Is the $895 Amex Business Platinum Worth It in 2026?

All credit cards come with their unique set of perks. But when you step into the world of "premium" business cards, the conversation changes from simple cash back to high-end luxury and VIP treatment.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is the "Rolls-Royce" of this category. It's built for frequent flyers who want a red-carpet experience, and for business owners who spend big and want big rewards.

But with an annual fee that sits at $895 (see rates and fees), the question is simple: Is it actually worth it for your business in 2026?

The math behind the annual fee

Let's address the elephant in the room: the annual fee. The Amex Business Platinum Card carries a steep cost of $895 a year.

If that card sits in your desk drawer untouched, it is a total waste of money.

However, the "Foolish" way to look at premium cards is to treat the fee as a prepayment for benefits you were going to use anyway. The card comes with a benefits package that can provide thousands in annual value if you max out the credits.

Common credits that business owners lean on include:

• Up to $600 per year in hotel credits when booking Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection properties through Amex Travel. (Two $300 credits, semi-annually. Two-night minimum stay on Hotel Collection bookings.)
• $200 airline fee credit -- Reimburses things like checked bags and seat selection on one qualifying airline.
• $200 at Hilton properties (via Hilton For Business) Great for conferences, client stays, or work trips.
• $150 Dell credit + $1,000 Dell bonus credit If you spend $5,000+ per year at Dell, you could get back $1,150 in total.
• $250 Adobe credit For small businesses using Creative Cloud or Acrobat Pro, this is easy money.
• $360 Indeed credit Up to $90 per quarter when hiring or posting jobs.
• Terms apply; enrollment may be required

If you are already spending money on these things, the "effective" cost of the card drops toward zero very quickly.

The "Lounge Life" and travel perks

If you travel often for business, the airport lounge access with this card is second to none.

The card gives you access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection®, which includes more than 1,550 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting. This includes the prestigious Centurion Lounges, and Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta (terms apply, enrollment may be required).

For a business traveler, lounges are a quiet, reliable place to get work done between flights without the chaos of the terminal.

Beyond the lounges, you also get automatic elite status upgrades with certain hotel and rental car partners. These "soft" perks -- like late checkout or room upgrades -- don't always have a fixed dollar amount, but they make the grind of business travel significantly more bearable.

Don't ignore the welcome offer

The quickest way to justify testing out a premium card is the welcome bonus. Here is the current offer:

Elevated Welcome Offer: Earn 200,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Business Platinum Card® within the first 3 months of Card Membership.

In the world of travel rewards, 200,000 points can be worth an easy $2,000 in travel at a value of $0.01 per point, or more when transferred to airline/hotel partners or snagging promo bookings.

If you have a large business expense coming up or can meet the minimum requirement with regular spending, this is a worthy bonus to chase.

Who should get this card?

The Amex Business Platinum Card is worth it if:

• You travel for work a lot. Think three or four times a year at least and can use the airport lounges and hotel status perks.
• Your business spending is high enough to easily earn the welcome offer.
• Your business already spends in the areas where credits and benefits will naturally apply.

It is not worth it if:

• You rarely travel and prefer simple, flat-rate cash back.
• You are a "set it and forget it" spender who won't bother tracking and using the various statement credits.
• You are looking for a card to carry a balance (this card has no 0% intro APR offer).

In 2026, the Amex Business Platinum Card remains the gold standard for luxury business travel. It's certainly not "cheap." But for the right business owner, it's a powerful tool that pays for itself many times over.

To see how this stacks up against other options, check out our list of the best business credit cards for 2026.