Amex just upped the ante with brand new welcome offers on a pair of popular business cards. But there's a catch …

With these new offers, you can earn “as high as” 300,000 Membership Rewards® points, depending on which card you choose. Exactly what bonus offer you're eligible for (if any) will vary, but these are truly some big, big numbers. 

Here's a look at the new offers: 

After you submit your application – but before you accept the card (if you are approved) and your credit score is pulled – Amex's “Apply With Confidence” feature will let you know the exact welcome offer you are eligible for. If that sounds familiar, it should: Amex rolled out bigger “as high as” offers on the personal American Express Platinum Card® and American Express Gold Card® just last year. Now the business versions are getting in on the action. 

Both of these new offers match the biggest, targeted bonuses we've ever seen on the Business Platinum and Gold cards – and are a considerable increase from the standard 200,000 or 100,000 points (respectively) you could earn before. This eliminates the need to seek out a referral link or search for the cards in an incognito browser – these new offers should be your first stop for finding the best bonus.

Just know: Not everyone will be targeted for these massive welcome offers, but there's no harm in checking – no hard credit pull is needed to see which welcome offer you qualify for.

Keep reading for full details and more info on these exciting new offers. 

Worried your business won't qualify? You might be surprised to learn that even small businesses are eligible for these offers. But given both cards' hefty spending requirements, they won't be right for everyone.

 

A Brief Overview of Both Cards

Beyond the big bonus offers, both the Business Platinum and Gold come with a laundry list of “money-saving” statement credits and benefits that make them worth carrying despite their higher annual fees … and the list keeps growing.

Just last week, Amex announced that both cards will soon receive a new statement credit of up to $300 per year for ChatGPT Business subscriptions.

Here's a quick(ish) look at what you get with both cards. 

 

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

  • bonus_miles_full
  • Earn 5x Membership Rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel®.
  • Earn 2x Membership Rewards points on all eligible purchases of $5,000 or more. Business Platinum Cardholders will also earn 2x Membership Rewards Points per dollar spent on up to $2 million spent each calendar year on electronic goods retailers, software and cloud service providers, U.S. construction materials, hardware supplies, and shipping providers.
  • Earn 1x Membership Rewards points on all other qualifying purchases
  • Up to $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 per calendar year for airline incidental fees at one airline. 
  • Up to $600 Hotel Credit: Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually (up to $600 per year) for prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel. The Hotel Collection bookings require a two-night minimum stay.
  • Lounge Access: Get access to American Express Centurion® Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs® (10 visits per year, Feb. 1 – Jan. 31), Escape Lounges, and membership in the Priority Pass™ Select program.
  • Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® Credit: You are eligible to receive up to $120 in statement credit every 4 1/2 years for the application fee for TSA PreCheck® and every 4 years for Global Entry. Membership in both programs is good for five years.
  • Up to $120 Wireless Credit: Get up to $120 per year (up to $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.
  • Up to $1,150 Dell Technologies Credit: 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.
  • Up to $360 in Annual Statement Credits at Indeed: Cardholders will get up to $90 each quarter on all Indeed hiring and recruiting products. Enrollment is required.
  • $250 in Annual Statement Credits on Adobe Products: Get a $250 statement credit per calendar year after you spend $600 or more on U.S. purchases directly with Adobe in a calendar year.
  • One AP® Statement Credit: Unlock up to $2,400 in statement credits for use in the next calendar year on American Express One AP® monthly fees after you spend $250,000 on eligible purchases on the Business Platinum Card in a calendar year. 
  • $1,200 Flight Credit: Unlock up to $1,200 in statement credits on flights booked on AmexTravel.com with the Business Platinum Card, for use in the next calendar year, after spending $250,000 in eligible purchases.
  • Up to $209 in Annual Statement Credits for CLEAR+: Get up to a $209 statement credit for CLEAR+ each year. 
  • Up to $200 Hilton credit: You'll get up to $50 in statement credits to use at Hilton properties once every three months (up to $200 per year).
  • Hotel Elite Status: Get Marriott Bonvoy® Gold and Hilton Honors™ Gold status just for being a card member. Enrollment is required.
  • Annual Fee: annual_fees (see rates & fees).

