Amex Business Platinum Card Canada Review

for the Business Platinum Card from American Express

Card Details at a Glance

Welcome Bonus:

120000 Amex points

Card Type:

Credit Card

Product Type:

Business Card

Material:

Metal Card

Category:

Travel Rewards

Points Currency:

Amex Membership Rewards

1.25 Amex points

per $1 spent on all eligible purchases.

Annual Fee:

$799

Extra Card Fee:

$199 for the Business Platinum Card, $50 for the Business Gold Card

Purchase Interest:

n/a

Cash Advance:

n/a

Foreign Transfer Fee:

2.50%

Balance Transfer:

n/a

Residency & Age:

A Canadian resident who has reached the provincial age of majority.

Estimated Credit Score:

Good Credit, 675+

Income Requirement:

n/a

Apply Now for the Business Platinum Card from American Express!

The Amex Business Platinum Card in Canada

American Express is my favourite credit card provider in Canada for many reasons. The biggest reason being their Membership Rewards program, which offers Canadians flexible redemption options and unique transfer opportunities to frequent travel participants including Aeroplan, British Airways, WestJet, Delta, Marriott and Hilton. Having the flexibility to transfer your Amex points to these loyalty programs will allow you to get the absolute most value out of your travel rewards.

Get the Welcome Bonus

The current welcome bonus for the Amex Business Platinum Card in Canada is 120000 Amex points points. These are flexible Amex Membership Rewards that can be transferred to hotel and airline loyalty programs for the best redemption.

Here’s how to earn the welcome bonus:

Earn up to 120,000 bonus Membership Rewards® points. Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you charge $15,000 in net purchases to your Card in your first 3 months of Cardmembership. Plus, earn 40,000 points when you make a purchase between 14 and 17 months of Cardmembership.

Can You Get an Amex Business Platinum Without a Business in Canada?

Before we look at what makes this card so attractive, understand that small business cards are easy to apply for, even without a traditional business.

How? American Express doesn’t have strict requirements for small business Cards. Instead, they use your personal income and creditworthiness to approve applications. This is different from an American Express Corporate Card, which requires a lengthy application process including company details.

Learn more: How to Get Approved for an Amex Business Card in Canada

Is the Amex Business Platinum Card Metal?

Yes, the Business Platinum Card in Canada is made of metal, just like the Personal Platinum, and Personal Gold Amex Cards.

Learn more: Unboxing: The New American Express Metal Platinum Card Canada!

Earn Points Fast with the Amex Referral Program

This is maybe the biggest reason why I keep my Business Platinum Card open year after year and happily pay the annual fee. Certain American Express cards participate in the ‘refer-a-friend’ program, where you can earn a set number of points for each new customer you refer to American Express. At the time of publishing this post, the Business Platinum card earns 15,000 points for each approved referral, up to a maximum of 225,000 points per year. In my experience, it has never been hard to refer friends for Amex cards, especially when they are asking how I continue to travel so well and so often!

Learn how to maximize your earning potential: How To Leverage The American Express Referral Program

Is American Express Accepted in Canada?

Yes!

Some businesses (especially smaller ones) may not accept American Express as readily as Visa or Mastercard because American Express charges the merchant more

If your supplier or business you purchase from frequently doesn’t accept American Express, you may want to consider asking them to make an exception by negotiating that into your contract.

See Where American Express is accepted Near You.

Are Travel Rewards Taxable for Businesses in Canada?

Travel points in Canada can be taxable – or not, depending on how they are redeemed and distributed to employees. This seems to be a grey area, even in the eyes of CRA.

Canada Revenue Agency seems to have conflicting information on how travel rewards are treated, but to be on the safe side, you should keep a record of the points earned as fair market value.

Direct from the Canada Revenue Agency website:

Regardless of the cost, the following gifts and awards are considered a taxable employment benefit.

…points that can be redeemed for air travel or other rewards; or an internal points system where an employee earns points and can redeem them for items from a catalogue;

Further down the page, Canada Revenue Agency also states:

Your employees do not have to include in their income the value of the rewards they received or enjoyed from the points they collect on these business trips, unless any of the following apply:

• the points are converted to cash

• the plan or arrangement between you and the employee seems to be a form of additional remuneration

• the plan or arrangement is a form of tax avoidance

Confused? So I am I. I’d suggest reading the whole document directly from the Canada Revenue Agency which outlines how they treat gifts, awards, and loyalty points as taxable items. From there you can choose how to distribute your loyalty points and decide what works best for your business. Be sure to consult with your accountant. 

Unlock Airport Lounge Access

The most notable travel benefit that comes with the Business Platinum Card is the airport lounge access where you’ll have access to 1,200 airports worldwide.

If you’ve never experienced relaxing in an airport lounge enjoying complimentary food and alcohol before your flight, you’ve been missing out!

This benefit alone easily justifies the annual fee, and allows you and your travel guest access to the lounge. Sometimes there are even multiple lounges in the same airport, so if you’re there early, you can lounge hop.

Here’s what’s included:

You’ll have access to all PriorityPass affiliated lounges for you and a guest:

And the American Express Centurion airport lounges.

And DeltaSky airport lounges when you fly a Delta operated flight, including WestJet.

