Amex Business Platinum Card Review: Big Bonus, Huge Benefits

Amex Business Platinum Card Review: Big Bonus, Huge Benefits

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express As High As 300,000 points | Annual Fee: $895
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express As High As 300,000 points | $895
Earn 2x on purchases of $5,000 or more in a single transaction on up to $2MM per calendar year
Redeem Points For Over 1.5 Cents Each Towards Airfare
Amex Centurion Lounge Access
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This is my in-depth Amex Business Platinum Card review, as this is one of Amex’s most premium business cards. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has a steep annual fee, but it offers a huge number of credits and benefits that can help offset it, and potentially let you come out ahead. If your business frequently makes large purchases, the rewards structure might work out quite nicely as well.

Is the Amex Business Platinum worth it, and if so, under what circumstances? It’s a card that I’ve personally had for years, and have received strong value from, receiving credits worth more than the ongoing fees. That being said, it won’t be for everyone. Let’s start with a brief summary of the basics, and then we’ll get into the details.

Link: Learn more about The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

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Amex Business Platinum summary & key details

Before I get into my Amex Business Platinum Card review, here’s a brief summary of the key details of the card:

  • Annual fee: $895 (Rates & Fees)
  • Welcome offer: As high as 300,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $20,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months; welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer
  • Points earn rate: 5x points on select flights & hotels, 2x points in select business categories, and 1x points on other purchases
  • Annual credits: Up to $600 annual hotel credit, up to $360 annual Indeed credit, up to $300 annual ChatGPT credit, up to $250 annual Adobe credit, up to $219 annual CLEAR+ credit, up to $200 annual Hilton credit, up to $200 annual airline fee credit, up to $150 annual Dell credit, up to $120 annual Dell credit, and more (enrollment required, see terms)
  • Travel benefits: Airport lounge access with Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs, and Priority Pass, elite status with multiple hotel groups and rental car companies
  • Foreign transaction fee: None (Rates & Fees)
  • Best for: Business owners who can take advantage of the card’s premium travel benefits and statement credits, particularly those who value airport lounge access and want to maximize the value of Membership Rewards points when booking eligible flights through Amex Travel

Below are what I consider to be the pros and cons of the Amex Business Platinum Card.

Amex Business Platinum Card pros
Amex Business Platinum Card cons
Huge welcome offer that can earn lots of points
Steep $895 (Rates & Fees) annual fee
Valuable airport lounge access perks
Just 1x points on non-bonused spending
Credits that can potentially more than offset the fee
Steep $375 annual fee (Rates & Fees)
Hotel & rental car elite status

Amex Business Platinum bonus, fees, & eligibility

The Amex Business Platinum Card offers some outstanding perks, though the card also has a steep annual fee. So let’s start by taking a look at the welcome offer, eligibility, fee, and more.

Welcome offer as high as 300K bonus points

At the moment, the Amex Business Platinum has an incredible welcome offer where you can earn a bonus as high as 300,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $20,000 within the first three months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

Personally, I value Membership Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so to me those 300,000 points are worth $5,100 (assuming you’re eligible for the offer).

Lufthansa Allegris business class seat and cabin interior
Redeem your Amex points for Lufthansa business class

Card application restrictions & rules

The welcome offer on the Amex Business Platinum isn’t available to those who currently have the card or those who have had the card in the past, in line with Amex’s “once in a lifetime” rule. If you’ve had the card in the past, you’re still eligible to be approved, you just won’t get the bonus.

The standard rules of applying for Amex cards apply as well. Anecdotally speaking, I find Amex business cards to be quite easy to be approved for, at least for those with excellent credit. The good news is that this isn’t a credit card (but is instead a hybrid card), so this card won’t count toward Amex’s five credit card limit.

Furthermore, if you’re concerned about staying under Chase’s 5/24 limit, applying for an Amex business card won’t count toward that, since it doesn’t show up on your personal credit report in that way

$895 annual fee & $400 authorized user fee

The Amex Business Platinum has an annual fee of $895 (Rates & Fees). This is one of the highest annual fee cards out there.

