The feature-rich Business Platinum Card from American Express will lose one of its most valuable benefits starting January 1, 2020. According to View from the Wing, the card will be losing the 10 complimentary Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi passes it provides each calendar year.
What's more yet, the free year of WeWork membership won't be extended. Frequent Miler confirms that cardholders can only apply for a free year at WeWork through Dec. 31, 2019. After that, the benefit is disappearing altogether.
American Express has been communicating this Wi-Fi devaluation on the latest cardmember statements. Since I hold the card, I went to my American Express account and found my most recent statement which closed on Nov. 8, 2019. At the very bottom, I found the following notice notifying me that the Boingo Preferred Plan and Gogo Preferred Program will be removed effective Jan. 1, 2020.
Our Analysis
This is a huge blow to the Business Platinum Card from American Express. Being that in-flight Wi-Fi can cost up to $25 per flight, it was possible to get up to $250 out of this benefit each and every year. Along with the WeWork benefit, it made it fairly easy to justify the hefty $595 annual fee on the card.
But with these big perks disappearing starting next year, that math just got harder.
The card still offers one of my favorite benefits in 35% of your points back on your selected airline or on any airline in first or business class bookings through amextravel.com and a $200 annual credit to use at Dell.com which I have found to be useful. But losing these benefits is going to make me think twice about renewing this card when the time comes – unless if Amex comes back with some new benefits.
Since I often fly with Delta Air Lines, a Gogo partner, this benefit might carry more weight than it would for somebody who often flies with an airline like American, whose planes don't always have Gogo Wi-Fi. And with Delta's push to make Wi-Fi free on board, this may end up not mattering eventually. But for now, it stings as it is a benefit I take advantage of each and every year.
Bottom Line
The Business Platinum Card from American Express will lose the 10 complimentary Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi passes it offers each year effective January 1, 2020. And WeWork membership is disappearing, too.
The card has gone through a lot of changes over the past few years, but this one certainly stings for anybody who regularly used these benefits.