AMEX Business Platinum Card: Earn 100,000 Welcome Bonus Points, Now With Annual CLEAR Membership Included!

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Welcome bonus:

You can earn 100,000 American Express Membership Rewards welcome bonus points for opening an AMEX Business Platinum card and spending $15,000 within your first 3 months of card membership.

Comparison to previous welcome bonus:

The previous public welcome bonuses for this card were 75K points for spending $15,000 or $20,000 within 3 months.

Annual fee: 

There is a $595 annual fee, though the welcome bonus and myriad card benefits are worth far more in annual benefits.

This card is now $100 less expensive annually than the Consumer Platinum card.

There is a $300 annual fee for additional Platinum cardholders and no annual fee for additional Green cardholders. Plus no-fee green cardholders can still get their own free Global Entry/Pre-Check membership!

For rates and fees of the AMEX Business Platinum Card, please visit here.

Welcome bonus terms: 

You won’t get the welcome bonus on this card if you have or have had this card. If you are not eligible for the bonus you will get a popup notification after clicking to apply for the card. At that point you can decide whether to proceed or cancel the application before it is processed.

You must keep the card active without closing or downgrading it for at least 12 months.

Card earnings:

• 5 points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels booked on AMEXTravel.com.
• 1.5 points per dollar on purchases of $5,000+, up to 1 million bonus points/year.
• 1 point per dollar everywhere.
• There are no foreign transaction fees.

Spend Threshold:

You can pay your federal taxes or tax estimates for a 1.96% fee. You’ll earn 1.5 points per dollar on $5,000+ purchases, which are worth more than that fee, plus it can help you meet the spend threshold. AMEX payments over $100,000 cost 1.9%. If you do overestimate your taxes, you can request a refund or apply it to your next year’s taxes.

My local natural gas company allows me to prepay up to $1,000 on a credit card for a $1.65 flat fee. That’s a great way to earn miles and help meet a spend threshold. My electricity supplier allows me to pay with a credit card for free as long as I am enrolled in autopay.

Creating a killer combo with Blue Business Plus:

If you have The Blue Business℠ Plus Credit Card from American Express you’ll earn 2 points per dollar everywhere on up to $50K in annual spending.

If you also have a Business Platinum card that means you’ll earn a minimum of 3.08% back towards travel everywhere thanks to Hybrid points!

New: $179 annual CLEAR credit

Starting today, all Platinum Card members can enroll in CLEAR and get reimbursed for up to $179 in annual charges.

Clear normally costs $179/year, but United and Delta non-elite members can enroll in CLEAR for $119/year. United and Delta cardholders and mid-tier elite members can enroll in CLEAR for $109/year. Top tier elites get CLEAR for free.

A CLEAR member can add up to 3 adults for just $60 each, so you can join as a Delta or United member, add a 2nd adult, and all charges will be reimbursed by AMEX every year.

Kids under 18 can go with their parents for free without a membership or biometrics required.

CLEAR allows you to skip to the front of the line. If you have PreCheck you can skip to the front of the PreCheck line and if you don’t have PreCheck you can skip to the front of the regular line.

You don’t need to take out your ID either, your fingerprint or eye act as your ID.

The dependability that skipping the line gives you is simply amazing. It means I can leave my house 55 minutes before a flight and know that I won’t miss my flight out of CLE. When I’m with my family I’ll leave plenty of time and enjoy the airport lounge, but if I’m solo, the less wasted time in the airport is always a win.

$200 annual airline fee credit:

Every calendar year, you can get a $200 credit for airline fees. That means you’ll get back $400 in fees during your first cardmembership year with $200 back in 2020 and $200 back in 2021. 

You can register for an airline here.

Hybrid Points And Points Rebate:

The Business Platinum card allows you to choose whether to redeem points for paid travel or to transfer points into airline miles when tickets are expensive. That’s a powerful tool that shields you from program devaluations.

