Change is in the air at Amex HQ this week, with the bank rolling out a massive update to its flagship *amex platinum*. While much of the focus is on the personal card, *biz platinum* is getting an overhaul, too.
The good news is that almost all the card's existing benefits remained intact: Sadly, the bank gutted one of its best benefits to save on any premium cabin ticket when using points as a part of this major overhaul. But Amex also added a handful of useful new perks, highlighted by up to $600 a year in Fine Hotels + Resorts® credit – a benefit business cardholders previously missed out on.
Oh … and there's this: You can currently earn 200,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases within the first three months. That's a step up from the standard welcome offer, though nowhere near the best bonus we've ever seen on the card.
The bad news? The annual fee now clocks in at a whopping $895 (see rates & fees). That higher fee is already in effect for new applicants, but existing cardholders won't have to pay more until Dec. 2. Any renewal after that date will put you on the hook for the higher annual fee.
These changes had been rumored for weeks, with details of new credits slowly leaking out. Now, the full details are here, and both new and existing cardmembers can access the benefits immediately.
Here's a full breakdown.
Learn more about *biz platinum*
What's New?
Amex is layering these new perks on top of the Business Platinum’s existing benefits. Critically, none of the current perks are going away.
That means longtime staples like Centurion® Lounge access, earning 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel®, up to $200 in annual airline fee credits, and automatic hotel status with Hilton and Marriott, among other benefits, remain unchanged.
For cardmembers who opened their accounts before today, the higher fee won’t hit right away: it will apply at their next renewal date on or after Dec. 2, 2025.
Here’s a closer look at what’s being added, and what you’ll need to do to use each benefit.
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Bigger Welcome Offer
To celebrate the Business Platinum's relaunch, Amex upped the ante with an even bigger bonus_miles_full
Is it merely a coincidence that that's the same amount of points Chase is offering on its top-tier business card … for a smaller spending requirement? I'll let you be the judge.
$600 Hotel Credit
The consumer Platinum card has long offered a credit for prepaid hotel bookings at Fine Hotels + Resorts® (FHR) and The Hotel Collection properties through Amex Travel. Now, it's available on the business version, too.
Business Platinum cardholders now get up to $600 in credits per year, broken down into two $300 chunks to use from January through June and July through December. This is a use-it-or-lose-it benefit, so if you don't spend the full $300 every six months, it won't roll over.
Details of this new benefit were leaked last month after an astute Redditor noticed new terms on Amex's FHR booking page. That addition was quickly scrubbed from Amex's site, but not before it was captured. Now, it's official.
Enrollment is required to use this new benefit, which you can do by logging into your American Express account and heading to the benefits page.
Earn More Points
One of the Business Platinum Card's biggest knocks has always been that it's not the most rewarding card for everyday business spending. While it's still not the absolute best option … it did get better.
You'll now earn 2x points (was 1.5x) on purchases at U.S. construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more, up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year.
If your business does the bulk of its spending in any of those categories – or just has large expenses in any category – the Business Platinum is a solid option. Earning 2x points per dollar spent on these purchases puts it on par with cards like the *blue biz plus* and the *venture x business* – which both earn 2x on all eligible purchase (Blue Business Plus is capped at $50,000 in purchases each year).
This update is in addition to the 5x points you can earn on flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel® – and 1x points on all other eligible purchases.
Additional Credits … With a Big Catch
If your business spends big – and I mean really big – you can unlock up to $3,600 in additional credits for flights and Amex's One AP® Business Management tool. After spending $250,000 in a calendar year, you'll get access to the following credits to use in the following calendar year.
- $1,200 Flight Credit: Get up to $1,200 in statement credits for flights booked on AmexTravel.com.
- $2,400 One AP® Statement Credit: Get up to $2,400 in statement credits for American Express One AP®, American Express’ digital accounts payable product that automates supplier payments on one platform.
The added flight credits could no doubt be useful for business travelers and I'm sure Amex's accounts payable tool helps streamline vendor payments for a lot of businesses. That said, I can't imagine either of these credits are worth going out of your way to earn.
35% Airline Bonus, With a Catch
Business Platinum cardholders can still get 35% of their points back when booking flights through Amex Travel with one of eight selected qualifying airlines – for a total of up to 1 million points back per calendar year.
This benefit isn't new … and in fact, it's now much worse.
Previously, you'd get a 35% rebate on any first or business class ticket – regardless of the airline – booked through Amex Travel, in addition to economy and premium economy tickets on your chosen airline. Now, you'll only get that 35% rebate on your domestic airline of choice, making this perk far less valuable.
Qualifying airlines include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Spirit Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. Considering Alaska and Hawaiian have officially merged, there are really only seven unique choices here … and please, do yourself a favor and don't pick Spirit.
