Amex Business Platinum Card’s Annual Fee History: 1995 to 2026

After decades with little competition, The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express now faces serious challengers, even as its annual fee hits a new high.

Even amid strong competition, the Amex Business Platinum card continues to hold its position with unrivaled lounge access and strong rewards potential. Let’s take a look at how the card’s annual fee has evolved over the past 30 years.

As of 2026

The Amex Business Platinum card is one of the priciest business cards on the market, with a $895 annual fee (rates & fees) that rolled out in September 2025, along with a major refresh of the card.

Still, for the right cardholder — a high-spending business owner who travels frequently — the depth of benefits can easily justify the cost. Combined with new benefits and existing value (prior enrollment may be required), they add up to more than $4,000 in annual value (Source: American Express).

Amex Business Platinum Card’s Annual Fee Changes

The consumer Platinum Card^® from American Express launched in 1984, and the Amex Business Platinum card was later launched for small business owners in the mid-1990s. Here’s a look at how the annual fee on the Amex Business Platinum card has evolved since its launch over the past 30 years or so:

By 2008, the annual fees for the Amex Platinum card and the Amex Business Platinum card had largely aligned. While the 2 products share many core benefits, including Platinum Concierge service, Fine Hotels + Resorts, and transfer partners, their statement credits have consistently been tailored to their respective audiences: consumers on one side and business owners on the other.

However, the headline benefit of both cards is airport lounge access, with the first Centurion Lounge featuring complimentary food and drink and elevated spaces opening in 2013 (Source: American Express).

Amex Business Platinum Card Employee Card Fee Changes

The Amex Business Platinum card isn’t just a strong card for the business owner, but for sharing perks with employees. However, the price to add additional cardholders to your account has increased:

Compared with the additional cardholder fee increases on the consumer Amex Platinum card, these changes aren’t as drastic. Until 2023, you could have added up to 3 cards on the personal card for a flat $175 fee, which was one of the most cost-effective ways to share Amex Platinum card benefits among family members or friends.

Adding an additional cardholder to either the Amex Platinum card or the Amex Business Platinum card is more expensive than ever. With this fee, employee cardholders on the Amex Business Platinum card enjoy these limited benefits (some of which require enrollment):

• Enroll in their own hotel elite status with Marriott and Hilton
• Enjoy their own access to Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (10 annual visits per year), Priority Pass lounges, and more
• Receive their own Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit

They don’t receive their own CLEAR^® Plus credit, prepaid hotel credit, or other perks, as these benefits are shared with (and pooled under) the primary account holder.

You can add up to 99 employee cardholders to your Amex Business Platinum card account. Though the $400 annual fee per card is steep, it may be more realistic than spending $75,000 on the primary card each year to unlock guest access.

Is the Amex Business Platinum Card Worth It?

Business owners can jumpstart their Membership Rewards balance by qualifying for a huge welcome offer:

• As High As 300,000 points. Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as 300,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after spending $20,000 in your first 3 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

The Amex Business Platinum card offers the most generous welcome offer of any American Express card. Membership Rewards points transfer to 2 dozen airline and hotel partners, which is why we estimate their value to be 2.2 cents apiece.

Redeeming 300,000 Membership Rewards points can be the equivalent of scoring up to $6,600 in travel, based on these valuations — more than 7 times the annual fee.

Business owners will enjoy the following benefits as part of their card membership:

• No preset spending limit: Unlike a traditional credit card with a set limit, the amount you can spend on the Amex Business Platinum card adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment, and credit history, which is crucial for high-spending business owners.
• Valuable credits, including up to $600 in eligible prepaid hotel bookings, up to $200 in Hilton for Business, up to $200 airline fee incidental fees, up to $209 on CLEAR+ membership, and up to $150 in eligible U.S. Dell Technologies purchases (some of these benefits require enrollment).
• 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com, and 2x points on purchases at U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, software and cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more, up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year.

Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer as high as 300,000 points with the Amex Business Platinum card. Find out your offer. Terms Apply.

 

Final Thoughts

The annual fee on the Amex Business Platinum card has reached a new high, but it offers more value than ever before. With key travel benefits and access to more than 30 Centurion Lounges and hundreds of other airport lounges through affiliated networks, the Amex Business Platinum card is a strong option for frequent business travelers.