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Overview
American Express is renowned for its range of personal and business cards. No other issuer offers so many ways to earn, and so many amazing bonuses to boot. There are few more impressive than its current 150,000 point introductory offer on The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.
Hitting that size of a bonus isn’t for everyone. You’ll need to spend $20,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of opening an account. Plus, you can earn a $500 statement credit after you spend $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel with your Business Platinum Card® within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You can earn one or both of these offers. Offer ends 6/30/25.
Business owners with applicable outgoings know who they are and have an amazing opportunity. But everyone else shouldn’t despair. Amex’s line of personal cards is just as epic, and some savvy strategy could see 150,000 points drop into your account in no time.
But what to do with them?
Fear not. We are here with some of the best ways to use a big American Express bonus for huge value.
The Bottom Line:
150,000 Amex points can take you a long way. Better yet, it can do it in style. Whatever your travel dreams, taking the time to dig deep into the best loyalty programs can help you squeeze thousands of dollars from those points.
- Best for: High-spending business owners and luxury perks
- Annual Fee: $695
- 18.49%-27.49% Variable
- Reward Rate: 1X-5X
- Recommended Credit: 670-850
Business Platinum Card® from American Express
150,000 Membership Rewards® Points + a $500 statement credit
Offer Details:
Limited Time Travel Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Business Platinum Card® within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, earn a $500 statement credit after you spend $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel with your Business Platinum Card® within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You can earn one or both of these offers. Offer ends 6/30/25.
Why we like it
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express remains one of the most sought-after cards on the market for good reason. It’s bursting with high-end perks like lounge access and helpful statement credits, while its massive 150,000 point intro bonus can’t be beaten.
The annual fee is high and it does take a good amount of spending to make the most of the this card, but for the right business owner, it’s unbeatable thanks to its steady earning rates in high-spend categories.
Reward details
Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points® on Flights, and Prepaid Hotels Booked through AmexTravel.com.
1.5X points (that’s an extra half point per dollar) on each eligible purchase at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more, on up to $2 million per Card Account per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus.
1X points for each dollar you spend on other eligible purchases.
Pros & Cons
Pros
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Massive intro bonus
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Strong earning on high-spend categories
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Tons of high end perks and useful statement credits
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Looks and feels fantastic
Cons
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High annual fee
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Spending threshold for the bonus is also high
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Lesser spending businesses may find value in a cheaper card
Going Big For A Little Or A Little For Big
Before we dig in, it’s important to point out that value is different for everyone. Some of the options we’ll give you will blow all the points on one epic flight or stay worth thousands, while others can grant you a massive amount of travel in economy or cheaper hotels.
Your definition of value is what determines how you use these. If you’d never pay $10,000 for a business class flight, it’s not a saving—it’s an experience. But if you struggle to afford a flight at the best of times, grabbing 10 economy class flights to Europe is invaluable.
Take a little time to decide what matters most to you. Otherwise, let’s go!
Last Chance for the ANA Around the World Ticket
The sands are slipping down this timer at an alarming rate, but if you have the flexibility and 150,000 Amex points at hand, you could have one of the most epic experiences of all time— a round-the-world ticket from ANA. In this offer, customers can book a single itinerary with up to 8 airport stopovers around the world.
Japan’s flagship carrier already boasts one of the best loyalty programs on the planet. We could write an entire article on how to do this, but here are the basics:
Travel must go east-to-west or west-to-east (there’s no backtracking
Up to eight stopovers are allowed with 12 travel segments
Stopovers in Europe and Japan are limited to 3 and 4, respectively
4 non-flying travel segments are included, so you could land in Paris, get a bus to Munich, and fly from there, technically
Rates are calculated by mileage.
You can mix classes, but the rate will be determined by the highest chosen.
There has to be at least ten days between the first flight and the return flight.
You must cross the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
You can only book by phone
You can only use Star Alliance members
It is a little complicated but as you can see from the chart above, it offers incredible rates. For example, I could fly from New York to London, then on to Munich, Dubai, Mumbai, Bangkok, Tokyo and then back to New York for around 19,000 miles—assuming they were all direct. Based on the chart, that would only cost me 75,000 points.
You’ve got a month. Get going.
Singapore Suites for 141,000 Points
Singapore’s stunning suites remain the pinnacle of air travel. Imagine a full room to yourself, 36,000 feet in the air, the best food in the skies, outstanding service, and the bragging rights, of course.
But luxury like that comes at a price. The longer routes often soar into the $10,000 range, making it one of the most expensive experiences in the airline world. Points, however, give you a leg up and allow you to access this for almost nothing. A massive pool of Amex points is an easy way to do this, as long as you’re willing to put in the legwork to find availability.
Unfortunately, the New York to Singapore route no longer uses the A380 aircraft needed to fly in the Suites, so you’ll need to go from London or Frankfurt to maximize your flight time—what’s the point of a short one, of course?
