15 Amex Business Platinum Benefits That Prove It Wins Best Luxury Travel Card

You’ve heard about the many perks of the of the Amex Business Platinum—and you want to know if it’s right for you. Well, for jet-setting business owners, Amex Business Platinum benefits are unparalleled.

With its luxury travel perks and practical travel savings, the Amex Business Platinum benefits are everything a frequent flier could need. And the kind of perks that truly pay for themselves.

But is this card worth its substantial price tag? We break down a comprehensive list of the top Amex Business Platinum benefits so you can figure out if this luxury business travel card will provide you with a ton of value. But we’ll give you a hint: If you’re a serious traveler for business, there’s no better suite of benefits if you want a tip-top luxury experience.

The Amex Business Platinum Benefits

Amex Business Platinum benefits generally fall into five different categories. The one you’ve probably heard the most about are its luxury travel perks—of which there are many. So, yes, you’ll be able to enjoy the upscale airport lounge access and other notable status upgrades, like Global Entry and TSA PreCheck, that you’re looking for.

But Amex Business Platinum benefits also come in the form of travel savings, welcome bonuses, Amex Membership Rewards, and various lesser known-perks like insurances and protections. These benefits come in handy throughout many situations as a business owner—but, most of all, they add up to substantial savings along the way. All of these make the $450 yearly fee more than worth it.

As long as you take advantage of the various Amex Business Platinum benefits, regardless of whether you access them through the card or not, you’ll more than get your money’s worth with the Amex Business Platinum, even with its $450 annual fee. But be sure to do the math on whether or not the Amex Business Platinum benefits pay for themselves, as this card does carry one of the most expensive annual fees on the market.

The Top Amex Business Platinum Benefits: Your Comprehensive List

You likely have a general idea of the kind of benefits the Amex Business Platinum promises—business owners typically consider this business travel card with a silvery halo of luxury travel accompanying it.

But let’s run through the exact Amex Business Platinum benefits that make this business travel credit card so legendary—and makes competing business travel credit cards pale in comparison:

The Top 15 Amex Business Platinum Benefits

1. Airport Lounge Access

As an Amex Business Platinum cardholder, you’ll gain access to Amex’s American Express Global Lounge Collection.

This includes Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (while you’re flying Delta), and more—which means you’ll be traveling in style and comfort with this business travel card. If you’re dreaming about not having to scavenge for a seat by your gate as you wait, or eating yet another bag of trail mix to hold you over until you land, then you’ve struck gold (or, well, platinum in this case).

2. Gold Elite Status at Hilton and Starwood Hotels

Amex Business Platinum benefits don’t just apply to the journey—they also apply to the destination. As an Amex Business Platinum cardholder, you’ll get an automatic upgrade to Gold Elite Status at Hilton and Starwood Hotels.

3. Complimentary Status Upgrades with Top Rental Car Companies

You’ll be able to upgrade your status with multiple rental car companies if you opt for the Amex Business Platinum. This business travel credit card bumps you up to become be a member of Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, Avis Preferred, and National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive.

4. Boingo Hotspot and Go-Go Preferred WiFi

Finally, to top off the Amex Business Platinum benefits for luxury travel, you’ll gain access to Boingo Hotspots and Go-Go Preferred WiFi during your travels. With this Amex Business Platinum benefit, you’ll never have to be offline (or burning through your own data) as you travel for business.

5. No Foreign Transaction Fees

The Amex Business Platinum won’t charge you a foreign transaction fee for any purchase you make abroad. Considering some business credit cards charge up to 3% of every dollar you spend overseas on each transaction, this is a huge money-saver for always-traveling business owners—especially for extended stays.

6. Annual Airline Incidentals Credit

The $200 incidentals credit that you’ll receive annually is a huge benefit that isn’t talked about nearly as much as it should be.

This Amex Business Platinum benefit covers up to $200 of additional charges—think checked baggage, in-flight fare, or upgrades, for instance—and that’s the stuff that can really add up. The most notable part is that you can apply this credit to any airline of your choosing.

7. TSA PreCheck or Global Entry Credit

And one more another big one. As an Amex Business Platinum cardholder, you’ll receive a credit to cover either your TSA PreCheck or Global Entry costs ($85 and $100, respectively) so that you can zoom through security as you travel for work.