When it comes to adding authorized users, the fee is $400 (Rates & Fees) per user, which is steep. Authorized users receive the lounge access perks of the card, as well as most of the hotel perks. However, authorized users do not receive additional credits (for hotels, airline fees, Adobe, CLEAR, Dell, etc.).

Amex Business Platinum points earning structure

Personally, I think the Amex Business Platinum Card may be worth having for the benefits it offers, though there are fairly limited circumstances under which it makes sense to spend money on the card if you’re looking to maximize your return on spending.

Some other Amex cards offer big bonus categories, and I’ll talk more about those cards in a bit. So, in what categories does this card offer bonus points?

5x points on select flights & hotels

The Amex Business Platinum offers 5x Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels and flights that are booked through Amex Travel. This is fairly restrictive. It could make sense to book flights through Amex Travel to earn 5x points, though for many small businesses, that might not be the best option.

The downside to booking prepaid hotels through Amex Travel is that you generally won’t earn points with your preferred loyalty program for third-party bookings, which includes Amex Travel bookings.

The one exception is Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts®, where prepaid reservations earn 5x points. That can be a good deal because of the perks you get, and also because you still earn points with your preferred hotel loyalty program. I’ll talk more about that in a bit.

Exterior of the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills hotel
Earn 5x points on prepaid hotels through Amex Travel

2x points in select business categories

The Amex Business Platinum offers 2x Membership Rewards points for purchases that meet specific criteria. These include the following:

  • Purchases at U.S. construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers
  • Eligible purchases of $5,000 or more, regardless of the category

The earning rate of 2x points is valid for up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year, and then cardmembers earn 1x points. This will be useful for some small businesses, though for others, it won’t add much value.

1x points on other purchases

The above are the only bonus categories — otherwise, the Amex Business Platinum offers 1x points per dollar spent on other eligible purchases, which isn’t especially good. There are other Amex cards offering 1.5-2x points per dollar spent, so I would much rather put my spending on those cards, or on another card that’s best for everyday spending for small businesses.

No foreign transaction fees

The American Express Business Platinum offers no foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees), should you find yourself making purchases abroad.

Additional bonus for spending $250K+ per year

The Amex Business Platinum offers an extra incentive for those who spend a significant amount on the card annually. Specifically, if you spend $250,000 per calendar year on the card, you can receive up to $3,600 in statement credits:

  • Receive up to $1,200 in statement credits for American Express Travel flights
  • Receive up to $2,400 in statement credits for American Express One AP monthly fees

While the American Express Travel flight credits are potentially valuable, the second set of credits is more niche. If you’re just looking to maximize your return on spending, odds are that this specifically won’t move the needle.

Purchase & travel protection on card spending

You’ll need to check the cardmember agreement for full details, but the Amex Business Platinum offers a variety of purchase and travel protection benefits, ranging from extended warranty protectin, to purchase protection, to trip cancellation and interruption insurance, to trip delay insurance. So be sure you take a look at the card’s benefits guides to get more details, as lots of terms apply.

Amex Business Platinum points redemption options

The Amex Business Platinum Card earns Membership Rewards points. This is one of the major transferable points currencies. There are two best ways you can redeem Amex points — you can transfer them to an airline or hotel partner, or you can redeem them as cash toward the cost of an airline ticket.

Let’s look at those two options below. One awesome thing about the Amex Business Platinum is that having the card gives you special redemption rates when redeeming the points as cash toward an airline ticket. It’s the best rate you’ll get through any Amex card.

Transfer points to airline & hotel partners

The best way to redeem your Amex points is to transfer them to one of the Membership Rewards airline or hotel partners. Points can be transferred to the below 22 partners, including 18 airline partners and four hotel partners, as you’ll see below.

