In June, Chase introduced their new $795 per year Sapphire Reserve for Business card. Suddenly, the Business Platinum card was no longer the most expensive and most couponized business rewards card in the U.S. This was clearly unacceptable to American Express. So, Amex rushed out an announcement stating that it would soon resolve this situation with a major Platinum card refresh. That time is now. In addition to introducing a new mirrored finish, Amex has increased the Platinum annual fee to $895 ($100 more than the Sapphire Reserve for Business), and they’ve added credits to fight back against Chase. Here’s everything you need to know about the refreshed Business Platinum Card® from American Express.
This post is specifically about changes to The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. Details about the refreshed consumer Platinum Card can be found here.
Overview
As predicted and feared, American Express has increased the annual fees on its Platinum cards from $695 to $895. They also added limitations to the Business Platinum card’s 35% Airline Bonus. That’s the bad news. The good news is that they’ve enhanced existing perks and added valuable new ones.
For card members who opened accounts before September 18th, new benefits are available immediately, but the new annual fee won’t go into effect until their next renewal dates on or after December 2, 2025, for Business Platinum cards (or January 2, 2026, for consumer Platinum cards).
The annual fee for Business Platinum employee cards has increased to $400 (up from $350). Consumer Platinum card authorized user fees remain unchanged at $195 per year.
Degraded Perks
35% Airline Bonus
Get 35% points back after using Pay with Points for flights booked through Amex Travel with your selected qualifying airline, up to 1,000,000 points back per calendar year.
- What changed? Previously, this benefit also applied to First and Business Class tickets booked with any airline, not just your selected qualifying airline.
Enhanced Perks
The following perks are enhancements to perks previously available to Business Platinum cardholders:
2X Membership Rewards®
Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on eligible purchases in key business categories, as well as on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more. Details: Earn 2X on up to two million dollars of eligible purchases per calendar year, made in any of the following categories: (1) U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers, (2) U.S. electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, (3) at U.S. shipping providers, or (4) eligible purchases of $5,000 or more.
- What changed? Previously, Business Platinum cards earned 1.5x on these purchases.
New Perks
$600 Hotel Credit
Earn up to $300 back in statement credits semi-annually (January through June, and July through December) on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or 2+ nights with The Hotel Collection booked through Amex Travel™.
Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) Sterling Status
Enroll to get Leaders Club Sterling Status from The Leading Hotels of the World®. Details about Sterling Status benefits can be found here.
$1,200 Flight Credit
After spending $250,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year, unlock up to $1,200 in statement credits for use in the next calendar year on flights booked on AmexTravel.com.
$2,400 One AP® Statement Credit
After spending $250,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year, unlock up to $2,400 in statement credits for use in the next calendar year on monthly fees for American Express One AP®, American Express’ digital accounts payable product that automates supplier payments on one platform.
Coupon war: Business Platinum vs. Sapphire Reserve for Business
Until now, Business Platinum cards offered $50 back per quarter at Hilton hotels, but they didn’t offer credits for Fine Hotels & Resorts or The Hotel Collection. But then the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business came along with up to $500 back per year towards stays booked with The Edit by Chase Travel℠. Amex apparently believed that they had to fight fire with fire, so, in addition to the Hilton credits, they added up to $600 back per year towards stays booked with Fine Hotels & Resorts or The Hotel Collection.
Amex’s solution is far superior: it offers more total value, many more eligible properties, and the ability to book Fine Hotels & Resorts for just one night, whereas Chase requires at least 2. Possibly in response to Amex’s changes, Chase has announced that, starting in 2026, its credits will be usable any time of the year (rather than once every 6 months). Even with this change, I think that Amex’s hotel credits are significantly better than Chase’s.
My Take
The big news here is that Amex added Fine Hotels & Resorts & The Hotel Collection credits to the Business Platinum card. Previously, those credits were limited to consumer Platinum cards. So this amounts to $600 in extra rebates that you can earn with the Business Platinum card. Even better, Amex didn’t take away the card’s quarterly $50 Hilton credits. Since the consumer Platinum cards don’t offer Hilton credits, you can argue that the Business Platinum card is now a better choice for hotels.
I also appreciate that the Business Platinum card offers added value for very high spenders. You can now earn 2x instead of 1.5x in select business categories and for purchases over $5,000. Additionally, with $250,000 of spend, you can unlock a $1,200 Flight Credit. If the latter is worth face value to you, that adds nearly 0.5% in rewards value to your spend. Plus, along the way, at $75K spend, you’ll unlock extra airport lounge benefits, including Centurion Lounge guest access and Delta Sky Club unlimited visits.
