Update (Dec 2018): Looks like the Amex business card offers via Canada Post are no longer available. End of an era indeed! The best offers for the Business Gold and Business Platinum are now available via referral links.
Update (Nov 2018): A few things have recently changed in the Amex landscape, and I’ve updated this article to reflect that. The Canada Post offers are still among the best out there though!
In the past year or so, we’ve seen something of a paradigm shift in the world of applying for American Express credit cards for their lucrative signup bonuses.
When I launched Prince of Travel in the beginning of 2017, the general strategy was to rely on best-ever signup bonuses, juicy referral bonuses, and first-year fee waivers to “cycle” through the various Membership Rewards cards. The Rack Up the Points with Referrals article, now slightly outdated, gives you a peek into the lucrativity of starting out with the Business Platinum and then “self-referring” to the various other cards over the course of a year.
Since then, Amex has implemented several changes that have reduced the appeal of this strategy, such as:
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Both the Gold Rewards Card and the Business Gold Card no longer have first-year fee waivers
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The personal Gold Rewards Card and Platinum Card are no longer part of the same “referral family” as the business cards
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The Business Platinum Card has been devalued significantly, with the annual fee and minimum spending requirement both taking a hit
This has brought into sharper focus a new strategy for earning lots of Membership Rewards points, which is by taking advantage of special card offers that are available to certain organizations. I’ve written about the Amex Gold Rewards Card from Perkopolis in the past – by signing up through this offer, you effectively still get a first-year fee waiver on that care, plus 25,000 MR points as a signup bonus.
Today, we’ll have a look at the Amex business credit card offers via Canada Post Solutions for Small Business, which continue to provide a taste of the good life that we had enjoyed on these cards prior to the recent round of devaluations.
The Canada Post Offers
Canada Post Solutions for Small Business, a program that aims to help businesses with their postal needs, has partnered up with Amex to deliver further value to small business owners in the form of business credit cards with excellent perks.
By applying for the American Express Business Gold Card via Canada Post, you can earn 40,000 MR points upon spending $5,000 in the first three months. There is an annual fee of $149, which is reduced from the usual $250 on the public offer; however, you also get a statement credit of $149 after spending $1,500 in the first three months, making this effectively a first-year fee waiver.
Meanwhile, by applying for the American Express Business Platinum Card via Canada Post, you can earn 75,000 MR points upon spending $5,000 in the first three months. There is an annual fee of $399 which is not waived.
Make no mistake about it – these are fantastic offers. By applying via Canada Post, you’re beating out the refer-a-friend offer thanks to the first-year fee waiver on the Business Gold, as well as the lower minimum spending requirement and lower annual fee on the Business Platinum ($7,000 and $499 respectively).
Furthermore, you’ll get to enjoy all the publicly available perks on these cards as well. On the Business Gold Card, this includes the ability to select three merchants out of 40+ on which to earn double the points, while the Business Platinum offers you an increased earn rate of 1.25 MR points per dollar spent and Priority Pass lounge access at 850+ airport lounges around the globe.
Both cards offer compelling insurance benefits as well, which you can learn more about on the respective individual articles on the Business Gold Card and the Business Platinum Card.
The downside is that you can’t earn referral bonuses when you apply via Canada Post. So if, say, your partner has a Business Platinum Card that would otherwise grant 25,000 MR points as a referral, you’d be missing out on that by applying via Canada Post.
That’s a tradeoff you’ll have to decide for yourself, since the forgone 25,000 MR points might be worth more than the $250 in savings (for the Business Gold) or the $100 in savings and lower minimum spending requirement (for the Business Platinum) when you apply via Canada Post.
Do You Qualify?
You need to be a member of Canada Post Solutions for Small Business (formerly known as VentureOne) to apply for these offers.
The good news is that pretty much anyone can become a member for free. The program website says that you’re eligible to sign up if you “ship fewer than 1,250 parcels and send less than 100,000 pieces of direct mail in a year”, and last I checked, zero is less than both 1,250 and 100,000.
I say that in jest, of course, but in fact, it’s a great idea to sign up for Solutions for Small Business if you have any shipping needs at all, since it gives you discounts on Xpresspost and Expedited Parcels as well as various other perks.
It costs you nothing to join and can save you money from time to time, so it’s one of those low-hanging fruits that everyone should take advantage of. I myself had joined the program many years ago when I had to ship lots of parcels for a while, and it had offered me small savings that added up over time.
To apply for the cards, you simply head to the landing page and click the Apply Now buttons. You’ll need to enter the RSVP codes, which happen to be prominently displayed on the landing page itself.
I suppose that means you’ll be able to apply without being a member of Canada Post Solutions for Small Business, but opening an account literally takes a few minutes of your time and keeps everything above board.
Apply Now
Head to the landing page to get your application started for either the Business Gold Card or the Business Platinum Card:
smallbusiness.americanexpress.com/ca/en/cpc
Conclusion
2018 has seen American Express ruthlessly devalue several of their card products. However, the points must continue to flow, so it’s crucial to stay abreast of the most effective ways to boost your balances. These irresistible offers from Canada Post represent a continuation of the excellent Amex deals of yesteryear, especially taking into account the fact that anyone is eligible for them by signing up the versatile Canada Post Solutions for Small Business program.
