When you read a card_name review, you think premium credit card. A card designed for the premium business owner traveler. What you may not have considered are other travelers who can benefit from this card.
In this card_name review, I highlight the details of this American Express Business Platinum. I also cover the credit card benefits and perks, how to earn and redeem points, and which cards compete with this card.
card_name Details
The current welcome offer is 120,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with your Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. A $695 annual fee comes with the card_name. In addition, the card has no foreign transaction fees. In terms of spending categories, you earn bonus American Express points on airfare and purchases of $5,000 or more.
American Express Business Platinum Card Credits
One way to justify the high annual fee is to utilize the credits. card_name comes with statement credits for CLEAR, Airline Fees, Dell, Global Entry or TSA PRE PRE✓ Credit, Indeed, Adobe, and wireless telephone purchases.
A CLEAR membership of up to $189 per year is available to card members. Charge the CLEAR membership to your card and Amex reimburses you for this purchase.
You receive up to $200 Airline Fee Credits every calendar year. The credits cover expenses like checked baggage fees, lounge day passes with one selected airline.
Enroll and get up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually toward U.S. purchases with Dell Technologies on the card_name. That’s up to $400 back per year.
The $100 Global Entry or $85 TSA PRE✓ Credit is the last credit offered to cardmembers. This card is offered on several other cards. As a result, it’s a redundant credit that is not likely to offer you face value. The credit is available once every 5 years.
A $20 monthly credit for US shipping purchases is available to card members. This credit is temporary through the end of 2020. Consider buying stamps from usps.com to trigger this monthly credit.
Another monthly credit available to cardmembers is $20 per month for US cell phone bills. If you take advantage of the credit through the end of 2020, you will receive $160 in cell phone credits.
As mentioned above, card members receive a $200 Dell credit every year. By the end of 2020, cardmembers receive an additional $200 in Dell credits. That’s $200 in Dell credits in the first half of 2020 and an additional $200 in Dell credits in the second half of 2020.
$360 with Indeed in the form of $90 statement credits per quarter for a total of $360 in annual credits. The credit is valid on purchases made directly with Indeed.com. Statement credits should be posted to your account four weeks from the date of purchase.
$150 with Adobe statement credits on purchases of annual prepaid subscriptions for Creative Cloud All Apps or Single Apps for Teams or Acrobat Pro DC with E-Sign or advanced E-Sign for Teams. Adobe Creative Cloud InCopy App is not eligible. Statement credits should be posted four weeks from the date of purchase.
$120 on wireless telephone purchases in the form of $10 in statement credits per month. Valid on purchases for monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the United States and U.S. Territories. Purchases for hardware and equipment are NOT included. Bundled services offered by Wireless companies for TV, Internet, and VoIP and VoIP services are excluded. Statement credits should be posted four weeks from the date of purchase.
American Express Business Platinum Perks
Some of the main card member perks are access to the Centurion Lounges, International AmEx lounges, and Priority Pass Select lounges. You also receive access to Delta Sky Clubs when flying Delta Air Lines.
Travelers who book travel through the AmEx portal can find value in the 35% Points Rebate. Use AmEx points to book first or business-class flights and you receive 35% of your points back. You are limited to redeeming 500,000 points every year.
The Fine Hotels & Resorts Program benefits include daily breakfast for two, a room upgrade when available, a $100 property amenity, noon check-in when available, and guaranteed 4 pm check-out. A $100 hotel credit and room upgrade when available are the 2 benefits of The Hotel Collection.
Cardmembers receive car and hotel elite status with the card_name. Hilton and Marriott partner with AmEx and offer Gold elite status to cardmembers. Avis perks include car rental discounts and upgrades, Hertz perks include car rental upgrades, and an Emerald Club Executive membership is the perk of National.
If your trip is delayed for more than 6 hours, AmEx Trip Delay Insurance comes in handy. Another card that offers similar insurance coverage is the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
High-demand dinner reservations or tickets can be booked with the Platinum Card Concierge benefit. Call the number on the back of your card or email or email platinumrequests@concierge.americanexpress.com to utilize this benefit.
The Global Dining Collection is yet another benefit available to card members. You receive special access to experiences and reservations at some of the top restaurants in the world.
How to Earn Points with the AmEx Business Platinum
The way to earn the most AmEx points is to pay for your airfare with the card_name. Cardmembers earn 5x points on airfare and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com
Cardmembers also earn 1.5X points on each eligible purchase at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year.
AmEx offers are yet another way to earn AmEx points. Enroll your card in offers available on your account, and you earn bonus AmEx points on these offers. These include merchants in the shopping, dining, and travel categories.
How to Redeem Points with the AmEx Business Platinum
There are 19 airlines and 3 hotel partners in the AmEx Membership Rewards program. High-value partners include Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, British Airways Executive Club, Etihad Guest, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Singapore KrisFlyer, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
Examples of ways to redeem AmEx points for value include 1) 85k Asia Miles to fly Cathay Pacific business class New York to Australia, 2) 53k Flying Blue miles to fly Air France/KLM business class US to Europe, and 3) 110k+ Flying Club miles to fly ANA first-class the US to Japan.
Conclusion on the American Express Business Platinum Card:
card_name may not be a card that justifies its annual fee. You need to use the Points Rebate perk with regularity and redeem the yearly credits. However, if you can do this, it may make sense to apply for this card.
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