Maximize Your First Year: 5 Amex Business Platinum Benefits You Can’t Miss

The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express is one of the most valuable premium business cards on the market thanks to its powerful combination of travel perks, generous rewards, and high-value statement credits (some may require enrollment).

Not only that, but the Amex Business Platinum card offers a compelling welcome offer, making it an obvious choice if you’re looking for a perks-rich card that earns among the best travel rewards.

• LIMITED TIME TRAVEL OFFER: Earn 150,000 points after spending $20,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Plus, earn a $500 statement credit after spending $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel in the first 3 months. Offer ends 6/30/25.

Even if you don’t take advantage of every single benefit the card offers, the Amex Business Platinum card’s impressive welcome offer is worth thousands in travel rewards, and the card comes with tons of benefits you can start enjoying right after you open the envelope.

Here are the 5 key benefits you should take advantage of during your first year as a cardmember.

LIMITED TIME TRAVEL OFFER

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

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 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Business Platinum Card^® within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, earn a $500 statement credit after you spend $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel with your Business Platinum Card^® within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You can earn one or both of these offers. Offer ends 6/30/25.

150,000 points + $500 statement credit

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $3,800

Annual Fee

$695

APR

18.49% - 27.49% 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 cardapplication.

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 1,400 lounges, along with tons of annual credits, it’s easy to see why this card can is a top option for frequent traveling business owners.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x Membership Rewards points per $1 on flights, prepaid hotels, and short-term rentals and prepaid flight and hotel packages booked through Amex Travel
• Access to over 1,400 worldwide airport lounges as part of the American Express Global Lounge Collection (as of 10/2024).
• Get 50% more Membership Rewards points (1.5 points per $1) 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 $695 (rates & fees)
• Airline fee credit does not cover airfare, only incidentals like checked bags

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Card Highlights

• Limited Time Travel Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Business Platinum Card^® within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, earn a $500 statement credit after you spend $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel with your Business Platinum Card^® within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You can earn one or both of these offers. Offer ends 6/30/25.
• The American Express Global Lounge Collection^® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market as of 10/2024.
• Unlock over $1,000 in statement credits on select purchases, including tech, recruiting and wireless in the first year of membership with the Business Platinum Card^®. 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.
• NEW! 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.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards^® points for flights, prepaid hotels, and short-term rentals and prepaid flight + hotel packages booked at AmexTravel.com. 1X points on other eligible purchases.
• Earn 1.5X points (that’s an extra half point per dollar) on each eligible purchase at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more, on up to $2 million per Card Account per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus.
• $199 CLEAR^® Plus Credit: Use your card and get up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year on your CLEAR^® Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use the Business Platinum Card^®.
• $695 Annual Fee.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 18.49% - 27.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

1. Earn 5x Points on Flights and Prepaid Hotels Via Amex Travel

The Amex Business Platinum card may not be my go-to card for everyday purchases, but when I’m booking a flight, it’s the first card I pull out to pay for my airfare.

I earn 5 Membership Rewards points per $1 I spend on flights and prepaid hotels through AmexTravel.com. I can rack up tons of points this way when paying for my family’s and my flights with the Amex Platinum Business card.

Although I usually don’t use AmexTravel.com for hotel bookings, I make an exception for nonchain or luxury hotels that aren’t part of a loyalty program, like the Four Seasons. In those cases, I normally go through AmexTravel.com to take advantage of the extra benefits of booking a hotel through Amex’s Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection, which comes with a slew of benefits for cardmembers, such as:

• $100 experience credit (varies by location)
• 12 p.m. early check-in, when available
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Complimentary breakfast for 2
• Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout
• Room upgrade, when available

During your first cardmember year, you should aim to do the same by using your Amex Business Platinum card for all your airfare and any prepaid hotels booked through AmexTravel.com that suit your needs.

2. Score a 35% Pay With Points Rebate on Flights

The Amex Platinum Business card provides a unique perk known as the 35% Pay With Points rebate, which increases the value of Membership Rewards points when you book tickets through AmexTravel.com.

The way it works is simple. You receive 35% points back, up to 1 million points per calendar year, as a rebate when you use your points to pay for eligible flights through AmexTravel.com with your Amex Platinum Business card. Best of all, when you make bookings this way, they count as revenue tickets with the airline, meaning you also earn elite miles and redeemable miles with the airline.

