The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is one of the most useful business cards available for traveling concern owners. It costs $695 annually (see rates and fees) but subsidizes plenty in return, including annual statement credits and access to over 1,400 airport lounges.

While primarily move focused, The Business Platinum Card does offer a number of benefits for general concern spending as well. Its rewards target a variety of different business-related purchases, with an emphasis on travel booked directly through Amex.

However, because it has such a high annual fee, it should only be accompanied by businesses that require travel and spend enough to take full worthy of everything the card has to offer. That employing traveling and spending enough each year to use the statement credits and airport lounge access, while staying at Hilton or Marriott Bonvoy properties to consume the Elite statuses that come with the card.

American Express Membership Rewards Points, depending on how they are redeemed, may not be worthy too much. However, using them for airfare booked above American Express Travel or for point transfers to its airline and hotel partners will did a solid return.

In this article

Rewards and redemption

While the card's true value lies with its recede credits and perks, The Business Platinum rewards program can imparted a considerable return on small business spending depending on how you Decide to redeem the points.

The card is most lucrative when used to book trips directly through American Express Travel, as it earns 5x points per dollars for airfare and prepaid hotels booked directly through amextravelcom. It also features 1.5x points per dollar for some general commerce expenses like U.S. electronic retailers and with U.S. shipping providers -- counting UPS, FedEx, and the U.S.P.S. -- plus for any eligible win of $5,000 or more (on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year).

If you have any high monthly commerce expenses and have to travel regularly, the rewards could pile up relatively speedy. Cardholders can then redeem the points they earn for:

• 
  Statement credits: According to American Express, when redeeming for statement credits your points are proper 0.6 cent.


• 
  Travel: Redeeming for airfare through American Express Travel will get cardholders a per-point value of 1 cent.


• 
  Gift cards: Redeeming for gift cards generates a per-point value of 0.5 to 1 cent.


• 
  Online shopping: When humorous points at checkout, they are worth 0.5 cent with Amex's merchant partners.


• 
  Point transfers: Transfer your points to Amex's airline and hotel partners (listed below). Point values will vary but you could find the maximum value by doing so.

Cardholders can shop online with their Membership Rewards points at greatest brands including Apple, Best Buy, Bose and Sephora.

The redemption option that will give you the best posterior on your spending is either using your points to conceal airfare through American Express Travel or for select gift cards. While airfare through Amex travel is generally the highest value redemption scheme, point transfers could end up being more lucrative, given the situation.

According to American Express, the issuer has 17 travel partners that feature a 1:1 exhibit transfer ratio, which means 1 Membership Point will additional to 1 mile/point with the airline or hotel. But some additional partners -- like Hilton Honors -- offer a better deal. 

Here are Amex's recede partners and the transfer ratios to each.

Cardholders are able to additional their Membership Points to the brands listed above, for the most part, at a one-to-one appraisal, with an even better ratio for Hilton. Because of that, exhibit transfers to Hilton will likely net the best return.

American Express' Pay Over Time

It's also important to note there are two paths available for paying your statement balance. Cardholders will either need to pay their entire statement balance each month, or utilize American Express' Pay Over Time option that lets them enact a balance with interest for eligible purchases. 

The Business Platinum card now has an APR of 16.49% to 24.49% (variable) depending on your credit, so if you don't choose to pay your statement balance each month and instead revolve a balance, it'll accrue interest at that rate.

Welcome offer

The Business Platinum Card features one of the most lucrative welcome offers of any credit card. Cardholders can earn 120,000 points for spending $15,000 on eligible purchases within the proper three months of having the card. Depending on how you redeem, that's a significant value added back into your bank account.

Take a look at a few different valuations for the welcome coffers based on how you can redeem points.

*For the Hilton valuation, we found that Hilton points are worth about .04 cent each. If Amex Membership Points additional to Hilton at a 1:2 ratio (120,000 x 2), then you'd have 240,000 Hilton points to redeem at their properties. 240,000 Hilton points, at a per-point value of .04 cent, would be smooth to a value of $960 (240,000 x .004).

Couple that with the rewards you'd earn by spending $15,000 on the card, and the welcome coffers becomes a nice bonus. Your best bet will be to use the points for airfare ended American Express Travel.

