100,000 Membership Rewards points 
$1,976 First-year value The Business Platinum Card from American Express is arguably the leading travel rewards credit card in Canada. It’s got it all: best-in-class travel perks, a high base earn rate in a transferable points currency, and the premium allure of a flashy metal finish.
Despite the steep annual fee, the huge welcome bonus makes the card unquestionably worth it for the first year, and the ongoing benefits might even tempt you to keep it for years to come.
Bonuses & Fees
The American Express Business Platinum Card offers 100,000 Membership Rewards points when applying through a referral link. The points are earned in one fell swoop upon spending $10,000 in the first three months.
(If you’re a small business owner who is able to spend $75,000+ in a four-month period, please reach out via the contact form for a custom offer.)
The card has an annual fee of $499. You’re able to additional Business Platinum Cards for $199 or Business Gold Cards for free.
You can also earn 20,000 MR points for every successful referral you make to any eligible card in the Membership Rewards family, up to a maximum of 225,000 MR points per calendar year.
Earning Rewards
In terms of earning points on your everyday spending, the Business Platinum Card offers a straightforward 1.25 MR per dollar spent on all purchases – no need to worry about different rates for each category.
Redeeming Rewards
The Membership Rewards program offers outstanding redemption opportunities as well. This is primarily because it’s a flexible, transferable rewards currency.
You can transfer your MR points at a 1:1 ratio to Aeroplan and British Airways Avios, as well as a host of other global frequent flyer programs (including Cathay Pacific Asia Miles) at a 1:0.75 ratio. Moreover, you also have the option of converting points to Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1.2 ratio for booking hotel stays.
Furthermore, you can redeem MR points directly for flights through the Amex Fixed Points Travel reward chart, although these are limited to round-trip flights departing from Canada.
Essentially, you can use a fixed amount of points towards the base ticket price of a regular cash ticket, up to a certain maximum. The number of points required and the maximum ticket price depends on the geographical region you are visiting (you can only book roundtrip flights that originate in Canada).
Lastly, you have the option of redeeming MR points directly against travel purchases at a rate of 1 cent per point (cpp), although this is typically not recommended, as the value pales in comparison to what you could get by booking flights through Aeroplan, Avios, or even the Fixed Points Travel chart.
Perks & Benefits
As with the Platinum Card, the Business Platinum Card also comes with similar travel-related benefits. You can earn instant Gold Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors, giving you benefits such as room upgrades, free internet, and late checkout when staying at hotels.
It’s worth deliberating on the lounge access benefits of the card. The Business Platinum Card grants complimentary access to Priority Pass lounges for you and one guest, as well as Plaza Premium lounges and American Express Centurion Lounges for you, your spouse, and two children under the age of 21 or one travelling companion.
Another outstanding benefit is access to American Express’s Fine Hotels & Resorts program, which allows you to book special rates at select luxury hotels around the world. These rates include perks such as suite upgrades, daily breakfast for two, and benefits unique to each property (examples include a private airport transfer or a spa & dining credit). The FHR program often pops up with third-night-free or fourth-night-free offers as well, meaning that there’s plenty of good deals to be had.
Lastly, the Platinum Concierge is worth a brief mention. They’re an extremely professional “global concierge” team that’s able to help you out with any and all requests you may have, wherever you are. In the past, they’ve helped me out with everything from restaurant bookings to last-minute flower orders.
They aren’t miracle workers, so don’t expect them to be able to snag a spot for you at the hottest restaurant in town for tomorrow evening, but they will proactively put you on the waitlist or look to confirm a spot for you on some future date. Personally, I do find it incredibly useful to have a capable, service-oriented Platinum Concierge just a call away.
Insurance Coverage
As a premium travel credit card, you can be sure that the Business Platinum Card’s insurance coverage is top-drawer as well. Some examples of its strong coverage include:
- Emergency medical insurance: Up to $5 million of coverage for the first 15 days of your out-of-province trip, for travellers aged under 65.
- Lost baggage insurance for lost or stolen baggage, up to $1,000 of coverage total
- Trip cancellation / trip interruption insurance: for Trip Cancellation, up to $1,500 of coverage per insured person, with a maximum of $3,000 for all insured persons, and for Trip Interruption, up to $1,500 of coverage per insured person, with a maximum of $6,000 for all insured persons on the same covered trip.
- Baggage delay insurance, up to $1,000 (aggregate total with Flight Delay insurance), for items purchased within four days when your baggage is delayed – this is different from lost and stolen baggage insurance, which doesn’t cover delays.
- Auto rental collision/loss damage insurance: Comprehensive coverage for up to 48 consecutive days for cars with an MSRP of up to $85,000, which can help you save on the insurance fees that the car rental company would otherwise charge.
Additionally, the card also offers Purchase Security and Extended Warranty Protection, covering most eligible items you’ve purchased with your card should they be stolen or damaged within 90 days of purchase, as well as an extended one-year warranty period compared to the manufacturer’s warranty.
I have an AMEX Platinum card and am going to cancel it. Would I be entitled to all of the perks and bonus points if I apply for the Business card?
How much do you need to spend within what time frame to get the 120,000 MR pts using your referral link? Thanks!
