【Updated 2021.4】According to a WeChat reader Leo’s DP, calling in now may get you a 150,000 MR offer after spending $15,000 in three months (no lifetime language), YMMV. Was the previous deadline actually only for the 100,000 offer? If you called in over the past couple of days and were offered only 100,000 MR, remember to ask the rep to check whether a 150,000 offer is available. This link is valid for 30 days and, generally speaking, approval is very likely. Considering that the Business Platinum annual fee may very likely increase, it may be worth jumping on this. In addition, based on DPs from WeChat readers Hu and V1ctor, you can use the Save method: save the application during the process without continuing, and the validity period can keep being extended (up to one year). This article is from last year, but the application steps are the same:
- Detailed application steps (click to jump)
- Note: the phone department is not open on weekends
In the image above, the codes in the upper-left corner of the two offers are also different. Another point is that once the link is sent to your email, as long as it has not expired, you can open it anytime and change the name on the application. (The author does not recommend playing with this; if they shut it down, you may get yourself shut down too.)
First, thanks to reader az for sharing this idea. This application method really has become very simple.
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Why apply for the phone offer for the Business Platinum
For the basic benefits of the Business Platinum card, see: AMEX Business Platinum review.
We still need to think about this from two angles:
The offer details
Let’s compare the public online offer with the phone offer:
- Public offer: 【85,000 MR welcome bonus】Spend $10,000 in 3 months and get 50,000 MR points, then spend another $10,000 in 3 months and get another 35,000 MR points. Total required spend: $20,000.
- Phone offer: 【100,000 MR welcome bonus】Spend $10,000 in 3 months and get 100,000 MR directly, requiring only $10,000 in spend.
Although we can apply through a refer link and use Business Gold to refer, making the public offer effectively 85,000+25,000=105,000, the 25,000 referral bonus is taxable, so it is not really a great deal after doing the math. On top of that, the public offer requires $20,000 in spending to get the full 85,000 bonus, which is a lot to spend. Therefore, the phone offer is a better fit.
Pandemic-era benefits
No need to say much here—if not now, when? There is an extra $100 Dell credit for the first half of the year and another $100 for the second half, plus the original $200, for a total of $400, plus cellphone credits for 7 rounds totaling $140, as well as the $200 airline credit. Those alone already exceed the annual fee. There is also the shipping credit, which is a bit harder to use, at $20 per month.【Note: the author previously listed the wrong amount for part of the Dell credit.】See the following articles:
- Friendly reminder | Don’t forget to use your AMEX Platinum card’s first-half Saks and Dell credits【expire in July】
- A new wave of AMEX benefits across multiple cards! Various credits, bonus grocery earnings, and more!
- AMEX Dell credit guide (Business Platinum $400) + tips for saving money at Dell
- AMEX Shipping Credit guide (Business Platinum $20 per month)
After saying all that, honestly, applying last month would have been ideal, since you would have had 6 months to meet the spending requirement. But this is still fine. So the question is: if you apply now, can you still finish the spending in time? After all, it is already almost the end of the month! The answer is: yes! Read on.
How to apply
First, we need to note that there is some risk for non-citizens and non-green-card holders applying for business credit cards (other immigration statuses are not allowed to have a business). If you are not concerned or believe there is no risk, then go ahead, but please use your own judgment.
Call in — provide basic information
This offer is available only by phone, so naturally you need to call. The number is 855-407-0599.
After you get through, the rep will ask for your name, business information, and so on. If you follow their full process, it can get very detailed. The author is lazy and does not like spelling everything out bit by bit, so just ask the rep: can you send me an email instead?
The reps generally know what you mean and will say no problem, but you still need to provide some basic information: spell your name, give them your email, phone number, Zip Code, and SSN. You can give your SSN first so they can pull up your information, which makes spelling your name much faster.
Apply through the email link
The rep asks for your basic information in order to generate a targeted 100,000 offer for you. You will receive an email like this:
- Email subject line: Don't forget your American Express® Business Card application
- Click the broken image in the email to go to the application; the link is valid for up to one month
- You need to enter your Zip Code to open the application. From the wording, it appears to be a saved offer that you reopen online and continue filling out.
Check the offer details and submit the application
Once you enter, the offer details are hidden; expand them and you will see the following image. (Make sure to verify this carefully yourself at this step; taking a screenshot is recommended.)
Since the author had already applied for a business credit card before, it was easy to just log in and fill in the remaining information. For the rest, complete it as you normally would for a business credit card application. If you are an experienced player, you probably already know what to do. (You can also refer to the image above when filling it out.)
Again: there is some risk for non-citizens and non-green-card holders applying for business credit cards (other immigration statuses are not allowed to have a business)!
View your card number
It seems to be easy to get instant approval. The author was instantly denied for a personal Platinum last month, but this one was instantly approved. To use this month’s cellphone, streaming, and shipping credits right away, along with the first-half Dell credit, you need to get the card number as soon as possible. How to view the card number is an old topic; you can refer to the article below, which was cited by DoC and TPG:
Even if you get instant approval for this offer, you still cannot view the card number directly from the instant-approval screen or the email. You need to use one of the methods introduced in the article above and proactively check it.
Before checking, you must add this card to your online account. You can do this either from the instant-approval screen or from the email. Then follow this path:
- Account Service → Card Management → View Card Number
- Then you will be asked to verify with a code sent to your phone or email, and after that you can see it.
What happens next
After you apply, the email offer link and contents remain valid, and the name and information can still be changed. It is unclear whether changing the name and applying again would still let you receive the offer normally.
You can go to the AMEX application status page. This card is unusual in that it shows up as “DUMMY CODE”. Taken together, it seems like approvals are almost guaranteed; the author was denied for cards applied for both before and after this one, while this card alone was instantly approved.
Once you have the card number, start spending right away. Use the credits you can use, and figure out ways to meet the spending requirement—for example, the author often uses Plastiq to pay rent. Since it is already near the end of the month, if you time it right, you may be able to pay four months of rent in a row and nearly finish the spending requirement. Plastiq may not be around much longer, so use it while you still can.【You can schedule rent payments for the coming months because the fee after 07/01 is 2.85%, while payments scheduled in advance still get the old rate.】