American Express is currently dangling the largest publicly available welcome bonus the Business Platinum Card has ever had: up to 300,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $20,000 in the first three months. Valued at roughly $6,000 by The Points Guy, that bonus is enough to make even frequent travellers sit up — but it's a small-business card, so the eligibility rules trip up a lot of people who would actually qualify.
The big myth worth busting: you don't need a registered company or six-figure revenue. Freelancers, contractors and anyone with a side hustle can apply, often listing themselves as a sole proprietor with their own name and Social Security number. What you do need is a good-to-excellent credit score, and you may be asked for proof of business income or a DBA name.
The welcome offer itself has sharper edges. Amex can deny the bonus if you've held this card or earlier versions of it, and history matters too — lots of opened-and-closed Amex cards or a pattern of balance transfers can disqualify you. Amex also generally caps people at five of its credit cards at once (though the Business Platinum, which has no preset spending limit, likely sits outside that cap) and typically limits approvals to two Amex cards per 90 days. One genuine relief: business cards don't count toward Chase's 5/24 rule, so applying here won't hurt future Sapphire ambitions. And if you already hold the personal Amex Platinum, you can still get the business version and its bonus — they're treated as separate products.
Once approved, the card carries an $895 annual fee, offset by a stack of travel-heavy credits: up to $200 a year in airline fee credits, up to $600 in prepaid hotel credits through Amex Travel, $200 a year at Hilton, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fees covered, a Clear+ membership credit, plus Centurion Lounge and Priority Pass access and complimentary Hilton and Marriott Bonvoy Gold status. There are also business-leaning credits for Dell, Adobe, Indeed and wireless bills.
If an application gets denied or stuck in pending, Amex's reconsideration line is worth a call — have your business income and address details ready and be able to explain why the card fits your spending. And if you're unsure about your welcome-offer status, the 'Apply With Confidence' tool checks your eligibility with a soft pull before anything is processed.
Who's this for? Self-employed travellers who can genuinely route business spending through the card and use the lounge access and hotel status. If you'd struggle to hit $20,000 in three months or wouldn't use the credits, the fee will eat the bonus alive.