AMEX transfer partners include:

• Air Canada Aeroplan (Star Alliance) 1:1 instant transfer.
• ANA (Star Alliance) 1:1 transfer.
• Avianca Lifemiles (Star Alliance) 1:1 instant transfer.
• Singapore (Star Alliance) 1:1 transfer.
• AeroMexico (Skyteam) 1:1.6 transfer.
• Air France/KLM Flying Blue (Skyteam) 1:1 instant transfer.
• Alitalia (Skyteam) 1:1 instant transfer.
• Delta (Skyteam) 1:1 instant transfer.
• Aer Lingus (OneWorld) 1:1 instant transfer.
• British Airways (OneWorld) 1:1 instant transfer
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (OneWorld) 1:1 instant transfer.
• Iberia (OneWorld) 1:1 instant transfer
• Qantas (OneWorld) 1:1 instant transfer
• El Al 50:1 instant transfer (Ends 12/31/20)
• Emirates 1:1 instant transfer
• Etihad 1:1 instant transfer
• Hawaiian 1:1 instant transfer
• JetBlue 1:0.8 instant transfer
• Virgin Atlantic 1:1 instant transfer
• Choice Hotels 1:1 instant transfer
• Hilton 1:2 instant transfer
• Marriott 1:1 instant transfer

Mileage transfers can often make sense for one-way, last-minute, or premium class travel. The value with airline miles can be under a cent each if used poorly, but properly used the points can be worth 5 cents, 10 cents, 15 cents, or even more per point, the sky is the limit.

For example I love using 6.5K miles transferred to Avianca to book a last minute $459 ticket on United, thanks to Avianca’s amazing short-haul redemption award chart.

There are also often bonus offers for transfers from AMEX to airlines.

Otherwise you can choose to use them for paid tickets when tickets are less expensive at 1.54 cents (or higher) value per point.

That’s because Business Platinum cardholders get a 35% points rebate for award redemptions on paid tickets on the airline that you chose for your $200 fee credit in coach. You can chat with AMEX online to change your airline selection. You’ll also get a 35% points rebate on all airlines in business and first class. You can book these tickets on AMEXTravel.com. If you want to redeem for travel on Southwest then you’ll need to call AMEX to book.

In other words if you want to book a $250 flight you’ll use 25,000 points, but AMEX will give you a 35% rebate, so you’ll get back 8,750 points in coach on the airline of your choice or in business/first class on all airlines, making the net cost just 16,250 points and earning you a value of 1.54 cents per point. When you use points for paid tickets you don’t pay any taxes and you still earn miles for the flight!

Plus the rebate is stackable with discounted AMEX Insider fares that can be excellent deals. For example a $350 flight can be discounted to just 25K points, meaning you’ll still pay just 16,250 points, a value of 2.15 cents per point!

You can get up to 500K rebated points per account and if you’re a big spender on the card you can get offers for additional rebates.

This hybrid redemption ability makes your points very valuable as they can be used for mileage transfers or paid flights, whichever provides more value for the flights you want to book.

$200 (Or More) Annual Dell credit:

You can register here for $100 cash back at Dell.com every January-June and $100 cash back every July-December.

AMEX Business cards also have an AMEX Offer available for 10% off all purchases Dell through 12/15/21, with up to $1,500 in total statement credits. It fully stacks with the $100 cash back offer, so if you buy a new computer monitor for $100 you’ll get back $100 and $10, meaning your total cost will be negative $10!

Dell allows you to split a charge among 3 credit cards at checkout. If you have multiple Business Platinum cards that means you can get a $100 credit on each one by splitting the charge among multiple cards.

You can find Dell deals that we have posted here.

Gold elite status with 2 hotel chains:

The Platinum card offers Hilton Gold and Marriott Gold elite status.

• You can enroll online here for Hilton Gold status.
• You can enroll online here for Marriott Gold status.

You can also enroll additional Platinum cardholders for Gold elite status, but that needs to be done over the phone.

Hilton Gold status gets you upgrades, bonus points, 5th night free on awards, late checkout, breakfast, and bottled water. Free breakfast doesn’t usually do much for me as a kosher traveler, but at the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem the fantastic daily kosher breakfast is free for Hilton Gold members. There is a mind-boggling quantity of awesome kosher food there, from dozens of daily hot dishes to hard cheeses, fresh fruits and pastries to fresh squeezed juices and espresso drinks, as well as on-demand dishes like french toast, pancakes, waffles, and eggs.

