Link: Apply now for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (review) is a popular business card. While the card has a steep $695 annual fee (Rates & Fees), that’s potentially pretty easy to justify, thanks to the huge numbers of credits and benefits, plus the airport lounge access perks.
Another incentive to apply for the card is that it consistently features a huge welcome offer, which makes the card especially compelling for the first year (there’s a terrific offer right now). Anecdotally, I also find this card to be quite easy to get approved for.
In this post, I want to focus on what’s probably my favorite perk of this card, which I take advantage of frequently…
In this post:
The Amex Business Platinum makes points more valuable
Generally speaking, the best way to maximize Amex Membership Rewards points is to transfer them to airline and hotel partners, since that potentially offers the most outsized value, at least for those who are willing to put in the effort.
While you can always redeem your points toward the cost of a travel purchase through Amex’s Pay With Points feature, the catch is that the redemption value isn’t typically great. Generally speaking, you’ll get no more than 1.0 cents of value per Membership Rewards point, which is significantly less than I value the currency.
But this is also where the Amex Business Platinum Card comes into play. Cardmembers receive a 35% rebate on Pay With Points bookings for select airfare, which can get you up to 1.54 cents of value per point. This doesn’t just apply to the points earned on this specific card, but instead, applies to all Membership Rewards points linked to your account (so you could redeem all your Amex points this way, including those earned on other cards).
Now, there are some things to be aware of. Most significantly, this rebate only applies when booking first or business class travel, or economy travel on your designated airline (you can designate an airline in your Amex account — this is the same as the carrier you designate for your airline fee credit). Furthermore, the 35% benefit allows you to get up to one million points back per year.
Keep in mind that this perk can be combined with the Amex International Airline Program, which offers discounts on premium tickets on select airlines. That means you can get up to 1.54 cents of value on (often) discounted airfare.
Just to explain how this works in practice, ordinarily you can book airline tickets at the rate of 1.0 cents per point through American Express Travel®. So let’s say you were to book a $1,000 ticket:
- You’d pay 100,000 Membership Rewards points
- Then you’d retroactively be refunded 35,000 points
- That means in the end you paid 65,000 points for a $1,000 ticket, which gets you 1.54 cents of value per point
So while you do have to front the points, the actual cash out value toward eligible airfare is quite good, if you ask me.
Is it really worth redeeming Amex points this way?
The miles & points world has changed a lot over the years, plain and simple. Points are easier than ever before to earn, but are also more challenging to redeem for good value. Back in the day, I wouldn’t have considered the ability to redeem Amex points for 1.54 cents each toward a premium airfare purchase to be a particularly good deal.
However, as the industry has evolved, I’m increasingly finding that it can represent a good deal, and it’s one of the reasons I hold onto the Amex Business Platinum Card. We’ve seen mileage redemption rates for premium cabins often become much more expensive, all while upgrades have become more difficult. At the same time, premium airfare is actually largely quite reasonably priced if you just pay outright.
So to be honest, I am increasingly finding myself quite happy redeeming this way. For example, soon I need to fly from Miami to Boston, and the Delta first class fare is $350. Amex often has a slight discount for travel on select airlines, so I’m being quoted $344 through American Express Travel®. With that in mind:
- At the rate of 1.0 cents per Membership Rewards point, that ticket would require 34,379 points
- Then I’d receive a 35% bonus after the fact, meaning I’d get 12,033 points back
- That means in the end I’d be spending 22,346 points, which I’d consider to be a perfectly good deal, especially since this ticket is then eligible for points accrual
Of course it’s absolutely possible to get higher value redemptions, but I earn points pretty easily, so this is a redemption option that’s easy, and that I feel pretty good about. Similarly, we often see airlines have fare sales for long haul business class tickets, and in some cases, rates with Pay With Points can be comparable to what you’d pay for an outright award redemption.
Bottom line
The Amex Business Platinum Card is a popular card — it has a huge welcome offer, and the card is fairly easy to get approved for. On top of that, the card offers quite a few credits, plus valuable airport lounge access.
The single thing that most differentiates this card for me is the 35% Pay With Points bonus, which essentially allows you to get 1.54 cents of value per point toward premium airfare (or economy airfare on your designated airline).