Ever stood in a security line worrying about making a flight or groaned about taking a computer out of a bag? Then this benefit is your dream. Global Entry (which encompasses TSA PreCheck clearance as well) lets you not only sail through domestic security screenings in priority lines but also makes your return to the country an absolute breeze since you can skip the lines at customs, too.

8. 50,000 Membership Rewards Points

Once you spend $10,000 on your Amex Business Platinum, you’ll earn a welcome bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards points.

9. 50,000 Membership Rewards

If you spend that $10,000 quickly, though, you’ll access to an even larger welcome bonus. Spend $15,000 with your Amex Business Platinum within the first three months after opening your account, and you’ll earn an additional 50,000. So, there’s a solid batch of 100,000 Membership Rewards points from welcome bonuses up for grabs if your business is heavy on spending.

10. 5x Membership Rewards Points

The sustained rates at which you’ll be able to earn for your business spending are an Amex Business Platinum benefit definitely worth noting. For instance, if you make a purchase through Amex’s travel portal, you’ll see a return of 5x Membership Rewards points for every dollar you spend.

11. 1.5x Membership Rewards Points

Additionally, when you make a large one-off purchases of $5,000 or more, you’ll earn 50% more. There are 1.5x Membership Rewards points on the table for all purchases of above the $5,000 mark on your Amex Business Platinum.

12. Points Transfer to 20 Airline and Hotel Partners

What are thousands of points worth if they’re only good for something you’re not interested in purchasing? That’s why Membership Rewards points that you earn with the Amex Business Platinum will be transferable to all 20 of Amex’s hotel and airline partners, which include Delta, JetBlue, Hilton, and Starwood.

13. Pay With Points Bonus

Finally, if you book your travel through Amex’s travel portal, your Membership Rewards points will be worth 35% more. Not only will Amex Business Platinum benefits let you earn more points, they’ll also let you earn more rewards for these points.

14. AMEX OPEN Discounts

Because this card is a member of AMEX OPEN, Amex Business Platinum benefits also entail every benefit that comes with AMEX OPEN. That means access to a 5% discount on a lengthy list of businesses that your own business could take advantage of often: we’re talking FedEx, 1-800 Flowers, and more.

15. Various Insurances and Protections

Amex Business Platinum benefits also include a bunch of protections, most of which apply to travel expenses or risks. This means car rental loss, damage to lost or stolen luggage, and many other mishaps that you might encounter while traveling won’t be as grave with the Amex Business Platinum in hand.

Why You Might Hesitate to Take Advantage of These Amex Business Platinum Benefits

We’ve covered the very best Amex Business Platinum benefits, but we do have to address the elephant in the wallet—the Amex Business Platinum’s substantial annual fee of $450.

For sure, this annual fee is one of the most expensive on the market. A $450 yearly fee can be a huge chunk within a small business’s budget. So, the jet-setting business owner who’s not interested in bells and whistles might quickly disregard the Amex Business Platinum.

But there’s lots of serious practical savings here, too—Amex Business Platinum comes with more benefits that will save you lots of money as you travel for your business. So, if you’re able to afford them, Amex Business Platinum benefits are certainly worth their price, and often end up paying for themselves.

The proof is in the numbers, starting with your annual airline incidentals credit of $200. After that one-off perk, you’ll just need to justify the remaining $250 of the annual fee that’s not covered by that airline credit.

That’s certainly easy to manage, especially when you consider the lounge access that this card grants you—for access to Priority Pass lounges, you’d have to pay $99 annually at the very least. Meanwhile, getting into the Delta Sky Club would put you back a solid $495 a year. If you pay for Global Entry, that’s another $100. And we’re not even getting into Membership Rewards, discounts, and more.

Amex Platinum Business Benefits: Luxury Travel, Travel Savings, Membership Perks, Welcome Bonuses, and a Little Extra 

The verdict is that if you’re looking for luxury travel, the Amex Business Platinum is the surprisingly practical master-key to accessing it. Take advantage of all of its benefits, and not only will you be traveling in style, but you’ll be savvy for doing it to boot.

The post 15 Amex Business Platinum Benefits That Prove It Wins Best Luxury Travel Card appeared first on Fundera Ledger.

from Fundera Ledger https://www.fundera.com/blog/amex-business-platinum-benefits