Marriott Gold status gets you late checkout, more points per dollar spent at Marriott hotels, room upgrades, enhanced in-room WiFi, and a points amenity on stays, even when redeeming points.

Centurion lounge access:

Originally, Centurion Lounges were designed for free access only for Centurion cardholders. You know them as those black cards that cost a whopping $5,000 per year with a $10,000 initiation fee.

Once the Platinum card started losing airline lounge partners they opened the Centurion lounge up to Platinum cardholders for free as well. Platinum cardholders used to be able to bring a spouse and kids into a Centurion lounge for free, and then later AMEX changed that to 2 guests.

Unfortunately that still hasn’t solved overcrowding in the lounges, and effective 2/1/23 most Platinum cardholders will no longer be able to bring in any free guests. Guests, including kids, will cost $50 each. If you do spend $75,000 on your Platinum account during the prior calendar year you can still bring in free guests. If you spend $75K on your Platinum account in 2023 by March you’ll be able to bring free guests from March 2023 through January 2025.

Alternatively, you can add additional cardholders who will be able to access the lounges.

Centurion lounges offer services that vary by location including free spa (massage, facial manicure, or pedicure) services, showers, complimentary food, drinks, cocktails, etc.

The lounges offer varying amenities like premium drinks, showers, and massages. And as they are staffed by AMEX you can even get help with account issues and access the lounge even if you forget your Platinum card.

Currently, there are Centurion Lounges in:

• Charlotte (Intersection of Concourses D & E, mezzanine level)
• Dallas/DFW (Terminal D, near American)
• Denver (Concourse C)
• Houston/IAH (Terminal D, near United)
• Las Vegas (Concourse D, near United)
• Los Angeles (TBIT)
• Miami (Concourse D, near American)
• NYC/JFK (Terminal 4)
• NYC/LGA (Terminal B, near American and United)
• Philadelphia (Terminal A West, near American)
• Phoenix (Terminal 4)
• San Francisco (Terminal 3, near United)
• Seattle (Concourse B)

International locations include:

• Buenos Aires/EZE
• Delhi
• Hong Kong (Terminal 1)
• Melbourne
• Mexico City
• Mumbai
• Monterrey, Mexico
• Sao Paulo/GRU
• Stockholm
• Sydney
• Toluca, Mexico

Future lounges include London, Washington DCA, and more.

Priority Pass membership:

You can enroll here for a Priority Pass membership.

Primary and additional Platinum cardholders can bring in 2 free guests each.

Lounges include the Art & Lounge in London and Newark which is the lounge that El Al provides for their business and first class passengers, and the Dan Lounges in Tel Aviv.

See the Priority Pass site for their complete list of lounges.

Unfortunately, this membership no longer includes access to Priority Pass Restaurants.

Delta SkyClub:

You can access Delta lounges for free with a Platinum card when flying on Delta.  You don’t get any free guests, but additional Platinum cardholders can access Delta lounges for free as well.

Select Delta SkyClubs, such as JFK, have complimentary hot kosher meals upon request. Others have kosher snacks upon request as well.

Escape, Plaza Premium, and Airspace lounges

Currently there are US Escape lounges in Cincinnati, Greenville, Hartford, Minneapolis, Oakland, Ontario, Phoenix, Providence, Reno, Sacramento, and West Palm Beach and there is an Airspace lounge in San Diego. Primary and additional Platinum cardholders can bring in 2 free guests each.

There are over 50 Plaza Premium lounges worldwide. Primary and additional Platinum cardholders can bring in 1 free guest each.

Global Entry/Pre-Check Fee Refund For You And Your Additional Cardholders:

It costs $85 to apply for a 5 year TSA Pre-Check membership which makes flying pleasant again. Shorter lines, no need to remove your shoes, belt, jacket, or hat. You can keep your laptop and small liquids inside your carry-on. And you go through a good old fashioned metal detector instead of assuming the position in the body scanner.  If you charge it on your Platinum card the fee will be refunded.