I don’t want to suggest that 1.54 cents per point is the world’s most amazing redemption, but I do frequently redeem this way, and find that the math checks out.
Anyone else like the 35% Pay With Points rebate on the Amex Business Platinum Card?
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: The Business Platinum® Card from American Express (Rates & Fees).
It is indeed an amazing benefits. I booked an Asia trip with my aunt, my wife and father in law paying ~$2500 cash each with $2000 in points. After the discount, only had to use 130k points each. All on business class, booked just 4 months before the trip, visiting 2 countries, and don't need to worry about availability (which could be difficult for 4 people). The key is, you need to find good cheap...
It is indeed an amazing benefits. I booked an Asia trip with my aunt, my wife and father in law paying ~$2500 cash each with $2000 in points. After the discount, only had to use 130k points each. All on business class, booked just 4 months before the trip, visiting 2 countries, and don't need to worry about availability (which could be difficult for 4 people). The key is, you need to find good cheap fare to begin with, and that often means you have to connect. Take my trip as an example, if I don't connect, the fare will be over $8000. So I decided to visit two countries instead of one.
I've used the 35% rebate a lot over the past few years, but it is getting increasingly more difficult of late.
I used to think that AMEX Travel was an OTA like any other OTA (like Expedia, for example, whose platform AMEX Travel uses), but it isn't. AMEX Travel is a consolidator/broker. They do not have access to all bookable flights and fares - they ONLY have access to whatever "bulk" fares they have been...
I've used the 35% rebate a lot over the past few years, but it is getting increasingly more difficult of late.
I used to think that AMEX Travel was an OTA like any other OTA (like Expedia, for example, whose platform AMEX Travel uses), but it isn't. AMEX Travel is a consolidator/broker. They do not have access to all bookable flights and fares - they ONLY have access to whatever "bulk" fares they have been allocated by the airlines. This is hugely restrictive.
Flights and fares that I can find by paying cash directly with the airlines or through any number of online travel agents are simply not available at all through AMEX Travel - not even if I want to pay cash using my Biz Plat card to earn the 5x MR points.
I don't feel like it was always this bad. Today, though, for example, a $4600 JAL ticket is $6800 through AMEX Travel, and with all the JAL new A350-1000 segments swapped out for dumpy AA 777s. If AMEX Travel was an actual travel agent, this benefit would be awesome. Being relegated to crappy consolidator makes this a much more tenuous benefit.
I've done this a few times and it's annoying how it sometimes takes 3 days to get your rebate and other times it takes months. Just chatted with Amex support about my last such ticket and they said "we won't look into your missing rebate until the 10 week mark, sorry"
As someone who certainly likes to get great redemptions through transfers the increasingly difficult landscape of redemptions coupled with my sometimes inflexible travel dates, I do value this benefit.
@mJonis
Right on, doesn't seem worth the savings
Thanks Ben does the same deal apply to my Amex Platinum card especially an Australian issued one ?
Tim
US only. Canada, Australia, other, no.
Does anyone know how Amex Travel tickets mixed airline itineraries ? Lets assume it is an economy ticket with an outbound on UA with a UA flight number and the return on LH with a LH flight number. Will this ticketed as one UA ticket (and hence would qualify for the rebate) ?
Generally the first flight on the itinerary is the ticketing carrier.
That is not a guarantee.
Contrary to the article which states 35% points back on any airline in First and Business Class, the terms are pretty clear. 35% points back ONLY on the selected airline regardless of ticket class.
How It Works
Select the qualifying airline you want online, or by calling the number on the back of your Card.
Use Membership Rewards® Pay with Points to book flights with your selected airline through American Express Travel®...
Contrary to the article which states 35% points back on any airline in First and Business Class, the terms are pretty clear. 35% points back ONLY on the selected airline regardless of ticket class.
How It Works
Select the qualifying airline you want online, or by calling the number on the back of your Card.
Use Membership Rewards® Pay with Points to book flights with your selected airline through American Express Travel online or by calling Business Platinum Travel Service.
You’ll receive 35% of the Membership Rewards® points used for flights with your selected airline back, approximately 6-10 weeks after charges appear on your billing statement.
