Maximizing Value with the Amex Business Platinum Card’s Airline Bonus

For frequent business travelers, maximizing rewards points is crucial. The American Express Business Platinum Card® offers a unique benefit that can significantly boost the value of your Membership Rewards points, but recent changes require a strategic approach. This benefit, often overlooked, can provide a substantial return for those willing to plan ahead.

The 35% Airline Bonus: How It Works

American Express offers a 35% bonus on points redeemed for flights with a qualifying airline when booked through American Express Travel. This bonus applies to up to 1 million points redeemed each calendar year. While the benefit isn’t as generous as it once was, it remains a valuable tool for business owners seeking flexibility in their travel rewards.

Airline Selection: Choose Wisely

A key change to this benefit is the restriction to selecting only one qualifying airline per calendar year, in January. The eligible airlines currently include:

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• JetBlue
• Southwest Airlines
• Spirit Airlines
• United Airlines

This selection extends to any flight ticketed by these airlines, including codeshare flights. For example, United can be used to book flights on Lufthansa or All Nippon Airways if a codeshare agreement exists. Similarly, Delta can be used for Air France or Virgin Atlantic flights, and American Airlines for British Airways flights.

Fixed Value vs. Transfer Partners

Booking through Amex Travel with the 35% bonus provides a fixed value of 1 cent per point. The bonus increases this to 1.35 cents per point. While this is a respectable value, transferring points to airline partners often yields a higher return. Though, finding available award flights, especially for domestic U.S. Routes, can be challenging, with award prices often mirroring cash prices on major carriers like American, Delta, and United.

Earning Miles and Elite Status

A significant advantage of booking through Amex Travel is that these bookings typically earn miles and contribute to elite status progression with the airline. Because Amex purchases a standard cash ticket on your behalf, you receive the standard benefits associated with a revenue fare.

Booking for Others

The Amex Business Platinum Card allows you to book tickets in other people’s names, making it a valuable employee benefit or a way to treat friends and family. While refunds can be complex, points are generally returned to the original account, rather than being issued as a future flight credit in another person’s name.

Is the Bonus Worth It?

Despite some limitations, the 35% airline bonus remains a solid benefit for Amex Business Platinum cardholders. For business owners who prioritize convenience and dislike the complexities of award travel, the bonus offers a straightforward path to redeeming points. The flexibility, elite status progress, and potential for earning additional miles can make it a worthwhile option.

While the heyday of the 35% bonus benefit for Amex Business Platinum cardholders is in the rearview mirror, it’s still a solid benefit.