Airline Partners
Hotel Partners
Aeromexico Club Premier
Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
American Express Membership Rewards transfer partners

The reason this represents such a good option is that you can get outsized value toward premium airfare, especially for travel in first and business class. These tickets are often super expensive if paying cash, while they can be a good deal with points. On top of that, Amex often has transfer bonuses, which can get you even better value.

Singapore Airlines business class seat aboard a Boeing 777
Redeem your Amex points for Singapore Airlines business class

Redeem points for over 1.5 cents each toward airfare

Ordinarily, you can redeem Membership Rewards points for about a cent each toward the cost of an airfare purchase, which isn’t that great. However, if you have the Amex Business Platinum you can redeem points at a special rate.

If you book your flight through American Express Travel® using the Membership Rewards Pay with Points feature, you get 35% of those points back with a few key terms/limitations:

  • You need to book a flight on your selected qualifying airline
  • You can get up to one million points back per calendar year using this redemption method

In other words, you could book a $1,000 ticket for 100,000 points on your airline of choice, and then you’d get 35,000 points back, meaning, in the end, you’re paying 65,000 points. That’s a value of ~1.54 cents per point, which is excellent.

Delta One business class cabin aboard an A330-900neo
Redeem Amex points toward the cost of an airline ticket

Amex Business Platinum credits & benefits

The Amex Business Platinum Card offers so many benefits just for being a cardmember, and some of the most valuable benefits are credits. The card potentially offers over $2,000 in credits annually. Of course, most cardmembers aren’t going to be able to maximize every single one of those, though hopefully on balance, cardmembers use enough of these perks to more than justify the annual fee.

Below I’ll cover these all in detail, though let me start with a chart consolidating the primary annual Amex Business Platinum credits. Let me emphasize that enrollment is required, and terms apply. (Enrollment is required for select benefits)

Credit
Max annual value
How it works
Frequency / deadline
Key restriction
Hotel
$600
$300 toward prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings through Amex Travel
$300 Jan–Jun + $300 Jul–Dec
Hotel Collection requires 2-night stay
Indeed
$360
Statement credits toward eligible Indeed hiring/recruiting products
$90/quarter
U.S. Indeed purchases; enrollment required
ChatGPT
$300
Credit toward eligible ChatGPT/OpenAI purchases
Annual
Subject to the terms of the benefit
Adobe
$250
Statement credit toward qualifying Adobe purchases
Annual
Requires $600+ in eligible U.S. Adobe purchases; enrollment required
CLEAR+
$219
Reimbursement for CLEAR+ membership
Annual
Up to $219
Hilton
$200
Statement credit for eligible Hilton purchases
$50/quarter
Eligible Hilton purchases required
Airline fees
$200
Credit toward incidental airline fees
Annual
One selected qualifying airline
Dell
$150
Statement credit for qualifying Dell purchases
Annual
U.S. Dell purchases; enrollment required
Wireless
$120
Statement credit for U.S. wireless-provider purchases
$10/month
Provider must be paid directly

Up to $600 annual hotel credit

The Amex Business Platinum offers up to $600 per year in hotel credits. This is a semi-annual credit, so you get a $300 credit in January through June, and a $300 credit in July through December. This is actually a pretty easy perk to use — just book a prepaid hotel through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts® (no minimum stay) or The Hotel Collection (two night minimum stay) through American Express Travel®, and you can receive up to a $300 credit semi-annually.

If you ask me, this perk alone can help recoup most of the card’s annual fee. So a major point in deciding whether this card makes sense is crunching the numbers as to whether you can get full value from this.

Interior of the Raffles Warsaw Europejski hotel
Get up to $600 per year in hotel credits with the card

Up to $360 annual Indeed credit

The Amex Business Platinum offers up to $360 in annual credits for Indeed purchases. This is broken up into a $90 per quarter credit. This can be used for all Indeed hiring and recruiting products, and products and services to post open positions and find talent. Personally, I’d consider this to be pretty niche, but some people might be able to get value from it.

