Review: American Express Business Platinum Card

The American Express Business Platinum Card is one of the most expensive business charge cards on the market. Its $695 annual fee can be justified if you can use its plethora of perks. But for many business owners and entrepreneurs, the Business Platinum is nothing more than a business version of the personal Platinum Card. Both versions have nearly identical earning structures and perks. But the Business Platinum Card only has three benefits that cannot be offered on the personal Platinum Card.

Earning

The Business Platinum Card has one the weakest earning structures in the industry! It’s only bonus category is airfare booked through amextravel.com where it earns 5x Membership Rewards (MR) points. Unlike its personal counterpart, the Business Platinum Card does NOT earn 5x points for airfare booked directly with the airline (or otherwise).

Furthermore, the Business Platinum Card earns just one point on non-bonus spend under $5,000. That multiplier is increased to 1.5x on purchases of at least $5,000.

However, the Business Platinum Card has a two-part sign-up bonus worth up to 75,000 MR points. You will receive the first 50,000 points after spending $10,000 and the rest after spending another $10,000. All $20,000 must be spent within the first three months. The minimum spend for this card is way too high for a lot of small businesses and individuals. But medium and larger businesses with more expenses should have no problem hitting this bonus.

Burning

Earning points is fantastic, but points earned are useless if you cannot redeem them for anything of value. Amex has multiple options for redemption:

Transfer Partners

American Express’ transfer partners are this card’s most valuable redemption option. They are the reason why points and miles enthusiasts love the Membership Rewards family of credit cards so much. Amex transfers points at a 1 MR to 1 partner currency ratio unless otherwise noted.

Hotels

• Choice Privileges
• Hilton (1 MR = 2 Hilton Honors Points)
• Marriott

Airlines

• Aer Lingus
• Aeromexico (5 MR = 8 Premier Points)
• Air Canada
• Air Italia Millemiglia
• Asia Miles / Cathay Pacific
• Avianca Lifemiles
• British Airways
• Delta Airlines
• Emirates
• Etihad Guest
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Iberia
• JetBlue (5 MR = 4 TrueBlue Points)
• KLM Flying Blue / Air France
• Nippon Airways
• Qantas
• Singapore Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic

Your mileage may vary for each partner. But for most partners, you should be able to easily redeem your points for at least 1.5 cents per point (CPP).

Other Options

Amextravel.com is Amex’s travel website that can be used to book hotels and flights. If you use their website and use points to pay for your flight, Amex will give you back 35% of the points paid for future use.

Gift cards, merchandise, and statement credits are not recommended. You will earn less than 1 CPP using these options. If cash back or gift cards are what you want, this card is probably not for you.

Similar Cards

Try these other options if the Business Platinum Card is not right for you or your business:

American Express Business Gold Card

The Business Gold Card is a much better earner than its “big sibling”. It earns 4x MR points in two categories of your choice. It also earns 2x points in the other categories and 1x points on all other purchases. This card also has an annual fee of $295 (NOT waived the first year).

Also, American Express is offering a sign-up bonus worth 70,000 MR points for the Business Gold Card. This bonus can be earned after spending $10,000 within the first three months.

This card is a better option if you prefer to earn points instead of benefits. It’s also better for businesses who can’t hit the Platinum Card’s expensive sign-up bonus. However, some businesses might want both cards to have the best of both worlds.

American Express Blue Business Plus

The Blue Business Plus Card is very simple and very generous. It earns 2x MR points on the first $50,000 annually and only one point per dollar thereafter. That means you can earn up to 100,000 MR points per year on the first $50,000 spend on this card.

Unfortunately, the Blue Business Plus Card has no annual fee or public sign-up bonus. It is also a traditional credit card, not a charge card. The Blue Business Plus will earn you more points while the Platinum will give you a plethora of benefits. The strengths of each card make them nice complements to each other.

Final Draw

The American Express Business Platinum Card is a great choice for entrepreneurs and business owners who travel often and want access to perks. This is the card for you if you have hefty expenses, a big, travel budget, and you want some of the best perks in the business. However, most entrepreneurs and business owners should NOT get the Business Platinum Card. It has one of the worst earning structures in the industry and a very expensive sign-up bonus.

Apply Today: American Express Business Platinum Card