longtimeflyin

This is correct.

If you want to maximize your redemption with the personal Plat MR program, buy a refundable flight, redeem your points, and then refund the flight. 1000 pts= $10 for flight redemptions for the personal plat, and $1000 = $7 for everything else.

Biz Plat = 1000 pts = $10 for everything.

grandgourmand

Thanks for the heads up on the SPG biz referral. I might do another biz spg before April deadline.

Sucks about the biz plat referral.

scottman00

How long has it been $7K? I didn't even read the last referral terms when I signed up my wife. I received the 25k referral points on march 8th and she just received her first statement with $499 annual fee.

Low Roller

It just went up to $7k on March 22nd. Her card should still have the $5K spend requirement.

scottman00

oh good. but it looks like biz plat is out of our rotation

choupeo

Hi guys,
Does the business plat have lounge and fine hotel program benefits like the personal plat ? I had the personal plat before but never had the business version. I'll have a trip in August so I would like to rack up the points and travel benefits too. I don't have any AMEX card at the moment. What would be the best one to apply first in my case ? Thanks.

jerry305

Business Platinum Amex card has lounge access, but now the card now has a $499 annual fee, and minimum spend is high. The card has been great for me, though.

If you're not able to make full use of Membership Rewards points, or if you can't make the minimum spend feasibly, maybe consider an Amex Gold.

JJonahJ

So with recent changes to the Business Platinum, I sat down to think (and write) about the end of Amex Canada's 2 year experiment with this card.

Rewind to Mar 22, 2016.
Personal Plat was 60K (50K non-referred) after $1K spending, 15K for referring others
Business Plat was 50K (40K non-referred) after $5K spending, 15K for referring others

Mar 23, 2016 - the experimental phase begins.
Personal Plat goes up to 75K (50K non-referred) after $1K spending, 25K for referring others
Business Plat goes up to 75K (40K non-referred) after $5K spending, 25K for referring others
- increased BOTH the Personal and Business Plat cards to 75,000 welcome bonus with $1K and $5K minimum spending respectively, and both earn 25,000 referring bonus.

Jun 30, 2016 - the 3 month trial for Personal Plat is over. It was too good to be true. Reel it back in!
Personal Plat back to 60K (50K non-referred) after $1K spending, 15K for referring others
- brings it back to what it was prior to the experiments.

Mar 23, 2017 - the Personal Plat is still too easy. Make it harder!
Personal Plat at 60K (50K non-referred) after $3K spending, 15K for referring others
- bumped up the minimum spending from $1K to $3K

Jul 21, 2017 - cut off one easy tap
ALL of the higher MR cards (Business Gold/10K, Personal Plat/15K, Business Plat/25K) will now NO LONGER be allowed to refer to open the easy Personal Gold at FYF/30K.

Feb 14, 2018 - add another change
The Business Platinum annual fee increases from $399 to $499/yr. But, now the lounge benefits are increased to match those of the Personal Platinum, making it free for cardholder +1 guest to access the Priority Pass lounges (whereas before it was US$27 per visit).

Mar 3, 2018 - changes are coming.
Amex changes the wording in the Business Platinum's referral, and hints that the current terms are good only till Mar 21
- thousands of existing Business Platinum cardholders reach out to family/friends and selves, to get in some last chance 25K referring bonuses, and the last easy target is the Biz Gold at FYF, even though the 40K welcome bonus might not be achieved with the $5K spending requirement, since the 25K is secured with an approved referral and not dependent on the new card meeting the welcome bonus terms.

Mar 22, 2018 - the Business Plat experiment is finished
Business Plat down to 60K (40K non-referred) after $7K spending, 15K for referring others
- lower the welcome bonus from 75K to 60K, increase the minimum spending from $5K to $7K, lower the referring bonus from 25K to 15K

JJonahJ

Here's the current state of Amex Canada's Membership Rewards cards:

Personal Gold MR: 25,000 welcome points, or an extra 5,000 for total 30,000 if opening via a referral from another Personal Gold MR card and adding a supplementary cardholder during signup, with $1500 minimum spending requirement. $150/yr annual fee.
Personal Gold MR earns 5,000 bonus for referring, but only to other Personal Gold MR cards (or Cobalt CC). Cannot refer to Business Gold/Personal Plat/Business Plat.

-------------------------

Business Gold MR: 30,000 welcome points, or an extra 10,000 for toal 40,000 if opening via a referral from Business Gold/Personal Plat/Business Plat, with $5,000 minimum spending requirement. First Year Free (FYF), $250/yr thereafter.
Business Gold MR earns 10,000 bonus for referring, to Business Gold/Personal Plat/Business Plat). Cannot refer to Personal Gold MR.

Personal Plat MR: 50,000 welcome points, or an extra 10,000 for toal 60,000 if opening via a referral from Business Gold/Personal Plat/Business Plat, with $3,000 minimum spending requirement. $699/yr annual fee, offset by $200 travel credit for net $499/yr, and potential for a second calendar $200 travel credit for $299/yr. Card includes free access for you + 1 guest to Priority Pass lounges, SPG Gold status, etc.
Personal Plat MR earns 15,000 bonus for referring, to Business Gold/Personal Plat/Business Plat). Cannot refer to Personal Gold MR.

Business Plat MR: 40,000 welcome points, or an extra 20,000 for toal 60,000 if opening via a referral from Business Gold/Personal Plat/Business Plat, with $7,000 minimum spending requirement. $499/yr annual fee. Card includes free access for the cardholder +1 guest to Priority Pass lounges, SPG Gold status, etc.
Business Plat MR earns 15,000 bonus for referring, to Business Gold/Personal Plat/Business Plat). Cannot refer to Personal Gold MR.

JJonahJ

Went up from $5K to $7 on Mar 22. Same for the annual fee, from $399 to $499, plus the Priority Pass lounge benefits are now FREE, matching those of the Personal Plat. But, the 75K welcome bonus has dropped to 60K.

Your wife needs to contact Amex and dispute the $499 annual fee, because when she signed up it was still $399. They should be willing and able to reduce it by $100. [Edit: sorry, the fee increased to $499 on Feb 15, 2018]. Make sure that she also gets 75K after just $5K spending too (not 60K after $7K).

scottman00

Will do

JJonahJ

Whoops. Sorry Scott. The Biz Plat annual fee increased from $399 to $499 on Feb 14, 2018. My bad. Thanks to @jerry305 for the correction to my mistake. I'll correct my posts above.

But, do make sure that the 75K will post after $5K spending...those were the terms,up until Mar 21st, and then it changed to 60K and $7K spending.

jerryhung

Well done JJ on the history, I didn't even track them
but yes, a slow 2 year death of AMEX Canada bonuses. Gold card got worse too, now with Perkopolis no longer $500/FYF > $1500 with $150 stmt credit

I will miss the 25K per referral on the Biz Plat for sure

dts9

I have had Amex Canada platinum for almost 20 years.

I kept it for the Fairmont platinum benefit (gone now) and like the centurion lounges, but no longer sure if the $$ is worth it.

It annoys the hell out of me that they still scam Canadians on foreign exchange.

zoqfotpik

I'm looking to add my brother as supplement to my Plat. Does anyone know if the hotel and lounge benefits can be extended?

ps thanks JJ for the detailed summary above.