Business owners considering expanding their American Express Business Platinum Card benefits to a spouse, business partner, or key employee face a critical decision: whether to add an employee card or have them apply for a separate account. Each option carries distinct advantages and costs, with the choice depending heavily on the intended use and financial goals.
Key Takeaways
- A separate Amex Business Platinum card costs $895 annually and offers a full welcome bonus, double statement credits, and enhanced spending-based perks.
- An employee card costs $400 annually and provides airport lounge access, hotel/rental car elite status, and travel protections.
- Employee cards do not receive their own statement credits or welcome bonuses, but their spending contributes to the primary cardholder's benefits.
- The decision hinges on whether the business can fully utilize a second set of statement credits and a welcome bonus.
Understanding the Amex Business Platinum Card
The Business Platinum Card from American Express is a premium offering designed for business travelers with significant annual expenses. It comes with an $895 annual fee, but provides a wide array of rewards, statement credits, and travel perks that can offset this cost for frequent users.
Key benefits for the primary cardholder include access to over 1,550 airport lounges worldwide through the American Express Global Lounge Collection. This is one of the most extensive lounge networks available through a credit card. The card also offers significant annual statement credits across various categories, which can exceed $3,500 in value if fully utilized.
Card Highlights
- Annual Fee: $895
- Welcome Offer: Earn 200,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $20,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- Earning Rate: 5x points on eligible travel purchases through AmexTravel.com; 2x points on eligible business categories and purchases of $5,000 or more (up to $2 million per year); 1x point on all other eligible purchases.
Valuable Statement Credits
The Amex Business Platinum card provides a robust package of statement credits. These include up to $600 annually for prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel. There is also an annual $200 airline fee credit for incidental expenses like checked bags, and up to $209 for a CLEAR Plus membership.
Additional credits cover business expenses, such as up to $300 annually on U.S. purchases with Dell Technologies, $250 with Adobe after spending $600, up to $360 for Indeed services, and up to $120 for wireless telephone service purchases. These targeted benefits aim to provide value across various business operations.
"The Amex Business Platinum Card delivers substantial value through its extensive lounge access and a comprehensive suite of annual credits, making it a powerful tool for businesses with high travel and operational expenses."
Choosing a Separate Amex Business Platinum Card
Opting for a completely separate Amex Business Platinum account for a business partner or employee comes with significant advantages, primarily the ability to secure a second welcome bonus and an entirely new set of annual statement credits. This option is ideal for businesses that can maximize these duplicated benefits.
A new cardholder would pay the full $895 annual fee, but in return, they would be eligible for their own welcome offer, typically 200,000 Membership Rewards points after meeting the spending threshold. This bonus alone can be worth thousands of dollars in travel redemptions.
Spending-Based Perks
For businesses with very high annual spending, a second card can unlock additional benefits. The Business Platinum Card offers perks like $1,200 in AmexTravel.com credits and up to $2,400 in statement credits toward American Express One AP monthly fees for businesses spending $250,000 or more per year. With two cards, a business spending $500,000 annually could potentially access these credits twice.
Double the Benefits
With a separate card, the new cardholder receives their own full set of statement credits. This means an additional $600 in prepaid hotel credits, another $200 airline fee credit, and separate credits for Dell, Adobe, Indeed, and wireless services. For businesses with multiple frequent travelers or diversified expenses, these duplicated credits can offer substantial savings.
Furthermore, a separate cardholder gains their own Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit, along with their own access to the Amex Global Lounge Collection and elite status with hotel and rental car programs like Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, Avis Preferred, Hertz, and National.
Adding an Employee Card
For a lower annual fee of $400, businesses can add an employee card to an existing Amex Business Platinum account. This option provides a more limited set of benefits compared to a separate card, but can still be highly valuable, especially for employees who travel frequently.
The primary advantage of an employee card is access to the Amex Global Lounge Collection. This means the employee can enjoy complimentary entry to over 1,550 airport lounges, significantly enhancing their travel experience. They also receive a separate Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit and elite status with hotel and rental car companies upon enrollment.
Employee Card Features
- Annual Fee: $400
- Key Benefits: Airport lounge access, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, hotel and rental car elite status, travel and shopping protections.
- Limitations: No separate welcome bonus, no separate set of statement credits.
Shared Benefits, No Separate Credits
While employee cards offer valuable travel perks, it is crucial to understand their limitations. Employee cardholders do not qualify for their own welcome bonus. Their spending, however, does count towards the primary cardholder's welcome bonus spending requirement.
Crucially, employee cards do not come with their own set of statement credits. Any purchases made on an employee card that are eligible for a statement credit (e.g., Dell, airline incidentals) will trigger the primary cardholder's credits, not provide a new set for the employee. This means the primary cardholder's credits are shared across all cards on the account.
- Lounge Access: A significant benefit for frequent business travelers.
- Travel Protections: Employee cards offer travel delay insurance, trip cancellation and interruption coverage, car rental loss and damage coverage, and cell phone protection.
- Shopping Protections: Extended warranty, purchase protection, and return protection also apply to purchases made on employee cards.
Making the Right Choice
The decision between a separate Amex Business Platinum card and an employee card comes down to a cost-benefit analysis based on the specific needs and spending patterns of the business and the individual. If the business can effectively utilize a second set of welcome bonuses and statement credits, the higher annual fee of a separate card may be justified.
Consider if the individual will spend enough to meet a second card's welcome bonus requirement and if your business can maximize the additional Dell, Adobe, Indeed, hotel, and airline credits. For example, if a business routinely spends on Dell products for multiple employees, a second Dell credit could be very valuable.
When to Choose Each Option
Choose a Separate Card if:
- You want to earn another large welcome bonus.
- Your business can fully utilize a second set of annual statement credits.
- Your business spends $250,000 or more annually, potentially unlocking duplicated spending-based perks.
- The individual requires their own independent set of benefits and credits.
Choose an Employee Card if:
- The primary need is airport lounge access and basic travel protections for an employee.
- You do not anticipate being able to fully utilize a second set of statement credits.
- You want to extend some premium travel perks at a lower annual cost.
- You prefer centralized expense tracking for all cards under one main account.
Ultimately, the value proposition of the Amex Business Platinum card, whether for a primary cardholder or an additional user, remains strong due to its comprehensive benefits suite. Evaluating how these benefits align with your business's operational and travel needs will guide the optimal choice.
