How I’m Saving $250 on Flights With This Amex Business Platinum Offer

Your American Express cards have up to 100 Amex Offers that you can enroll in. Many of these are for retail or service purchases, but the most exciting are for airlines.

Over the years, we’ve seen plenty of Amex Offers from Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic, and other major carriers, offering a set discount when you buy airfare. But last month, many travelers with The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express got a pleasant surprise: an Amex Offer that gives $250 off $2,500 in airfare booked through AmexTravel.com.

Even better, this can also be split among multiple airfare purchases, so long as you enroll your card and purchase by June 17, 2025, when the offer expires.

That might sound like a lot to spend on airfare, but I’m using it strategically to book holiday and other end-of-year travel for my wife and me. This includes flights to visit my parents for Thanksgiving and Christmas, flights to a wedding in Spokane, and a portion of a trip to Los Angeles.

Let’s look at what I booked to save $250 on airfare I needed to book anyway.

Amex Offer: Save $250 on All Flights

If you have the Amex Business Platinum card, you’ll want to check your Amex Offers for a $250 statement credit after they spend $2,500 on flights through AmexTravel.com by June 17, 2025. It can be used on a single flight or spread across multiple flights on various carriers, and you can travel any time through the end of the booking calendar.

Amex Offers are often targeted, but everyone on the Upgraded Points team I polled with an Amex Business Platinum card had this offer on his or her account. Many of my friends also had this offer on their Amex Business Platinum cards, so it was likely given to most — if not all — cardholders.

If you haven’t added the offer to your Amex Business Platinum card already, there’s a chance it could be fully claimed. Regardless, it’s worth checking the Amex Offers section on your American Express online account to see if it’s still available to save around 10% on your upcoming flights.

Booking Holiday Travel to Chicago

I already have most of my summer travel plans booked, so at first glance, I didn’t think I could use this Amex Offer. But then I thought: It might only be spring, but the holidays are always just around the corner.

My wife and I travel from our home in New York City to my hometown in the Chicago suburbs every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, my wife can only travel on specific dates because of her job, so we often fly on at least 1 major holiday travel day, like the day before Thanksgiving or the Sunday after Christmas.

In other words, we usually spend a decent amount of money (or points) on these flights. I often pay for our tickets outright because award space is usually nonexistent or extremely expensive. A quick scan of award space on the dates we need to travel this year showed that it would be the case this holiday season, too.

So I turned to AmexTravel.com to prebook my holiday travel to leverage the $250 discount from the Amex Business Platinum card’s Amex Offer. For our Thanksgiving travel, I found 2 tickets on this round-trip Delta Air Lines itinerary from New York (LGA) to Chicago (ORD) for $797.32.

Oddly enough, the same itinerary (albeit with different departure times) costs the same $797.32 for 2 passengers on the dates we need to travel to and from Chicago for Christmas, too.

These 2 round-trip flights total $1,594.64, putting us about $900 away from earning $250 back with the Amex Offer in question.

Booking Flights Home From a Wedding in Spokane

Before the holidays, we’re also attending a September wedding in Spokane, Washington. I’m attending a conference in Portland, Oregon, beforehand and already have tickets from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Portland (PDX) and Portland to Spokane (GEG). Likewise, I booked an award ticket for my wife from New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Spokane via Minneapolis (MSP) with Delta SkyMiles.

I still needed to book us flights from Spokane back to New York (LGA) the Monday after the wedding, ideally avoiding a red-eye. We landed on this itinerary: from Spokane to New York (LGA) via Atlanta (ATL). It wasn’t cheap, at $646.37 for 2 passengers, but the timing works perfectly.

Booking Part of a Vacation in Los Angeles

Finally, we’re planning a trip to Los Angeles next January to visit friends who moved there from New York. I was initially going to wait to book these flights, but given the above flights total $2,240, we should book at least 1 leg through AmexTravel.com with my Amex Business Platinum card to get the $250 statement credit.

These American Airlines flights from New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) cost $466.96 one-way for both of us. This pushes us over the $2,500 threshold to qualify for this Amex Offer and gets yet another flight out of the way.

New Amex Business Platinum Card Welcome Bonus Offer

Don’t have an Amex Business Platinum card? Now could be a good time to apply for one. The card currently has one of its best-ever welcome offers, giving new cardmembers 150,000 bonus points and a unique flight credit after meeting the required spend.

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!

Apply Now(at Amex's secure site)

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

Further, it has various benefits that can save you and your business money every year. For example, you can access a variety of airport lounges (including Amex Centurion Lounges) and receive complimentary elite status with Marriott, Hilton, and rental car companies (enrollment required).

You also get statement credits with Adobe, Dell, Hilton, Indeed, and other merchants where your business may already spend money. You can also take advantage of a $200 airline incidental fee credit with an airline you choose to cover things like checked bag fees and airport lounge passes. Some of the benefits might require enrollment.

Final Thoughts

The Amex Business Platinum card is a powerful business card, and this Amex Offer just made it even more valuable for me this year. I’m using the Amex Offer to prebook travel for trips I need to take at the end of this year and even into early next year. Ultimately, I spent just over $2,500 and qualified for the statement credit, giving me a nice $250 savings.

Consider doing the same if you have this offer on your Amex Business Platinum card. While booking flights 6 or more months in advance might not be something you usually do, saving $250 on future trips can be worthwhile.