Up to $300 annual ChatGPT credit

The Amex Business Platinum Card offers up to $300 in annual credits for purchases of ChatGPT Business made directly with OpenAI in the U.S. Enrollment is required.

For what it’s worth, the minimum cost of ChatGPT Business is $20 per user per month, with a minimum of two users required. So that means you’d pay a minimum of $40 per month for two users, or $480 per year. With the $300 credit, you’d be paying just $180, or $15 per month total for two people.

Up to $250 annual Adobe statement credit

The Amex Business Platinum offers an annual statement credit of $250 after spending $600 or more on U.S. purchases made directly with Adobe each calendar year. Enrollment is required. Much like with the Indeed credit, personally, I’d consider this to be pretty niche.

Up to $219 annual CLEAR+ credit

The Amex Business Platinum offers an annual credit of up to $219 toward a CLEAR membership. CLEAR offers expedited security at select airports in the United States — instead of lining up to have your ID checked, you can instead have your biometric data taken, and then you’re escorted to the front of the line.

Charge the membership fee to your card, and it will automatically be reimbursed. It doesn’t matter who the fee is being paid for, as long as you charge it to your eligible card.

CLEAR security checkpoint lane at an airport
Get up to $219 per year in CLEAR credits with the card

Up to $200 annual Hilton credit

The Amex Business Platinum offers up to $200 in Hilton credits annually. There’s no minimum spending beyond that, so as long as you spend $50+ at any eligible Hilton property each quarter, you’ll receive a statement credit for that amount.

Exterior of the Waldorf Astoria Kuwait hotel
Get up to a $200 annual Hilton credit with the card

Up to $200 annual airline fee credit

The Amex Business Platinum offers an up to $200 annual airline fee credit, which can be used toward airline incidentals and fees. One is offered every calendar year, so it follows a strict January 1 through December 31 calendar.

Every year you can designate on which airline you want to receive the credit, with the following choices:

  • Alaska Airlines
  • American Airlines
  • Delta Air Lines
  • Hawaiian Airlines
  • JetBlue Airways
  • Southwest Airlines
  • United Airlines

You can change your airline selection in January of each year. If you don’t change your selection, then you automatically keep the same airline choice as the previous year.

Unfortunately, you can’t use your credit toward the following:

Airline tickets, upgrades, mileage points purchases, mileage points transfer fees, gift cards, duty free purchases, and award tickets are not deemed to be incidental fees.

This is useful for airline ticket change fees (though there are fewer of these than in the past), baggage fees, and other costs you may incur with an airline. Personally, this is something I have no trouble maxing out.

American Airlines Boeing 787-8 parked at Miami International Airport
Get up to $200 per year in airline fee credits with the card

Up to $150 annual Dell statement credit (or more)

The Amex Business Platinum offers up to $150 per year in statement credits on U.S. purchases made directly with Dell, with an additional $1,000 statement credit after spending $5,000 or more on those purchases each calendar year. Enrollment is required.

Dell sells a surprising number of items from other companies. For example, you can buy Bose headphones through Dell, so this is more useful than you might assume.

Bose 700 noise-cancelling headphones
Get up to $150 per year in Dell credits with the card

Up to $120 annual wireless credit

The Amex Business Platinum offers a $120 annual wireless credit. This comes in the form of a $10 monthly statement credit toward purchases made directly from any U.S. wireless telephone provider. For most cardmembers, this credit should be (almost) good as cash. The only catch is that it’s such a small amount, so it’s very much a “coupon book” benefit.

