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Amex Business Platinum Review: Luxury Benefits at a Cost

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express review
KEY TAKEAWAYS
  • The Business Platinum Card® from American Express offers a chance to earn 5x points on travel and rack up points on everyday business spending too.
  • What we think: The Business Platinum card’s $695 annual fee is difficult to stomach but its luxury benefits (like airport lounge access and a ton of statement credits) may make it worth it for the right business traveler.
  • Card members can benefit from more than $1,000 in statement credits every year.
  • This card does come with an annual fee of $695 (see rates and fees).
  • You can carry a balance for some charges with Amex’s Pay Over Time feature, but not for all.
SUMMARY

At first glance, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express comes with a high admission price — its annual fee is almost $700. However, when you dig into the benefits, you find out that it also comes with more than $1,000 in statement credits annually and ample opportunity for earning valuable points. That’s especially true if you book travel for yourself or your employees regularly.

Find out more about this card to decide if it’s right for you in our Amex Business Platinum card review.

We’ll take a look at:

  • How you can maximize rewards with this card
  • What types of statement credits you can get
  • Whether this is a charge card or credit card
  • How to apply for the Amex Business Platinum card
PROS & CONS

Pros

  • Excellent welcome offer
  • Easy to earn points
  • Great travel benefits

Cons

  • No intro APR offer
  • Hefty $695 annual fee
  • High spending requirement for welcome offer
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
LEARN MORE
Key Information
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels through American Express Travel, and 1X-1.5X points on other eligible purchases (see card details for more info). This card has a $695 annual fee.

Is the Amex Business Platinum card worth it?

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express may be worth it for business owners who travel frequently and can take advantage of its premium travel benefits, such as Amex lounge access worldwide. It also comes with high point earnings on select purchases, which makes it a great option for businesses that spend on more than just travel.

However, this American Express card does come with a substantial annual fee of $695. This makes it less appealing for small businesses that don’t usually spend much on travel. In these cases, you may prefer another business credit card better suited to your organization.

Amex Business Platinum pros and cons

Pros
  • A generous welcome offer
  • 5x points on prepaid flights and hotels booked through American Express Travel
  • Comprehensive travel benefits including access to Amex lounges worldwide
  • Up to $1,400 in credits, including for airline fees, Dell purchases and more
Cons
  • A high annual fee of $695
  • A more complex rewards system that requires careful management and an understanding of your options
  • Requires good to excellent credit

Learn more about the Amex Business Platinum card

Terms apply / Rates & fees

Amex Business Platinum card rewards

As the flagship business rewards card, the Amex Business Platinum offers an excellent rewards structure, especially if you book regular travel for yourself or your staff. 

Welcome offer

You can earn 150,000 Membership Rewards Points when you spend $20,000 in the first three months of holding this card. 

The value of rewards points depends on how and when you redeem them, but the average is around 1 cent per point. That means this welcome offer has a potential value of around $1,500.

Earn Amex Business Platinum rewards

You can earn valuable rewards points outside of the welcome offer too, including:

Redeem Amex Business Platinum reward points

You can redeem Amex Platinum Business card rewards in a variety of ways, providing flexibility on how you use these perks. 

Some options include:

Amex Business Platinum card benefits

In addition to a pretty strong rewards structure, the American Express Business Platinum card offers some great benefits for business card members

Travel benefits

Amex is known for its travel cards, and the Amex Business Platinum is no exception.

Some travel benefits you can get with this card include:

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/​benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

Statement credits

The Amex Business Platinum card comes with a bevy of statement perks every year to help your business save money. 

Options include:

Shopping protections

Using your Amex Business Platinum to make purchases for your company ensures you’re backed by numerous shopping protections.

These protections include:

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/​benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

Amex Business Platinum card fees, rates & limit

So far, the Amex Business Platinum is stacking up to sound like a great option. But you need to understand the fee structure to know if all those rewards and statement credit opportunities actually end up profiting your business. 

Business Platinum Card from American Express fees

With Amex, huge perks and rewards usually come at a price, and that’s true with this card. The annual fee is $695. However, you can add up to 99 employee cards at no additional fee, and spending on those cards also earns rewards (see rates and fees).

Other fees you may pay with this credit card include:

You won’t pay foreign transaction fees if you make purchases outside of the United States.

Business Platinum Card from American Express interest rates

With this card, Amex offers a Pay Over Time feature that lets you carry a balance over time at an APR of 19.49% to 28.49% variable, depending on your creditworthiness. This feature is only available on certain purchases and is limited by a Pay Over Time Limit, which works similarly to a credit limit. 

If you make late payments, you may be assessed a penalty APR of 29.99% variable for 12 billing cycles. The penalty APR applies if you make two or more late payments within 12 months, you have a returned payment or you fail to make a minimum payment at all within an entire statement cycle. 

