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The Business Platinum card from American Express is offering 100,000 total bonus points through January 25, 2017 (that’s just a few weeks from now):

  • 50,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first three months
  • 50,000 more bonus points after spending another $10,000 in the first three months

Credit card links have been removed from posts and added to the menu bar at the top of every page of MileValue under the heading Top Travel Credit Cards.

Check out my review here.

One thing I didn’t mention in that review is that in October American Express added a killer benefit to the card that allows you to earn 2% to 9% on all your purchases.

New Killer Benefit

“Business Platinum Card Members can now earn 50% points back when using Membership Rewards® Pay with Points through American Express Travel to book a flight with their selected airline. They will also receive this benefit when booking a first or business class ticket with any airline.”

Before the change, Membership Rewards could be redeemed for 1 cent each toward any flight. That was something you should never have done because the points are worth far more when transferred to partner airline miles.

Now, though, Business Platinum Card Members can get 2 cents per point toward flights in economy on one airline and 2 cents per point toward any First or Business Class flight. You have to call in and select one airline to get 2 cents per point of value for its coach flights. The Business/First benefit is automatic.

Then you have to have enough points to cover a booking at 1 cent per point and book through American Express Travel inside your Amex account. You will quickly be rebated half the points back.

Why You Care

Getting 2 cents per point on redemptions is very good, and many people will prefer it to transferring Membership Rewards to a partner airline either to earn status or to book cheap flights.

Status

Any flight you book with Membership Rewards through American Express Travel is considered a cash flight by the airline selling the ticket because they get cash from AMEX. So if you want to earn status with, say, Delta, you could select Delta as your airline for the 50% rebate on redemptions for coach tickets. Then when it’s time to book yourself a ticket, book Delta flights through American Express Travel and get 2 cents per Membership Reward. In the process, earn Delta miles and status when you fly the flights.

Cheap Flights

Imagine you find a $300 cross-country roundtrip. That would be 15,000 Membership Rewards, which is far less than the 25,000 traditional airline miles you’d need to redeem for such a flight. You’d also earn miles and status for your trip if you redeemed the Membership Rewards through American Express Travel.

Or imagine you find a $2,000 roundtrip Business Class fare to Europe. That would be 100,000 Membership Rewards, which is far less than the 125,000 to 140,000 traditional airlines miles for such a flight. Plus the 100,000 Membership Rewards is all you’d pay. With traditional miles, you’d pay taxes of $100 to $300 on the award. Plus with the 100,000 Membership Rewards, you’d earn miles and status on the trip. You wouldn’t earn either with the traditional miles.

Even Better: 2-9% Back

If you have the Business Platinum card and other cards that earn Membership Rewards, link the accounts. Other cards have better category bonuses to earn Membership Rewards faster, and you can then redeem those Membership Rewards with the Business Platinum’s new 50% rebate.

For instance, the Amex Everyday Preferred Card offers:

  • 3x Membership Rewards at U.S. supermarkets, up to $6,000 per year
  • 2x Membership Rewards at U.S. gas stations
  • 1x Membership Rewards on everything else

If you have at least 30 transactions per billing period, you get 50% more points, bringing the category bonuses to:

  • 4.5x at U.S. supermarkets (9% back when pooled with Business Platinum and redeemed through American Express travel)
  • 3x at U.S. gas stations (6% back)
  • 1.5x on everything else (3% back)

Credit card links have been removed from posts and added to the menu bar at the top of every page of MileValue under the heading Top Travel Credit Cards.

Similarly American Express Gold cards have better earning than the Platinum Card.

The strategy is obvious. Get the Business Platinum for its bonus, lounge access, airline fee credits, hotel status, and 50% rebate on redemptions through American Express Travel. But get another American Express card to actually use for purchases.

Bottom Line

If you have a Business Platinum Card and book flights through American Express Travel, you will get 2 cents per point in value on all Business and First Class tickets and the economy tickets of the airline of your choice.

Earn your Membership Rewards on a card with a better earning structure and then redeem them this way when you are chasing status or find a cheap cash flight.

Keep in mind that if you want the elevated sign up bonus of 100,000 Membership Rewards for spending $15,000 in three months, you need to sign up by January 25, 2017.

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.

With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!


Editorial Disclaimer: The editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuers. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuers, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuers.

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