Amex Business Platinum travel benefits

The Amex Business Platinum Card offers a variety of valuable travel perks, ranging from hotel elite status, to rental car status, to discounts on premium airfare. Let’s go over these below. (Enrollment is required for select benefits)

Gold Elite status with Hilton Honors

You receive complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold Status for as long as you have the Amex Business Platinum. This status is useful, and offers the following perks:

  • Free breakfast, a hotel credit, and/or executive lounge access
  • Late check-out, subject to availability
  • Preferred rooms
  • 80% points bonus
  • Fifth night free on award stays
Guest room at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
Receive breakfast or a hotel credit as a Hilton Gold member

Gold Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy

You receive complimentary Marriott Bonvoy® Gold Status for as long as you have the Amex Business Platinum. That status offers the following perks, among other things:

  • 25% bonus points on hotel stays
  • 2PM late check-out
  • A room upgrade, subject to availability
Exterior of a Westin hotel in Madrid
Receive upgraded rooms as a Marriott Gold member

Sterling status with Leading Hotels of the World

The Amex Business Platinum offers Leaders Club Sterling status from Leading Hotels of the World. Leading Hotels of the World is a collection of independent, luxury properties, so this offers perks at some properties that don’t otherwise participate in major global hotel groups.

This status typically requires $5,000 in annual spending at these hotels and offers perks such as five pre-arrival upgrades per year.

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle status

The Amex Business Platinum offers Hertz President’s Circle elite status, the highest tier of status offered by Hertz. Your status is valid as long as you remain a cardmember. This should take some of the pain out of renting cars, and offers the following perks:

  • Guaranteed car upgrades, a minimum of one-class, at participating locations
  • Freedom to choose any vehicle in the President’s Circle section of the Hertz Ultimate Choice lot on the spot at no extra charge
  • No additional driver fee for a spouse or domestic partner in the United States
  • 50% bonus on Gold Plus Rewards points on all qualified rentals
  • Expedited vehicle pick-up at over 1,000 locations worldwide
  • No stopping at the counter at over 50 airports
  • eReturn, whereby you don’t have to wait when returning your car
  • Hertz Valet, whereby you can take advantage of a terminal drive-back service at participating locations up to four times per year
  • A dedicated President’s Circle call center line

Also keep in mind that rental car companies are often pretty generous with status matches, so you can also potentially use your Hertz status to match with other brands, like Enterprise and Sixt.

Hertz President's Circle rental car service area
Receive Hertz President’s Circle elite status with the card

National Emerald Club Executive status

The Amex Business Platinum offers National Emerald Club Executive status. You have to enroll to take advantage of this, and it’s valid for as long as you have your card. National is my favorite rental car company, and Executive status lets you pick out your car from the lot, and skip the counter altogether.

Chevrolet Suburban rental car parked in a lot
Receive National Executive elite status with the card

Avis Preferred Plus status

The Amex Business Platinum offers Avis Preferred Plus status. You have to enroll to take advantage of this, and it’s valid for as long as you have your card. Avis Preferred Plus status offers perks like a one-class car upgrade, discounts on rentals, and more.

TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee credit

The Amex Business Platinum offers a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit every four years. Just charge the enrollment fee to your card, and it will automatically be reimbursed. It doesn’t matter who the fee is being paid for, as long as you charge it to your eligible card.

Since I have quite a few cards offering this perk, I simply use it for friends and family members. As a reminder, Global Entry ordinarily costs $120, while TSA PreCheck ordinarily costs $85. If you’re approved for Global Entry, you also receive TSA PreCheck at no additional cost, so that’s the best play here, if eligible.

Air Canada A320 business class cabin interior
Get a TSA PreCheck credit with the card

Access to Amex International Airline Program

With the Amex International Airline Program, you can save on the cost of international first class, business class, and premium economy airfare, on around two dozen airlines. This typically provides discounts even on already discounted tickets, so is a spectacular value.

If you book paid international premium cabin travel with any frequency, this could cover the card’s annual fee over and over.

