The Business Platinum Card from American Express Offer
This article was last updated Oct 09, 2019. Terms and conditions may have changed. For the most accurate information, please consult the issuer website.
If you’re a small business owner seeking a premium travel card with a lucrative welcome offer, The Business Platinum® Card from American Express is worth a serious look. The card currently offers 50,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 and an extra 50,000 points after you spend an additional $15,000 all on qualifying purchases within your first 3 months of Card Membership. For ongoing rewards, cardholders can earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com and 1.5 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more.
The annual fee is $595, but for serious travelers, this card offers enough value to make that fee worth it.
We’ll take a look at The Business Platinum® Card from American Express’s current welcome offer, including how to get the most value when redeeming points, whether you can qualify for the welcome offer, and ways to earn bonus points.
In this article:
- Are you eligible for The Business Platinum® Card from American Express welcome offer?
- Best ways to redeem welcome offer points
- Transferring points
- Other ways to earn rewards
- The bottom line
Are you eligible for The Business Platinum® Card from American Express welcome offer?
There’s a limit of one offer per card account, and you can’t combine this welcome offer with any other special offer. You’ll also need an excellent/good credit score to have a chance at being approved. If you get this card and pay late or miss a payment prior to receiving the welcome offer, it will not be awarded. And if American Express determines after you receive the bonus that you’ve engaged in bad behavior, it can freeze or take away your rewards points.
Of course, you also have to meet the spending requirement within the specified time frame. (One way to help you meet the spending requirement is to add an authorized user to your card as their purchases also count.)
Best ways to redeem welcome offer points
If you meet the spending required to earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points within the required time frame, and you redeem the points at their highest value, that’s an exceptional value of $1,000. Let’s take a look at some of the different ways you can redeem points and what they’re worth:
Book flights. If you book a flight through American Express Travel, each point is $0.01.
Upgrade flights. If your flight itinerary is eligible to upgrade using Membership Rewards points, each point is worth $0.01.
Book hotels and resorts. Again, you must book your stay through American Express Travel to redeem your points. When you do, each point is worth $0.01.
Redeem for gift cards. Depending on the merchant, your points will be worth anywhere from $0.005 each to $0.01 each.
Pay with points at checkout. In most cases, each point will be worth $0.007 (for instance, when using your points for Amazon shopping). In some instances, they could be worth as little as $0.005 or as much as $0.01.
Cover your card charges. You can get a credit toward an eligible charge on your card, but points are only worth $0.006 each when redeemed this way.
Shop at merchant partners. Points are worth $0.005 each when you redeem this way. There are better options — half a cent is not a competitive redemption rate.
Transferring points
Membership Rewards points can be transferred to a number of airline loyalty programs, most at a 1:1 rate. Loyalty programs you can transfer to include:
- Aer Lingus
- AeroMexico
- Aeroplan
- AIR FRANCE KLM
- Alitalia
- ANA Mileage Club
- Asia Miles
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Delta Air Lines
- El Al Matmid Club
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- HawaiianMiles
- Iberia
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Here are the hotel programs you can transfer points to:
- Choice Privileges
- Hilton Honors
- Marriott Bonvoy
Other ways to earn rewards
This card earns 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com and 1.5 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more.
You can also book your flight with American Express Travel using Membership Rewards Pay with Points and get 35% of those points back.
What counts as an eligible travel purchase
The following purchases made on amextravel.com are eligible for the 5X rewards rate:
- Scheduled flights
- Prepaid hotel purchases (including hotels and flight + hotel packages)
What doesn’t count as an eligible travel purchase
These travel-related purchases won’t get the 5X rewards rate:
- Non-prepaid hotel bookings
- Car rentals
- Cruises
- Hotel group reservations or events
The bottom line
This is a premium travel card with a hefty annual fee of $595. However, the welcome offer is a generous one — 50,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 and an extra 50,000 points after you spend an additional $15,000 all on qualifying purchases within your first 3 months of Card Membership. If you redeem all those bonus points at their highest value, the offer is worth $1,000.
The card also comes with great travel perks, such as an up to $200 airline fee credit each year, a credit every 4 or 4.5 years for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck respectively, and access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection (with more than 1,200 airport lounges across 130 countries). Plus, you’ll get Hilton Honors Gold status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.
If you’re looking for a welcome offer with excellent value, as well as a card that can make your business trips easier, The Business Platinum® Card from American Express is an excellent choice.
And if you’re not a business owner but still like what this card offers, check out the consumer card version — The Platinum Card® from American Express.