It costs $100 to apply for a 5 year Global Entry membership which lets you bypass the customs line. If you have Global Entry you also get TSA Pre-Check for free. If you charge it on your Platinum card the fee will be refunded.

You can read more more about the differences in this post.

You can add additional Green cardholders to your account for free and they will each qualify for a Pre-Check or Global Entry fee refund as well!

My whole family has Global Entry and it sure makes traveling a whole lot easier!

Car Rental Perks:

A 4 hour late return fee-free grace period, exclusively discounted pricing, and fee-waived Gold Plus membership at Hertz and National Executive status guarantee upgrades and faster free award rentals.

AMEX Offers and other benefits:

• Earn statement credits at stores that you register for in your AMEX account with AMEX Offers.
• Book through Fine Hotels & Resorts and get early check-in, a room upgrade, daily breakfast, Wi-Fi, guaranteed 4pm late checkout, and an additional unique amenity valued at $100.
• Business Platinum Concierge.
• Preferred Seating Program at select cultural and sporting events.

Premium AMEX Protections And Lost Item Protection: 

• Cell Phone Protection will reimburse $800 of expenses for a damaged or stolen phone if you paid the previous month’s cell phone bill on your card. Screen cracks are covered under this policy. Small cracks are something typically excluded from other cell phone protections offered by credit cards. A $50 deductible applies and you can make up to 2 claims per 12 month period, per eligible card.
• Trip delay insurance will reimburse expenses due to a flight delay, up to $500 of coverage for 6+ hour delays.
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance covers trips cancelled or delayed due to weather, terrorism, jury duty, or sudden illness or injury with up to $10,000 of coverage per trip and $20,000 per rolling 12 month period.
• Baggage Insurance covers lost, stolen, or damaged luggage on plain, train, ship, or bus tickets paid for on the card.
• If your item, up to $10,000, is lost, stolen, or broken within 90 days you’ll be covered! Many cards offer stolen item protection, but that claim requires a police report to be filed and often has a cap of just $1,000 on other cards.
• If you need to return an item up to $300 and a store won’t take it back due to a time limited or final sale policy, AMEX will refund you thanks to return protection. The vast majority of the time you’ll even be able to keep the item, but if you do need to send it back the return shipping will be free. That’s a far more generous policy than any other bank offers. This benefit is valid for $1,000 of returns per card per calendar year.
• If a store charged a restocking fee to return an item then AMEX will cover it, up to $300/item, as part of their return protection coverage.
• You get up to 2 additional years of warranty coverage, double the original manufacturers warranty, and if you have any issue in the extended warranty year they’ll pay to have it fixed or refund your entire purchase price without a hassle. This benefit is far more valuable than warranty benefits offered by other banks.
• If you need to dispute a charge there’s nobody who makes it easier or as pain-free as American Express does. It’s the easiest dispute resolution process in the industry by leaps and bounds and you can do it all online.
• See this post to see just how amazing AMEX benefits can be.

Business vs Consumer card:

AMEX business cards don’t appear on your credit report. That’s good for several reasons.

First of all they won’t count against your 5/24 count for opening new Chase cards. Only cards on your report that have been opened within the past 24 months count for that.

Second, when you spend money on personal cards your credit score will be hurt even if you pay your bill on time. A whopping 30% of your credit score is based on credit utilization. You can pay off your card bill before your statement is generated to avoid that, but that takes effort and laying out money well before you have to. Additionally it’s good to have the statement close with a couple dollars to show the card is active and being paid every month. On an AMEX business card it’s just not reported, so you can wait until the money is due without it having a negative effect on your score.

Third, if you close a business card it won’t ever have an effect on your score.

You may already have a business that needs a card to keep track of expenses. For example if your name is Joe Smith and you sell items online, or if you have any other side business and want a credit card to better keep track of business expenditures you can open a business credit card for “Joe Smith” as the business. You don’t need to file any messy government paperwork to be allowed to do that. Just be sure to select “Sole Proprietorship” as the business type and just use your social security number in the Tax Identification Number field

Will you apply for this offer?

For rates and fees of the AMEX Business Platinum Card, please visit here.