Qatar Airways Qsuites business class cabin aboard an A350
I’ve saved money on tickets with the International Airline Program

Access to Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts®

With the Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts® program, you can receive extra perks for stays at over 1,000 luxury hotels around the world. These benefits include the following:

  • Daily breakfast for two people
  • Room upgrade upon arrival, when available
  • A unique property amenity (usually a $100 property credit, free massage, car transfer, etc.)
  • Guaranteed 4PM check-out
  • 12PM check-in, subject to availability
  • Complimentary in-room Wi-Fi (exclusions apply)

Best of all, the rate is typically in line with the best available rate. Having the Amex Business Platinum gets you access to this, and if you prepay your reservation you even earn 5x points. Then again, Virtuoso offers similar perks, and doesn’t require any specific credit card. The main benefit here is that you can stack this with the hotel credits offered by the card, to really maximize value.

Speaking of access to other programs, I should mention that the card also gives you access to the Amex Cruise Privileges Program, though I don’t consider that to be a particularly valuable perk.

Luxurious guest room at the Aman Tokyo hotel
Receive extra benefits at luxury hotels

Amex Business Platinum airport lounge access

The Amex Business Platinum Card offers one of the most comprehensive lounge access benefits of any card. This perk is called the Global Lounge Collection®, and it offers access to over 1,550 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting. This includes proprietary Amex lounges, as well as access to lounges run by other airlines and companies. Let’s go over the details of what that entails. Before I do, let me mention that Lufthansa lounge access has been cut as of October 1, 2026, which is why I’m not including it in the list.

Amex Centurion Lounge access

Amex is well known for its Centurion Lounges. These are significantly better than what you’ll find in most U.S. airline lounges, with a solid selection of hot food and cocktails.

Currently, U.S. locations include Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, New York LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, with more to come. There are also Centurion Lounges in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, London, and Tokyo, among other international destinations.

You can access these lounges up to three hours before departure if your flight (if you’re connecting, then the three-hour limit doesn’t apply). Please note that you’re only eligible to bring in guests on a complimentary basis if you spend at least $75,000 per calendar year on the card. If you don’t, you’ll have to pay $50 per person (children under two can enter for free, while children two to 17 years old get a discounted fee of $30 per visit).

Interior seating area of the Amex Centurion Lounge at LAX
Access Amex Centurion Lounges with the card

Delta Sky Club access

The Amex Business Platinum also offers access to the Delta Sky Club®, with some limitations. Cardmembers can receive access within three hours of a departing or arriving flight, and must present their card, a boarding pass showing a confirmed reservation for an eligible Delta flight, and a government-issued ID.

Eligible cards issued in the United States receive 10 visits to the Delta Sky Club® each year, to be used from February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year, with all visits within a 24-hour period counting as a single visit. It’s also possible to earn an unlimited number of visits by spending $75,000 in eligible purchases on a card account in a calendar year.

Seating area inside a Delta Sky Club in Miami
Access Delta Sky Club locations with the card

Priority Pass membership

The Amex Business Platinum offers a Priority Pass™ membership, which gives you access to lounges around the world. You can bring up to two guests into these lounges. While these aren’t the most exciting and high quality lounges, there’s no denying that this gives you access to a comprehensive collection of lounges.

Seating area inside The Liffey Lounge at Dublin Airport
Access Priority Pass lounges with the card

Escape Lounge access

The Amex Business Platinum offers access to the growing network of Escape Lounges. Just present your card and you’ll be admitted, and you can even bring in two complimentary guests.

Plaza Premium Lounge access

The Amex Business Platinum offers direct access to the Plaza Premium Lounge network, with two complimentary guests. Admittedly many of these lounges can also be accessed through Priority Pass.

However, some Plaza Premium locations are only accessible through other means (like the Amex Business Platinum), and in some cases directly presenting an Amex card also comes with better access terms, ranging from included showers, to longer stays. So when visiting a Plaza Premium Lounge, just present your Amex Business Platinum rather than your Priority Pass membership.

Access Plaza Premium Lounges with the card

Is the Amex Business Platinum Card worth it?

Like most cards, the answer here is that it depends on the circumstances. In general, I would say that the Amex Business Platinum Card is a business card that you get in the long run for the benefits that it offers, rather than for the return on spending that it directly offers.

