The Business Platinum Card® from American Express just announced a limited-time welcome offer of 150,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $20,000 in the first three months of card membership.
This is the highest public welcome offer we’ve ever seen for this card, which is best suited for business owners who have higher regular spending — particularly those who travel frequently. But is the sign-up bonus worth the card’s high annual fee and initial spending requirements? Here’s everything you need to know about the Business Platinum Card and how this offer stacks up against other business credit cards on the market.
How much are 150,000 Membership Rewards Points worth?
According to Bankrate’s points and miles valuations, American Express Membership Rewards points are worth 2.0 cents per point. This gives the new welcome offer a value of $3,000 when redeemed with high-value transfer partners.
If you spend exclusively in 1X categories to meet the new welcome offer’s requirements, you’ll earn a minimum of 170,000 points (a return of 8.5 percent on your spending). That brings the total dollar value for this offer and the card’s regular points to get the offer to $3,400.
Who does this offer make sense for?
This offer makes sense for business owners with higher spending needs, as this is among the highest spending requirements for a welcome offer on the market right now. While the Business Platinum comes with a high $695 annual fee, it grants cardholders solid benefits that can offset it — if your business can take advantage of most of its offerings.
For example, if you use the $200 annual air incidental credit, the annual $189 credit for CLEAR membership, the monthly $10 wireless credits (worth $120 annually), and the semi-annual credit for shopping at Dell (worth $400 annually), then you’ve already earned $909 in credits against your $695 annual fee. You’ll get even more value if you use the credits for Indeed and Adobe (worth $360 and $150 annually). Also, the value of benefits like lounge access and travel protections can be worth their weight depending on your travel needs.
Signing up for this offer could make even more sense if you travel frequently, as you can get exceptional value by paying with points for all or part of an eligible flight booked through American Express Travel. Specifically, you’ll get 35 percent of the points back (up to 1,000,000 Membership Rewards points per calendar year) on eligible first and business-class tickets and any fare class with your selected qualifying airline booked through American Express Travel.
How does this card – and the new welcome offer – compare to the competition?
For comparison, the American ExpressⓇ Business Gold card currently has a welcome offer of 70,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 in the first three months of card membership, worth $1,400. However, the Business Gold has excellent benefits and earns 4X Membership Rewards points on your top two monthly categories from the select list of options below. If you spent exclusively in these categories to earn the welcome offer, you’d reach 110,000 points (representing an 11 percent return on your spending).
- Airfare purchased directly from an airline
- Advertising (purchased in the U.S. to promote your business online, on TV or on the radio)
- U.S. gas stations
- U.S. restaurants
- U.S. shipping costs
- U.S. computer software, hardware and cloud data purchases made directly from select providers.
If your business regularly spends in these categories, your ongoing return potential may be higher with the Business Gold than the Business Platinum.
Another American Express business card comparison worth making is with the company’s no-annual-fee business card, the Blue Business® Plus from American Express card. The Blue Business Plus has a welcome offer of 15,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 in the first three months of card membership, worth just $300. You’ll earn a flat 2X on all purchases, leaving you with 21,000 points after meeting the sign-up bonus — just a 7 percent return on your spending.
As long as you can justify the annual fee, the value of the Business Platinum is exceptionally better.
How does this offer compare to past Business Platinum offers?
The current public offer on this card increased from 120,000 points after spending $15,000 in the first three months of card membership. Getting over 100,000 points for a welcome offer on the Business Platinum is an excellent value; however, since this is one of the highest historical spending requirements on this card, more work is required to earn it.
In addition, keep in mind that, while this is the highest we’ve ever seen this card’s public offer, you may be targeted for even better offers. These targeted offers have recently ranged from 130,000 points to as high as 250,000, tend to come with lower spending requirements and have occasionally provided introductory APR offers as well.
These targeted offers can come via email or through the mail, or you may be able to find pre-qualified offers on the Amex website. These offers are personalized based on factors including your credit history and credit score. You can increase your chances of receiving one by opting in to Amex’s email and direct mail offers, though you can also explore our CardMatch tool to compare the offers that may be available to you.
It’s also a good idea to keep an eye on whether publicly available limited-time offers like this one come with a stated expiration date. If so, you could elect to wait until closer to this date to see if a better offer will populate for you. However, this approach could be risky as popular offers have occasionally been pulled early. It’s always a good idea to explore whether you can get equal or more value for less spending if you are targeted for a better offer.
The bottom line
Overall, the limited-time welcome offer of 150,000 Membership Rewards points on the American Express Business Platinum Card can provide significant value for business owners with high spending needs and those who travel frequently.
If you’re interested in this card, check to see if this is your highest offer. With a high annual fee but numerous benefits that can offset it, this card offers exceptional value for those who can take advantage of its offerings.
As with any new welcome offer, assess whether the spending requirements work with your existing needs and that the ongoing perks and rewards align with your typical spending. No welcome offer is worth it if you have to spend more than you can repay when the bill is due. If the offer doesn’t suit your business needs, or if other cards offer better ongoing value, you may want to forego this card for the prospect of better long-term value.
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