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The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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7 reasons you might want the Amex Business Platinum instead of the Amex Platinum
TPG's director of travel content Eric Rosen has used points and miles to visit some of the world's most remote corners, including swimming with whale sharks off Western Australia's Ningaloo Coast, exploring the wilds of Botswana's Okavango Delta and tasting the high-altitude wines of Argentina's Mendoza region.
September 13, 2026 • 15 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
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Quick summary
This article compares two premium rewards cards, one for personal use and one for business owners, outlining their overlapping and unique benefits.
Both cards offer extensive travel perks, statement credits and access to a wide range of airport lounges, but differ in their bonus categories and statement credit options.
The business version provides enhanced rewards for large transactions and select business-related purchases, as well as more flexible options for adding employee cards.
Choosing between the two depends on your spending habits, eligibility for welcome offers and which statement credits or bonus categories you can maximize.
What to consider
Eligibility for welcome offers is restricted if you currently have or previously had the personal version, but not if you switch to the business version.
The business card requires a higher initial spend in a shorter timeframe to access its welcome offer, which may suit those with larger business expenses.
Enrollment is required for select benefits, and some statement credits or bonus categories have spending caps or merchant restrictions.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed side-by-side comparison of benefits, earning structures and statement credits to help you decide which premium rewards card best fits your needs.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Some folks even forget that the card has a counterpart, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, that offers many of the same benefits as the personal card, along with some that make it a great choice for small-business owners.
Using a business card like the Amex Business Platinum for work-related purchases can help you separate your personal and business expenses so your end-of-year accounting is a bit easier, too, which is a factor in its favor.
Here's a quick look at both cards side by side and a helpful list of reasons why the Amex Business Platinum might actually be a better choice for some folks.
Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as 175,000 bonus points after spending $12,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as 300,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
5 points per dollar spent on airfare booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel® (on up to $500,000 of these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent)
5 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel
1 point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases
5 points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid lodging booked through American Express Travel
2 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases of at least $5,000 each, as well as on U.S. purchases with construction material and hardware suppliers, shipping providers*, electronic goods retailers and software and cloud system providers (on up to $2 million per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent)
1 point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases
Up to $300 annual Lululemon statement credit per calendar year at U.S. stores and online (allocated as up to $75 per quarter; outlets excluded)
Up to $300 per calendar year for an eligible U.S. Equinox Club Membership or eligible Equinox+ subscription (subject to auto-renewal)
Up to $300 per calendar year in statement credits when purchasing a SoulCycle at-home bike
Up to $200 per calendar year in Uber Cash for U.S. rides or Uber Eats orders each calendar year (up to $15 each month to use on Uber rides or Uber Eats orders in the U.S., with an additional up to $20 in December). Uber Cash will only be deposited into one Uber account when you add the Amex Platinum to the Uber account. You must pay with an Amex card
Up to $200 Oura statement credit per calendar year (can only be used on hardware purchases)
Up to $155 per calendar year (up to $12.95 each month) in statement credits to cover the cost of a monthly Walmart+ membership (Plus Ups Excluded, subject to auto-renewal)
Up to a $120 statement credit toward an Uber One membership that fully covers an auto-renewing $96 annual or $9.99 monthly membership
Enrollment is required for select benefits.
A 35% bonus (up to 1 million points per year) when you Pay with Points on Amex Travel on flights in any cabin class booked on your designated qualifying airline
Up to $150 in statement credits on U.S. purchases made directly at Dell and an additional $1,000 statement credit after spending $5,000 or more per calendar year
Up to $360 per calendar year (up to $90 per quarter) in statement credits with Indeed
Up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $50 per quarter) for eligible Hilton purchases (Hilton for Business program membership is required)
Up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year on U.S. purchases of ChatGPT Business (subject to auto-renewal)
A $250 Adobe statement credit after spending $600 or more on U.S. purchases made directly with Adobe per calendar year (subject to auto-renewal)
Up to $120 per calendar year (up to $10 monthly) in U.S. wireless provider* statement credits
Earn up to $1,200 in Amex Travel flight statement credits and up to $2,400 in One AP statement credits (valid from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 of the calendar year after meeting the requirement), both after spending $250,000 or more on eligible purchases (spending on your card this year counts toward the requirement)
*Select providers beginning Feb. 17, 2027.
Enrollment is required for select benefits.
As you can see, each card offers a robust slate of benefits specific to its own cardmembers. But the two cards also have a menu of similar perks to be aware of, which will help you with your decision about which card to get.
Reasons to choose the Amex Business Platinum over the Amex Platinum
Now that you have a full rundown of benefits to refer to, here are some key reasons and spending habits that might lead you to choose the Business Platinum Card instead of the Amex Platinum.
1. You have or already had the personal Amex Platinum
If you currently carry the personal Amex Platinum Card, or even if you previously had it but no longer do, you might not be eligible to earn its welcome offer. That's because, like many other issuers, American Express has restricted who is eligible for the welcome bonuses on its cards.
MIXETTO/GETTY IMAGES
So, if you already have, or previously had, the Amex Platinum, you might be blocked from taking advantage of its current welcome offer.