Business Platinum Card from American Express credit limit

This card doesn’t come with a preset spending limit. The amount you can spend at any one time depends on your credit history and your management of American Express credit card accounts, including this one. As you demonstrate responsible account management, you can typically increase your credit limit

Note that the Pay Over Time benefit does come with a limit. This limit might also change as you demonstrate a responsible payment history. You can call Amex to discuss your limits and how much you would like to be able to spend.

How the Amex Business Platinum card compares

While it’s one of the most costly when it comes to an annual fee, the Amex Business Platinum is among the top business rewards cards on the market. It offers plenty of statement credits, rewards opportunities and card member perks, and you may find that you get more benefits from this card than others.

The Business Platinum Card from American Express vs. American Express® Business Gold Card

For businesses that can’t maximize Platinum card perks, an American Express Business Gold Card might be a better option. The annual fee for this card is only $375 (see rates and fees), and you earn 4x points on two spending categories you select, 3x points on flights and hotels booked through American Express Travel and 1x points on other purchases. You can also get a welcome offer of 70,000 bonus points when you spend $10,000 in the first three months.

It’s worth noting that you can only earn 4x points in your selected categories on a total of $150,000 in spending annually. After that, spending in those categories earns 1x points. 

While the Business Gold card doesn’t offer quite the same level of perks and statement credits that the Platinum card does, you can still earn $155 in Walmart+ credit and $20 monthly credits for eligible business expenses. 

The Business Gold card also utilizes Pay Over Time features, and the rates and fee structures on this card are the same as they are for the Platinum card. 

Read our full Amex Business Gold card review

Is the Amex Business Platinum card right for me?

The Amex Business Platinum card holds a lot of enticing benefits, but it’s best for businesses that have higher spending budgets. If you’re only spending a few thousand each month, you probably won’t maximize the rewards and perks on this card, making that $695 annual fee a financial albatross.

Explore these alternatives if you’re not convinced the Amex Business Platinum card if the right fit for you:

You can also check out Chase business cards or Capital One Spark business cards to learn more about your options with other card issuers.

How do I apply for the Amex Business Platinum card?

You can learn more about the Amex Business Platinum card and apply online. The application typically only takes a few minutes and requires information such as your full name, Social Security or tax ID number, business name, address and contact information, and some basic information about your business revenue or finances. In some cases, Amex might ask for more information, and you may need to provide documents like tax paperwork or checking account statements.

This card requires good or excellent credit. People with credit scores of 700 or higher have the best chance of being approved for this card, but other factors, such as income and overall credit history, are factors in approval.

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FAQ: Amex Business Platinum card

What credit score do you need for an American Express Business Platinum Card?

You need good or excellent credit to get approved for this card, and a higher score improves your chances. Look to apply for this card if you have a score of 700 or higher. If your score is lower, you may want to consider other options.

How much does the American Express Business Platinum Card cost each year?

The annual fee on this card is $695. However, if you maximize statement credit and rewards opportunities, you can balance out that cost and end up earning with this card.

Can you carry a balance on Amex Business Platinum?

Yes, you can carry some balances forward using the Pay Over Time feature. You must pay other balances off every statement cycle.

How do you redeem American Express Platinum points?

You can redeem American Express points earned with the Platinum card on travel, as statement credits or for various other purchases, including gift cards. Redeem points for travel via American Express Travel or by transferring the points to a hotel or airline loyalty rewards program that participates with Amex.

What type of business do I need to get an American Express Business Platinum Card?

Amex accepts applications from all types of business owners. You can apply as a sole proprietor even if you are the only employee of your business, for example. Whether you are approved has less to do with your business type and more to do with your credit history, business income and ability to make your statement payments.

What airport lounges do I have access to with my American Express Business Platinum Card?

Card members can access more than 1,400 airport lounges across the globe. That includes Aspire, Escape, Plaza Premium, Delta Sky Club and Priority Pass lounges. Some lounges require you to enroll in a program or be flying a certain airline that day.

Sarah Stasik
Sarah Stasik Personal Finance

Sarah Stasik is well versed in personal finance thanks to her previous role as a Revenue Cycle Manager for a Fortune 500 healthcare company. Using her inside knowledge and expertise, Sarah often covers topics ranging from insurance and the economics of private healthcare to personal finance and small business management.

Over the past 12 years, Sarah has contributed to numerous publications in the personal and small business finance sector, including content on budgeting, bankruptcy, small business accounting, and financial tech. Her writing focuses on making complex or seemingly daunting financial topics more accessible and providing helpful, relevant resources for readers.

* Opinions expressed here are those of the LA Times Compare Cards Team and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser or entities included within this content. See our editorial policy for more details.

All products or services are presented in this content without warranty. The information, including card details such as rates and fees, is accurate at the time of publish. Please visit each bank's website directly for the most current information.

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