 (terms apply, see rates & fees)—but still offers a generous welcome bonus, a high earnings rate on certain spending and benefits such as a baggage insurance plan² and trip delay coverage¹.
With the Amex Business Gold, new cardholders can earn 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $10,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of opening an account.
And, for ongoing rewards, you’ll earn 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on the 2 select categories where a business spends the most each month (up to $150,000 combined purchases per calendar year), 3 points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels booked on Amex Travel and 1 point per dollar is earned for other purchases.
How To Maximize Amex Business Platinum Benefits
The first step to maximize the value you can get with the Amex Business Platinum is to make sure you can realistically meet the spend requirement to earn the welcome bonus: 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $20,000 in eligible purchases with the card within the first 3 months of card membership.
If you’re concerned about your ability to meet the high minimum spend required to earn the bonus, a different business credit card might be a better option.
On an ongoing basis, those who travel often for business will likely get the most value from this card, as it offers an array of travel credits, premium statuses in hotel and rental car programs and multiple travel insurance protections. For instance, consider the annual up to $200 airline incidentals statement credit, the annual up to $189 CLEAR® Plus statement credit and the fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (available every four years for the former or every four-and-a-half for the latter).
When paying for travel bookings (as opposed to redeeming points for award travel), you’ll want to use Amex Travel whenever possible to take advantage of the Business Platinum’s rate of 5 points per dollar spent: 5 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels through American Express Travel, 1.5 points per dollar on eligible purchases at U.S. construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software and cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases.
If you want to book travel with points, the Membership Rewards program has a wealth of airline and hotel partners. With most partners, points transfer at a 1:1 rate—and it’s possible to get exceptional value for your points if you’re sharp about looking out for good award travel deals.
Bottom Line
Overall, the American Express Business Platinum is a valuable tool for business owners seeking premium travel benefits and protections and willing to shell out $695 per year for the annual fee. But make sure you will actually use the benefits before hitting that apply button.
To view rates and fees for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for American Express® Business Gold Card please visit this page.
¹Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
²Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
³Coverage for a Stolen or damaged Eligible Cellular Wireless Telephone is subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions and limits of liability of this benefit. The maximum liability is $800, per claim, per Eligible Card Account. Each claim is subject to a $50 deductible. Coverage is limited to two (2) claims per Eligible Card Account per 12 month period.Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
