Yay! You’ve just been approved for the American Express Business Platinum Card — so many new perks await! So, where do you start? It can be hard to keep track of the benefits of this premium card. Once you get that shiny new card in the mail, you’ll want to take an hour and enroll in all the fancy perks. Here’s your guide on making the most of the American Express Business Platinum Card benefits right from the start.
Choose an Airline for the $200 Credit
The American Express Business Platinum card offers a $200 annual statement credit for incidental fees with your selected qualifying airline. This typically covers fees such as checked bags, in-flight refreshments, lounge access, and more. You can choose from the following airlines for this travel credit:
- United
- Hawaiian
- Spirit
- American
- JetBlue
- Southwest
- Delta
- Alaska
Apply for (or renew) Global Entry
Cardholders receive a statement credit for the Global Entry application fee ($100) once every four years. Remember, the Global Entry application doesn’t need to be for you—using this card to pay for a family member or friend’s application fee will also trigger the credit.
Enroll and Shop the Dell Credit
You will want to register for the $400 worth of Dell credits from your account benefit page. This credit is broken into two. So, you will be reimbursed for up to $200 spent at Dell during January-June and then another $200 for July-December.
Enroll in Credits for Indeed and Adobe
These are pretty niche categories. I use Adobe, so it comes in handy for me. I don’t use Indeed, so that perk is lost on me. However, from your account benefit page, you can enroll in $360 worth of statement credits for purchases made with Indeed ($90 per quarter) or $150 in statement credits for eligible annual prepaid business plan purchases of Adobe Creative Cloud.
Enroll in the Cell Phone Credit
Enroll and get up to $120 in statement credits per year (up to $10 back per month) for wireless telephone service purchases made directly with a wireless provider.
Apply for Clear
You can cover the cost of a CLEAR Plus Membership with up to $189 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR Plus with your Business Platinum Card. As TSA PreCheck lines seem to be getting longer, CLEAR can be useful.
Enroll in Priority Pass
Don’t forget to enroll in Priority Pass lounge access. This benefit gives you unlimited Priority Pass airport lounge visits for you and up to two guests.
Register for Marriott and Hilton Gold
You can link your Marriott and Hilton accounts from your Amex Platinum benefits page. This will get you Gold Elite status with both, which includes these benefits:
Marriott Gold
- Earn 25% more points on every eligible hotel purchase, including room rate and other incidentals that can be charged to your room, such as dining and spa.
- Priority Late Checkout as late as 2 p.m. (subject to availability).
Hilton Gold
- 80% bonus points on Hilton purchases.
- Daily food and beverage credits (varies based on brand) within the U.S. or complimentary continental breakfast in non-U.S. hotels.
- Resort fees are waived on free night awards.
- Fifth night free on award bookings.
Enroll in Car Rental Status
Enroll through the Amex Platinum benefits page for elite status with Hertz, Avis, and National. Depending on the program, you’ll be eligible for upgrades and discounts.
Point.me Membership
Go to point.me/amex to log in to your Amex account and get a free membership to search all award availability on airlines that partner with American Express.
These don’t require enrollment…
The following perks don’t require enrollment, but be sure not to sleep on utilizing these benefits:
- Access to Centurion Lounges
- 35% points bonus on award bookings. Eligible flights include First and Business Class tickets (on any airline) as well as any fare class with your selected qualifying airline booked through American Express Travel.
- $100 experience credits on Fine Hotels & Resorts booked through Amex Travel.
- Business Platinum Card Concierge – just call the number on the back of your card and ask for Concierge. This can be used to help secure tickets and reservations.
Conclusion
The American Express Business Platinum Card comes with a hefty annual fee but also includes some premium travel benefits and rewards. A lot of these perks require enrollment. So, be sure to pencil in a bit of time to sign up for all of the above advantages and make the most of that shiny new card!
