LAST CALL: Get 120,000 points with American Express Business Platinum – full card review

UPDATE – APRIL 2024:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.  We produce a monthly directory of the top UK travel credit card offers – please click HERE or use the ‘Credit Cards’ menu above.  Thank you.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

Keep up to date with the latest UK credit card bonuses by signing up for our free daily or weekly newsletters.

Got an SME or any self employment income? American Express is running the biggest sign-up bonuses ever seen on a UK payment card. Time is running out though, as the two deals end on Tuesday.

These are, genuinely, on a scale unlike anything we have seen before. If you or someone you know qualifies, you should seriously think about applying. It simply won’t get any better.

This article looks at American Express Business Platinum. It has a bonus of 120,000 points.

However, don’t forget American Express Business Gold. It comes with a bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards points, which is great going given that the Business Gold card is FREE for the first year. 40,000 points are paid after spending £6,000 within three months, with the balance paid if you hold the card for 14 months. You can apply for Business Gold here.

The key facts about American Express Business Platinum

In today’s article, I want to look more closely at American Express Business Platinum. Here are the key things you need to know about this promotion:

• American Express Business Platinum has a £650 annual fee, refunded pro-rata if you cancel

• You receive a sign-up bonus of 80,000 Membership Rewards points

• You need to spend £12,000 in three months to qualify for the bonus

• You will receive an additional 40,000 points bonus if you hold the card for 14 months (you must make one transaction of any size during months 14 to 17)

• This offer ends on Tuesday 9th April 2024

Key link: American Express Business Platinum charge card application page

Why Amex Business Platinum?

The American Express Business Platinum charge card is issued directly by American Express.

The Amex business cards are aimed mainly at small businesses and sole traders. The criteria for applying are fairly lenient – whilst this is a Platinum card, the terms are identical to the Business Gold card apart from the income requirement:

• The business has a UK bank account
• You are over 18
• You have a permanent UK home address
• You have an income of £35,000

There are no turnover or profitability requirements for the company itself. If you are sole trader, you do not need to have a dedicated business bank account.

Note that the American Express Business Platinum card is a charge card, not a credit card. You MUST clear your balance in full at the end of each month.

What is the Amex Business Platinum sign-up bonus?

Until Tuesday 9th April, you will receive 80,000 American Express Membership Rewards points when you spend £12,000 within three months. You receive an additional 40,000 points (for a total of 120,000 points) if you hold the card for 14 months. This is an exceptionally generous incentive.

To put it in context, I have never – in the 20 years I have been interested in miles and points – seen a bonus higher than 120,000 points. To be frank, prior to covid I had never seen a bonus of over 50,000 points.

The standard bonus on the Business Platinum card is just 40,000 Membership Rewards points.

What can you do with 120,000 Membership Rewards points?

Membership Rewards points can be converted into a range of goodies.  The most valuable options are converting into frequent flyer miles (including Avios points and Virgin Points) at a ratio of 1:1.  This means that the sign-up bonus is worth 120,000 Avios or 120,000 Virgin Points.

Amex points also convert into Hilton Honors (at 1:2), Marriott Bonvoy (at 2:3) and Radisson Rewards at 1:3. Club Eurostar is also an option at 15:1.

There are also a lot of non-travel redemptions including retailer gift cards, but the best value will come from travel redemptions.

Do you qualify for the 120,000 points?

American Express states on the Business Platinum website that “you will not receive the sign-up bonus if you have held a Membership Rewards enrolled card [ie Platinum, Gold or Green American Express card] in the 13 months before you apply.”  This includes personal and business cards.

Note that the rule here only looks back 13 months. This is more generous than personal American Express cards, where they look back 24 months.

For clarity, you will definitely receive the sign-up bonus if you already have, or recently had, a British Airways Amex, Marriott Bonvoy Amex, Nectar Amex, Harrods Amex or Platinum Cashback Amex.

You are also OK if you have the British Airways Accelerating Business SME card.

Any other benefits?

As usual, American Express adds a lot of bells and whistles to the Business Platinum card:

You receive £200 per year to spend at Amex Travel. The only condition is that the £200 is spent in one transaction. For most people this is almost as good as £200 of cash. The £200 credit renews on your card anniversary so if you keep the card for 14 months to earn the full 120,000 bonus Membership Rewards points then you would benefit from 2 x £200 credits.

You receive £150 credit per year to spend with Dell. No minimum spend applies but the credit is split into two parts. You can earn £75 cashback between January and June and £75 cashback between July and December.

