Amex Business Platinum
The American Express Business Platinum Card carries the largest sign-up bonus currently available on any UK payment card — 120,000 Membership Rewards points (to 5 May 2026), converting to 120,000 Avios or Virgin Points. There are no eligibility restrictions on the bonus: if you are accepted and hit the £12,000 spend target in three months, you receive the points regardless of what other Amex cards you hold. For directors of Limited Companies and LLP members, this is the single fastest route to a premium cabin flight.
The card also delivers the same lifestyle benefits as the personal Platinum — unlimited lounge access, hotel status in four chains, Fine Hotels & Resorts, travel insurance, and car hire coverage — with some business-specific additions (Dell credit, indeed.com credit, employee supplementary cards) and a few notable omissions (no Eurostar lounge, no dining credits).
| Card Summary — March 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | £650 (refundable pro-rata, tax-deductible as business expense) |
| Earn rate | 1 MR per £1 on all eligible spend. Same 19+ transfer partners as personal Amex cards |
| Sign-up bonus | 120,000 MR for £12,000 spend in 3 months (to 5 May 2026). Standard: 50,000 MR for £6,000 in 3 months. NO eligibility restrictions — bonus guaranteed if accepted |
| Purchase rate | 29.1% variable (via optional Flexible Payment Option). No formal credit limit — has a Flexible Payment Option limit you can exceed, but amounts above it must be settled in full each month |
| Spend bonus (ending 31 Mar 2026) | 10,000 MR for every month you spend £10,000+. Being removed 31 March 2026 |
| FX fee | 2.99% |
| Minimum income | £35,000 personal. Must be Director of Ltd Co or Member of LLP. Sole traders no longer accepted |
| Eligibility for bonus | NO restrictions since 2024. Any existing Amex cardholder qualifies. Personal cards, other business cards — none block you |
Benefits Package
Lounge access: Unlimited Priority Pass with one free guest per visit. Centurion Lounges (including Heathrow T3). Lufthansa group lounges when flying LH, SWISS, Austrian, etc. Delta Sky Club when flying Delta. One free Platinum supplementary card — that person also receives their own Priority Pass, meaning a family of four can access lounges (two cardholders, each with one guest).
Hotel status: Hilton Honors Gold (free breakfast for two — the standout benefit), Marriott Bonvoy Gold (upgrades, late checkout), Radisson Rewards Premium, MeliaRewards Gold. Identical to the personal Platinum.
Amex Travel credit: £200 per year, must be used in one transaction via Amex Travel. Renews on card anniversary.
Dell credit: £150 per year (£75 January–June, £75 July–December). No minimum spend. Useful for office equipment, peripherals, or accessories.
Indeed.com credit: £300 per year for job advertising (£75 per quarter, 2026 only unless extended).
Fine Hotels & Resorts: Same FHR access as personal Platinum — guaranteed 4pm checkout, free breakfast, room upgrade when available, property credit (~$100). Book via Amex Travel at the hotel’s best publicly available rate with added benefits.
Insurance: Comprehensive travel insurance covering you and your family. Car hire excess insurance. Extended warranty on purchases. These are genuine business benefits — the travel insurance alone replaces standalone policies costing £150–300/year.
The Times subscription: Free digital access to The Times and Sunday Times. Not available on personal Platinum.
Supplementary cards: One free Platinum supplementary card (full benefits including Priority Pass). Additional Platinum supplementary cards at £295 each. Up to 98 free Gold supplementary cards for employees — no individual benefits, but all spending earns MR points flowing to the primary cardholder’s account. This is a significant earning multiplier for businesses with employees who make purchases.
No Eurostar lounge access — this is exclusive to the personal Platinum card. No £400 annual dining credits (£200 UK + £200 international) — again personal Platinum only. If you hold both personal and business Platinum, benefits do not stack — you simply have access to whichever card’s benefits apply. Many directors hold the business card for the bonus and earning, and the personal card for the dining credits and Eurostar access.
April 2026 Changes
From 1 April 2026, the monthly 10,000 MR spend bonus (awarded for every month you exceed £10,000 spend) is being permanently removed. For high-spending businesses that hit this threshold monthly, this was worth up to 120,000 MR per year — a massive earning stream now gone.
New benefits replacing it from April 2026: up to £400 additional Amex Travel credit (£200 at £60,000 annual spend, £400 at £120,000 — on top of the existing £200 base credit, for a potential total of £600), up to £240/year Enterprise car hire credit (£20 per month when spending £60+ at Enterprise), and a Superscript business insurance credit. For businesses spending over £10,000/month, the maths is considerably worse: 120,000 MR (worth ~£1,200 at 1p/point) replaced by up to £640 in credits. For businesses spending under £10,000/month who never triggered the bonus, the new credits are a net improvement.
The Dual-Track Strategy
Business and personal Amex cards operate on completely separate tracks. Sign-up bonuses, eligibility rules, and spending thresholds are independent. This means a director can hold personal Amex Gold (20,000 MR bonus) plus Business Platinum (120,000 MR bonus) and collect 140,000 MR from sign-up bonuses across both — enough for a return Business Class flight to Asia with a BA Companion Voucher.
Business MR points transfer to the same airline and hotel programmes as personal MR. The balances are technically separate (business points sit in the business account) but transfer to the same loyalty programme accounts. A director transferring 120,000 business MR to BA Avios and 20,000 personal MR to BA Avios ends up with 140,000 Avios in their Executive Club account.
For the maximum first-year haul, the sequence is: Business Platinum (120,000 MR) + Business Gold (60,000 MR) + personal Gold (20,000 MR) + BA Amex Premium Plus (30,000 Avios) = 230,000 flexible points plus 30,000 Avios. Business cards have a 12-month eligibility gap between applications. Personal cards have 24 months. Plan accordingly.
Who Should Get This Card
Yes, get this card if: You are a director or LLP member. You can meet the £12,000 spend target for the 120,000 bonus (before 5 May 2026). You want lounge access, hotel status, and travel insurance alongside business earning. You value the £650 fee being tax-deductible. You have employees whose spend can be captured on supplementary cards.
Consider Business Gold instead if: Your business spend is lower and you cannot justify £650. You want a free first year. You do not need Platinum-level travel benefits. The 60,000 MR Business Gold bonus (also to May 2026) is still substantial.
Hold both personal and business Platinum if: You want the dining credits and Eurostar access (personal only) plus the Dell credit, indeed.com credit, and employee cards (business only). The overlap in lounges and hotel status means you are paying for those twice — the justification is the non-overlapping benefits and the separate sign-up bonuses.
120,000 MR sign-up bonus (to May 2026) with no eligibility restrictions — the largest bonus available on any UK card. Same hotel status, lounges, FHR, and insurance as personal Platinum, minus Eurostar access and dining credits. Adds Dell credit (£150), indeed.com (£300), Times subscription, and up to 98 employee supplementary cards. The £650 fee is tax-deductible. Monthly 10,000 MR spend bonus ending March 2026, replaced by additional Amex Travel and Enterprise credits from April. For directors and LLP members, this card plus a personal Amex Gold delivers 140,000+ MR from bonuses alone in Year 1.
