The American Express Platinum gets most of the attention, but its business sibling quietly offers more points and some perks that suit frequent travellers even better — especially if you run a small business or spend big on flights.

Both cards now carry the same $895 annual fee, and they share an impressive core of travel benefits: up to $600 a year in credits for prepaid Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts or Hotel Collection bookings, a $200 annual airline fee credit, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement, up to $219 a year back on Clear+ membership, and access to Amex's Global Lounge Collection, including Centurion and Priority Pass lounges (plus Delta Sky Clubs when flying Delta, capped at 10 visits a year unless you spend $75,000). You also get Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy Gold status, top-tier car rental status with Hertz, Avis and National, and no foreign transaction fees.

Where they differ is where the business card can pull ahead. Its welcome offer can reach as high as 300,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $20,000 in three months — nearly double the personal card's offer of up to 175,000 points for $12,000 spent over six months. Crucially, Amex's 'once per lifetime' rule means having had the personal Platinum can block you from its bonus, but doesn't stop you earning the business card's offer.

The earning rates also suit heavy travellers who book through Amex Travel: the Business Platinum earns 5 points per dollar on flights booked that way with no annual cap, while the personal card's flight bonus stops at $500,000 a year (though it also covers flights booked directly with airlines, which the business card doesn't). Add 2 points per dollar on purchases of $5,000 or more, plus on US spending with shipping providers, electronics retailers and software or cloud vendors (up to $2 million a year), and big-ticket business spending racks up points fast.

Then there's the 35% Pay with Points rebate: redeem points for flights in any cabin on your designated qualifying airline through Amex Travel and you get up to 1 million points back per year — effectively cutting award pricing by more than a third. The personal card offers nothing like it.

The credits differ too, and honestly, they're lifestyle-flavoured on the personal card (Lululemon, Equinox, SoulCycle, Uber, Oura, digital entertainment) versus business-flavoured on the Business Platinum: up to $1,150 a year across Dell purchases, $360 with Indeed, $300 on ChatGPT Business, a $250 Adobe credit, $200 for Hilton stays and $120 off your US phone bill. If you'd actually use software and hardware credits, the business card's menu may offset its fee more easily.

Who should care? Travellers with any side income — freelancers, landlords, content creators — can often qualify for a business card, and the higher bonus plus uncapped flight earning make it a smarter pickup for anyone who's already held the personal Platinum. If you rarely book through Amex Travel or can't hit $20,000 in three months, the personal card's terms are friendlier. But for high-spend business owners chasing premium cabin redemptions, the Business Platinum is arguably the stronger travel card.

Story via The Points Guy.