It could make sense to spend money on the card if your business consistently makes $5,000+ purchases, but other than that, there are better cards for everyday spending.

The card offers big benefits but also has a steep annual fee. When it comes to accounting for the value of the card, I recommend considering the following:

  • How much do you value the various credits?
  • How much do you value the Marriott Bonvoy® Gold Elite Status and Hilton Honors™ Gold Status, as well as the Hertz and National elite status?
  • How much value will you get from Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts® and the International Airline Program?
  • How much do you value the lounge access perks offered by the card?

Personally, I think the annual fee on this card is easier to justify than ever before. The most substantial benefit is a $600 annual hotel credit, so if you can maximize that, then I think it’s super easy to make the math on the card work. When you add in the massive welcome offer, there’s huge merit to picking up the card.

How does the personal Amex Platinum compare?

Obviously the Amex Business Platinum is based on the American Express Platinum Card® (learn more), which is a personal card. The fundamental value proposition of both cards is similar, in the sense that they both have steep annual fees, both offer airport lounge access, and both provide credits that can potentially help (more than) offset the annual fee.

There are pros and cons to each of the cards, and I covered that in more detail in my comparison of the personal and business Amex Platinum. Long story short, which card is better depends on which credits you value more, which categories you spend in, etc. For some people, it could even make sense to have both.

How does the Amex Business Gold compare?

If you’re looking for an Amex card with big bonus categories, the American Express® Business Gold Card (learn more) is excellent, and you should consider adding it to your wallet. The card has a $375 annual fee (Rates & Fees), and earns 4x Membership Rewards points on the two categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle from six eligible categories. You earn 4x points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1x thereafter). The eligible categories are as follows:

  • Purchases at U.S. media providers for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
  • U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
  • U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
  • U.S. purchases at gas stations
  • Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
  • Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.

While the card’s annual fee is steep, the good news is that the card also offers credits and benefits that can greatly help offset that. As I view it, the Amex Business Platinum is about the perks, while the Amex Business Gold is about the points, assuming the card matches your spending patterns.

How does the Amex Blue Business Plus compare?

If you want to rack up as many Amex Membership Rewards points as possible through business spending, then there’s another Amex card you should really consider, which makes a great complement to the Amex Business Platinum.

Specifically, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (learn more) has no annual fee (Rates & Fees), and it offers 2x Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 spent every calendar year (1x points after that). This is one of the best cards out there for non-bonused spending up to that limit, so there’s no reason not to get it as a complement to the Amex Business Platinum, so you can take advantage of rewards on both cards.

How does the Chase Sapphire Reserve Business compare?

The Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (learn more) is another Amex Business Platinum competitor worth considering. The card does have a steep $795 annual fee, but there are lots of reasons that could be worth paying. The card has a massive welcome bonus, it offers a variety of credits (including a $300 annual travel credit), it offers airport lounge access (including Chase Sapphire Lounge access and a Priority Pass membership), and it also has a great rewards structure.

Specifically, the card offers 4x points on direct airline and hotel spending, plus 3x points on social media and search engine advertising, on up to $1 million in spend each anniversary year, starting November 15, 2026. If you spend a lot on search engine advertising, that cap of $1 million is much higher than the cap of $150,000, so it could be a major reason to get the card.

How does the Capital One Venture X Business compare?

I’d argue that the Capital One Venture X Business (learn more) is another card that’s quite a competitor to the Amex Business Platinum Card, given how lucrative it is. The card also has an excellent welcome bonus, so applying for the card is easy to justify.

The card offers 2x miles per dollar spent with no foreign transaction fees. While the card has a $395 annual fee, that’s easy to make the math work thanks to the $300 annual Capital One Travel credit, 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, and much more.

Capital One miles can also be transferred to a variety of airline and hotel partners. Lastly, the card offers lounge access, including a Priority Pass™ membership, and access to Capital One Lounges and Capital One Landings.

I’d say this card is much more approachable and easy to justify than the Amex Business Platinum, given that it also offers lounge access, and has a much more reasonable annual fee that’s also easier to justify.