Enjoy Luxury Benefits with Fine Hotels and Resorts

If you love hotels as much as I do, the Fine Hotels and Resorts Program is another game changer. When you book a hotel stay using your American Express Business Platinum (or Personal Platinum Card) through Fine Hotels and Resorts, you’ll receive hundreds of dollars in elite hotel benefits during your stay.

Plenty of upper scale and luxury hotels are available to choose from including:

• The Fairmont
• Four Seasons
• JW Marriott
• Pan Pacific
• Rosewood
• Shangri-La
• And more

Benefits vary by hotel and location, but can include:

• Early 12pm check-in when available
• Room upgrade when available. Tip: Email the hotel ahead of time before your arrival to request this and increase your chances of a room upgrade being available. My luck with room upgrades has been extremely good. I’ve often received room upgrades several categories above what I paid for and have been worth the annual fee alone in one stay.
• Daily breakfast for two people. Depending on the hotel, they may even offer free breakfast as room service! Generally you’ll receive a credit, which has been $80 USD in my experience, so you can order anything off the menu you’d like, but again, this can vary by hotel.
• Late 4pm checkout
• Free Wi-Fi. This is an underwhelming perk as most hotels already include free Wi-Fi, but it’s still notable.
• A unique welcome amenity. This definitely varies by hotel, but I always get excited to see what the hotel has prepared for our arrival. It could be dessert, it could be a cheese platter, a bottle of wine, you’ll have to wait and see!

Book with Fine Hotels and Resorts

Enjoy Luxury Benefits with the Hotel Collection

The Hotel Collection is a similar program to the Fine Hotels and Resorts Program – but with less benefits. You’ll need to book through the American Express Hotel Collection and pay with your Business Platinum or Business Gold Card to quality for the benefits.

Benefits vary by hotel and location, but can include:

• Up to $100 USD hotel credit. At the hotel’s discretion, this can be used towards dining, spa or resort activities. My preference is always the dining credit, as almost all spa treatments are more than $100 which seems more like an invitation to spend money rather than a gift. Inquire with the hotel you’re staying at to ask what credit they offer.
• Room upgrade when available. Who doesn’t like getting a room upgrade just by booking their hotel stay using their Amex Business Platinum or Gold Card?

Book with the Hotel Collection

Automatic Elite Hotel Loyalty Status

Another one of my favourite travel benefits with the Amex Business (and Personal) Platinum Card is the automatic hotel loyalty status you’ll receive (free with enrollment).

Instead of doing in the hard way and having to stay 20, 30, or 50+ nights in a year to achieve status, by being a Platinum Cardmember you’ll have access to the same elite hotel benefits. Benefits vary by hotel but can include:

• Early check-in
• Late check-out
• Room upgrades
• Accelerated points earning
• Free Breakfast
• Welcome amenities

Here are the hotels you’ll receive automatic status with:

• Marriott – Gold Elite. Enrol online! 
• Hilton Honors – Gold. Enrol online! 
• Shangri-La – Jade. Enrol online! 
• Radisson Rewards – Gold. Enrol online! 

Fast Tracked Hotel Loyalty Status Through Status Matching

If you’re a savvy Amex cardmember, you’ll leverage your Platinum Card further by status matching to other hotel loyalty programs.

Once you’ve enrolled with Marriott Bonvoy and have Gold Elite status you can enroll with other hotels and get equivalent status with them too! This gives you more luxury hotel benefits at more hotels.

Here are a few hotels you can status match your Business Platinum to:

• Best Western – Match Marriott Gold to Diamond 
• Choice Privileges – Match Mariott Gold to Elite to Diamond 
• Caesars Rewards – Diamond. Follow our step by step guide on how to match Amex Platinum to Caesars Diamond. 

Other Notable Card Benefits

Toronto Pearson International Airport Special Cardmember Benefits

• Complimentary valet
• 15% discount on parking
• Pearson Priority Security Lane access

Car Rental Elite Loyalty Status

• Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star Tier Membership
• Avis Preferred
• Carey 10% discount

Is the Amex Business Platinum Worth the Fee in Canada?

I think many people overlook the Business Platinum Card due to the high annual fee and the misunderstanding that it’s tough to be approved for a small business card.

The reality is, small business cards involve the same application process as personal cards with only a couple extra questions regarding your business. Your business can a home based, or even part time.

Additionally, the referral program on this card presents a unique opportunity to earn hundreds of thousands of additional points per year, and could make keeping the card and paying the annual fee worth it for those able to maximize the program.

Furthermore, the small business cards from American Express offer the highest sign-up bonuses of any cards in Canada. The huge welcome bonus, along with all of the other benefits that come with the card make this a must-have for any Canadian wanting to boost their points balance fast!

The Amex Platinum welcome bonus is the highest its been in over 2 years, offering . Earlier this year it was 75,000 points, and before that it was devalued to 35,000 points due to Covid. This makes it a great time to apply for the Business Platinum Card and take advantage of this incredible offer while you can.

Compare Amex Small Business Cards in Canada

If you’re a business owner in Canada that is looking to earn some serious travel rewards and other business perks, compare out the whole suite of Amex business Cards in Canada:

for the Business Platinum Card from American Express