Why the Amex Business Platinum Is My Company’s Best Investment

The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express is a premium business charge card with extensive travel and business benefits that can save you money every year.

As a self-employed travel journalist and startup founder who travels at least twice per month, the Amex Business Platinum card pays for itself every year.

Despite the card’s $895 annual fee (rates & fees), it has a slew of included credits and benefits that can more than offset it (some require prior enrollment). If you’re on the fence about opening an Amex Business Platinum card for your company, here are the key benefits my business uses to justify keeping it open.

Amex Business Platinum Card Overview

The Amex Business Platinum card is American Express’s flagship business card, offering premium benefits that can save your business money and enhance your travel experience. As mentioned, these perks can offset and justify the card’s $895 annual fee.

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The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

This card is ideal for business travelers who enjoy luxury travel and are looking for a card loaded with benefits!

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The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express

This card is ideal for business travelers who enjoy luxury travel and are looking for a card loaded with benefits!

Welcome Offer

Earn 150,000 200,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.

150,000 200,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $4,400

Annual Fee

$895

APR

17.74% - 28.49% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express is a premium travel rewards card tailored toward business owners who are frequent travelers with a high number of annual expenses.

When you factor in the large number of perks that the card offers like the best airport lounge access at over 1,550 lounges, along with tons of annual credits, it’s easy to see why this card is a top option for frequent traveling business owners.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Earn 5x Membership Rewards points per $1 on eligible travel purchases like flights, prepaid hotels, and prepaid short-term rentals booked through AmexTravel.com
• Access to over 1,550 worldwide airport lounges as part of the American Express Global Lounge Collection
• Earn 2x Membership Rewards points on eligible purchases in key business categories, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more (on up to $2 million per calendar year)

Cons

• High annual fee of $895 (rates & fees)
• Airline fee credit does not cover airfare, only incidentals like checked bags

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Card Highlights

• Elevated Welcome Offer: Earn 200,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Business Platinum Card^® within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
• The American Express Global Lounge Collection^® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,550 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card company on the market as of 07/2025.
• See how you can unlock over $3,500 in business and travel value annually after meeting qualifying spend thresholds on the Business Platinum Card. Terms apply.
• Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually for up to a total of $600 in statement credits per calendar year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts^® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using the Business Platinum Card^®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• No Preset Spending Limit: The spending limit on the Business Platinum Card is flexible, so unlike a traditional credit card with a set limit, the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment and credit history.
• Make the Business Platinum Card^® work even harder for you. Hilton For Business members get up to $200 back per calendar year when you make an eligible purchase at Hilton properties across the globe. Benefit enrollment required.
• Fly like a pro with a $200 Airline Fee Credit. Select one qualifying airline to receive up to $200 back per year on baggage fees and other incidentals.
• Use the Business Platinum Card and get up to $209 back per calendar year on your CLEAR^® Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal).
• Maximize your time away with Fine Hotels + Resorts through Amex Travel™.
• Enroll and get up to $150 in statement credits on U.S purchases directly with Dell Technologies on the Business Platinum Card and an additional $1,000 statement credit after you spend $5,000 or more on that same Card per calendar year.
• Enroll and get a $250 statement credit after you spend $600 or more on U.S. purchases directly with Adobe per calendar year on the Business Platinum Card.
• Get up to $90 in statement credits quarterly for purchases with Indeed on the Business Platinum Card. That’s up to $360 back per year. Enrollment required.
• Get up to $10 in statement credits per month for wireless telephone service purchases made directly with a wireless provider in the U.S. on the Business Platinum Card. That’s up to $120 back per year. Enrollment required.
• 2X points on purchases at U.S. construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more, up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus.
• 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com
• 1X points on other eligible purchases
• $895 Annual Fee.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 17.74% - 28.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

The card also offers one of the largest welcome offers on the market, worth up to $4,400, depending on the bonus offer you’re targeted for and how you redeem American Express Membership Rewards points.

How Much I’ve Actually Saved With the Amex Business Platinum Card

I can confidently say that I get more than 3 times in value compared to the Amex Business Platinum card’s $895 annual fee:

• Airline incidental fee credit: $200 per year
• Hilton Hotels credit: $200 per year
• Prepaid hotel credit: $600 per year
• 35% Pay with Points rebate: $1,210 per year
• Dell statement credit: $150 per year
• Adobe statement credit: $250 per year
• Cell phone bill credit: $120 per year
• Total: $2,730

After subtracting the annual fee, my business sees $1,835 in value from the credits and the 35% Pay With Points benefit alone. That’s before factoring in access to more than 1,500 airport lounges and elite status benefits.

Amex Business Platinum Card’s Hard-to-Measure Perks

While lounge visits are difficult to price exactly, I estimate they save me at least $25 to $50 each time I travel.

The American Express Global Lounge Collection comprises the following airport lounge networks, which typically offers open bars, buffets, and comfortable seating areas:

• American Express Centurion Lounges
• Escape Lounges
• Delta Sky Club (10 visits per Medallion year, unlimited with at least $75,000 in annual spending, same-day Delta boarding pass required)
• Plaza Premium Lounges
• Priority Pass Select (enrollment required)
• Lufthansa Lounges (certain locations when flying Lufthansa Group airlines)

In addition, the Amex Business Platinum card includes elite status with Hilton Honors Gold Elite, Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite, and Leading Hotels of The World Leader’s Club Sterling status (enrollment required). Benefits include bonus points, space-available room upgrades, and late checkout.