If you want the card's benefits and the chance to earn hundreds of thousands of additional Membership Rewards points, however, you might opt for the Business Platinum instead, since currently or previously carrying the personal Amex Platinum should not preclude you from being eligible for the Business Platinum's welcome bonus.
2. You spend enough to earn the Amex Business Platinum's higher welcome offer
The Business Platinum welcome offer requires some strategic spending, as the requirement is $20,000 in purchases within the first three months of card membership. That's a considerable sum, but it's not outside the usual operating budget of some small businesses.
By contrast, the Platinum currently has a lower spending requirement of $12,000 within the first six months of card membership to earn its welcome offer. And note: You have double the time of the business version to reach it.
Businesswoman pays for her tea using contactless payment in the airport VIP lounge
The personal card's terms might work better for your spending habits. However, the fact that you can potentially earn nearly twice as many points with the Business Platinum is a worthwhile consideration (not everyone will be targeted for the same welcome offers).
3. You spend a lot on flights and hotels, specifically
The two cards have very similar earning structures when it comes to travel, with two subtle but significant differences.
The personal card earns 5 points per dollar spent on flights booked through Amex Travel and directly with airlines on up to $500,000 in purchases each calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent after that.
The Business Platinum earns 5 points per dollar spent on flights booked through Amex Travel (not directly with airlines) with no spending cap.
If you tend to book flights directly with airlines, the personal card might be a better choice. However, if you use Amex Travel for a lot of your travel plans — or if you have that option — then you won't miss out by charging your reservations to the Business Platinum.
Plus, if you book a lot of flights, or more than $500,000 worth per year, specifically, with your card, then you're definitely better off with the business card since its bonus-qualifying spending isn't capped at that amount. Just remember that the Amex Business Platinum only earns bonus points on flights booked through Amex Travel, unless the charge is for $5,000 or more (subject to a spending cap).
4. You can maximize the Amex Business Platinum's large-transaction and business category bonuses
If you tend to make a lot of high-dollar purchases or spend a lot in certain categories, then the Business Platinum's earning structure can really set you ahead. The card accrues points at the following rates.
2 points per dollar spent on purchases of $5,000 or more
2 points per dollar spent on U.S. purchases from construction material and hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, shipping providers*, and software and cloud system providers
There is a combined $2 million spending cap per calendar year (then 1 point per dollar spent).
MSTUDIOIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES
If these are the types of business purchases you tend to make — or if you regularly use your card for transactions of more than $5,000 — then the Business Platinum blows the personal version's earning rates out of the water.
You might also find creative ways to leverage these bonuses on one-off purchases.
5. You use Amex Pay with Points for premium travel
One major way the two cards diverge is that the Business Platinum Card offers cardmembers a bonus 35% of the points back they redeem through Amex's Pay with Points feature, while the personal version does not.
There are a few stipulations, though.
First, you only receive the 35% points bonus on flights booked through Amex Travel on the same qualifying airline you designate for the up to $200 per calendar year airline fee statement credit. The good news is, the ticket can be in any cabin class, not just a premium one.
Second, you can only receive up to 1 million points back per year. To max that out, you'd have to be redeeming nearly 2.9 million Amex points, though, so this cap shouldn't impact most people.
ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY
Even if you seldom redeem Membership Rewards points this way, this one benefit can save you tens of thousands of points on a single ticket.
6. You prefer the business card's statement credits
The personal and business versions each offer many annual statement credits. Some are the same, but many are unique to each card.
The personal card offers quite a few lifestyle statement credits. But if those aren't things you actually use normally, why bother trying to track them while juggling the card's steep annual fee?
ILONA TITOVA/GETTY IMAGES
The Business Platinum offers thousands of dollars in annual statement credits with popular business-related merchants. (Enrollment is required for select benefits; select benefits are subject to auto-renewal.)
Plus, with the Business Platinum, you'll earn up to $1,200 in Amex Travel flight statement credits and up to $2,400 in One AP statement credits (valid from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 of the calendar year after meeting the requirement), after spending $250,000 or more on eligible purchases in a calendar year.
While this is a substantial spending requirement, if you can meet it through your regular spending activity, the Business Platinum could be a better option. That said, these benefits aren't substantial enough to make it worth going out of your way to spend that much on the Business Platinum.
The personal Amex Platinum Card allows you to add up to 10 active authorized users. You can either add them as additional Platinum Card holders at a cost of $195 per card per year (see rates and fees) with some of the card's travel benefits, including lounge access, or as Companion Card holders with no annual fee (see rates and fees) and very limited benefits.
By contrast, the Business Platinum allows you to add up to 99 additional Employee Cards. Full Business Platinum additional cards with some of the same benefits afforded to the primary cardmember carry a $400 annual fee each (see rates and fees). Employee Expense cards have no annual fee (see rates and fees). All card activity can be tracked through Amex.
For business owners who need to track employee spending (and who would like to earn points for themselves on all that spending), the Business Platinum lets you have many more cards under your umbrella and allows you to track them easily.
Bottom line
Both the Amex Platinum and the Business Platinum are excellent rewards cards with a variety of benefits from which members can reap tremendous value.
Consider which card best matches your financial habits and needs, and which card's other perks you're most likely to leverage year after year.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum Card, click here. For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