Hi. What card can I use to for a self referral to the personal Platinum?
The personal Platinum can only refer other personal Platinums at this point, so unfortunately you won’t be able to self-refer to the card.
I got the Amex Platinum a couple of months ago, have already spent $5000 and got the bonus. My wife also applied earlier this week for the card. Wondering how we two should go about this:
– Global Transfer to US, can I use this AMEX Biz Plat to do a GT for a personal AMEX in the US?
– Annual fee refund, if I were to cancel the card in a couple of months, will the points stay? And will they refund the annual fee on a prorated basis?
Your Canadian card needs to be open for three months before you can do a GT from it.
As for your other questions, check out the Knowledge Base. They’re pretty well-covered there.
Hi Ricky,
I just received my business Plat card today through your link. Once I setup the card, it seems that my other MR points accumulated from personal gold does not combine with the new card.
I am thinking to cancel personal gold card when it expires in 2019, is there anyway to move the points from personal gold to the bus plat?
You can call Amex and ask them to move the points over to your other account because you’re planning to close the card.
Hi Ricky, What do you suggest if I already have the Business Platinum. I was thinking of referring myself to the personal platinum. My renewal is in January.
Thanks
You can’t refer from the Business Platinum to the personal Platinum card anymore. You could refer to the Business Gold, close the Business Platinum, and open it again via Canada Post in three months or so.
Is this deal dead? I’ve been trying the last couple days and keep getting the same error:
Thank you for choosing American Express. We are sorry but we are unable to start the application process as the online application is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
I just applied for another Biz Gold via Canada Post a few days ago and have the same issues. Try using a different browser / incognito mode / clearing your cache.
Hi there,
Kind of wondering the something below. I tried to apply for this card earlier today. However, before I decided to agree to the terms of the condition, I had noticed that the annual feel is at 499$. I went through the landing page where it explicitly listed the card with annual fee at 399 and have applied the RSVP code.
Thanks
While the application page itself states $499 annual fee, I and many others can attest to the fact that you do indeed get charged only $399 in annual fees if you apply via the Canada Post link.
Hi,
Is the offer still valid ? trying to punch in that RSVP code and it is asking me to pay $499 and $199 (supplementary).
Hi,
Is the offer still valid ? trying to punch in that RSVP code and it is asking me to pay $499 and $199 (supplementary).
Hi Ricky, any recent DPs on holding both the Biz Plat and Biz Gold, if the two applications are greater than 3 months apart? Thanks!
As long as you apply with different business names, you should be good.
Followup: Got approved using the same name (more than 3 months apart). Thanks Ricky!
How about if the applications are less than 4 weeks apart?
I applied and under a different link, and cancelled once I received the card. I didn’t activate it, and reapplied with the Canada Post deal. Because I didn’t receive the bonus with the first application, will I still receive the bonus now?
You should receive the bonus now regardless of whether you activated your first card.
Hey Ricky, thanks for posting this Canada Post deal. Is there any difference by choosing this deal for the Business Platinum, versus self referring from my personal Platinum? Still net 75000MR… Thanks
Yes – you pay $399 in annual fee via Canada Post instead of $499. Your minimum spending is also lower, at $5,000 instead of $7,000.
Hi Ricky,
So glad I came across your blog. I was planning to apply for the AMEX Platinum, and came across this Canada Post offer. I have a couple of questions for you:
The Amex Biz Platinum: I have a Corporation (not a sole proprietorship) set up due to my work. Do I have a better chance of getting approved by using the corporation’s name, or by using my name and SIN pretending to be a sole proprietor?
Benefits: Apart from the $200 travel credit, what are the missing/inferior benefits of the Biz version compared to the personal version?
Hi Sam,
There’s no difference in terms of whether you use the corporation or your own name. You’re likely to get approved using either. And besides the $200 travel credit that’s really it – the lounge access, earning rate, Concierge, Marriott Gold status, etc. are all the same between the personal and business Platinum cards. The business one might be lacking a few minor hotel elite statuses, but I don’t pay much attention to those to be honest.
I ended up applying for the platinum card using my information only. Was not instantly approved. Fingers crossed I get approved.
Do I need to call to follow up, or guide them with the info so my application gets approved?
Hi Ricky,
Wife and I currently hold about 230,000 mr each. Never redeemed before. We live in YVR and love Tokyo and Bangkok. What is the best way to redeem for flights in business class with lowest fees? We can travel anytime. Brian
Hey Brian,
You’ll need 155,000 miles per person to fly roundtrip to Asia 2 in business class. You’ll want to avoid Air Canada and instead look for availability on EVA Air, Air China, or Singapore Airlines, which don’t levy any fuel surcharges. ANA, Asiana, and Thai also have relatively low fees which can be worth paying, since their business class products are very good.
Hi Ricky,
My son is moving to the US for work and work will involve some travel. He is a new grad and is looking for a US card (he has a SSN). What card do you recommend?
