Running a business is no joke. Expenses pile up, meetings never end, and travel? I’m going to assume you’ve seen the inside of way too many airport security lines… yikes.
But what if I told you there’s a card that makes business travel feel less like a chore?
Enter: The Business Platinum Card® from American Express — the card that turns your business expenses into serious rewards.
With Membership Rewards points, you can transfer to over a dozen airline and hotel partners for next-level redemptions or use the 35% Pay With Points rebate to stretch your rewards even further.
And while the $695 (Rates and Fees) might look hefty, this card is packed with enough perks to make it more than worth it.
Here’s everything we’ll dive into:
Pros and Cons
Let’s get into it, shall we?
Pros:
5x points on flights, prepaid hotels, and short-term rentals and prepaid flight + hotel packages booked at AmexTravel.com
1.5x points on eligible purchases of $5,000+ (U.S. construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers)
Complimentary access to Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass (enrollment required), Delta Sky Clubs, and more
Up to $400 annual Dell credit (split into $200 every six months)
Up to $200 annual airline fee credit
Up to $199 CLEAR® Plus credit
35% rebate on Pay With Points flights
Automatic Hilton Gold & Marriott Gold status (enrollment required)
Cons:
The annual fee… but more on that later!
Why We Love the Business Platinum
If your business (or your tax write-offs) involves frequent travel, this card is basically a cheat code for making work trips more enjoyable.
Here’s why:
Best airport lounge access of any business card — Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass, Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta), Plaza Premium… you name it.
35% points rebate — When booking flights through Amex Travel with points, you get 35% of those points back (up to 1 million points per year!).
Elite hotel status for free — Hilton Gold and Marriott Gold just for having the card, which also means free breakfast and room upgrades.
Flight perks galore — TSA PreCheck/CLEAR credit, priority boarding, and airline fee reimbursements.
Let’s be clear about something — this is not a card for people who take one trip a year. This is for business owners who frequent airports and want to be rewarded handsomely for it.
And that annual fee? It’s practically a rounding error once you factor in the thousands in credits and perks.
Unlocking Elite Status Just for Holding This Card
You know what’s better than earning elite status? Getting it handed to you!
The Amex Business Platinum comes with built-in Hilton Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold status — no stays required, upon enrollment.
Translation?
Room upgrades whenever available
Bonus points on every stay
Late checkout
Free breakfast at Hilton hotels, saving you money over time
But it doesn’t stop there. Holding this card fast-tracks you toward airline elite status, too. How?
Use the 5x points on flights to rack up rewards that can be transferred to over 20 airlines.
Combine that with the 35% rebate on Pay With Points and suddenly, you’re booking business-class flights at a fraction of the usual cost.
Pair it with Delta’s MQD Waiver (if you hold Delta status), and this card can help you maintain elite perks without spending a dime on airfare.
Bottom line? Elite status without effort is the best kind of elite status. Yay!
To Wrap Things Up
If you run a business and travel frequently, the Amex Business Platinum is a no-brainer.
The lounge access alone is worth it. The airline and travel credits make the fee basically disappear. And the ability to earn and redeem Amex points for premium travel? That’s just the cherry on top.
Trust us on this one. You’ll be thanking us from the Centurion Lounge.
