When it comes to blending lifestyle and travel benefits with business needs, the American Express Platinum Business Card is in a league of its own.
This card offers an array of perks, such as a $399 AUD Accor Plus membership, accelerated elite hotel status and access to over 1,400 airport lounges. Coupled with a strong points earn rate on everyday spend, it’s easy to see why savvy business owners find immense value in this card.
Read on to discover the key features that position the American Express Platinum Business Card ahead of the pack.
Where could 350,000 bonus points take you?
The American Express Platinum Business Card earn into the Membership Rewards program, offering flexible points that transfer to over 10 airline and hotel transfer partners. There’s no lock-in to one frequent flyer scheme and no points expiry.
The bonus of 350,000 Membership Rewards Points is enough to get you flying in style. The bonus converts to 175,000 frequent flyer points or miles across a range of partner airlines – enough to fly long haul business or first class to Europe or the USA. Alternatively, you could choose to redeem the bonus for a $1,750 credit on your Card account.
Enjoy two complimentary Priority Pass memberships (worth $858 USD in total)
Whether travelling for business or leisure, airport lounge access is a valuable benefit that will allow you to relax before your flight. As you’d expect, the Amex Platinum Business Card delivers premium benefits here, with complimentary Priority Pass membership for the primary Card Member and one nominated additional cardholder.
Priority Pass operates Airport Lounges in over 500 cities and boasts an extensive footprint in Australia. A Priority Pass membership also unlocks many lounges overseas.
If you were to purchase a standalone Prestige Priority Pass membership, this would normally set you back $429 USD per person (or $858 USD for the two memberships available to each American Express Platinum Business Card Member). So, simply by using this benefit, you can extract significant value from your card.
Additional guests are charged per visit, please contact Priority Pass directly for the latest rates.
Plus, access other global airport lounges
The American Express Platinum Business Card also provides access to a range of other premium airport lounges. These include:
- The Centurion® Lounge and International American Express Lounges
- Plaza Premium Lounges, and
- Delta Sky Club Lounges when travelling on Delta
Cardholders must present their physical eligible card to gain entry to the lounge.
Obtain complimentary Accor Plus membership (worth $399 AUD)
Accor Plus is a popular membership scheme that offers a free night’s stay at selected hotels and up to 50% savings at a participating property when you dine out. Members also receive a fast track to elite Le Club Accor Hotels Silver membership status.
The listed benefits can be used at over 800 participating Accor properties in the Asia Pacific. There are several participating hotels in Australia, including a range of five-star properties.
Even if you only stay or dine at Accor properties infrequently, an Accor Plus membership can provide you with significant savings. The free night, while subject to availability, can be worth over $400 alone. You’ll get maximum value by using it for a stay at a high-end brand such as a Sofitel, MGallery or Pullman.
Get a fast track to elite hotel status with leading chains
Obtaining elite tier status with a hotel loyalty scheme usually requires many stays and a significant spend outlay.
However, the American Express Platinum Business Card delivers instant elite membership for primary and additional cardholders across multiple programs, including:
- Hilton Honors (Gold Status). Hilton operates over 500 properties worldwide
- Marriot Bonvoy™ Gold Elite Status. Over 6,500 properties come under the Marriott umbrella
- Radisson Rewards Premium Status
The benefits on offer vary between programs but may include room upgrades, early and/or late checkout (subject to availability), breakfast (at selected Hilton properties) welcome amenities and free internet access.
Over time, these perks can provide you with significant value for money when you travel.
Access exclusive American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts privileges
American Express Platinum Business cardholders enjoy exclusive access to American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts.
The program offers a suite of valuable hotel perks at over 1,200 hand-selected 5-star properties worldwide – but only when you book direct with Amex. Complimentary benefits include:
- Daily breakfast for two people
- Room upgrades when available
- Noon-check-in when available
- A special amenity at each property (this is often a $100 USD room credit that can be used towards eligible spend at the property).
Fine Hotels + Resorts is also one of the only programs to offer a guaranteed 4 pm late check-out.
By using Fine Hotels + Resorts, it’s possible to extract significant value. In fact, Amex states that the complimentary benefits on offer average a total value of more than $700 AUD for a two-night stay.
Stay informed with The Australian Premium subscription
American Express Platinum Business Card members and additional card members can stay informed with The Australian Premium subscription.
This subscription gives you access to news coverage and analysis from here and around the world across all your devices as well as access to The Wall Street Journal. In addition, you will have access to exclusive member-only features including a weekly curated eNewsletter featuring a selection of the best reads from The Australian and global news partners including The Economist and Harvard Business Review, as well as biannual virtual events.
The complimentary digital subscription to The Australian Premium is available to American Express® Platinum, Platinum Business, Corporate Platinum and Qantas Corporate Platinum Card Members, including Additional and Employee Card Members.
Earn stacks of points on your business spend
If you’re running a business, you have untapped points earning potential. Simply put, you’re in a unique position to earn piles of points when you pay your expenses – often at no extra cost to you.
