200,000 Membership Rewards points 
$3,985 first-year value The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is one of the best business travel cards in the United States.
Alongside a historically strong welcome bonus, the Business Platinum Card® comes with a host of travel perks and annual credits which help justify its higher annual fee.
Bonuses & Fees
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express currently has a welcome bonus of up to 200,000 Membership Rewards points, which are earned after spending $20,000 (all figures in USD) within the first three months of card membership†
The card has an annual fee of $695†, and it allows you to add up to 99 additional Employee Cards to your account for an annual fee of $350 each.
Employee Cards enjoy many of the same benefits as the primary cardholder, including lounge access and other travel perks.
You can also add Employee Business Expense Cards for free; however, they don’t come with the same extended benefits.
Earning Rewards
With the Business Platinum Card® from American Express, you’ll earn 1 Membership Rewards point per dollar spent as the baseline earning rate. The card also features category earning rates on select expenses, which are as follows:
- Earn 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and flights booked through Amex Travel [amextravel.com]‡]
- Earn 1.5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent in key business categories on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more, cap applies.‡
- Earn 1 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on all eligible purchases made using your American Express Business Platinum Card®‡
It’s worth noting that the 1.5x category multiplier applies to a maximum of $2 million in purchases across all 1.5x categories per calendar year.
Redeeming Rewards
American Express Membership Rewards (MR) points are a flexible, transferable rewards currency that offer outstanding redemption opportunities.
You can redeem Membership Rewards points by transferring them to partnered airline and hotel loyalty programs, or you can redeem points directly with Amex Travel (American Express’s travel portal) by purchasing gift cards, shopping online, or redeeming for statement credits.
Of the above redemption options, the best value can typically be found by transferring your Membership Rewards points to one of the many partner programs.
As it stands, there are 17 airline loyalty programs and three hotel programs to which you can transfer Membership Rewards points.
The following airline loyalty programs are transfer partners with American Express Membership Rewards:
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Aeromexico Rewards
- Air France KLM Flying Blue
- ANA Mileage Club
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Delta SkyMiles
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- HawaiianMiles
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
All but one of the airline programs have a transfer ratio of 1:1 from Membership Rewards. This means that for every 1,000 Membership Rewards points you transfer, you’ll receive 1,000 miles/points in your airline loyalty program account.
The only exception to this is Aeromexico Rewards which has a 1:1.6 transfer ratio. In this case, for every 1,000 Membership Rewards points transferred, you’ll receive 1,600 Aeromexico Rewards points.
The following hotel loyalty programs are also transfer partners with American Express Membership Rewards:
- Choice Privileges
- Hilton Honors
- Marriott Bonvoy
Membership Rewards points can be transferred to Marriott Bonvoy and Choice Privileges at a 1:1 ratio and to Hilton Honors at a ratio of 1:2.
It’s worth noting that there are occasionally transfer bonuses from American Express Membership Rewards to transfer partners. These bonuses typically range from 25% to 50%. For example, a 25% bonus on transfers to Marriott Bonvoy would mean a transfer ratio of 1:1.25 instead of the usual 1:1.
Membership Rewards points can also be redeemed for bookings made through Amex Travel. Through this redemption avenue, you’ll receive a value of 1 Membership Rewards point = 1 cent. This means that for every 1,000 Membership Rewards points you redeem, you’ll get $10 to put towards travel.
Additionally, if you book travel outside Amex Travel with your Business Platinum Card® from American Express (including prepaid hotels, car rentals, cruises, and more), you can redeem Membership Rewards points for a statement credit at a lower value of 0.7 cents per Membership Rewards point.
In this case, for every 1,000 Membership Rewards points you redeem for bookings outside of Amex Travel, you’ll get a statement credit of $7.
You can also redeem Membership Rewards points for a statement credit against any eligible purchase made on your Platinum Card at a value of 0.6 cents per Membership Rewards point.
By going this route, every 1,000 Membership Rewards points redeemed gets you a $6 statement credit.
Perks & Benefits
The primary benefits on the Business Platinum Card® can be separated into two categories: travel benefits and annual credits.
Travel Benefits
One of the card’s most notable travel perks is access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes complimentary entry to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries.
Some noteworthy lounges include American Express’ own Centurion Lounges, with complimentary access for the cardholder, and Priority Pass lounges, which allow access for the cardholder and a guest.
