- The American Express Platinum card and the Business Platinum card have a lot of the same benefits.
- I have and like both, but I would pick the Business Platinum every time.
- Its points rebate makes flights cheaper, its annual credits are more useful, and it won't stand in the way of opening other cards.
The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express have a lot of things in common:
- Both are ultra-premium travel cards that offer top-tier benefits, like access to the Centurion Lounge network, 10 visits per year to Delta Sky Clubs when traveling on Delta (unlimited visits after spending $75,000 or more in a calendar year), and Priority Pass lounges (after enrollment) worldwide. Terms apply.
- Both unlock exclusive experiences with American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts and complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott's respective rewards programs when you enroll. Terms apply.
- And both have a significant annual fee – $695 for the Platinum Card (rates and fees) and $695 for the Business Platinum card (rates and fees).
Despite these similarities, I find the Amex Business Platinum Card much more compelling, and for me, it's a card that I'm happy to keep year after year. Here's why I think the Amex Business Platinum Card is a better choice.
1. It's a game changer for flights
Both the Amex Platinum Card and Amex Business Platinum Card offer Pay with Points, which allows you to redeem your Membership Rewards points for travel-related expenses with Amex Travel at a rate of 1 cent per point. Terms apply.
Normally, that's not a good deal. Membership Rewards points can easily be worth twice that when transferred to airline partners, especially for international premium cabin redemptions.
With the Business Platinum card, though, if you redeem points for flights in business or first class on any airline — or economy on the same airline you select for the annual travel credit — you're eligible for a 35% rebate on the points you spend, up to 1,000,000 bonus points per year.
When you redeem your points for travel this way, you're getting around 1.54 cents in value per point. On top of that, the tickets you purchase are just like tickets booked with cash, meaning you can earn frequent flyer miles and elite-qualifying miles with the airline of your choice, and you can book any available ticket — there are no inventory restrictions or blackout dates.
In some cases, you can even use Amex's exclusive International Airline Program, which is part of American Express Travel, to get even further discounts. This is my favorite way to redeem Membership Rewards points — often I'm able to take advantage of sales to book discounted business class tickets for fewer miles than I'd have to spend on an award ticket.
$695
N/A
18.49% - 27.49% Variable
Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points
Good to Excellent
- More travel benefits than you'll find on any other business credit card
- Generous airport lounge access options, from American Express Centurion Lounges to Priority Pass (enrollment required)
- Complimentary hotel elite status (enrollment required)
- Access to Amex concierge services
- Very high annual fee
- Limited opportunities to earn bonus points
- Annual statement credits won't be useful for everyone
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is one of the best small-business cards with an elevated bonus and top-notch benefits (and a premium annual fee to match). It's an excellent offer if you like earning Membership Rewards points and you can maximize the bonus spending categories and perks — but be sure to assess whether the annual fee is worth it for you before you commit.
Amex Business Platinum Card- Welcome Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- 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. Access is limited to eligible Card Members.
- 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. See how you can unlock over $1,000 annually in credits on select purchases with the Business Platinum Card®.
- 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® on Flights, and Prepaid Hotels Booked through 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.
2. The annual credits are more useful
To help offset the annual fee, the Platinum card offers credits you can enroll in, such as up to $100 per year in Saks Fifth Avenue credits (two $50 credits, one for each half of the year) and up to $200 pear year in Uber credits ($15 per month January to November and a $20 bonus for $35 total in December). The Business Platinum card, on the other hand, offers statement credits for Dell Technologies, Indeed, Adobe, and U.S. wireless service providers after enrollment. Terms apply.
For me, the credits on the personal Platinum card aren't all that useful. Saks isn't somewhere I would otherwise shop, so it feels like I'm going out of my way to buy things just to use the credits. And the way the Uber credits are broken up makes it easy to lose value — each month's credit expires at the end of that month — especially since they only work in the United States, and I often find that I'm not in the U.S. enough to take advantage of them.
The Dell credit, on the other hand, is pretty easy to use. Even if you don't have a Dell laptop, Dell offers accessories like chargers, cables, and battery packs that can be used with all sorts of devices. And I often also find Amex Offers I can activate for additional discounts or extra Membership Rewards points on Dell.com purchases, allowing me to further stretch the value of this credit.
3. It doesn't have the same impact on your credit report
Although your credit report will show an inquiry from American Express when you apply for the Business Platinum card, once the account is open it doesn't appear on your personal credit report. That's useful if you need to make large purchases with the card, since you don't have to worry about a statement with a large balance dragging down your credit score.
$695
N/A
18.49% - 27.49% Variable
Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points
Good to Excellent
- More travel benefits than you'll find on any other business credit card
- Generous airport lounge access options, from American Express Centurion Lounges to Priority Pass (enrollment required)
- Complimentary hotel elite status (enrollment required)
- Access to Amex concierge services
- Very high annual fee
- Limited opportunities to earn bonus points
- Annual statement credits won't be useful for everyone
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is one of the best small-business cards with an elevated bonus and top-notch benefits (and a premium annual fee to match). It's an excellent offer if you like earning Membership Rewards points and you can maximize the bonus spending categories and perks — but be sure to assess whether the annual fee is worth it for you before you commit.
Amex Business Platinum Card- Welcome Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- 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. Access is limited to eligible Card Members.
- 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. See how you can unlock over $1,000 annually in credits on select purchases with the Business Platinum Card®.
- 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® on Flights, and Prepaid Hotels Booked through 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.
4. It doesn't limit your eligibility for other cards
Because business credit cards don't show up on your personal credit report, they also don't count toward the Chase 5/24 rule, or similar restrictions from other credit issuers like Bank of America. Unlike with the Platinum card, you can safely open a Business Platinum card without impacting your ability to open other accounts.
This article was originally published in November 2019.