Read more: Amex is Gutting the Business Platinum's Best Flight-Booking Benefit
Leaders Club Sterling Status
Finally, Business Platinum cardholders will now receive complimentary Leaders Club Sterling Status with The Leading Hotels of the World®. That unlocks perks at more than 400 luxury properties worldwide, including daily breakfast for two, exclusive upgrades, and pre-arrival upgrade opportunities.
Again, enrollment is required to use this benefit.
Platinum Nights by Resy
If you're unfamiliar with Resy, it's the restaurant reservation platform Amex acquired back in 2019. Since then, the bank has been slowly integrating Resy into its card lineup.
With Platinum Nights by Resy, you can get special access to reservations on select nights at participating, in demand Resy restaurants with your Business Platinum Card. Simply add your card to your Resy profile to discover and book Platinum Nights reservations.
Unfortunately, these Platinum Nights by Resy reservations are limited to New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. Hopefully it's a success and expands to more cities in the future.
A New Look
Alongside the new benefits and higher fees, Amex is debuting a limited-edition “mirror” card design for Business Platinum cardholders. The sleek, reflective finish is available to new applicants and existing cardmembers, who can request the design if they want to swap out their current Business Platinum Card.
All Business Platinum Card Benefits at a Glance
Here’s the full rundown of what the Business Platinum Card now offers, combining both new and existing perks. Remember, enrollment is required before you can use many of these benefits:
Travel Benefits
- Earn 5x Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel
- Access to the Global Lounge Collection, including The Centurion® Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs® (10 visits per year, Feb. 1 – Jan. 31) when flying Delta, Priority Pass lounges, and more.
- $600 Hotel Credit: Get up to $300 semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings (The Hotel Collection bookings require a two-night minimum stay)
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline to receive up to $200 back per year on baggage fees and other incidentals.
- $209 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Use the Business Platinum Card and get up to $209 back per calendar year on your CLEAR® Plus membership.
- $200 Hilton Statement Credit: Make the Business Platinum Card work even harder for you. Hilton For Business members get up to $200 back per calendar year when you make an eligible purchase at Hilton properties across the globe.
- 35% Airline Bonus: Get 35% of your points back after using them to book a flight through Amex Travel with one of eight selected qualifying airlines, up to 1 million points back per calendar year.
- Hilton Honors® Gold Status and Marriott Bonvoy® Gold Elite Status
- Complimentary Leaders Club Sterling Status with The Leading Hotels of the World®
- Up to a $120 fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- $1,200 Flight Credit: Get up to $1,200 in statement credits for flights booked through Amex Travel after spending $250,000 or more in the previous calendar year
Business Benefits
- Wireless Credit: Get up to $120 per year ($10 monthly) in statement credits for wireless telephone service purchases made directly with a wireless provider in the U.S. on the Business Platinum Card.
- Dell Statement Credit Benefit: Enroll and get up to $150 in statement credits on U.S purchases directly with Dell Technologies on the Business Platinum Card and an additional $1,000 statement credit after you spend $5,000 or more on that same card per calendar year.
- Business Platinum Indeed Benefit: Get up to $360 per year ($90 quarterly) in statement credits for purchases with Indeed on the Business Platinum Card.
- Adobe Statement Credit Benefit: Enroll and get a $250 statement credit after you spend $600 or more on U.S. purchases directly with Adobe per calendar year on the Business Platinum Card.
- One AP® Statement Credit: Get up to $2,400 in statement credits for use in the next calendar year on monthly fees for American Express One AP® when you spend $250,000 or more in a calendar year.
Learn more about *biz platinum*
Our Take
Amex pegs the total value of all the Business Platinum Card's credits and benefits at over $3,500 – or even more if you hit that hefty $250,000 spending mark every calendar year to unlock more benefits. But it's hard to see how the average business owner would come anywhere close to getting that amount back out of this card without putting some serious work into it.
That said, the Business Platinum does offer real value to cardholders. If you travel frequently, using the $200 airline fee credit and $600 in hotel credits should be no trouble at all. Even if you don't value those at the full sticker price, you can still recoup much of your annual fee with those two credits alone.
Add in the $200 Hilton hotel credit, $120 wireless credit, and one or two of the other business credits and could be an easy win.
Long story short: If you liked the card at the old $695 annual fee, you may love it even more now. But if the unique 35% points rebate on all first and business class tickets was the differentiator for you, it may be an entirely different story.
Bottom Line
Amex just refreshed the Business Platinum with new perks – most notably an up to $600 Fine Hotels + Resorts® credit, better point earning, and a massive 200,000-point welcome offer – while keeping the card's core benefits intact.
The only downside? The card has officially lost a unique benefit to book first and business class tickets for fewer points, and the annual fee went up to a whopping $895.
Even so, if you're able to make good use of the new hotel credit and a few of the other ongoing perks, the math can still work. If not, that higher annual fee will be hard to justify.