Hi Ricky,
Footnote 11 states,” This offer is only available to new American Express Small Business Cardmembers. For current or former American Express Small Business Cardmembers, we may approve your application, but you will not be eligible for the welcome bonus. ”
Does this mean if I currently have another Small Business Card, in my case the the American Express Business Edge, but not the Business Platinum Card, that I won’t be eligible for the sign up bonus?
I want to be sure I can have two Amex Business Cards and receive the bonus before I use this link and sign up.
Thanks,
Graham
Thoughts on how the Business Platinum compares with the regular Platinum? I have the latter, but am willing to give it up IF the Business Platinum is as-good or better.
Hey Ricky,
Need to pick at your brain on this one.. I have had the business platinum card previously and closed Jan 2020. I’m looking to re-open this with a different business I own. Will I still get the WB?
Thanks man.
If I get this card and use it to obtain Aeroplan points, then book an Aeroplan flight for my son and fiance, will they be able to use the airport lounges or this is only available to me the cardholder (+companion)?
If I get this card, hold on to it for 17 months to maximize the rewards then cancel it and get an Aeroplan Business Reserve Card, will I get the sign up bonus with the Aeroplan Business Reserve Card? Or do I need to switch to a different credit card provider (ie. CIBC Aeroplan Business Visa) to continue to get another sign up bonus?
Yes you will.
Did this card just change to 80k on $6k and 25k 2nd year today? Was in the process of applying for the 100k on $10k spend and saw the difference in the application.
It just changed today.
Thanks. I was talking last night with my fiancée about applying for the card and I guess the timing just didn’t work out. Trying to figure out if I should just apply for the new Gold card with the $199 annual fee instead now since that gives 65k.
Does the Amex Biz Plat Canada give you access to Hilton Gold status or only Marriott Gold Status. Thanks in advance
Only Marriott Gold.
Hi, I was wondering if it’s possible to apply for multiple cards if you have different businesses and still get the bonus, or is this based on the name of individual applying for the card?
Thank you.
Ricky,
Love the site.
I am curious on your view as I am mid-flight on the Amex Business Platinum 100,000 bonus, but have only spent $7500 to date with a 7/27 deadline. Can I use my Amex to buy a gift card somewhere (shopping mall, otherwise) that I can buy, qualify for the bonus and then return / refund somehow?
Thoughts?
David
As Ricky mentioned in some posts long time ago, easiest way is refundable hotel trick: Just book a fully-refundable hotel reservation with far away date, so you will meet your minimum spend. Once you completed your min. spend (can be way far more than 3 months since you opened the card), then cancel the hotel reservation above.
Annie,
Thanks for the tip and I must have missed this in my past review of the site. But I like it. 🙂
Best,
David
Warning. I applied for AMEX BUS PLAT via the OMA ( Ontario Medical Association) as the sign up cost was significantly less. I cancelled the card after 9 months and reapplied 10 months later. I did NOT get the signup bonus the second time!! I wish I did not use the OMA link but used Ricky’s link instead.
If I apply through your referral link but end up only meeting $7000, do I still get 75,000 welcome bonus points as the fall back?
Nope – it’s the full $10,000 spend for 100,000 points or nothing. If you think you can only meet $7,000, it might be best to apply for the public offer for 75,000 points.
Is there a defined expiry date for the 100,000 MR point offer through your referral. If not, would you think this offer is likely to be available for the next month or two?
Amex tends to change their offers on a whim, and there’s no expiry date stated on this one. It’s always best to apply for an offer you like as soon as you can, but if I had to guess I’d say the brand-new 100K bonus will be around for at least another month.
I just got the card recently through a referral link (not here), and they would not let me get the 100k pts even though I have spent over $10k in a few weeks (only posted the 75k pts)…I called customer service but they said nothing can be done… I just can’t get over this…would you have any other suggestions? Much appreciated.
You must’ve applied for the previous offer, perhaps with an old link (our links are always up to date 😉). Almost no chance that a credit card issuer will give you an extra signup incentive after you’ve already been approved under different terms.
Sorry to bring up a dead comment, but what if I did the opposite of the above? Used an old link with a better incentive ($10k spend for 120k MR) , but didn’t submit until the award changed ($6K spend for 90k MR). Which offer is I get?
Thank you!
If you don’t qualify for the bonus, can you cancel the card right away and get your annual fee back? I’ve had a few Amex biz cards (Amex Biz, Amex Bonvoy Biz and Amex Biz Edge) in the past. I wouldn’t want to apply, not get the bonus and still have to pay the annual fee.
That’s a great way to get on the card issuer’s bad side. Not saying it can’t be done, but I’d expect your other Amex accounts and any future applications to be in jeopardy if you go that route.
Paying an annual fee when you’re not strictly entitled to the bonus as per the card’s terms is a risk we take to play the points game!