 

*biz platinum*

 

Learn more about *biz platinum*

 

American Express® Business Gold Card

  • bonus_miles_full
  • Earn 4x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent in the two select categories where you spend the most each billing cycle on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1x).
    • Eligible categories include dining, gas stations, advertising, transit, wireless providers, and electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers.
  • Earn 3x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels booked through AmexTravel.com.
  • $240 Flexible Business Credit: Get a statement credit of up to $20 each month for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, GrubHub, or office supply stores.
  • $155 Annual Credit for Walmart+: Get up to $12.95 to cover the cost of a Walmart+ membership.
  • Global Assist Hotline: From lost passports, medical assistance, translation services, and missing luggage, you can call the hotline to help you when you need it the most. You're on the hook for any third-party service fees.
  • The Hotel Collection: Get a $100 credit to use on eligible charges for The Hotel Collection stays of at least two nights, noon check-in, late check-out, and room upgrade, when available. 
  • Cell Phone Insurance: Get up to $800 per claim twice every 12 months in cell phone protection against covered theft or damage for you and your employees listed on your monthly cell phone bill when you pay for it with your Amex Business Gold card. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim.
  • Foreign Transaction Fees: None
  • Annual Fee: $375 (see rates & fees)

 

*biz gold*

 

Learn more about the *biz gold*.

 

How Good Are These Offers?

The numbers speak for themselves: These are both really great offers … if you're eligible. 

The trouble with these new “as high as” offers is that Amex has essentially eliminated limited-time welcome offers – the best time to apply for a new card, when the bonus is at its peak – by advertising its biggest possible bonus all the time. 

So while you might be interested in the Business Gold Card and its annual_fees annual fee (see rates & fees) when it comes with a 200,000-point welcome offer, there's a chance you'll instead wind up with an offer for 100,000 points (or somewhere in the middle) instead. Amex hopes that by the time you've filled out the application and received your real offer, you'll already be invested enough to hit accept, no matter how many points you'll earn. 

 

American Express Business Gold "As High As" 200K Points Offer

 

But should you? Maybe … maybe not. 

This new strategy, likely being powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence, is very intentional. At an investor conference last year, Amex Chief Financial Officer Christophe Le Caillec explained it like this: “We want to find the exact point that will take you over and make you react to an offer – not below, not too high, just the perfect offer.”

With all that in mind, you may be better off waiting and trying again down the road. If Amex has the tools to determine “the perfect offer” for you, there's a chance they'll take you declining an offer as feedback and present you with a bigger bonus in the future. 

To be clear: That's a big if. There are no guarantees with these offers – and in general, they're bad news for travelers because they make it harder to know what the true, best offer is. But if Amex is going to play games with its bonuses, your best course of action may be to let the bank know you're not interested in what's being offered.

Read more: Amex’s New ‘As High As’ Offers Are Bad News for Points Collectors

 

The Best Ways to Use Amex Points

Alright, now for the fun stuff: Using these big bonuses to see the world for pennies on the dollar. 

There is no shortage of ways to use a stash of 300,000 (or even 200,000) American Express Membership Rewards points. Let's take a look at a few of our favorites.

 

Fly to Europe and Back in Business Class for 100K Points

Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) isn't just one of the best airlines in the world – it’s got an underrated mileage program, too. In fact, it might just be one of the best ways to book business class flights … to Europe for just 100,000 miles roundtrip.

Yes, you read that right. Using miles from a Japanese airline to fly business class to Europe is one of the best workarounds in points and miles, as you can do it for roughly half the miles that other airlines charge. Consider this: United would charge 154,000 miles or more for these exact same transatlantic flights.

You’re not flying ANA itself, but merely using its miles to book other partner Star Alliance airlines like United, Air Canada, or SAS that fly nonstop across the pond. And Amex points transfer 1:1 to ANA miles. That means one Amex point equals one ANA mile. Membership Rewards are currently the only points currency that transfers to ANA.

 

a business class seat in the united polaris cabin
United Polaris Business Class

 

It’s an incredible deal, but booking with ANA Mileage Club miles isn’t always straightforward – especially if you’re unfamiliar with its rules and quirks. Check out our full booking guide below for everything you need to know.

Read more: How to Fly Business Class to Europe for 100K Points Roundtrip

 

Delta SkyMiles Sales: Mexico from 7K, Europe from 22K & More

American Express Membership Rewards are the only flexible credit card points that you can transfer to your Delta SkyMiles account.

While there's no denying it can be tough to get a great deal using your SkyMiles, that doesn't mean there aren't great redemptions, or that you should never transfer your Amex points to Delta.

