Earn a Statement Credit for Flights AND 150,000+ Points With a Big Welcome Offer!

A travel rewards card we’ve held and recommended for years just bolstered its already-increased promotion: new applicants can now earn a statement credit toward flight purchases!

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express offers new card members 150,000 bonus American Express® Membership Rewards® points after spending $20,000 on eligible purchases on the card within the first three (3) months of being approved for card membership. (It wasn’t long ago that the offer was “just” 120,000 bonus points.) Yes, this is a small business credit card — but there’s a very good chance you might already “be” a small business. More on that in a minute.

The new wrinkle is a flight statement credit. New members can also earn a $500 statement credit after spending $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel during the first three (3) months of card membership. The flights can take place after those first three months — don’t worry! (Learn here how to apply for this offer. Terms apply.)

You can earn one or both of the offers. It’s not either-or.

(Points-wise, you’re better off booking through American Express Travel. That awards 5X Membership Rewards points on flights, pre-paid hotels, short-term rentals, and prepaid flight + hotel packages booked with Amex Travel.)

So, if you plan on spending $2,500 or more on flights within three months of applying for the Amex Business Platinum, this is a great way to earn back $500.

Why Do We Like the Amex Business Platinum Card So Much?

The major reason both René deLambert and I hold the Amex Business Platinum Card is its 35% Pay With Points Rebate.

Amex Business Platinum Card members earn a 35% Membership Rewards rebate when paying with points for flights booked through Amex Travel that are either:

• coach fares or higher on one airline the cardholder selects annually (i.e. Delta), or
• first class fares on any airline flight bookable via AmexTravel.com

Let’s say Delta is your selected airline. You find a Delta trip that costs $1,000. You can apply 100,000 Amex points to cover the entire flight cost (at a one point = one cent ratio). A few weeks later, your account is credited 35,000 Membership Rewards points. That’s worth at least $350 back in travel.

If you’re like me and have points-generating machines like the American Express® Gold Card (read my write-up) and/or The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (read my write-up), you can really earn, burn, and then “re-earn” a bunch of points!

This is how I recoup most of the card’s $695 annual fee each year. (Rates & Fees.)

More Great Amex Business Platinum Card Features

Like other premium American Express cards, the Business Platinum Amex is loaded with benefits and features. Here are a few of our favorites.

• Complimentary access to airport lounges
  • American Express Centurion Lounges when traveling with a confirmed seat on a same-day flight
  • Delta Sky Clubs when traveling on a same-day Delta-operated or -marketed flight.
    • Receive up to 10 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club. A “Visit” is an entry to one or more Delta Sky Clubs or usage of the Delta Sky Club “Grab and Go” feature at one or more airports for a period of up to 24 hours starting upon the first Delta Sky Club entry or Grab and Go usage, during an Eligible Card Member’s travel on a same-day Delta-marketed or Delta-operated flight. A single Visit permits using Delta Sky Club(s) in multiple airports during the 24-hour period.
    • Once all 10 Visits have been used, Eligible Card Members may purchase additional Delta Sky Club Visits (including Grab and Go) at a per-Visit rate of $50 per person using the Card. To earn an unlimited number of Visits each year, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more during a calendar year and each calendar year thereafter.
    • Up to two guests may be brought in for $50 per person. (See Rates and Fees)
  • Escape Lounge by Centurion Suites (with up to two guests) when traveling on a same-day flight
  • Priority Pass Select membership (enrollment required)
  • Access is limited to eligible card members.
  • You can “stack” these Visits with other eligible Amex cards.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your card. (Enrollment is required.) Read this post for more information.
• $120 Wireless Telephone Service Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made directly with a U.S. wireless (cell phone) service provider. (Enrollment is required and terms apply.)
• $200 Hilton Credit: Earn up to $50 each quarter for eligible purchases made at Hilton properties across the globe. (Enrollment is required.)
• $120 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $120 statement credit every four (4) years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee. (Terms apply.) Global Entry comes with TSA PreCheck and is the better value, in our opinion. So many travel credit cards offer this benefit — keep in mind you can “gift” it to someone else.
• Fine Hotels + Resorts: Enjoy early check-in and room upgrades (when available), daily breakfast for two (valued at up to $60 total each day), a resort or spa credit (varies by property and usually around $100), and guaranteed late check-out. (Terms apply.)
• Complimentary Gold Elite Status with Marriott Bonvoy (enrollment required.)
• Complimentary Gold Elite Status with Hilton Honors (enrollment required.)

Other Card Details

A few other features worth mentioning:

• Earn 5X Membership Rewards points on flights, pre-paid hotels, short-term rentals, and prepaid flight + hotel packages booked with American Express Travel
• Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards points on eligible purchases at:
  • US construction material
  • hardware suppliers
  • electronic goods retailers
  • software & cloud system providers
  • shipping providers
• Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards points on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else (up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year)
• Earn 1X Membership Rewards points on all other eligible purchases
• $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Receive up to $199 in statement credits each calendar year for CLEAR Plus membership costs charged to your card. (Enrollment required. Taxes and fees not eligible. Terms apply)
• Dell Technologies Credit: Earn up to $150 in statement credits from January through June 30, 2025, on eligible purchases made with Dell Technologies. Then earn up to $150 in statement credit for eligible Dell purchases made through December 31 — and each following calendar year. (Enrollment is required and terms apply.)
• Adobe Credit: Earn up to $150 in statement credits through June 30, 2025, for eligible annual prepaid business plan purchases with Adobe on Creative Cloud for teams or Acrobat Pro DC with e-sign for teams. Note that personal or individual plans (i.e., “only for Photoshop”) are not eligible. Then, earn $250 in statement credit for eligible purchases of at least $600 total through December 31, 2025, and each calendar year thereafter. (Enrollment is required and terms apply.)

“But It’s a Business Card!”

You don’t need an LLC or S-corp or C-corp to be eligible for a business credit card. Your Social Security Number will do.

Plenty of people have side hustles that can be considered businesses. Consider:

• Selling stuff on eBay (the classic example)
• Babysitting
• Driving rideshare or food delivery
• Creating and selling goods online (Etsy, RedBubble, etc)
• Blogging for profit
• Self-publishing books
• Freelance work (graphic design, voiceover, etc)

Those are just a few examples.

You’re leaving gobs of points on the table if you don’t take advantage of small business credit cards.

Final Approach

The Amex Business Platinum features a spiced-up welcome offer: 150,000 bonus American Express® Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on the card within the first three (3) months of being approved for card membership. Plus, earn a $500 statement credit after you spend $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel with your Business Platinum Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You can earn one or both of these offers. This offer expires on June 30, 2025. Terms apply. Read more and learn here how to apply.