Amex Business Platinum cardholders also get Hertz Gold Rewards President’s Circle, National Emerald Club Executive, and Avis Preferred Plus elite statuses. While rental car status isn’t always consistent, it can lead to a better car, bonus points, and dedicated elite customer service if problems arise.

$1,000+ per Year in Travel Statement Credits

The Amex Business Platinum card offers a broad range of statement credits, but the travel credits are the easiest to use and most rewarding for cardholders who travel a few times per year.

$200 Airline Incidental Fee Credit

The first credit to mention is the annual up to $200 airline incidental fee credit. Every year, you can select a single eligible U.S. airline and use the credit to cover fees and extras charged directly by the airline. This includes (but is not limited to) seat assignment fees, airport lounge passes, and checked luggage.

If you fly the same airline once or more per year, this rebate can be an effective $200 back on your Amex Business Platinum card’s annual fee. I tend to use the full $200 airline credit every year with United or Delta, alternating between the 2 carriers.

$200 in Annual Hilton Hotels Statement Credits

Amex Business Platinum cardholders are also eligible for up to $200 per year in Hilton statement credits, issued in up-to-$50-per-quarter increments.

The easiest way to use this is to charge a Hilton hotel stay to your card, but anything charged directly by a Hilton property should qualify for the credit. This benefit launched last year, and I have used it every quarter since. As such, I expect to get the full $200 in value from the Hilton credit this year.

$600 per Year in Prepaid Hotel Credits

The most powerful travel statement credit, however, is the prepaid hotel credit of up to $600 per year. The benefit provides up to $300 in prepaid hotel credits from January through June and another up to $300 from July through December.

This benefit was added as part of the Amex Business Platinum card’s 2025 refresh, but I’ve already used my first credit for a stay at the St. Regis Bangkok during an overnight layover in the city.

You can apply this credit to bookings with American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts (FHR) and The Hotel Collection, which offer extensive benefits in their own right (2-night minimum stay for The Hotel Collection). FHR stays, for example, include complimentary breakfast, on-site property credits, room upgrades, and late checkout.

35% Pay With Points Rebate for Your Airline of Choice

A unique feature of the Amex Business Platinum card is its 35% Pay With Points rebate for select flights booked through AmexTravel.com.

You can pick 1 U.S. airline — the same airline as your airline incidental fee credit — to use this benefit each year. In short, this benefit gives you 35% of the Membership Rewards points you use to book a ticket back after booking (up to 1 million points back per year).

Here’s how the math works. You can redeem Membership Rewards points at a rate of 1 cent per point through AmexTravel.com, meaning a $100 flight costs 10,000 Membership Rewards points. If you choose Delta Air Lines as your preferred airline for the 35% rebate and redeem 10,000 points, you’d get 3,500 points back after booking.

Ultimately, this redemption breaks down to roughly 1.53 cents per Membership Rewards point. While this is below our valuation of 2.2 cents per point — often achieved by leveraging American Express transfer partners — the 35% rebate’s flexibility makes it useful for business owners. You can book any flight you’d like on your preferred carrier, and you do not have to worry about finding award space.

Plus, you and your employees earn miles and elite status on tickets booked through AmexTravel.com. Depending on how many points you earn every year, this feature could save your company thousands of dollars a year on corporate travel.

In 2025, my business got 55,000 Membership Rewards points refunded with the Pay with Points rebate, worth $1,210 based on our current valuation.

Up to $150 Dell Technologies Credit

Though the Amex Business Platinum card’s Dell credits aren’t as powerful as in years past, the credit can still help you upgrade your tech. After enrolling in the benefit online, you receive up to $150 in statement credits when you make a purchase at Dell.com.

You can stretch the value of this benefit even further if your company regularly spends with Dell. You can get another $1,000 statement credit after you spend $5,000 on Dell.com purchases in a single calendar year. That’s an effective 20% back on your Dell spending, so long as you charge your purchases to your Amex Business Platinum card.

Up to $120 per Year Wireless Credit

Another practical benefit that can easily cover part of your annual fee is the up to $10 monthly U.S. cell phone bill credit and included phone insurance.

Just charge your phone bill to your Amex Business Platinum card and get $10 back. Your phone is also covered by the Amex Business Platinum card’s cell phone protection, up to $800 for loss or damage, with up to 2 claims per 12-month period. Note that there is a $50 deductible per claim.

This benefit saved my business $120 last year, thanks to the monthly rebate on my business phone bill. I haven’t yet filed a cell phone insurance claim with the Amex Business Platinum card, but it’s reassuring to have the peace of mind that it’s there if I ever lose or damage my phone.

Final Thoughts

The Amex Business Platinum card is arguably the most premium business rewards card on the market, and if you’re able to maximize its benefits, it can be more than worth its high annual fee.

Do the math and see if it makes sense for your business to apply. If you’re already paying a business cell phone bill, an Adobe Creative Suite subscription, buying new tech from Dell, and traveling at least a handful of times per year, chances are, the card pays for itself.