On the other hand, many excellent Consumer Platinum credits are not available to the Business Platinum card: $400 Resy, $300 Digital Entertainment, $200 Uber, $300 lululemon, etc. As a result, I think that fewer people will see the Business Platinum card as a net win compared to the consumer Platinum card.
Here are my quick thoughts about each of the Business Platinum card’s changes and additions:
My favorite enhancements
- $600 Hotel Credit: This is a big win for those who like to book Fine Hotels & Resorts or The Hotel Collection stays. Plus, it should be stackable with the Business Platinum card’s quarterly $50 Hilton credits. If you prepay a Hilton hotel through Fine Hotels & Resorts or The Hotel Collection, you can collect your semi-annual $300 rebate, and then earn your quarterly $50 Hilton credit by charging some expenses to your room during your stay.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® for eligible purchases in key business categories, as well as on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more. I love that it’s now possible to earn a decent return for certain purchases.
Enhancements I like, but with less enthusiasm
- $1,200 Flight Credit: The fact that this requires a whopping $250,000 in eligible spend severely reduces my enthusiasm for this perk.
- Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) Sterling Status: I was initially excited about this one, but after researching the benefits of Sterling status compared to base-level Club status (found here), I became less enthusiastic. Base-level club status gives you almost all of the same perks (including upgrades and a daily continental breakfast for two). Still, I’m always happy to get a higher-level status for free.
Enhancements I’m not interested in
- $2,400 One AP® Statement Credit: If you don’t know what “One AP® Statement Credit” means, then you probably won’t benefit from this perk even if you do spend the required $250,000 to get it.
Degraded Perk
- 35% Airline Bonus: Previously, you could get 1.54 cents per point value by using points with a Business Platinum card to book any airline in business or first class through Amex Travel. Now, this perk is limited to your selected airline. This means that flights marketed by foreign airlines are entirely off the table for the 35% rebate. Bummer.
My take, overall
I’m less enthusiastic about the Business Platinum changes than the consumer Platinum changes that I detailed earlier today. With the business card’s new $600 hotel credits and existing credits ($200 airline fee, $200 Hilton, $120 wireless, $150 Dell, etc.), it is possible to come out ahead of the new annual fee, but not as easily as with the consumer card. For most people, I think it will come down to whether they can easily make use of the full $600 ($300 semi-annual) hotel credits. If so, the Business Platinum card may be a net winner for you. Additionally, if you’re a very big spender, you may be excited about the ability to earn 2x, along with extra perks at $75K and $250K spend.
Complete list of Business Platinum perks
| Benefit | Benefit Description |
|---|---|
| 2X Membership Rewards® | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on eligible purchases in key business categories, as well as on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more. |
| 35% Airline Bonus | Get 35% points back after using Pay with Points for flights booked through Amex Travel with your selected airline, up to 1,000,000 points back per calendar year. |
| Redeem points for 1 cent per point | Requires an American Express business checking account. |
| $120 Wireless Credits | Enrollment required. Earn up to $10 back per month when you use your card to pay for wireless telephone service. |
| $200 Hilton Credits | Enrollment required. Earn up to $50 back per quarter when you use your card directly with a Hilton property. |
| $1,150 in Dell Credits | Enrollment required. Earn up to $150 in credits each calendar year for all purchases at Dell.com, plus an additional $1,000 back when spending $5,000 in a calendar year. |
| $360 Indeed Credit | Enrollment required. Earn up to $90 back per quarter for purchases with Indeed |
| $250 Adobe Credit | Enrollment required. Earn up to $250 back per year on $600+ of U.S. purchases with Adobe |
| $1,200 Flight Credit | After spending $250,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year, unlock up to $1,200 in statement credits for use in the next calendar year on flights booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| $2,400 One AP® Statement Credit | After spending $250,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year, unlock up to $2,400 in statement credits for use in the next calendar year on monthly fees for American Express One AP®, American Express’ digital accounts payable product that automates supplier payments on one platform. |
| Flight & Airport Benefits | Benefit Description |
|---|---|
| 5X through American Express Travel® | Earn 5X points for prepaid hotel and airline bookings via American Express Travel® |
| $200 airline fee credit | Registration required. Amex will automatically reimburse up to $200 per calendar year for airline fees for your selected airline only. Eligible fees include: baggage fees, flight-change fees, in-flight food and beverage purchases, and airport lounge day passes. For tips on using this benefit, please see: Amex airline fee reimbursements. What still works? |
