How To Get 100,000 Point Sign Up Bonuses On Personal & Business American Express Platinum Cards [YMMV]

Introduction

American Express offers a personal & business version of it’s popular Platinum cards (and variations/flavors of the personal card). The public sign up bonuses on both cards are lackluster:

  • Personal card: 60,000 points after $5,000 in spend
  • Business card: 50,000 points after $10,000 in spend and an extra 25,000 points after an additional$10,000 in spend

Given that you’re only allowed to get the sign up bonus on these cards once per lifetime it’s important to make sure you get the best sign up bonus possible. It’s actually possible to get sign up bonuses of 100,000 on both cards. Let’s see how!

How To Get The Higher Offers

Rather than rehashing the information, I’ll instead link you to our two posts describing how to get these offers.

Card Details

Personal Card

  • Annual fee of $550 is not waived the first year
    • Authorized Platinum cards are $175 for three user (then $175 per Platinum)
    • Authorized Gold cards are free
    • Full details here
  • Card earns at the following rates:
    • 5x points per $1 spent on purchases made with airlines or with American Express Travel
    • 5x points per $1 spent on hotel bookings made directly from the American Express travel website
    • 1x points on all other purchases
  • $200 airline incidental credit per calendar year
  • $200 Uber credit ($15 per month and additional $20 in December)
  • Lounge access:
    • Centurion lounge access
    • International American Express lounge access
    • Delta SkyClub lounge access
    • Priority pass select membership
    • Airspace lounge access
  • Internet Access:
    • Unlimited Boingo internet access
  • SPG gold status (this will also give you Marriott Gold status)
  • Hilton gold status
  • Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • View these other hidden benefits
  • You can only get the sign up bonus on American Express cards once per lifetime.

Business Card

  • Annual fee of $450 is not waived the first year
  • Card earns at the following rates:
    • 5x points per $1 spent on purchases made with airlines or hotels booked directly from AmericanExpress Travel website
    • 1.5x points on qualifying purchases of $5,000 or more
    • 1x points on all other purchases
  • $200 airline incidental credit per calendar year
  • Lounge access:
    • Centurion lounge access
    • International American Express lounge access
    • Delta SkyClub lounge access
    • Priority pass select membership
    • Airspace lounge access
  • Internet Access:
    • Unlimited Boingo internet access
  • SPG gold status (this will also give you Marriott Gold status)
  • Hilton gold status
  • 35% Airline Bonus when using Pay With Points to book eligible flights
  • Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓
  • 10 complimentary in flight Gogo passes
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • View these other hidden benefits

Our Verdict

Both cards come with a large annual fee and for a lot of people even with the $200 in airline credits (based on a calendar year so you could get it in 2017 and 2018 and only pay one annual fee) and Uber credits (personal only) paying that fee doesn’t make sense. Keep in mind the card does come with some significant benefits and I do value the lounge access, but how much you value that is really dependent on how much you travel, where you travel and what your home airport is.

In terms of the actual sign up bonuses 100,000 after $3,000 in spend on the personal (this was a leaked link and lead to accounts being frozen) and 100,000 for the business card (50,000 after $5,000 in spend and 50,000 after an additional $10,000 in spend). There has also been targeted offers of up to 150,000 on the personal and 250,000 on the business cards.

Personally I think these 100,000 offers are as good as it gets for the vast majority of readers and if you’re interested and can get either offer to work for you then they are seriously worth considering. The value of the card is significantly diluted if you hold both at the same time, so I’d just pick one and then get the other after you’ve cancelled the first (assuming there is still a good deal available).

As always if you have questions about American Express cards, you’d do well to read this post first as it likely answers those questions.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

31 Comments
newest
oldest most voted

tinytavosa
tinytavosa (@guest_553454)
January 23, 2018 14:16

Do we any recent DP’s of any offer better than 75k for 20k spending (without a mailer, obviously). I am in need of HIlton Gold and SPG Gold, Priority Pass, etc, so I am thinking I will take this horrible bonus right now (75k not terrible, but 20k spend is nuts) just because I am in need of what is offered and am still dodging 5/24 (therefore some other means of obtaining particularly SPG Gold are not relevant, and Hilton Gold isn’t worth opening AMEX Biz Hilton at the moment to me) Thank you!

