- The next few months are going to be especially hard on business owners, many of whom are more or less helpless right now since they may not have a customer base to speak of — we’re all at home quarantining ourselves because of the continued spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
- The current welcome bonus being offered to new signups from The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is 75,000 Membership Rewards points, just one of the many reasons this card remains one of the best for business owners that’s on the market right now.
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BGR has partnered with The Points Guy for our coverage of credit card products. BGR and The Points Guy may receive a commission from card issuers.Please note: the offers mentioned below are subject to change at any time and some may no longer be available.
One of the best business credit cards on the market is The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, thanks largely to its unparalleled premium benefits. This card is an excellent fit for business owners, especially those who frequently travel and charge thousands of dollars in monthly expenses to their cards. Even better, the card sits on your business credit line instead of your personal credit report and gives you substantial purchasing power.
If you’ve been considering whether to add a new business card to your wallet, it’s worth giving the Amex Business Platinum some consideration right now, which would allow you to take advantage of a welcome bonus that includes 75,000 Membership Rewards points.
To get the entire bonus, your business will have to put a large amount of spending on the card in a short period of time. That requires spending $15,000 within three months of account opening — which might sound like a lot, but this is a business card, remember, and it’s entirely feasible for a small business to have that or much more in expenses over the course of three months.
There’s also a sweetener: That spending requirement has been reduced by $5,000 from the previous spending requirement, so the bonus is now more attainable than before.
The great thing about this elevated welcome bonus is that the personal and business versions of the Amex Platinum are considered different products. So if you already got the welcome bonus on The Platinum Card® from American Express, Amex’s one-bonus-per-card-per-lifetime rule won’t restrict you from getting this 75,000-point bonus as well.
The benefits
Besides the bonus, meanwhile, there are plenty of additional perks that make this card worth of consideration. The Business Platinum also offers access to many of the same popular perks as the personal version, with both cards including such benefits as:
- Up to $200 airline fee credit each year
- Access to Centurion Lounges
- Access to Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta)
- Priority Pass membership with two free guests (not valid for non-lounge experiences, such as restaurants)
- Access to other lounges in the American Express Global Lounge Collection
- Global Entry application credit every four years or TSA PreCheck application credit every 4.5 years (up to $100)
- Gold elite status with Hilton Honors
- Gold elite status with Marriott Bonvoy
- Access to the Fine Hotels & Resorts program and The Hotel Collection
- Upgrade with Points to request an airline ticket upgrade on select airlines
- 24-hour access to the American Express Concierge
- 5 points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel (both must be booked through Amex Travel on the Business Platinum)
- Baggage insurance plan for lost baggage and access to American Express Premium Car Rental Insurance
Regarding the business version of the Platinum card, specifically, it comes with benefits the personal card doesn’t, like:
- 1.5x points on purchases of $5,000 or more (up to 1,000,000 additional points per year)
- A 35% rebate when you Pay With Points for a first or business class ticket on any airline, or an economy ticket on one airline of your choice (up to 500,000 points per year)
- Up to $200 in annual statement credits for Dell technology purchases, split into a $100 credit for January through June and another $100 credit for July through December
The final word
All these benefits don’t come cheap. The card does have a $595 annual fee, but if you maximize the annual $200 airline fee credit and $200 Dell credit, you’ll effectively pay a net cost of only $195 a year for the card. Factor in the Global Entry/TSA Precheck credit along with lounge access benefits and this card can definitely be worth it.
At practically any airport in the world, this is the card that will get you into a lounge. You’ll get internet access in the air with this card and elite status on the ground at Hilton and Marriott hotel properties. There’s not really any other card on the market like this one, which is why we think it makes sense to apply and secure one for yourself now so that you’ll be ready to go once travel restrictions around the world start to get relaxed.