| International Airline Program | Save money when booking select premium cabin international flights originating in the US or Canada. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| Airport Lounge Access: Centurion Lounges | The cardholder is allowed free entry. Guests are charged $50 per adult, or $30 per child aged 2 through 17. After $75K of eligible spend in a calendar year, the cardholder is permitted 2 complimentary guests per visit. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| Airport Lounge Access: Airspace Lounges, Escape Lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges | Cardholder plus two guests are allowed free entry. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| Airport Lounge Access: Delta Sky Clubs | Cardholder is allowed 10 Sky Club visit-days per year. After $75K of eligible spend in a calendar year, the cardholder is permitted unlimited visits through the end of the following calendar year. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| Airport Lounge Access: Priority Pass Lounges | Registration is required to obtain your Priority Pass card. Member plus 2 guests are allowed free entry. This version of Priority Pass does not cover Priority Pass restaurants. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| Airport Lounge Access: select Lufthansa Lounges | Free access to Lufthansa Business Lounges (with confirmed ticket) or to Senator Lounges (with Business Class ticket) in the satellite building of Terminal 2 at Munich Airport and in Terminal 1, Departure Area B, at Frankfurt Airport. Valid only when flying Lufthansa, SWISS or Austrian Airlines. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| CLEAR® Plus credit | Get up to $209 per year reimbursed for CLEAR® Plus subscriptions. See also: 5 ways to get CLEAR® Plus for less. |
| Global Entry or TSA Pre fee credit | Get reimbursed for the cost of Global Entry or TSA Pre once every 5 years. This benefit is also available to authorized users. |
| Hotel Benefits | Benefit Description |
| Fine Hotels & Resorts | Book high-end hotels through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts and get: room upgrade, daily breakfast for 2, 4 pm late checkout, noon check-in, free wifi, and a unique property amenity. Also: Earn 5X Membership Rewards for prepaid bookings. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| $600 Hotel Credit | Up to $300 back in statement credits semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through Amex Travel™. The Hotel Collection bookings require stays of 2 nights or longer. |
| Hilton Honors Gold Status | Registration required. Hilton Gold members receive food & beverage waivers or free breakfast, room upgrades when available, and other perks at Hilton hotels. This benefit is also available to authorized users. |
| Marriott Gold status | Enrollment required. Gold members receive a welcome gift (bonus points) with each stay, room upgrades when available, 2 pm late checkout, and other perks (details here). This benefit is also available to authorized users. |
| Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) Sterling Status | Enrollment required. Enroll to get Leaders Club Sterling Status from The Leading Hotels of the World® |
| Other Travel Benefits | Benefit Description |
| Emergency Medical Transportation Assistance | Call the Premium Global Assist Hotline: 1-800-333-Amex (toll free), or 1-715-343-7977 (direct-dial collect). This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| National Car Rental Executive status | Registration required (Enroll here). Book midsize cars and select any car from the Executive Aisle for no extra charge. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| Hertz Rental Car Privileges | Registration required (Details and enrollment form found here). Privileges include President's Circle Status, discounts, plus a four-hour grace period for rental car returns. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| Avis Preferred status | Registration required (Details and enrollment form found here). Preferred status offers priority service at the counter, discounts, and a one-car class upgrade for groups C-E (Intermediate, Standard, and Full size). This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| Cruise Benefits | Pay for your cruise with your Platinum card and receive $100 to $300 per stateroom shipboard credit plus additional amenities unique to each cruise line. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
| Miscellaneous Other Benefits | Benefit Description |
| Cell Phone Protection | No need to enroll. Pay your cell phone bill with your Platinum card. Max $800 per claim, $50 deductible. This benefit is also available to Platinum authorized users. |
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I guess a lot more people triple dip the business version than the personal one. That’s the only reason I can think of in regard to the separate start date for the new AF
Just to confirm, does the business platinum also have the $600 hotel credit? I am not seeing it oon my benefot page for business platinum (I also have the consumer platinum and can see it there)
I saw it. I stand corrected
Regarding the annual fee (For card members who opened accounts before September 18th, new benefits are available immediately, but the new annual fee won’t go into effect until their next renewal dates on or after December 2, 2025, for Business Platinum cards (or January 2, 2026, for consumer Platinum cards).) does that mean if my renewal date is in November, the annual fee for Business Platinum card is still $695?
Yes your are correct.
Agree with those who said the removal of the 35% points back on Business/First flights killed the whole value of MR- I found this benefit useful and often a better deal than using airline miles for a flight. I suppose we’ll see if they let you change airlines without hassle midyear and if Hilton gift cards come back. Without those I think this card is not worth it.