The fact is, beyond the initial sheen of a sizeable sign-on bonus, the business card you choose should offer a competitive ongoing earn rate. As you’d expect, the top-tier American Express Platinum Business Card delivers here, offering the highest everyday earn rate of any publicly available American Express business card in Australia.
You’ll earn a flat 2.25 points per $1 for all spend, except with government bodies where you’ll collect 1 point per $1.
Better yet, there’s no cap on how many points you can earn each month or year.
And, with American Express widely accepted by merchants across Australia, there’s no shortage of places you can use your Card.
Points Transfer Rates
The American Express Platinum Business Card unlocks transfers to a range of airline and hotel rewards programs at the following rates:
| Airline partner | Redemption rate |
|---|---|
| Velocity Frequent Flyer | 2 Membership Rewards points = 1 Velocity Point |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 2 Membership Rewards points = 1 Qantas Point |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 2 Membership Rewards points = 1 Avios |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 2 Membership Rewards points = 1 Asia Mile |
| Etihad Guest | 2 Membership Rewards points = 1 Etihad Guest Mile |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 2 Membership Rewards points = 1 Hawaiian Mile |
| Malaysia Airlines | 2 Membership Rewards points = 1 Enrich Mile |
| Thai Royal Orchid Plus | 2 Membership Rewards points = 1 Royal Orchid Plus Mile |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 2 Membership Rewards points = 1 Virgin Point |
| Singapore KrisFlyer | 3 Membership Rewards points = 1 KrisFlyer Mile |
| Emirates Skywards | 3 Membership Rewards points = 1 Skywards Mile |
| Air New Zealand | 200 Membership Rewards points = 1 Airpoints Dollar |
| Hotel partner | Redemption rate |
|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy | 3 Membership Rewards points = 2 Marriott Points |
| Hilton Honors | 2 Membership Rewards points = 1 Honors Point |
American Express Platinum Business Card Insurances
The American Express Platinum Business Card provides a suite of complimentary insurances. The products include:
- Travel Inconvenience Cover
- Medical Emergency Expenses Cover
- Public Transport Accident Cover
- Baggage, Money and Documents Cover
- Trip Cancellation and Amendment Cover
Complimentary Travel Insurance cover is extended to Employee Card Members.
Before deciding to take up any of these insurance products, and to find out more information about coverage requirements, you should refer to the card PDS and terms & conditions here.
Take advantage of Flexible Payment Option
Flexible Payment Option is a new initiative, recently launched by American Express.
It works like this: Essentially, if you prefer not to pay your monthly Closing Balance in full, you have the option to carry a portion of it forward, up to your Flexible Payment Option Limit each month. With an instant line of credit, you can free up your cash flow without depending on an overdraft or business loan. Note that interest charges of 23.99% per annum apply.
Save time and money for your business with other benefits
The American Express Platinum Business Card unlocks plenty of other benefits designed to offer additional value for you and your business. There are too many to cover here in full, but they include:
- Integration with leading business software: keep track of business expenditure using Quicken or MYOB
- Arrange up to 99 additional cards: Additional cards can be provided to employees at no charge. The points earned are credited to your account. Additional cardholders will be able to access many of the exclusive perks we’ve covered above
- Amex Experiences App: Get access to a 24/7 Premium Concierge service in your pocket, where you can access information on Platinum benefits, travel offers, events and recommended merchants
American Express Platinum Business Card eligibility
The American Express Platinum Business Card is designed for ABN holders with an annual business revenue of at least $75,000.
To be eligible to apply, you’ll also need to be over 18 years old and an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
To receive the 350,000 bonus Membership Rewards points, you must not currently hold or have previously held any other Card product issued by American Express Australia Limited in the preceding 18-month period. Previous and existing bank-issued American Express companion Card Members are eligible for this offer.
American Express Platinum Business Card Annual fee and credit limit
The annual card fee for the Amex Platinum Business Card is $1,750. This may be tax-deductible if you are using your card solely for business purposes. You should speak with your accountant or tax advisor to fully understand the tax implications.
Card Members who currently hold or who have previously held any other Card product issued by American Express Australia Limited in the preceding 18-month period are ineligible for this offer. Credit will be provided within 8-10 weeks of Card approval.
While the annual fee is significant, it’s entirely possible to offset it by using just some of the premium perks we’ve covered in this article.
The American Express Platinum Business Card is a ‘Charge’ Card, which means there is no fixed credit limit. While Charge Cards have no pre-set spending limit, you’ll need to pay off the full balance each month. More information about this is available via the secure application form.
The American Express Platinum Business Card also carries an Interest Rate of 23.99% p.a. on all purchases.
Don’t miss 350,000 Membership Rewards Bonus Points with the American Express Platinum Business Card
With its unparalleled rewards, luxury benefits, and the power to transform your expenses into extraordinary rewards, the American Express Platinum Business Card is more than just a card – it’s a business asset.
The secure, mobile-friendly application form takes less than 10 minutes to complete and Amex may be able to give you a response in less than 60 seconds.
Head to the secure American Express website now to learn more and apply.
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