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This credit card from Amex makes being a business owner so much easier

Published Apr 29th, 2020 12:42AM EDT
Amex Business Platinum
Image: The Points Guy

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  • American Express is currently running a welcome offer of 75,000 points as an enticement to sign up for its Business Platinum Card® from American Express, a card that offers a host of benefits and perks for small business owners.
  • Small business owners may be especially reliant on plastic right now as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the dramatic disruption to so many businesses that it’s caused.
  • If you’re looking for the best credit card offers right now, in our opinion this is one of the most highly regarded business cards on the market.
  • Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

BGR has partnered with The Points Guy for our coverage of credit card products. BGR and The Points Guy may receive a commission from card issuers.

Having the right credit card for a small business owner is imperative during normal times, and all the more so right now with the global coronavirus pandemic still rampaging across the US. If you’re not satisfied with the current card you have or are in the market for a new piece of plastic for any reason, it might be helpful to know that one of the best business credit cards on the market is The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, due to its unparalleled perks and premium benefits. These benefits can make the card an excellent fit for business owners — especially those who frequently travel (not right now, of course) and who also charge thousands of dollars of monthly business expenses to their cards.

Even better: Since this is a business charge card, it sits on your business line of credit rather than your personal credit report. We’ll walk through some of the many reasons why the Business Platinum Card might be a perfect addition to your wallet at the moment, one of which is the fact that it’s currently offering a welcome bonus worth $1,500.

The welcome bonus

A great thing about this elevated welcome bonus is that the personal and business versions of the Amex Platinum are considered different products. That means you aren’t restricted from the Business Platinum Card’s current 75,000-point bonus offer if you already got the welcome bonus offered by the personal variant of this card.

To get the entire bonus of 75,000 Membership Rewards points, you’ll need to charge a lot to the business card in relatively short order: Obtaining the 75,000 points requires spending $15,000 within three months of account opening. That’s certainly a lot of money for an individual, but not only will it be easy for a normal small business to hit that spending threshold — it’s also $5,000 less than the previous spending threshold associated with the card’s welcome bonus.

Card benefits

Taking advantage of the welcome bonus is only one reason to spring for the card, however. There are also a ton of perks to enjoy, some of which are also offered by the personal version of the card and which will be useful once we all start traveling again (and note — this is not a comprehensive list):

Meanwhile, the business version of the Platinum card also comes with some benefits that aren’t available on the personal card:

  • 1.5x points on purchases of $5,000 or more (up to 1 million additional points per year)
  • A 35% rebate when you “Pay With Points” for a first or business class ticket on any airline, or an economy ticket on one airline of your choice (up to 500,000 points per year)
  • Up to $200 in annual statement credits for Dell technology US purchases, split into a $100 credit for January through June and another $100 credit for July through December

Bottom line

While the Business Platinum Card from American Express does come with a $595 annual fee, if you maximize the annual $200 airline fee credit and $200 Dell credit, you’ll effectively pay a net cost of only $195 a year for the card. That figure can be cut even more if you take advantage of other benefits like the Global Entry/TSA Precheck credit.

Again, once we all start traveling again (including businesses spending money for business travel), this card will get you into a lounge at practically any airport in the world. At Hilton and Marriott hotels, this is the card that will get you elite status, and in the air this card will also give you internet access. For these and many other reasons, in our opinion, no other credit card on the market comes with as many travel benefits and other perks as this one.

Andy Meek Trending News Editor

Andy Meek is a reporter based in Memphis who has covered media, entertainment, and culture for over 20 years. His work has appeared in outlets including The Guardian, Forbes, and The Financial Times, and he’s written for BGR since 2015. Andy's coverage includes technology and entertainment, and he has a particular interest in all things streaming.

Over the years, he’s interviewed legendary figures in entertainment and tech that range from Stan Lee to John McAfee, Peter Thiel, and Reed Hastings.