How do you upgrade Amex Business Gold to Platinum?

The Amex Business Platinum additional card fee is $0 per year for an additional Green card, $45 per year for an additional Gold card and $300 per year for an additional Platinum card. That’s on top of the annual fee you pay for the primary Amex Business Platinum card. You can get up to 99 additional cards total, whether they’re Green, Gold, Platinum or a mix.… read full answer

Green and Gold Amex Business cards don’t provide Platinum perks, like free airport lounge access. But they can be used to make purchases, and they will earn rewards for you (the primary cardholder). Regardless of which type(s) of additional cards you decide to add, you can set custom spending limits and freeze specific cards by logging into your account, selecting an employee card, and clicking “Manage Card Settings.”

Here’s how the Amex Business Platinum additional card fees compare:

• Amex Business Platinum Additional Green Card Fee: $0 per year. Green cards earn 2 points per dollar on the Amex Travel website.
• Amex Business Platinum Additional Gold Card Fee: $45 per card. The biggest difference between Green and Gold is that Gold lets you earn 1 more point per dollar on Amex Travel.
• Amex Business Platinum Additional Platinum Card Fee: $300 per year for 5x rewards on hotels and flights booked through Amex Travel, and all Platinum benefits.

It’s worth noting that only the primary Amex Business Platinum card holder can add additional cards. The primary card holder also is responsible for paying all charges made on those cards. But points earned with additional Gold, Green and Platinum cards go to the primary card holder, too. And that will help you save.

When it comes to Amex Business Gold vs. Platinum, the biggest difference is between their annual fees: Amex Business Platinum costs $450 a year, and Amex Business Gold has a $175 fee that’s waived the first year. That’s a $450 advantage for Amex Business Gold the first year and $275 every year after. However, the Platinum Card offers some extra perks, including a $200 annual airline fee credit and 3x points on flights and hotels at the Amex travel site. Plus, you get 35% of your points back when you redeem them for Amex travel. … read full answer

Here’s what to consider with Amex Business Platinum vs. Gold:

• Annual fee: $450 for Amex Business Platinum, $175 for Amex Business Gold.
• Initial bonus: Platinum offers 50,000 points for spending $10,000 in your first three months, and an extra 25,000 points for spending another $10,000 within the same timeframe. With Gold, you get 50,000 points for spending $5,000 in the first three months.
• Bonus category rewards earning: Platinum gives you 5 points per $1 spent on flights and prepaid hotels booked on the Amex travel site. With Gold, you get 2-3 points per $1 spent in 5 bonus categories. Specifically, you’ll earn 3 points per $1 in a category of your choosing, up to $100,000 spent each year. And you’ll get 2 points per $1 on your first $100,000 spent in each of the other 4 categories.
  Gold’s 5 bonus categories are: flights booked directly with the airline; advertising; gas station spending; shipping; and computer hardware, software, and cloud computing.
• Big purchase bonus: Platinum offers 1.5 points per $1 spent on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more, up to 1 million points per year. Gold does not offer extra points for large purchases.
• Everyday rewards earning: Both cards offer 1 point per $1 spent on all purchases outside the bonus categories.
• Redemption bonus: Platinum refunds 35% of your points when you redeem them for flights on the Amex Travel site. You only get this benefit with one airline, and you can only pick your airline once a year, in January. Gold does not offer this perk.
• $200 airline fee credit: Platinum offers up to $200 in statement credits for incidental airline fees, like baggage charges. You can only get credits with one airline, and you can only change that airline every January. By the way, you have to pick the same airline for this and the 35% redemption bonus. Gold does not offer this type of credit.
• Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check credit: If you apply for one of the two airport security pre-screening programs, Amex Business Platinum will reimburse the application fee every four years. You’ll get an $85 statement credit for TSA Pre-Check or a $100 credit for Global Entry (you can’t get both). Gold doesn’t have this perk.
• Airport lounge access: Platinum gives you access to over 1,000 lounges in 120 countries through membership in the Amex Global Lounge Collection. Gold does not.

In Amex Business Platinum vs. Gold, the $275 per year difference between their fees makes for a compelling argument in favor of the Gold Card. But if you’re a frequent traveler who will take full advantage of the Platinum card’s airline statement credit and lounge access, it might be the card for you.