You will receive a free Priority Pass card.  Priority Pass is a network of 1,400 airport lounges across the world, including eight in London Heathrow.  This includes the Aspire and Plaza Premium lounges in BA’s Heathrow Terminal 5.  Your Priority Pass allows an unlimited number of free visits to their lounges.  You can also bring in a guest for free.

You can also give a Priority Pass card to a second person.  If this is your partner or spouse, you would both be able to get into the lounge for free and each bring in a free guest, so a family of four is covered.  Additional guests would be charged at £24 each.

You will receive comprehensive travel insurance.  This is a very valuable benefit because of the high level of coverage available – you can take a look at the policy document here (PDF).  There is NO EXCESS to pay at any time and you are covered up to the age of 80.

You will receive Gold status in the Marriott Bonvoy hotel loyalty scheme.  This will give added benefits at Marriott, Renaissance, Sheraton, Westin, W, aloft, St Regis, The Ritz-Carlton, The Luxury Collection etc properties – 32 brands in total.

You will receive Premium status in the Radisson Rewards hotel loyalty scheme.  This will give added benefits at Radisson Blu / RED, Park Plaza and Park Inn hotels.

You will receive Gold status in the Hilton Honors hotel loyalty scheme.  This is the best mid-tier hotel status to have, because you get free breakfast with it.  You will get benefits at Hilton, Waldorf Astoria, Hampton, Curio etc.

You will receive Gold status in the MeliaRewards hotel loyalty scheme.  You will get benefits at Melia and INNSiDE hotels, with benefits including three 20% discount vouchers each year and ‘2 for 1’ breakfast.

You receive a free digital subscription to The Times and The Sunday Times.  This is worth over £300, and if you currently pay for this it is a huge incentive to take out the card.

You receive £300 credit per to spend with indeed.com on job advertising. The credit is split into four quarterly payments of £75.

You can access the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts Programme.  This offers genuine added value benefits at a large number of luxury hotels across the world.  These include a GUARANTEED 4pm check-out, free breakfast, an upgrade if available at check-in and typically a $100 credit towards on-property spending.

There are also benefits with Avis Preferred and Hertz Gold Plus Rewards but these are, in all honesty, no better than deals that are generally available.

What do you earn when you spend on the card?

You receive 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on the card.

There is an extra bonus for high spenders. You will receive 10,000 bonus Membership Rewards points in every month where you spend over £10,000. This would make Business Platinum the most valuable travel rewards card on the market for anyone spending exactly £10,000 per month, as they would be averaging 2 points per £1.

What is the Amex Business Platinum annual fee?

The annual fee for American Express Business Platinum is £650, billed with your first statement and then annually thereafter.

The fee is refundable, pro-rata, if you decide to cancel at any point.  Once you have banked your 120,000 Membership Rewards points bonus after 14 months, you may want to reconsider if you are getting full value from all of the benefits.

What is a Membership Rewards point worth?

Anything from ‘quite a bit’ to ‘a lot’ is the answer.   This article outlines my view on the most valuable American Express Membership Rewards transfer options.

In the very worse case, you can use them for shopping gift cards at 0.5p per point. This means that £600 is the worse case scenario for your 120,000 bonus points on Business Platinum, remember.

However, you should be able to get more value than that if you use your points for a premium cabin air miles redemption. 1p per point – so £1,200 of value – should be achievable.

You can take a look at the full list of American Express Membership Rewards redemption options here.

Any downsides?

As with all Amex business cards, the only major issue with Amex Business Platinum is the lack of acceptance by some suppliers.

Realistically, you will need to have a Visa or Mastercard as well to ensure that you can always get a card accepted.  I recommend the Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa credit card.  Capital On Tap offers 10,000 Avios for signing up – plus an extra 500 points for HfP readers – and a very generous earning rate of 1 Avios per £1.

The Head for Points verdict:

If you are a sole trader or own a small business (even a service company) then the American Express Business Platinum card has always been worth a look. We have the card here at Head for Points, with Rhys as my free supplementary cardholder and Sinead as a paid-for additional supplementary cardholder, and it works well.

The 120,000 Membership Rewards points for signing up is a huge extra incentive. 120,000 Avios, for example, would get you a Club World flight from London to New York, depending on the mix of cash and Avios you chose. Taxes and charges apply, of course.

You also benefit from the £200 annual Amex Travel credit, the comprehensive travel insurance, Priority Pass and hotel status cards, The Times digital subscription, the £150 of annual Dell credit etc which add a lot of value.

How to apply

The official Amex Business Platinum website, which contains full details and the application form, is here.

You must apply by Tuesday 9th April to qualify for the 120,000 Membership Rewards points sign-up bonus, if you subsequently meet the terms and spending target.

Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.