One of our favorite ways to use Delta SkyMiles is on Delta SkyMiles flash sales, the frequent sales Delta runs with deeply discounted rates for flights almost anywhere in the world. Here's just a taste of what's possible from some past SkyMiles flash sales:

Every SkyMiles flash sale is different, but when they happen, you won't find a better deal booking through any other airline. Read up on SkyMiles flash sales and you'll see why it could easily be worth using your Amex points to book them.

If you're already thinking ahead to next year's warm-weather getaway, transferring your Amex points to Delta SkyMiles might just land you a dirt-cheap ticket to Mexico.

Earlier this year, we found roundtrip fares to Cancún (CUN) for as low as 6,800 SkyMiles total. That's right: Under 7,000 for a roundtrip to Mexico this winter!

 

Cancun fare on Delta for 6,800 miles

 

Anything under 10,000 SkyMiles roundtrip is a steal to Mexico from many cities – but for a lot of the other places on this list, fares closer to 11,000 or 17,000 SkyMiles roundtrip is still at least half-off the going rate. 

 

Delta SkyMiles fares to Cancun

 

One thing to be aware of when transferring Amex points to Delta SkyMiles: You have to pay a small fee when transferring to Delta (and any U.S.-based airline): .06 cents per point, or $6 for every 10,000 points. These transfer fees are capped at $99.

Related reading: How to Find & Book the Best Delta SkyMiles Deals

 

Book the World's Best Business Class: Qatar's Qsuites

We saved the best for last … at least in normal times. The ongoing war in Iran has wreaked havoc on Qatar Airways operations – but in times of peace, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better way to travel than this.

Thanks to Qatar Airways' adoption of Avios, the floodgates are open to book Qatar's industry-leading Qsuite business class seats using Amex points. 

Here's the easiest route: You could book a simple nonstop from many cities in the U.S. over to Doha (DOH) for just 70,000 British Airways Avios. That means if you were eligible for the Business Platinum's 300,000-point bonus, you'd have more than enough Amex points for two roundtrip flights to the Middle East – bring a friend! 
 

a business class suite on a qatar airways airplane 

Check out our full review of Qatar Qsuites

Sadly, both Qatar and British Airways have raised taxes and fees on these business class redemptions in recent years. What was once a $100-or-so charge has increased to roughly $235 – but that's a small price to pay to fly the world's best business class, if you ask us. 

 

a miami to doha flight for 70,000 avios and $234.35
 

We send Thrifty Traveler Premium members award alerts when they can book the world's best business class using their points, plus cheap cash fares too!

If you want to take it next level and connect elsewhere – Dubai (DXB) or Muscat (MCT) in the Middle East, Cairo (CAI), or maybe even the Maldives (MLE) or down to Cape Town (CPT) in South Africa – you'll want to turn to Qatar Airways Avios. And even though Amex isn't offering this bonus on transfers to Qatar, you can easily combine your Avios balances between British Airways and Qatar.

And these multi-segment awards wind up being much cheaper by booking through Qatar itself than British Airways. Booking through Qatar, you could fly in Qsuites to …

  • Middle Eastern destinations like Dubai (DXB), Abu Dhabi (AUH) or Muscat (MCT) for 75,000 miles 
  • Other destinations like Amman (AMM) and Cairo (CAI) as well as major Indian cities go up to 80,000 miles each way
  • Getting to the Seychelles (SEZ) or Maldives (MLE) will run you 85,000 miles each way
  • Both Southeast Asia and South Africa typically cost 95,000 miles each way

All those roundtrip flights except the longest routes to Southeast Asia and South Africa are in reach with this monster 175,000-point welcome offer.

Thrifty Tip: Book a flight that connects onward to the Middle East so you can access Qatar's incredible Al Safwa Lounge during your layover. You won't regret it.
 

a circular fountain with water coming from the ceiling inside a spacious airport lounge.

 

Read our full guide on the best ways to book Qsuites!

 

Bottom Line

Amex just rolled out new welcome offers – “as high as” 300,000 points (or 200,000) – on the Business Platinum and Gold Cards. 

These increased offers are the biggest and best bonuses we've seen … but they won't be available to everyone. The way it works, you'll need to apply first, then you can accept or decline the offer with no harm to your credit. 

If either of these cards makes sense for you and your business, there are few easier ways to earn a boatload of points to fuel your future travels. 

 

*biz platinum*

 

Learn more about *biz platinum*

 

*biz gold*

 

Learn more about the *biz gold*.