The full list of lounges available through the American Express Global Lounge Collection can be found on the American Express website [americanexpress.com/findalounge].
As a cardholder, you’ll also have access to the American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts Program.
Bookings made through American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts come with enhanced benefits on luxury hotel stays around the world. These benefits typically include daily breakfast for two, room upgrades (when available), guaranteed 4pm late check-out, and a one-time property credit of up to $100.
Cardholders also enjoy complimentary Gold Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors. Upon enrollment on the card benefits landing page, you’ll be able to take advantage of benefits such as room upgrades (when available), free internet, and late check-out (when available) for as long as you hold the card.
Additionally, as part of the card’s travel perks, you’ll also receive additional benefits for car rentals with Avis, National, and Hertz. These benefits may include upgrades, discounts on bookings when using a code provided by American Express, and a higher status with each car rental loyalty program.
Lastly, when using your Business Platinum Card® from American Express while travelling outside the United States, you won’t have to pay any foreign transaction fees, which can amount to considerable savings.
Annual Credits
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express comes with a long list of credits, most of which reset every calendar year.
These annual credits [Terms and Conditions apply] include:
- $200 Airline Fee Credit
- $189 CLEAR Plus Credit
- $400 Dell Technologies credit
- $360 Indeed credit
- $150 Abode Creative Solutions credit
- $120 wireless credit
For travelers, the card offers a couple of excellent perks to help make the airport experience smoother. The $189 CLEAR Plus credit covers the cost of enrollment in the program and lets you speed through security with access to 100+ CLEAR lanes at 50+ airports across the United States. Cardholders can also use the $100 Global Entry or $85 TSA PreCheck credit and enroll in one of these programs to expedite their experience at US customs as well.
The card also offers a $200 airline fee credit that’s great for covering incidental fees on flight bookings. It’s worth noting, however, that it can only be used for one airline each year, and you must specify which airline you’re choosing.
True to its name, the Business Platinum Card® also offers some annual credits with business owners in mind, including a $360 Indeed credit (valid for a $90 credit each quarter), a $400 Dell credit that can be redeemed in two $200 semi-annual credits for US purchases, and a $150 Adobe Creative solutions credit.
The $120 wireless credit is capped at $10 per month, and can be used to offset the cost of your cell phone bill over the course of a year.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express offers cardholders cash flow flexibility, with no preset spending limits and its Pay Over Time features.
You’ll also get all of the standard perks of being an American Express cardholder, including exclusive access to ticket presales and cardholder-only events, plus Amex Offers for extra everyday value when you use your card.
Amex Offers can be especially valuable, as you can use them to easily earn statement credits or Membership Rewards points on eligible purchases after registration.
Insurance Coverage
As a premium card, the Business Platinum Card® from American Express comes with fairly strong insurance coverage, including:
- Trip Delay Insurance: Up to $500 per trip, with a maximum of two claims per 12 consecutive month period, if your trip is delayed by six hours or more.
- Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance: Up to $10,000 per trip, with a $20,000 maximum claim per 12-month period.
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance: You can decline the collision damage waiver (CDW) when you rent a car, and you’ll be covered for damage to or theft of the rental vehicle in a covered territory. You can also decline personal accident insurance and personal effects coverage from the car rental company, and you can be covered for losses related to personal accidents as a direct result of a car rental accident or as a result of theft.
- Baggage Insurance Plan: If your bag is lost, damaged, or stolen, you can receive up to $2,000 per checked bag and up to $3,000 per carry-on bag.
- Cell Phone Protection: You’ll be covered for damage or theft up to a maximum of $800 per claim when you pay your wireless bill with your Business Platinum Card® from American Express, with a $50 deductible applied for each approved claim.
- Extended Warranty: Up to one additional year on top of the original manufacturer’s warranty on all warranties of five years or less.
- Return Protection: If you make an eligible purchase in the US or its territories and the seller won’t take the item back, you can return the purchase to American Express for the full purchase price, excluding shipping and handling, with a limit of $300 per item and a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year.
- Purchase Protection: You’re covered for up to $10,000 per occurrence, or $50,000 per calendar year, if your new purchase gets stolen, accidentally damaged, or lost within 90 days of your purchase date.