Amex Platinum vs. Amex Business Platinum
Key takeaways
- Both the American Express Platinum Card® and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express are top-tier credit card options with premium benefits (and high annual fees to match).
- The Amex Platinum Card may be a better choice for users who appreciate travel-related perks but also want to take advantage of the card’s consumer spending credits.
- Business owners will want to check out the Business Platinum Card’s higher bonus rate for business-related purchases and its business-oriented spending credits.
If you’re a fan of American Express credit cards and in the market for a new one, there’s no doubt you’ve considered some of the issuer’s top, premium-level cards: The American Express Platinum Card® and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.
Even though the business version of the Amex Platinum has some of the same card benefits as the consumer version, there are still major differences between the two. These differences could mean that one card is a better fit for you, depending on your specific needs and spending habits.
Here’s what we found in the battle of the Amex Platinum versus the Amex Business Platinum.
Main details
| Card | American Express Platinum Card® | The Business Platinum Card® from American Express |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus |
|
|
| Rewards rate |
|
|
| Annual fee | $895 | $895 |
American Express Platinum Card vs. The Business Platinum Card from American Express highlights
Because both cards are from the same issuer, they have much in common regarding card perks and benefits. However, there are some differences to note when deciding which card you should get.
American Express Platinum Card®
-
Although the welcome bonus is slightly smaller for the Amex Platinum card (as high as 175,000 points vs. 200,000 points), we still give it the nod here based on each card’s minimum spending requirements.
To earn the bonus, the American Express Platinum card requires you to spend only $8,000 within the first six months of opening your account, while the Amex Business Platinum card requires cardholders to spend $20,000 within the first three months of account opening. That said, it’s worth noting that these spending requirements are relative, since a business owner would likely find it easier to meet them than an individual.
According to our points and miles valuations, Amex points can be worth an average of 2.0 cents each when redeemed with high-value Amex travel partners. That means your welcome bonus could be worth up to $3,500 for the Amex Platinum or $4,000 for the Amex Business Platinum.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
-
This is also somewhat of a relative comparison that boils down to the type of spending you plan to do on your Amex card. Both cards earn 5X points on airfare and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel, but the Amex Platinum caps spending to $500,000 per year.
However, if you’re a business owner who makes purchases in key business categories, you’ll earn 2X points on those purchases. You’ll also earn 2X points on purchases of $5,000 or more at a time (on up to $2 million in purchases per year). These types of purchases with the consumer Amex Platinum will earn you only 1X points, giving a slight edge to the Amex Business Platinum in this category.
Tie
-
Both the Amex Platinum and the Amex Business Platinum have an annual fee of $895, so they tie in this category.
Tie
-
Neither card charges foreign transaction fees on purchases made abroad.
It depends
-
There are many overlapping benefits with both cards — such as trip cancellation and interruption insurance, trip delay insurance, extended warranty coverage, purchase protection, return protection, cell phone protection, concierge services and many more. Because many of the cards’ benefits overlap, the next best way to compare the cards is to look at the credits offered. If you can take advantage of enough credits, you can easily justify either card’s annual fee.
While both cards offer some overlapping credits, too — such as up to $200 in credits for airline incidental fees with a pre-selected airline, up to a $209 credit for CLEAR Plus membership and up to a $120 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry — the consumer version of the Platinum card also offers credits for Equinox, digital entertainment, lululemon and other retailers that are not available with the business card (enrollment required for some benefits).
On the other hand, with the Amex Business Platinum, you’ll get credits like up to a $1,150 statement credit on Dell purchases, up to a $360 statement credit on Indeed hiring and recruiting products and services (up to $90 per quarter), up to a $250 statement credit per year on select Adobe purchases and up to $120 in statement credits for direct purchases from any U.S. wireless telephone provider (up to $10 per month).
Which card earns the most?
If you’re an entrepreneur who puts large business purchases on your credit card, you could stand to earn slightly more in rewards with the Amex Business Platinum. Although it might be challenging to reach the $500,000 annual cap on flights with the Amex Platinum, there’s no cap on flights or prepaid hotels with the Business Platinum.
If you’re a business owner and hold the Amex Business Platinum, you could earn 2X points instead of 1X points on key business purchases and purchases of $5,000 or more (on up to $2 million spent per year).
Say you spend $100,000 per year in eligible 2X categories, you’ll earn 200,000 points (a value of up to $4,000). If you were to spend that same amount on the Amex Platinum, you’d earn only 100,000 points (a value of up to $2,000).
Why should you get the Amex Platinum?
Why should you get the Amex Business Platinum?
Business perks of Amex Business Platinum
Although it is possible to use a personal card for business expenses, the Business Platinum card gives business owners several advantages over the consumer version:
- Ability to request employee cards and set spending limits (annual fees apply)
- Assign an account manager to set employee spending limits and track employee spending
- Can automatically send card expenditures to a connected Quickbooks account
- Receive a detailed year-end summary of your expenses
- Online statements allow you to see your purchase history, budget for expenses and prepare reports
- Set account alerts to monitor employee card usage
- Enroll card with Vendor Pay by Bill.com and receive complimentary access to the Basic plan for the first user (additional users subject to fees after first six months)
The bottom line
Both the American Express Platinum Card and the Business Platinum Card from American Express offer a generous welcome bonus and similar benefits for travel-related spending. The main difference comes down to the cards’ rewards structures and credits.
However, don’t neglect looking into other top business cards and travel rewards cards to determine whether there’s an option outside the Amex family that best suits you.
Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
Why we ask for feedback Your feedback helps us improve our content and services. It takes less than a minute to complete.
Your responses are anonymous and will only be used for improving our website.