Amex Business Platinum FAQs

What is the Amex Business Platinum Card?
The Amex Business Platinum is a premium business card designed primarily around travel benefits, Membership Rewards points, airport lounge access, and a large collection of business and travel credits. The card currently has an $895 annual fee, so it’s important to crunch the numbers and decide if the perks justify the cost.
What is the current Amex Business Platinum welcome offer?
The Amex Business Platinum currently has a welcome offer of as many as 300,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $20,000 within the first three months of card membership. Welcome offers can vary by applicant, and not everyone will be eligible for the same offer.
How much is the Amex Business Platinum annual fee?
The annual fee on the Amex Business Platinum is $895. There is also a $400 annual fee for each authorized user. Because the annual fee is so high, I’d look at the card’s credits and benefits based on the value they have to you personally rather than assuming every advertised credit is worth its full face value.
Is the Amex Business Platinum worth the $895 annual fee?
It can be, but it really depends on how you travel and which credits you can use. The card offers up to $600 in annual hotel credits, lounge access, hotel and rental car elite status, an airline fee credit, a CLEAR+ credit, a wireless credit, and several business focused credits. For me, the important distinction is that this is much more of a benefits card than a card you get for everyday spending. If you can consistently use the major benefits, the math can work surprisingly well. If most of the credits are things you wouldn’t otherwise buy, the $895 annual fee becomes much harder to justify.
Does the Amex Business Platinum have foreign transaction fees?
No. The Amex Business Platinum has no foreign transaction fees, which makes it useful for business travelers who regularly make purchases outside the United States.
How does the Amex Business Platinum hotel credit work?
The Amex Business Platinum offers up to $600 in annual hotel credits, split semi-annually, so you get a $300 credit in January through June, and a $600 credit in July through December. The credit can be used for eligible prepaid bookings through American Express Travel at Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection, subject to the applicable terms (you can stay one night with FHR, but need to stay two nights with THC). This is one of the benefits I’d pay particular attention to because it can be relatively straightforward to use if you already stay at eligible properties.
Does the Amex Business Platinum include airport lounge access?
Yes, lounge access is one of the biggest reasons frequent travelers consider the Amex Business Platinum. The American Express Global Lounge Collection includes access to Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Delta Sky Clubs, Escape Lounges, and more.
Can Amex Business Platinum cardmembers access Centurion Lounges?
Yes, the Amex Business Platinum provides access to eligible American Express Centurion Lounges, subject to the applicable access policies. For frequent travelers who value airport lounges, this can be one of the card’s most useful ongoing benefits.
Can a sole proprietor apply for the Amex Business Platinum?
Potentially, yes. Sole proprietors can apply for eligible Amex business cards. When applying, you should provide accurate information about your business and follow American Express’ application requirements.
Does the Amex Business Platinum count toward Amex's five card limit?
The Amex Business Platinum is a hybrid card rather than a traditional credit card, and therefore doesn’t count toward Amex’s five credit card limit.

Bottom line

The Amex Business Platinum Card is a perks-rich card that also has one of the highest annual fees of any business card. This is the ideal time to get this card, given the current welcome offer — that in and of itself is a reason to give this card a try.

If you’re considering applying for this card, I’d do so if you think you’d get value out of the perks. This includes an incredible lounge access benefit, up to $600 in annual hotel credits, up to $200 in airline fee credits, up to $200 in Hilton credits, and much more. I think the math on this card is easy enough to justify nowadays, and I’d say the value proposition is better than in the past. (Enrollment is required for select benefits)

If you want to learn more about the Amex Business Platinum Card, follow this link.

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

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  1. Alert Guest

    $ 895 annual fee and $ 400 authorized user fee , add up to $ 1,300 per year.

    What a deal for a credit card ?

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Alert Guest

$ 895 annual fee and $ 400 authorized user fee , add up to $ 1,300 per year. What a deal for a credit card ?

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