There’s no shortcut to booking The Suite. It’s only found in Singapore’s program KrisFlyer, which is a transfer partner of Amex. If you can find some saver-level award space, you can book a flight from Europe to Singapore for around 140-150 thousand KrisFlyer points. Keep an eye out for some transfer bonuses to help take the sting out a little.
Pro tip: Singapore releases availability 355 days in advance. If you dive on a flight as soon as availability opens, you’ve got a chance. I found nothing in my checks when writing this, but I know plenty of people who’ve booked recently who used that technique. Also, remember you’re looking for the Airbus A380. If you book the Boeing flight, you’ll have an amazing First Class for the same rate, but no Suites.
25 Flights to London with Virgin
This is one of my favorite ways to use points these days. Virgin made stomachs drop in 2024 when it announced it was switching to a fully dynamic system. It’s nothing new, but as one of the stronger programs, it marked another step in the devaluation of points and miles.
But Virgin surprised everyone by unveiling one of the most generous dynamic programs out there, countering some of the super-high rates with unbelievable saver deals even lower than its previous system. While it’s got some incredible partner deals, the real gem is its saver-level transatlantic flights to London.
Economy flights go as low as 6,000 points, dropping their previously eye-watering taxes and fees down to a far more palatable $72. Business class is just as impressive with rates as low as 29,000 with some taxes. You still need to search but it’s far easier to find these than any other airline right now. I’ve already used it twice. The image above was my first search—just look how many of those have the 6,000 point rate.
With 150,000 points, you could potentially get 12 round-trips from New York to London. That’s incredible.
4 Business Class Flights to Spain
Iberia’s been on the map for its brilliant low-cost business class awards for a while now. Besides Virgin, it remains the only consistently affordable redemption for upper-class seats.
The key is booking well in advance and searching for off-peak ticket rates. The airline only releases two business class award seats per flight, so you’ve gotta be quick to grab them. For as low as 32,000 points, that’s worth the effort. That rock-bottom rate is from the East Coast only—it goes up incrementally from there, but it’s still a good deal from wherever you’re at.
The seat itself isn’t the greatest business class in the world, but a lay-flat seat across the Atlantic at that rate is amazing. Keep an eye out for any transfer bonuses from Amex to Avios of any kind. You can move the currency between all its members, so if there’s a bonus for British Airways, you can move 27,000 points to that account, then switch to Iberia. The same goes with Qatar, Finnair, and Aer Lingus.
A Round-trip on Qatar's Q-suite
The Qsuite is regarded as the best business class seat in the industry. And for good reason. Qatar’s service is legendary, its preboarding system is insane, and the food is unreal. It’s been at the top of my list for a while—I’m just waiting on the moment to pounce.
150,000 Amex points is more than enough to get you a round-trip seat from the US to Doha in one of these. The best rate you’ll find is about 70,000 points. This is best achieved by searching for availability on American Airlines’ booking calendar, then moving the necessary points to JetBlue. I say to use American Airlines’ calendar because it’s the easiest way to find and match availability. Amex doesn’t partner with American, but if you have AAdvantage miles, you can book there for the same rate.
These are tickets that often run for $10,000 a piece. Do the math on the value you’re getting there.
5 Nights in Stunning Hotels Around the World (or 2 in an Unreal Place)
Amex’s travel partners aren’t limited to airlines—you have some amazing hotels too. You can transfer points to Hilton, Marriott, or Radisson Blu. Both Hilton and Marriott offer some strong redemptions, although nothing in World of Hyatt’s league. For that, you’ll need a Chase card.
You have similar decisions to make when opting for a hotel redemption. 150,000 Amex points get you 300,000 Hilton Honors points. At the high end of things, that could get you two nights in the most luxurious, over-the-top overwater villa in the Maldives. On the other hand, it could get you ten nights at a lower to mid-range hotel in cheaper markets. Both have their place—it’s just about preference.
If you opt for a longer stay, maximize your points by using the “Fifth Award Night Free” perk. It’s exactly as it sounds. If you book four nights with points, you get a fifth night for free. I’ve used this multiple times to get five nights in London and New York, saving me thousands.
Anywhere in Europe for Between 60,000 and 70,000 in Biz Class
The last one isn’t sexy, but it’s consistent, and we like that. All the other business-class redemptions here can be a nightmare to find. It’s par for the course—an airline can’t give away its premium product for free left, right, and center.
Air Canada’s Aeroplan does make things a bit easier, though. While you’re still limited to the availability of its partners, its stellar distance-and-zonal-based award chart means you can fly anywhere in the world for a set points rate. Anywhere in Europe is capped at 70,000 points from the East Coast. Routes up to 4,000 miles will cost 60,000 in business, while routes 4,000-6,000 miles will set you back 70,000 points.
Are those as impressive as Iberia and Virgin? Definitely not, but they are much easier to find and offer multiple ways to do so at a fair rate.
by your friends at The Daily Navigator
