Amex Platinum Personal Vs. Business: Which Is Better?

Link: Apply now for American Express Platinum Card® or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

American Express Platinum Card® and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express are two of the most popular premium cards on the market, thanks in particular to all the perks they offer, ranging from airport lounge access to a variety of credits with retailers.

I often get questions about which card is better (aside from the obvious fact that one is a personal card and one is a business card). For many people, I think both cards can be part of a good Amex card strategy, while for others there’s a distinct advantage to one over the other.

Personally I have both of these cards — I’ve had the Platinum Card® for years, and picked up the Amex Business Platinum Card some time back when there was a great welcome offer.

In this post, I wanted to look more closely at the differences between the two cards, for someone who might be considering applying for one of the two cards. For the purposes of this post, I won’t factor in the welcome bonuses, since those can vary — rather I’ll be focused on the long-term perks offered by these cards.

What both Amex Platinum cards have in common

Both the Platinum Card® and Business Platinum Card® have a lot in common, including the following (Enrollment is required for select benefits):

• An up to $200 annual airline fee credit
• An annual CLEAR® Plus credit of up to $209
• A comprehensive airport lounge access program, including access to Centurion Lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta same day, and a Priority Pass™ Select membership
• Hotel status, including Hilton Honors™ Gold Status and Marriott Bonvoy® Gold Status
• Rental car status, including National Emerald Club Executive status, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle status, and Avis Preferred Plus status
• Access to the International Airline Program (IAP), which can save you money on airfare
• Access to Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts®, offering extra perks at luxury hotels
• A TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit (this benefit applies once every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck, or once every four years for Global Entry)
• Access to the Amex Offers program

As a reminder, the Platinum Card® has a $895 annual fee (Rates & Fees), and the Business Platinum card has a $895 annual fee (Rates & Fees).

So, what’s different between the Platinum Card® and the Business Platinum Card®? First I’ll cover the advantages of the Platinum Card® of the card, and then I’ll cover the advantages of the Business Platinum Card®.

Platinum Card® advantages

For some consumers the Platinum Card® could make a lot more sense, especially given all of the credits that the card offers nowadays. While you can read a full review of the personal version of the card here, below are the highlights that set this card apart.

Lower authorized user fee

Perhaps more significant than the difference in annual fees for the primary cardmember is the difference in annual fees for authorized users:

• On the Platinum Card® each authorized user costs $195 (Rates & Fees)
• On the Business Platinum Card® each authorized user costs $400 (Rates & Fees)

This can make a significant difference, especially when you consider the value of adding authorized users. Authorized users on the Platinum Card® get the full suite of lounge access perks, access to the International Airline Program, hotel elite status, and more.

$300 annual Equinox credit

The Platinum Card® offers up to $300 in statement credits each year on a digital or club membership at Equinox. (Enrollment required)

$300 annual SoulCycle credit

This will likely be of limited use to most, but the Platinum Card® offers a $300 credit toward the purchase of a SoulCycle bike for at most. You need to pay for the entire purchase with your card in order to qualify for the credit. (Enrollment required)

$300 annual digital entertainment credit

The Platinum Card® offers an up to $300 annual digital entertainment credit. Get up to $25 in statement credits each month when you use your Platinum Card® for eligible purchases on Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Paramount+, Peacock, The Wall Street Journal, YouTube Premium, and YouTube TV when you purchase directly from one or more of the providers. (Enrollment required)

$600 annual hotel credit

The Platinum Card® offers up to $600 annual statement credit valid for prepaid bookings at Fine Hotels + Resorts® (no minimum stay required) or The Hotel Collection properties (two night minimum required), when booking through Amex Travel. This benefit is offered as up to a $300 statement credit semi-annually. This is great for those who stay at luxury hotels with any frequency, and you can use the entire credit at once.

$200 annual Uber Cash benefit

The Platinum Card® offers a $200 annual Uber Cash benefit, which comes in the form of a $15 monthly Uber Cash credit, and then a $35 Uber Cash credit in December (good for use in the U.S. only). I consider this to more or less be worth face value, especially since it can even be used toward Uber Eats. An Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit

Monthly Walmart+ credit

The Platinum Card® offers a $12.95 monthly credit toward a Walmart+ membership, which should cover the entire cost of the membership. Registration is required.

