Can I Add Employee Gold Cards to My Business Platinum?
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"Reader Questions" are answered three days a week — Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays — by TPG Senior Writer Julian Mark Kheel.
Today we're answering a Facebook message from William, who has a question about his Business Platinum Card® from American Express...
[pullquote source="TPG Reader William"]Can I add gold cards to my Business Platinum or do I have to get the Platinum card for all my employees?[/pullquote]
This is a timely question, since American Express announced just last week it's adding the ability to add up to 99 authorized user Gold cards to The Platinum Card from American Express for free.
But that's the personal version. William wants to know about the business card, and with good reason, because adding employee Platinum cards to a company's Business Platinum account comes with a substantial fee of $300 each. For that fee, your employees get most of the benefits of the Platinum card, including their own Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee waiver, elite status with Hilton and SPG and access to Centurion lounges, Priority Pass lounges and Delta Sky Clubs when they're flying on Delta. But it's still a lot of money, especially if your primary goal is just to give employees a way to charge business expenses to your company's master credit card account.
Fortunately, there are two good alternatives. First, to answer your question: Yes, you can add Amex Business Gold employee cards to your Business Platinum. The annual fee for each card is significantly lower at $50, saving you over $245 on each one. The Gold employee cards won't get the benefits of a Platinum card, but any charges will accrue points as usual on your company's master account — including the new 5x bonus for airfare and prepaid hotels purchased through Amextravel.com and the 1.5x bonus for purchases over $5,000 — and will also count toward any minimum spend you might need to meet for the bonus points when you first sign up for the card.
However, if all you're concerned about is giving employees a way to charge business expenses, there's an even cheaper option. The Business Platinum also allows you to add standard Green cards for employees, and those cards come without any fee whatsoever.
If you're wondering why you would pay $45 for a Gold employee card without any benefits when a Green employee card without any benefits is free, I actually wondered exactly the same thing. So I called American Express and a very friendly and knowledgable agent there told me "the Gold and Green employee cards are identical — the $45 annual fee is just for the prestige of having a Gold card." So it's up to you to decide if it's worth $45 to bestow extra prestige on your employees.
Remember also that American Express lets you set spending limits for each individual employee card, and you can even freeze a card at any time if you want to end an employee's ability to use the card for charges. All of these options are available at any time by signing in to your Business Platinum account online at the American Express website.
Hope that helps, William, and thanks for the question. If you're a TPG reader who'd like us to answer a question of your own, tweet us at @thepointsguy, message us on Facebook or send an email to info@thepointsguy.com.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.