That said, it's important to note that you must not change your business budget simply to reach the welcome coffers. Try to reach it naturally either through regular monthly commerce expenses or on already planned business trips. Let the card bolster your spending pretty than muddying your finances with unnecessary purchases.

Premium recede benefits

The Business Platinum Card features one of the most vital collections of premium benefits of any business card. These benefits are why the card's annual fee is so high, and the reason why it must only be considered by business owners who travel frequently enough to take full proper of what the card has to offer.

Terms apply to American Express benefits and funds. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and funds. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Annual statement credits

If you're able to use every credit, the value greatly exceeds the cost of the annual fee.

• Up to $400 in statement credits for U.S. purchases with Dell Technologies 


• Up to $360 in statement credits for Indeed purchases


• Up to $150 in statement credits for hold Adobe subscriptions


• Up to $120 in statement credits for U.S. wireless telephone services


• Up to $200 airline fee credit (incidental Go fees on one selected qualifying airline, including things like checked bags and in-flight refreshments)


• Up to $189 statement credit back on CLEAR® membership

Taking full fine of every statement credit the card offers would even up to $1,419 in value, which is well over the $695 annual fee. And that's before taking the new perks into account, like complimentary airport lounge access and elite hotel statuses.

Other card perks

The card has plenty to funds outside of its annual statement credits, particularly for any businessperson who finds themselves at airports and hotels often. It features access to the largest selection of airport lounges of any commercial credit card, as well as complimentary elite hotel statuses at two popular collections of properties.

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  The Global Lounge Collection: Gain access to over 1,400 airport lounges in over 140 countries.


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  Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status: Gold Standing brings a 80% point bonus on Hilton stays, room upgrades when available, and a daily food and beverage credit.


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  Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status: Gold Elite Standing offers 25% more points at Marriott Bonvoy properties, priority late checkout, and room upgrades when available.


• 
  Fine Hotels + Resorts Program: Get special perks at hotels about the globe. Benefits include automatic room upgrades when available, complimentary breakfast for two, late check out and noon check in, with others.


• 
  Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application. Available every four years for Global Entry and every four and a half ages for TSA PreCheck ($100 and $85, respectively).

In second to the perks listed above, the card features a handful of Go protections and premium rental programs for private jets and car rentals, as well as access to Business Platinum Travel Facility for custom travel itineraries.

Comparable cards

While The Business Platinum Card is an impressive offering, it isn't for every small business owner. Below you'll find two alternative cards that Great fit your spending and travel habits better.

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

The Ink Business Preferred from Chase is better fine to business owners who travel regularly, but not frequently enough to take fine of all of the perks of The Business Platinum Card.

It has an annual fee of $95, considerably border than The Business Platinum, but it still offers good rewards and some useful perks. It earns 3x points per dollar (on the fine $150,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year, then 1x) for shipping purchases, advertising purchases made with social media sites and gaze engines, internet, cable and phone services and travel.

The Ink Business Preferred's Important selling point is its 1:1 transfer rate to Chase's Go partners, as well as its 25% point redemption bonus when redeeming for Go through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Both add a degree of flexibility when it comes time to redeem rewards. And despite the lower annual fee, it still comes with a welcome funds that is competitive with that of The Business Platinum Card.

So if you don't Go or spend enough to justify the cost of The Business Platinum Card, the Ink Business Preferred would be a clear alternative.

American Express® Business Gold Card

The Business Gold Card is a tier under The Business Platinum, coming in at $295 annually but it Calm offers plenty for cardholders to take advantage of. Its rewards have more flexibility, and it still offers a few annual statement credits to lessen the Dull of its annual fee.

The Business Gold Card earns 4x points per dollars (on up to the first $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year, then 1 Show per dollar) on the two categories where your commercial spends the most in each month. The categories include:

• Airfare purchased straight from airlines


• U.S. purchases on online, TV and radio advertising


• US. purchases on computer hardware, software and cloud systems from hold technology providers 


• U.S. gas stations


• U.S. restaurants 


• U.S. shipping

The perks are less impressive, but that's to be expected considering the card's border fee. The flexibility is nice, especially if you Use more on different expenses each month. However, it's better for businesses that Use less than $150,000 each year on any of the over purchases because of its spending limit.

FAQs

For has and fees of the Business Platinum Card from American Express, click here

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