The Amex Business Platinum Card: Full Review [2026]

Great Card If

• You travel often enough to take advantage of the card’s many travel benefits.
• You want a card with luxury perks, such as hotel elite status and airport lounge access.
• You want a card with purchase protection.
• You want a card that earns transferable rewards.

Don’t Get If

• You won’t get value that exceeds the annual fee.
• You prefer a cash-back card.
• You don’t travel often.

Amex Business Platinum Card: Is It Worth It?

The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express is designed for small business owners who travel frequently and can take advantage of its luxury travel perks.

Though there is a steep annual fee, the card has perks including airport lounge access, hotel elite status, an airline incidental credit of up to $200 (upon enrollment), an annual hotel credit of up to $600, a 35% rebate with Amex Pay With Points on flights booked on your chosen airline through AmexTravel.com (up to 1 million points per calendar year), and 5x points on eligible travel purchases like flights, prepaid hotels, and prepaid, short-term rentals booked through AmexTravel.com.

If you frequently travel for business, you’d be hard-pressed to find a business card with better travel-related perks than this one.

The Amex Business Platinum card is a must-have for many of the Upgraded Points team members, including Senior Finance Contributor Christine Krzyszton:

“The Amex Business Platinum card is my go-to card for international airfare. I like getting the 35% rebate when I use Membership Rewards points to purchase select flights via AmexTravel.com. I can even use a combination of points and charge the remainder to my card. Plus, I earn 5x points for the entire transaction. I pay $10 on my wireless account, receive a statement credit each month, and always make qualifying purchases with Dell for that statement credit (enrollment required). Best of all, I enjoy a nice break in a Centurion Lounge during my travels.”

Christine Krzyszton, senior finance contributor

What Are the Benefits of the Amex Business Platinum Card?

Annual Credits

• Up to $1,150 in annual Dell shopping statement credit
• Up to $600 in prepaid hotel credit, with up to $300 between January and June and $300 between July and December, on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings through AmexTravel.com (The Hotel Collection has a 2-night minimum)
• Up to $360 in annual Indeed credit
• $250 in annual Adobe credit after qualifying purchases
• Up to $209 in CLEAR^® Plus credit 
• Up to $200 in airline incidental fee credit (good toward expenses such as baggage and seat selection fees)
• Up to $200 in annual Hilton credit
• Up to $120 in annual wireless phone service credit
• Up to $85 in TSA PreCheck fee credit every 4 1/2 years or up to a $120 Global Entry fee credit every 4 years

Some credits require enrollment, so check your American Express account to make the most of your card.

Up to $3,600 in Credits Unlocked With Annual Spending

Cardholders who spend at least $250,000 on their Amex Business Platinum card in a calendar year can unlock additional statement credits with serious value:

• $1,200 Amex Travel credit for flights booked online directly through AmexTravel.com
• Up to $2,400 in statement credits toward American Express One AP monthly fees when you use your Amex Business Platinum card to pay suppliers

We don’t recommend going out of your way to spend $250,000 on the Amex Business Platinum card to receive these additional credits. Still, receiving an additional $3,600 in statement credits offers excellent value if your business would reach this level of spending anyway.

Lounge Access

Access to an airport lounge can do wonders on a busy travel day. Whether you want a quiet workspace, complimentary food and drinks, or even premium amenities like a shower room, you can access airport lounges worldwide with this card.

The American Express Global Lounge Collection features over 1,550 airport lounges across 140 countries worldwide and counting, including Amex Centurion Lounges in the U.S. and abroad, Escape Lounges – The Centurion Studio Partner, Plaza Premium Lounges, some Virgin Clubhouses, some Lufthansa Lounges when flying with Lufthansa Group the same day, and 10 visits a year to Delta Sky Clubs when flying with Delta the same day. You can unlock complimentary guest access and unlimited Delta Sky Club visits by spending $75,000 on eligible purchases in a year.

You also get a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership upon enrollment.

Access to these lounges could cost hundreds of dollars if purchased separately, so this is a valuable benefit for frequent business travelers.

Hotel Elite Status

Hotel elite status can make business trips or even leisure vacations much more comfortable. Amex Business Platinum cardholders receive elite status at 2 major hotel chains:

• Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status: Receive a 25% points bonus on your stays, room upgrades (subject to availability), 2 p.m. late checkout, and a welcome gift of 250 to 500 Marriott Bonvoy points.
• Hilton Honors Gold status: Get 2 bottles of water per stay, late checkout, and a daily food and beverage credit.
• Leaders Club Sterling status: Receive 5% bonus points on stays, 5 prearrival upgrades annually, upgrade priority at arrival, daily continental breakfast for 2, Sixt rental car Platinum status, early check-in, and late checkout.

You must enroll in this benefit through your American Express account.

Rental Car Elite Status

With the card, you get automatic elite status and special privileges with Avis, Hertz, and National upon enrollment.

• Avis Preferred Plus: You get a 1-class upgrade when available, special savings, and a free weekend rental certificate when you rent twice in 6 months.
• Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle: You get a complimentary upgrade when renting an intermediate through full-size car (if available).
• National Emerald Club Executive: You receive guaranteed vehicle upgrades and can choose your car from the Executive Aisle when picking up your rental.