Tyler
Tyler (@guest_514547)
November 13, 2017 12:19

I have a mail offer for 100k business platinum and a online pre qualified offer for personal platinum. If I apply for both at the same time will I get a total of 200k? I have heard it AmEx goes off social and will only give you the 100k on one platinum card regardless if it’s business or personal? Has anyone had success receiving both sign up bonuses?

amex plat new member
amex plat new member (@guest_479199)
September 18, 2017 22:41

I got 100K miles after 5K spend platinum card offer
Also got the Preferred Blue 0% APR for 15 months w a 15K limit

I changed my first name by 1 vowel and omitted 3 letters from last name (two from front, left middle three and dropped last letter)

Brian
Brian (@guest_458855)
August 15, 2017 00:39

Does the 100000 MR for $10000 spend on Business Platinum still work?

Charlie
Charlie (@guest_425665)
June 22, 2017 17:49

Are there any methods for getting a higher sign up offer on the Schwab Amex Platinum? Current offer I’m seeing is 60,000, which isn’t bad, but 75,000 or 100,000 would be better! And since these are now once-in-a-lifetime, I want to get the best offer I can.

I’m assuming that if I get the Schwab Plat, then I’m not eligible for the regular plat welcome offer any more, and vice versa. Or are they separate enough products that I could do both?

Charlie
Charlie (@guest_425884)
June 22, 2017 22:04

Thanks – that’s good information! Should I apply for the regular plat first, then the Schwab plat, or the other way around? Or does it make a difference? I’ll probably be waiting awhile in between since I don’t think I need 2 plats at once, so maybe it depends on which offer might be around longer?

Chaser123
Chaser123 (@guest_425644)
June 22, 2017 17:22

I got 100k for 5k spend. App was approved via name trick. Now I am a little worried. The name I typed was hardcoded on the actual app. I was able to type my real name as how I would like my name to appear on the card. Not sure if Amex will correct it. I was able to fix address and used real information on the app.

zmicer88
zmicer88 (@guest_425762)
June 22, 2017 20:03

Don’t worry – the name on the card will be the one you have spelt correctly. However, and bizarrely, the dashboard once you log into your account will feature the misspelt first name as a greeting. I got the name trick to work for me in late April.

Joe
Joe (@guest_439481)
July 14, 2017 07:54

Did you MS by any chance? I’m at 3k organic and statement closing soon wanted to get the points asap for a flight coming up and I could do 2k of VGC immediately. I know they clawed back on people using the leaked link but this way seems legit. Wondering if MSing is ok.

amex plat new member
amex plat new member (@guest_479201)
September 18, 2017 22:42

I called after I was accepted and got them to change my name telling them the typos were “accidental”
I also had to have them change my address as I omitted Apt #

it was no problem at all.
I signed up SAT PM and had the Platinum card by Monday AM

mangoceviche
mangoceviche (@guest_425480)
June 22, 2017 13:21

re: telephone trick for the Biz Platinum – it worked for me today.

artgriego
artgriego (@guest_425486)
June 22, 2017 13:32

DoC says 100k/$5k but all the DP are showing 100k/$10k – what was your min spend?

mangoceviche
mangoceviche (@guest_425578)
June 22, 2017 15:58

oops.. should’ve included that data too. $10K. I mentioned $5K to the rep, but he said there isn’t one but could offer me the $10K for 100K bonus

BR
BR (@guest_425429)
June 22, 2017 12:14

In the market of buying a house so have been careful and haven’t applied since January 2017. Thinking of applying by taking advantage of Hyatt offer before it’s gone and possibly one or two more. Anyone know if it matters if I make a small cc run compared to a large run, and what impact that will have on my credit should I need run my credit, and purchase a house immediately?

mb
mb (@guest_425538)
June 22, 2017 14:41
  BR

as long as you use your neighbor’s referral on the hyatt you should be good!

Chris
Chris (@guest_425427)
June 22, 2017 12:11

I got the 100K to show up for the SO…..very tempting…..
Will call today for the AMEX Plat Business to see if I can get it for the 100K. I have a lot of organic spend coming up and this could help big time.

GIR
GIR (@guest_425413)
June 22, 2017 11:47

Do you think it’s safe to MS on these cards or would Amex claw the points back?

Wouldn’t be able to meet spend organically right now.

Avi
Avi (@guest_425421)
June 22, 2017 12:06

Risk is the name of the game!