For instance, this Delta first class ticket from Phoenix (PHX) to Los Angeles (LAX) would cost you 12,349 Amex points before the 35% rebate. Once the 35% rebate is applied to your account, your net cost would be only 8,026 points.

The catch is that you must book either a first- or business-class ticket with any airline or an economy-class ticket with an airline you’ve already chosen as your preferred carrier.

I love the 35% rebate on flights that comes with the Amex Business Platinum card. When I’m not transferring Amex points to its airline and hotel partners for outsized value, I use them to book an economy seat with my selected airline or a premium seat with any airline I choose through AmexTravel.com and get 35% of my points back!

Best of all, this perk is exclusive to Amex Business Platinum cardmembers — The Platinum Card^® from American Express doesn’t offer it.

3. Access Hundreds of Airport Lounges

No card is likely more renowned for providing lounge access worldwide than the Amex Business Platinum card. Here’s a look at what that lounge access includes:

• The Centurion Lounge Network
• 10 visits to Delta Sky Clubs (when flying on a same-day Delta ticket) with the ability to unlock unlimited visits by spending $75,000 on eligible purchases in a year
• Escape Lounges – The Centurion Studio Partner and Escape Lounges
• Lufthansa Lounges when flying with Lufthansa Group the same day
• Plaza Premium Lounges
• Priority Pass Select (upon enrollment)

While some cards may grant access to just 1 lounge network or ask for extra fees for guests, Amex’s brings together the luxury of the Centurion Lounges with the wide-ranging benefits of Priority Pass Select, along with access to Delta Sky Club.

You don’t need to enroll to access Centurion Lounges and most of the other mentioned lounge networks, but you do need to enroll for Priority Pass, the world’s largest lounge network with over 1,400 airport lounges worldwide.

This multiple-network approach makes the Amex Business Platinum card one of the best cards for lounge access, and enrolling in Priority Pass and using lounges during a layover or connection should be one of the first things you do as a cardmember.

4. Take Advantage of Annual Statement Credits

The Amex Business Platinum card offers a boatload of statement credits and a range of annual reimbursements for certain travel, business, and lifestyle expenses, which can greatly help reduce the card’s hefty $695 annual fee (rates & fees). Maximizing these credits — especially in your first year — is critical for realizing the card’s true value.

Take a closer look at these credits — you’ll likely find that you don’t have to use every single credit, and that’s OK. Even with just a few statement credits, it’s pretty easy to maximize the ongoing value of the Amex Business Platinum card. Keep in mind that some of these benefits may require enrollment:

• Airline incidental fee credit: Up to $200 annually
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: Up to $120 statement credit for Global Entry every 4 years or up to $85 for TSA PreCheck application fees every 4.5 years
• CLEAR Plus membership credit: Up to $199 annually
• Dell statement credit: Up to $400 annually
• Hilton statement credit: Up to $200 annually
• Indeed statement credit: Up to $360 annually
• Adobe statement credit: Up to $150 annually
• Wireless phone service statement credit: Up to $120 annually

Many of the aforementioned statement credits are issued quarterly or annually and do not carry over unless used. This means that every $1 you don’t claim in the first year is $1 lost because benefits are reset annually.

By maximizing your credits in the first year, you can boost the overall value of the benefits and transform a premium card into a cost-effective tool for your business and travel needs.

5. Enroll in Hotel Elite Status

Upon enrollment, Amex Business Platinum cardmembers are entitled to complimentary Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status with their card membership. These complimentary, midtier elite statuses give cardholders nice benefits like complimentary space-available upgrades, late checkout, and bonus point earning.

When you receive your card, make enrolling in this benefit one of your top priorities. This way, for the rest of your cardmember year, you can enjoy elite status with Marriott and Hilton whenever you travel and stay at one of those widely available hotel chains.

Final Thoughts

The Amex Business Platinum card shines with its cardmember perks, providing an impressive array of travel, lifestyle, and business benefits surpassing any other card. It features high earning rates on flights and hotels, along with worldwide lounge access and hotel elite status with major programs.

In addition, it offers an impressive welcome bonus offer:

• LIMITED TIME TRAVEL OFFER: Earn 150,000 points after spending $20,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Plus, earn a $500 statement credit after spending $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel in the first 3 months. Offer ends 6/30/25.

Considering everything, these 5 benefits should definitely be high on your priority list if you’re eager to start enjoying the perks as soon as you open the Amex envelope and uncover the amazing features of the Amex Business Platinum card.