Travel Protections

• Trip delay insurance: When you purchase a round-trip ticket with your card and the flight is delayed by more than 6 hours, you’re covered for up to $500 in reasonable expenses, such as meals, lodging, and personal items.
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance: Flights purchased with your card that are canceled or interrupted for a covered reason, like inclement weather or accidental injury, are protected up to $10,000 per trip and $20,000 per year.
• Rental car insurance: Your card’s secondary rental car insurance covers up to $75,000 toward accidental damage or theft of the vehicle. With secondary coverage, you must file a claim with any other insurance you may have first.
• Baggage insurance: If your baggage is lost, damaged, or stolen, you’re covered for up to $2,000 for checked baggage and a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on baggage.

Consumer Protections

• Cell phone insurance: Receive up to $1,600 in cell phone protection (2 claims per year for up to $800 for each claim) against theft and damage, including cosmetic damage (like a cracked phone screen). Each claim has a $50 deductible.
• Purchase protection: When you purchase an item with your card, that purchase is covered for up to 90 days from the purchase date, up to $10,000 per item and $50,000 per year, in the event of theft, loss, or damage.
• Return protection: If you try to return an item within 90 days of purchase and the merchant won’t accept it, you can be refunded by Amex for up to $300 per item and up to $1,000 per year.
• Extended warranty coverage: Any items purchased with your card that have a manufacturer’s warranty of 5 years or less can be extended up to 1 additional year.

How Much Is the Amex Business Platinum Card Annual Fee?

The annual fee is $895. Consider whether the rewards and benefits you’d use will offer more value than that.

With transferable Membership Rewards, extensive annual credits, and benefits such as airport lounge access, hotel elite status, the 35% Pay With Points rebate, a complimentary CLEAR membership, it’s possible to get thousands of dollars in value from the card.

How To Earn and Redeem Your Amex Points

The Amex Business Platinum card earns 5 points per $1 on eligible AmexTravel.com purchases, including flights, prepaid hotels, and prepaid short-term rentals, and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases, but there are other ways to earn Membership Rewards points, including Amex Offers, referrals, and shopping with Rakuten.

You can redeem your Membership Rewards points for statement credits, on AmexTravel.com, at checkout with partners such as Amazon.com, or for gift cards. However, these redemptions don’t offer as much value as transferring your points to Amex transfer partners for travel redemptions. You can book luxury travel without paying costly cash fares.

Differences Between the Platinum Card^® from American Express and the Amex Business Platinum Card

While their names are similar, there are many differences between the Amex Platinum card and the Amex Business Platinum card. They are two of the best cards for airport lounge access and have extensive travel benefits, but they offer different benefits, annual credits, and other features. For example, the Amex Business Platinum card has business-focused credits, including Dell.com and Indeed, while the Amex Platinum card has lifestyle credits, such as Resy, Saks Fifth Avenue, and lululemon. Enrollment might be required for some of these benefits.

Hot Tip:

For an in-depth comparison, check out our head-to-head matchup: Amex Business Platinum card versus Amex Platinum card.

Alternatives to the Amex Business Platinum Card

Sapphire Reserve for Business℠

Business owners who travel frequently and want a premium credit card should consider the Chase Sapphire Reserve Business card.

With it, you earn 8x points on Chase Travel purchases, 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly, and 3x points on advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines.

It has a large annual fee but is loaded with great credits and perks, including a $300 annual travel credit, $500 annual credit for The Edit by Chase Travel, $400 annual ZipRecruiter credit, $200 annual Google Workspace credit, access to Chase Sapphire lounges and Priority Pass lounges, and complimentary IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status.

Capital One Venture X Business Card

If you like the idea of using a premium business credit card but want a lower annual fee, the Capital One Venture X Business card is one to consider.

It earns 10x miles on hotels and rental cars purchased through Capital One Business Travel, 5x miles on flights and vacation rentals purchased through Capital One Business Travel, and an uncapped 2x miles on all other purchases.

Plus, it offers a $300 annual travel credit on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel, 10,000 bonus miles on your account anniversary each year, and complimentary access to Capital One lounges and Priority Pass lounges, all for a much lower annual fee than competitor cards.

---

We’ve compared the card to other popular alternatives:

• Amex Business Platinum card versus American Express^® Business Gold Card
• Amex Business Platinum card versus Capital One Venture X Business Card
• Amex Business Platinum card versus Chase Sapphire Reserve^®
• Amex Business Platinum card versus Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card

---

UP’s Card Review Methodology

Every card we review is assigned a "U.P. Rating" – our star-based system that encompasses all the key details to showcase a card’s standout features, where it falls short, and how it stacks up for travelers to maximize rewards.

These ratings range from 0 to 5 stars and are determined by carefully weighing crucial factors like:

• Bonus categories
• Benefits and perks
• Quality of associated loyalty programs
• Annual fees and other costs
• Size of the welcome bonus (and relative to the annual fee)
• And several more

You can learn more about how Upgraded Points reviews and rates credit cards.