The 150K AMEX Business Platinum signup bonus offer (targeted) is alive and well.
A TravelSort reader writes:
“I received an interesting offer from AMEX today. It seems that if I spend $20K in the first 3 months that I will receive 150,000 Membership Rewards points. That spend is in addition to the $450 membership fee. Worth it?
My wife is the main cardholder for the AMEX Premier Rewards Gold card that we have, and I am an authorized user of her account. Does that disqualify me?”
150,000 AMEX Business Platinum Offer Details
- Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of card membership
- Earn an extra 50,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend an extra $10,000 (total of $20,000) within the same time period (the first 3 months)
- $200 airline fee credit: select a qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 a year in statement credits when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged to your Business Platinum card
- Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck: Receive one Global Entry ($100) statement credit or one TSA Precheck ($85) statement credit
- $450 annual fee (not waived)
150,000 American Express Business Platinum Offer: As Good As It Gets
I was frankly amazed when I heard of the targeted 150K AMEX Platinum and 150K AMEX Business Platinum offers earlier this year. The public offer is for 40,000 points, and certainly there have been a number of targeted 100K AMEX Platinum offers, but I'm not aware of any targeted offers that are for more than 150,000 Membership Rewards points.
Eligible or Not for the 150K Bonus?
This reader was concerned after reading my post AMEX Signup Bonuses Becoming Once in a Lifetime? that he might not be eligible, as a current AMEX cardholder and authorized user on his wife's American Express Premier Rewards Gold card.
Fortunately, the American Express Business card terms that I've seen do not indicate that you're disqualified simply as an AMEX cardholder; instead, the terms state: “Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product within the last 12 months.” So as long as this reader doesn't currently have an AMEX Business Platinum card and hasn't had an AMEX Business Platinum card within the last 12 months, he should be eligible for the bonus.
That said, if you want to double check before applying, I recommend calling AMEX at the number provided on your targeted bonus offer letter.
Worth the $450 Annual Fee If Upcoming Award Travel is Domestic?
For anyone planning international travel well in advance who values being able to travel in Singapore Suites or First Class, Singapore Business Class, Cathay Pacific First Class, or British Airways First Class, there's no question that 150K AMEX Membership Rewards points are well worth acquiring for $450, especially given the $200 airline fee credit, which is per calendar year (see Maximizing the AMEX Platinum Airline Fee Credit) which can enable you to get $400 worth of value in the first year, even if you subsequently cancel the card.
But what if your upcoming travel is all domestic, including mainland U.S. and Hawaii award travel? While you won't get as much value as when transferring Membership Rewards points to KrisFlyer to redeem for Singapore Suites, you can still transfer to KrisFlyer to book domestic U.S. award travel for fewer miles than you'd use with United. For example:
- United Business Class NYC-LAX roundtrip (or any United Business Class roundtrip within North America is 40,000 KrisFlyer miles, vs. 50,000 United miles (save 10,000 miles)
- United Business Class between the mainland U.S. and Hawaii roundtrip is 60,000 KrisFlyer miles, vs. 80,000 United miles (save 20,000 miles)
So even though this reader is focused on domestic travel, due to having very young children, this 150K offer is still worth it: after making the $20,000 minimum spend, he'll have 170,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points, which is enough for 4 roundtrip business class award tickets within the U.S., and almost enough for 3 roundtrip business class award tickets to Hawaii.
Apply for Other Credit Cards at the Same Time
If you do get this targeted offer, be sure to apply for a few other credit cards at the same time. That's because most credit card issuers don't want to see a slew of recent applications, and if you apply for several all at the same time after not having any credit card applications for awhile, you're less likely to get declined for “too many recent credit applications.”
Have you received a 150,000 AMEX Business Platinum or other great targeted offer from American Express?
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