The Amex Business Platinum Card Is Offering 200K Bonus Points to Some New Members. Do You Qualify?

If you've ever been interested in The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, now could be the time to apply. American Express is offering a much larger welcome offer than usual on this card, at least for some applicants. It's a rare opportunity to earn a massive amount of American Express points.

An elevated welcome offer with the Amex Business Platinum Card

The current public welcome offer for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is 120,000 Membership Rewards® points. To earn it, you need to spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with your card in the first 3 months. Terms apply.

That's already a lot of points, but American Express is also known for running special targeted offers. Some people who visit the card page are seeing welcome offers of up to 200,000 Membership Rewards points. It requires the same amount of spending: $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months.

American Express Membership Rewards points are some of the most valuable travel points. You can redeem them at $0.01 per point for flight bookings through American Express Travel. At that value, 200,000 points are worth $2,000.

But the best way to use these points is transferring them to American Express's travel partners. These partners include airline and hotel loyalty programs where you can make award bookings. I frequently get $0.02 to $0.03 or more per point this way. So it's possible to redeem 200,000 points for $4,000 to $6,000 in travel.

How to see if you qualify

With American Express cards, not everyone qualifies for the same welcome offers. This 200,000-point welcome offer appears to be one of the card issuer's targeted offers. It may or may not show up for you.

To see if you qualify, first try visiting the card page on the American Express website. If you see an offer for 200,000 bonus points, then you can apply for the card through that page. There might also be a different bonus amount. For example, when I checked this myself, I saw one for 190,000 bonus points.

You can also use this American Express link, which some people have reportedly used to successfully apply. It didn't work for me, though. While I saw an offer for 200,000 bonus points, it then required me to log into my American Express account, where I got a page saying the offer was no longer available. Your mileage may vary, so it's worth a try.

Should you apply for the Amex Business Platinum Card ?

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express isn't for everyone. It's one of the most expensive business cards, with a $695 annual fee (see rates and fees). To balance out the fee, it's packed with spending credits and other perks. Here are a few highlights:

• Airport lounge access: This card has what I consider the best airport lounge access of any card. It includes access to over 1,400 lounges globally, including American Express Centurion Lounges.
• $400 Dell Technologies statement credit: You can get up to $400 back (up to $200 semiannually) on U.S. purchases with Dell Technologies through Dec. 31, 2024.
• $360 Indeed statement credit: You can get up to $360 back (up to $90 quarterly) for purchases with Indeed through Dec. 31, 2024.
• $120 wireless statement credit: You can get up to $120 back per year for purchases with U.S. wireless telephone service providers.
• Select enrollment required, terms apply.

Those are just some of a long list of features. The best way to decide if you should apply is by reviewing the card's benefits. If you see a lot of benefits that you'll use, then it's probably worth the annual fee. If not, then you should look elsewhere.

While this is a business card, you can open it with any type of business. That includes a sole proprietorship, as you can apply using your Social Security number and personal income. If you'd prefer a consumer card, there's The Platinum Card® from American Express. It has similar features, with more emphasis on lifestyle and travel perks over business benefits.

The welcome offer on The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is higher than almost any I've seen. It's a compelling reason to open the card, as long as you like the benefits and don't mind paying a hefty annual fee. If you're not sure, check out some of the top credit cards to see if you find a better fit.