What a great resource (especially for Canadians), thank you. My wife and I are new to this, and I’m eager to get going. If I understand correctly, we can each old four separate AmEx cards, and AmEx allows one welcome bonus per card type, per user in their lifetime (right?). However, I read that they “may also consider the number of American Express Cards you have opened and closed as well as other factors in making a decision on your welcome offer eligibility.” In a perfect world, my wife and I would each sign up for all of the following AmEx cards: Business Platinum, Platinum, Aeroplan Reserve, and Bonvoy. Is this indeed possible, and if so, any recommendations on the timing/sequencing of sign-ups to avoid triggering AmEx declining the welcome bonus?
If I’ve had the Business Platinum card for almost a decade is there any way for me to get this bonus now? Can I cancel and start over or use one of my other businesses?
Better to open the card for a spouse or parent, in case Amex denies you the bonus on the basis of being a repeat cardholder.
Would you have a referred link for the 100,000 sign up bonus?
You’ll get the best available bonus (via referral link) if you use our application link above.
Applied today using your link and approved right away! Thanks.
According to your description is it not a requirement to have a registered Business to apply
However I just received a phone call from American Express that they want proof that I am the owner of the Business registration I told them that that’s not a requirement at the application they said that still if the account is under review that they could ask for it
However my Business is registered in the USA and they need a Canadian registered Business the agent said they will cancel the Business card if I cannot provide
I asked for a manger to call back as this does not sound right at the application they only ask the following
Before we can consider your application, please ensure you can say yes to the following:
You are a Canadian resident and have a Canadian credit file
You are of the age of majority in your province or territory of residence
It’s not a requirement to apply, but Amex might review your account based on your spending patterns. A sole proprietorship should satisfy them; if they insist on documents, you can register with Ownr (takes about a week to get your paperwork).
I had a small an Amex small business card 3 years ago. Does anyone have an experience with the following condition? This term is unique to PoT’s link
This offer is only available to new American Express Small Business Cardmembers. For current or former American Express Small Business Cardmembers, we may approve your application, but you will not be eligible for the welcome bonus.
DP: Applied and got approved and confirmed I qualify for the Prince of Travel offer even though I have had an Amex Business card (non-platinum) in the past.
It seems like that peculiar condition is not enforced in my case. YMMV
It’s a very bad idea to cancel the card right after getting the signup bonus. Amex would consider this to be gaming the system and would be less likely to approve you for subsequent cards. You would have paid the annual fee anyway. Might as well keep it until the renewal date in a year.
For me and my wife personally we had been juggling these cards, Biz Plat, Personal Plat, Aeroplan, Amex Gold, now Cobalt and Amex Reserve for years. We’ve been getting bonuses non stop, churning renewing. I believe it has to do with your credit score and how much you spend on the cards. We own Businesses and we obviously more than Max out the Spending requirement way before the 3 month mark on these cards. I believe it depends YMMV, been doin this for 9yrs now. Thanks Prince of Travel!
Wow! I admire your work. Can you provide a more detailed sequence of applying for an cancelling cards? So far the only card I have applied twice in AMEX PLAT BUS.
I generally cancel after 6-8 months then reapply 6-9months later.
Does anyone know if you have more than 1 business, can you apply in the different business name but be the cardholder? Or is it 1 bonus per card holder?
Can you refer people to the new choice no annual fee card with the Amex Business plat?
If you can i might actually be able to convince my friends to get into amex cards Lol
I am up for renewal of this card and got rewarded handsomely in cash back credits in 2020 (~600$). I already had Amex personal. Should I switch to Amex personal hope to get the sign up reward points. Or play safe and just got for amex aeroplan reserve card? Will that car also offer cash back offers that are as lucrative as Amex plat? Too many Qs but the main Q is- Do i renew Biz plat or switch to Personal plat or Get Aeroplan reserve?
Thanks to this blog, Ricky’s never tiring endeavours and ever optimistic exuberance(IMO a bit irrational at times, especially this year!)
Happy Holidays and to a 2021 with more churning?
Alas, doing things that may appear ridiculous and irrational can be a big part of why we do what we do. 😉
I’d say that the Aeroplan Reserve is a safer bet. Repeat signup bonuses are getting less likely with Amex these days. Since it’s a flagship new product I think the Aeroplan Reserve is likely to get many similar offers (like the current 5,000 points upon spending $250 offer for the end of the year).
Now I am unsure if I should apply for the new Amex Aeroplan or not, I know its a new card but to pay the $499 annual fee again and not get the bonus points is pretty disappointing
No 75,000 welcome bonus after the min spend which I did in the first month. They said I have had the card before , must have been many years ago though I applied for the Gold personal which I have had 10+ time before and I got the 25,000 bonus.
So if I make a referral to someone and they get another amex card, but not the business platinum do I still get 20,000 MR points?
Yes! They can apply for either the Business Gold and Business Edge under the referral offer too.
I got rejected. I owned the ae business gold card. The agent said that I previous had this card, but I replied it was 8 years ago. Then she said ” well you already had 1x are business card, you only allow to have one business card with ae”.
I have healthy credit score. Was click the link from here for application.
Not sure what else I can can try? And suggestions?
Was the application rejected outright, or did they just say you would not qualify for the welcome bonus?
Would you consider this a get sign up bonus then cancel card for small spenders with no big travel plans? What are the chances of someone with 770 credit score and 9 years of credit history getting it as the first card?