$100 annual Saks credit

The Platinum Card® offers an up to $100 annual Saks credit, which comes in the form of a $50 credit in the first half of the year (January through June), and a $50 credit in the second half of the year (July through December). There’s no minimum purchase amount, so this could potentially get you up to $100 in value per year. (Enrollment required)

5x points on airfare

This is something I get tons of value out of. The Platinum Card® offers 5x points on airfare purchased directly from airlines, as well as airfare purchased through amextravel.com (on up to $500,000 per calendar year and then 1x). The Business Platinum Card® version of the card only offers 5x points on airfare purchased through amextravel.com, so that’s a major difference.

I value Membership Rewards points at ~1.7 cents each, so to me that’s like a return of 8.5% on airfare spending, which supercharges my Amex points earning. Add in the excellent travel protection offered by the card, and this is my go-to card for airfare spending.

Business Platinum Card® advantages

For some small businesses, the Amex Business Platinum Card could prove more lucrative. While you can read a full review of the business version of the card here, below are the highlights that set this card apart. (Enrollment is required for select benefits)

$150 Dell Statement Credit (or more)

As of July 1, 2025, enrolled cardmembers can receive up to $150 in statement credits on US purchases made directly with Dell, and an additional $1,000 statement credit after spending $5,000 or more on those purchases from July 1 through December 31, 2025 (and for each calendar year thereafter)

While Dell isn’t exactly the most exciting retailer (at least in my opinion), the company sells all kinds of non-Dell branded merchandise, making this pretty easy to maximize.

$360 annual Indeed credit

The Business Platinum Card® offers a $360 annual Indeed credit. This comes in the form of a $90 quarterly credit that can be used on all Indeed hiring and recruiting products and services to post open positions and find talents.

Admittedly this is pretty niche, and is something most businesses likely won’t take advantage of.

$120 wireless credit

The Business Platinum Card® offers a $120 annual wireless credit. This comes in the form of a $10 monthly statement credit toward purchases made directly with any U.S. wireless telephone provider. This should be easy enough to maximize if your business pays wireless bills.

50% bonus points on certain purchases

The Business Platinum Card® offers 1.5x points on the following purchases:

• Purchases of $5,000 or more per transaction
• U.S. electronic goods, retailers, software, and cloud service providers
• U.S. construction materials and hardware supplies
• U.S. shipping providers

You can earn up to a million additional points per year between all of these bonus categories. As you can tell, these bonus categories are either pretty niche, or require making purchases in big increments.

Keep in mind that The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (review) offers 2x points on the first $50,000 spent annually (1x after that), making it one of the best cards for everyday spending. Therefore I wouldn’t necessarily be picking up the Business Platinum Card® because of the return on spending that it offers.

Which version of the Amex Platinum is better?

There’s obviously not going to be a one-size-fits-all answer as to whether the Platinum Card® or Amex Business Platinum Card is better. It all depends on whether you need a personal or business card, and which perks you value most.

That being said, very broadly I’d say that I think the personal version of the card is most compelling. Why?

• Adding authorized users is a better value, and that’s potentially worthwhile, given how many perks authorized users receive
• The card offers more credits that will be more useful for the “average” consumer, helping to offset the annual fee
• Personally I find the 5x points on airfare to be a more useful bonus category than being able to earn 1.5x points on select purchases

There’s no doubt that the business version of the card will be useful to many.

Bottom line

I think both the Platinum Card® and Amex Business Platinum Card are fantastic cards that can get you significantly more value than you’ll pay in annual fees. While many of the cards’ benefits overlap, there are also some significant differences. The major differences include the authorized user costs, the types of credits offered, and the spending bonus categories.

Personally, I think the personal version of the card is easier to justify in terms of the perks you get for the annual fee, especially in the form of credits, but this is very much a “your mileage may vary” situation.

Which version do you consider to be more valuable?

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: The Business Platinum® Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), and American Express Platinum Card® (Rates & Fees).