A no-fee Amex card such as the Amex Blue would be a great option for building credit history.
Hi Ricky,
I have cancelled these cards a few months ago. How long should I wait to re-apply and will I still be able to get the welcome bonus and the statement credit?
People have had success getting the bonus applying within a month of cancellation. I’m typically a little more conservative, waiting at least three months between cycles.
Hi Ricky,
Just want to confirm if the $1,500 spending in the first 3 months for the statement credit of $149 can also be part of the $5,000 spending in the first 3 months for the 40,000 MR.
Yes that’s correct.
Hi Ricky, If I already have an Amex Gold Rewards which I got about 4 months ago with a signup bonus, can I still get signup bonus on the Business Gold? Can I just cancel one and apply for the other?
Yes – you don’t have to cancel the Gold Rewards to get the Business Gold either, you can hold both simultaneously.
I’m finding conflicting info online; if I’ve already held one of these cards, am I still eligible to get the sign up bonus?
Hi Ricky, if this is my second time applying for the business plat card, is there any problems with linking to the same login as before or should I create a brand new login? Thanks!
No problems linking to the same online account as before.
Cheers
Ricky
Thanks for this info, Ricky. Quick question: Do we know how long this offer is good for? For people already working on minimum spend requirements on other cards, knowing when this offer expires would help to make sure it gets into the rotation in time.
Unfortunately I don’t think there’s an expiry date, rather it’s an ongoing promotion that could change at any time.
Same here..it states $250 Basic Card fee
I tried applying and in the T&C is states that the annual fee is $ 250 as follows Annual Fees:
Basic Card: $250; Supplementary Card(s): $50 each. Charged on first statement after Card issued and once a year thereafter (regardless of card activation).
There’s been some reports of the Business Platinum links showing a $499 annual fee in the T&Cs, but eventually only a $399 annual fee was charged. I imagine it might be the same thing happening here with the Business Gold.
If you take screenshots of the Canada Post offer when you apply, you should be able to get any mistakenly charged annual fee reversed.
I contacted Amex through the link on the application page and they called me back to confirm that the Annual fee for the Business Gold through Canada Post is $149, and I would get 40,000 MR points with a spend of $5000 in first 3 months, so I applied. Thank you for your posts and keep up the flow of good information.
Can you still be in possession of both gold and plat cards at the same time?
Recent data points indicate that you certainly can.
Ricky, please note that if you are a designated accountant and a member of CPA Canada, the same promotion on the Amex Gold Biz as the one from Canada Post is available from there too.
Hey Ricky,
Have you held multiple Gold Biz cards under variations of the business name. I already have one, but thought this would be a excellent opportunity to get another one.
Tyler
Yep!
Totally out of the subject here Ricky, but what do you think about the new BMO Mastercards for Business? They have some juicy signup bonus and FYF
I’ve tended to shy away from BMO cards since they require you to book travel through their portal (which reportedly often has uncompetitive prices). However, $350 in travel credits for no first-year fee sounds decent to me. Whether or not I apply might depend on how many hoops they make me jump through to get the card!
true, but they do a price match!
FYF is always appealing but fyi BMO points are only worth 0.7 cpm so it’s really $245 worth
Still meets my criteria! I think their personal world elite card is 35,000 points also.
Great tips for earning Amex welcome bonuses after the most recent changes. However, I was wondering if you can earn the welcome bonuses from both Canada Post business gold and business platinum offers. I have read that the terms of the Canada Post offers is that you can only earn the welcome bonus if you do not current hold an Amex business card.
Great tips for earning Amex welcome bonuses after the most recent changes. However, I was wondering if you can earn the welcome bonuses from both Canada Post business gold and business platinum offers. I have read that the terms of the Canada Post offers is that you can only earn the welcome bonus if you do not current hold an Amex business card.
While those terms do exist, they seem to fall into the category of terms that aren’t typically enforced, since I and many others have held simultaneous business cards while getting the bonuses on all of them.
Hi Ricky: Just wondering how useful are the MR now? The hotel packages are gone and there is uncertainty with Air Canada. Seems to me that it will be hard to redeem it for business/first class travel with either aeroplan or avois. I am planning to obtain some American cards. Do you think it is worthwhile to use the US card for Canadian spending? I think there is a drag of 0.5% especially with visa due to exchange rates.
Uncertainty with Air Canada doesn’t kick in until 2020, which is plenty of time to use your miles. However, the devaluation of the MR to Marriott transfer ratio is certainly not ideal.
Getting into the US game is a good idea if you’re looking to diversify your holdings a bit. I typically use the US cards for Canadian spending only when I’m trying to meet a spending threshold; otherwise, the FX impact as you’ve noted can quickly eat into my earnings.
Hi Ricky: Just wondering how useful are the MR now? The hotel packages are gone and there is uncertainty with Air Canada. Seems to me that it will be hard to redeem it for business/first class travel with either aeroplan or avois. I am planning to obtain some American cards. Do you think it is worthwhile to use the US card for Canadian spending? I think there is a drag of 0.5% especially with visa due to exchange rates.