Lily Pad Points

Card guide · checked Oct 27, 2026

Amex Business Platinum, in two minutes.

An $895 business card with a long list of credits. It pays for itself only if your business already spends where those credits are.

We couldn’t check Amex’s own page, so confirm the current offer and terms there before you apply.

1. The welcome offer

Offers go as high as 300,000 Membership Rewards points after $20,000 of purchases in your first 3 months, and they vary from person to person. Our referral link shows your personal offer before you apply, so decide with that number.

300,000 x 1.5c = $4,500, if you get the top offer and can spend $20,000 in 3 months

2. What the points are worth

We count Membership Rewards at 1.5 cents each. That assumes you transfer to airline or hotel partners. Pay with Points for flights on the airline you pick and you get 35% of the points back, up to 1,000,000 points back a year.

3. What you earn

  1. 5X on flights and prepaid hotels booked at AmexTravel.com, and on Airbnb short term rentals booked through Amex Travel.
  2. 2X on purchases of $5,000 or more, and at US construction and hardware suppliers, electronics retailers, software and cloud providers, and shipping providers, on up to $2 million a year. From Feb 17, 2027 those 2X categories count only at select merchants.
  3. 1X on everything else.

5X x 1.5c = 7.5% back on flights, prepaid hotels and Airbnb booked through Amex Travel

4. What the $895 fee buys back

  1. Up to $600 a year in hotel credits, $300 each half year, on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection stays through Amex Travel. From Jan 1, 2027, Fine Hotels + Resorts stays need at least two nights.
  2. Up to $200 a year in airline fee credits with the one airline you pick.
  3. Up to $1,150 a year at Dell: $150, plus $1,000 more once you spend $5,000 there in a year.
  4. $250 back after you spend $600 or more with Adobe in a year.
  5. Up to $300 a year on ChatGPT Business, up to $200 a year at Hilton ($50 a quarter), and up to $120 a year on wireless ($10 a month).
  6. Up to $219 a year for CLEAR+, and $120 for Global Entry or $85 for TSA PreCheck every 4 years.
  7. Up to $250 in Airbnb Experiences credits, but only after you book a prepaid Airbnb Luxe stay through Amex Travel that year.
  8. Lounges: Centurion, Delta Sky Club (10 visits a year), and Priority Pass for you and two guests, restaurants not included. Hilton Gold and Marriott Gold status.
  9. No foreign transaction fees.

5. Who it’s for

A business owner who already buys from Dell, Adobe or the 2X categories, flies often enough to value lounges, and transfers points to partners. If you’d have to go out of your way to use each credit, the fee wins.

6. The catch

  1. The annual fee is $895, and each employee card is $400 a year.
  2. Most credits need enrollment and only work at specific merchants, many paid in pieces through the year.
  3. From Feb 17, 2027 the wireless credit only counts at 11 named carriers, including Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.
  4. The top offer needs $20,000 of spend in 3 months.

$600 hotel + $200 airline + $219 CLEAR+ = $1,019 if you use all three fully, against an $895 fee

Lily’s verdict

Great card if your business already spends where the credits are. A pricey one if you’re chasing perks you wouldn’t otherwise use. Check your personal offer first, then add up only the credits you’ll actually touch.

This is a referral link. If you’re approved, Amex gives us points, at no cost to you. Not financial advice. We hold this card ourselves.