15 Luxurious Benefits of the Amex Business Platinum Travel Card

If you’re a small business owner who has to travel a lot for work, you’d be wise to consider the American Express Business Platinum card for your business credit needs. In a word, the Amex Business Platinum benefits are unparalleled for frequent flyers.

When we say unparalleled, we mean that the Amex Business Platinum card will allow you to travel comfortably, efficiently, and practically. If you use it right, the Amex Business Platinum benefits pay for themselves.

But is this card worth its substantial $450 annual price tag? Well, let’s do some digging. In this article we will evaluate a comprehensive list of the top Amex Business Platinum benefits so you can decide if it is the luxury business travel card that will provide the most value for your business. We’ll also provide you with some alternatives so you understand your full range of business travel card options.

The Amex Business Platinum Benefits

Amex Business Platinum benefits generally fall into five different categories. We are going to take a look at each one. The most popular of the Amex Business Platinum benefits are its travel perks—of which there are many. For instance, using Amex Business Platinum benefits you’ll be able to enjoy upscale airport lounge access and credit toward an application for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.

But Amex Business Platinum benefits also come in the form of travel savings, welcome bonuses, Amex Membership Rewards, and various other perks like insurances and protections. These benefits come in handy in many situations as a small business owner—and can add up to substantial savings.

As long as you take advantage of the various Amex Business Platinum benefits, regardless of whether you access them through your card or not, you should be able to get your money’s worth. But to be sure, we recommend you research your most common business travel expenses.

Now, $450 is a high annual fee for any credit card, so you’ll want to make sure your business expenses overlap with the following list of Amex Business Platinum benefits.

The Top Amex Business Platinum Benefits: Your Comprehensive List

Now that we’ve given you a general idea of the travel perks included with the Amex Business Platinum card, let’s get into the nitty gritty. Here is why traveling with this silvery luxury card will make you feel like a VIP.

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 (if 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 a member of Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, Avis Preferred, and National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive. Not too shabby. 

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

If you’re traveling for worm outside the country, 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 international business owners—especially those on extended stays.

6. Annual Airline Incidentals Credit

The $200 incidentals credit that you’ll receive annually is an invaluable perk that is pretty much free money for anyone who travels often. 

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

Another huge Amex Business Platinum benefit is a credit to cover either your TSA PreCheck or Global Entry costs ($85 and $100, respectively) so that you can zip through security as you travel for work.

If you’ve 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 line at customs, too.

8. 75,000 Membership Rewards Points

American Express’s welcome offer on the Amex Business Platinum will allow you a welcome bonus of 75,000 Membership Rewards points.

9. An Extra 50,000 Membership Rewards Plus 25,000 More Points

You can earn up to 50,000 Membership Rewards points once you spend $10,000 with your Amex Business Platinum after opening your account, plus an additional 25,000 points after you spend an additional $10,000 on qualifying purchases within your first three months of card membership. 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 over the $5,000 mark on your Amex Business Platinum card.

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 card 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

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 those points.

14. Amex Offers Discounts

Because this card is a member of Amex Offers, Amex Business Platinum benefits also include every benefit that comes with Amex Offers. That means access to a 5% discount on a lengthy list of vendors that your own business may work with 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.

This annual fee is one of the most expensive on the market. A $450 yearly fee can be a huge chunk of change for a small business on a budget. So, the jet-setting business owner who’s not interested in bells and whistles might settle for a cheaper alternative than the Amex Business Platinum card.

However there’s serious practical savings here, too—Amex Business Platinum comes with an abundance of benefits that will save you lots of money as you travel for 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 only 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.

Alternatives to the Amex Business Platinum Card

If your business doesn’t spend enough on travel to justify using the Amex Business Platinum card, or if you aren’t interested in paying a $450 annual fee, consider these alternatives.

Capital One Spark Miles for Business

The Capital One Spark Miles for Business card comes with no annual fee for the first year ($95 thereafter) and offers 2 miles earned for every $1 spent. If you spend over $5,000 in your first three months, you’ll also receive 50,000 bonus miles

Plus, as a limited time offer, you can earn up to 150,000 miles when you spend $50,000 within the first 6 months of card membership. The Spark Miles card will guarantee your business spending will help you optimize your travel rewards.

Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

If you’re willing to spend a little more, the Chase Ink Business Preferred card can provide you with some nice travel rewards. When you sign up for this Chase card, you’ll earn 80,000 Ultimate Rewards points if you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months with your card.

These points are 1.25 cents each when used for travel booked through Chase’s online portal but can be even more valuable when transferred to one of the bank’s airline or hotel loyalty partners. This rate will put the Ink Preferred’s signup bonus at upwards of $1,000 or more.

Note that this card does come with a $95 annual fee.

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 arguably the best option on the market. If you’d prefer something a little less fancy, there are plenty of good options as well. Using the perks provided by any of the business travel cards we’ve mentioned will guarantee you’re traveling in style and saving money as you go.

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