Not true. It’s on *any* business class fare, any airline. I have used it in last 3 months alone for ANA, Air India, and Saudia — none of which are my “designated airline” — and have been rebated the 35% points.
My thing is imagine not getting 3 CPP.
Great but come on
"Eligible flights include First and Business Class tickets as well as any fare class with your selected qualifying airline booked through American Express Travel®.
The airline selected for the 35% Airline Bonus and the $200 Airline Fee Credit‡ must be the same."
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I take this to mean the 35% points back is eligible ONLY for the selected airline, not for ANY airline in First and Business Class. Data points ? ? ?
Any business or firstt class tickets on any airline, plus any ticket on your selected airline. I have done this many times.
Business Platinum is one of the worst cards IMO. They keep removing useful perks. Will be getting rid of it before my renewal in August.
Starlux and Etihad launched a codeshare agreement today. Hopefully there will be coverage on this site.
Don't get all the excitement as this is about the same as the CSR going thru the portal. It was great when it first rolled out with the 50% back I used that quite a bit but now meh I'd rather transfer. I guess if you have a ton of MR points vs Chase points than it helps.
Agreed. If you factor in the earnings I get from miles, it takes it closer to 2cpp especially if you have elite status multipliers on earnings. I look at it as a 35% kickback from AMEX and another kickback from the airline. I also prefer this as I can book economy and get upgraded with status to first. Some airlines don’t allow upgrades with award bookings which is why booking with Amex works great.
Ben - you teased stacking the International Travel Program with the 35% rebate - but then didn’t explain how to do it
Airfares under the International Travel Program will appear as such on a given search. You simply select it and then select Pay With Points (designating your Business Platinum as the paying card). That's it. Separately, sometimes Amex Travel has preferential airfares on domestic flights as well.
Not disagreeing that it's fine to redeem Amex points with the 35% rebate for flights... I max out the million point rebate each year. But it's definitely time you update your MR point valuation in this case, Ben. By redeeming these 22,346 points instead of paying $344 with a Plat card, you're forgoing the 1720 MR points you would have earned on the purchase, so you've effectively redeemed 24066 points for $344. That's a valuation under 1.43 cents per point.
This is a great point, Ethan, re: opportunity cost of the 5x earning on the flight in question. However, I would add that you should also factor in the miles *earned* on the fare (which varies based on your airline status, fare type, etc.) from the airline since it is a paid fare, and this amount earned would reduce the 24,066 from your example downward to a lower amount, likely back down to the original...
This is a great point, Ethan, re: opportunity cost of the 5x earning on the flight in question. However, I would add that you should also factor in the miles *earned* on the fare (which varies based on your airline status, fare type, etc.) from the airline since it is a paid fare, and this amount earned would reduce the 24,066 from your example downward to a lower amount, likely back down to the original redemption value of 1.54 (or possibly better if you have a high mileage accrual bonus as a DL Diamond or an AA exec platinum).
He'll earn the Delta (or partner) miles either way, though, after he flies. Whether he "pays" with his Amex points or pays with his Amex credit card. No difference there.
He won't earn redeemable miles on award flights. only SQM. On Paid flights, he will earn both type of miles, which is what SEAmericanExpat is referring to.
Not sure what you're talking about, DMoney. Flights paid for with Amex points earn the same miles as paid flights. They're not coded differently.
Does anyone have any experience with what happens when your flight goes haywire when using the Amex Travel site to book airfare? Generally speaking, the consensus is to never book with an OTA, but rather directly with the airline as refunds, etc. are then under DOT regulations, whereas with an OTA you are left holding the bag.
Similar bag holding.
Amex travel is Expedia.
One significant difference being that you can’t do a chargeback if something goes wrong, because Amex won’t do a chargeback against Amex Travel which is his Amex… at least that’s what’s happened to me.
It's not great customer service when things go wrong. That said, I have been able to get resolution even when it required Amex to coordinate with the airline on complicated schedule changes, etc. It takes patience, persistence, and knowing exactly what they should do though, don't expect they'll have any idea how to handle anything complicated without coaching and potentially asking for a supervisor to get involved.