After you use airline incidental credit you can change whatever you want.
I am not at all hyped about this $300 hotel credit every six months. It’s going to be hard to use the credits without coming out of pocket to some extent, and I’m already under pressure to make sure I burn an assortment of hotel free night certificates from other cards. I don’t have the mental energy to try and exhaust this hotel credit every six months.
To me, the central problem with this card remains that it doesn’t earn decent rate on most spend. The 2x categories are sparse for me, and I don’t have many individual purchases over $5k. Back when the lounges were easier to access/less crowded and the fee was lower, I could justify the lower earn for the increased benefit.
The “unlocked” benefits after running $250k through the card in a year are somewhat interesting if you spend that much. But the opportunity cost vs spending on a straight 2x card like a CapOne Spark Cash Plus (while also holding Spark Miles to allow cashback to become CapOne transferable points at 1:1) still doesn’t make the Biz Plat a clear winner, in my mind. Plus big spenders don’t tend to love having to jump through hoops to get benefits, and cash is king.
And what’s with forcing the $2400 benefit to be paid out via accounts Amex’s accounts payable platform? Book keepers and accountants are going to love that /s. I can only speak for myself, but I’d far prefer to pay my own biz expenses (which are tax deductible) and have card benefits inure to me directly and tax-free. Amex paying 2400 of business expenses really only confers about $1600 of savings to the biz after tax.
Even the $300 credit is coming out of pocket — it’s just a pre-payment that you make on the annual fee.
Overall, I agree with @Greg and think this is a disappointment especially when compared against the consumer version.
However, for those like myself who are 5/24 sensitive, the card is a no brainer if one can use the hotel credit. I don’t, so will be cancelling when up for renewal.
> Last night, I debated for hours if I should use my last 5/24 slot for it, but in the end I passed. However, I do plan on applying for it once I drop to 3/24 in 6 months even if I end up paying $200 more than yesterday.
Why would 5/24 status impact your decisions about applying for a business platinum at all?
Was a typo but I couldn’t correct it. Instead of writing “it”, I meant to write ” the consumer card.”
And because I’m 5/24 sensitive, I instead applied for another biz card
There are 300k and 250k links by personal referral link. Has anyone seen higher?
What?! I just applied for the 200k offer, albeit with the $695 fee.
Shoot, I’m not hyped about the new perks and higher fee, but I’ll definitely bite for 300k!
I haven’t seen that or higher.
Does anyone know the answer to the following question with regards to FHR and The hotel collection… As an example, if I have 5 different biz plat cards, can I book a stay and then put a portion of the stay on each card to split the total cost among all cards and get the $300 credit? I can do this with the Hilton credits so basically can stay one night and put $50 on each card to get the credit for each… is this strategy possible on the FHR/HC program?
No. You have to prepay to get these credits and Amex doesn’t allow splitting the charge. What I do is book multiple back to back one night stays
Do the Hilton credits of $50 can only be used if you create a Hilton business account? Or does it work for any stay without a Hilton business account
Was just about to ask… any risk of Amex cancelling multiple back to back reservations? I assume you’d only get one property credit. but wondering if theres any risk that Amex tries policing this.
I’m not aware of people having multiple personal platinums in the same cardholder name (maybe authorized user?) so wondering if we actually have datapoints on this…. The business platinum case where many of us have multiple seems a little different than two spouses booking one night reservations on different cards (as I’ve done in the past)
would you still get the $100 property credit for each night? Or just 1 for the string of booking? I plan on using all of mine for a Trip to China and will be at mainly Waldorf Astoria, not sure if they will Honor $100 for each day or just one.
Re: Hotel credit – I strongly disagree and think that Chase’s offer is vastly superior. That is for someone who doesn’t stay in hotels 🙂
I think the new credits justify the $200 fee increase
I’ll be getting rid of my Amex Plat business card when it comes up for renewal end of December. It’s clear to me the consumer card is the winner here… the business version has lost a huge benefit and didn’t get much added to it. Buh-bye, business card. Hello, consumer card….?
Chase, Citi, and all the others. Take notes!!! This is how you do it. Everything from the credits to the new UI on the app is a win. This card is gonna be a gold mine for them, churners love it.
I’m assuming the ability to buy Hilton Gift Cards is never coming back, making it way harder to use that $200. (I was really excited at the time it was announced.)
PS: thanks for the quick turn-around on this!
I think that’s a good assumption