Business owners (and trust us, that might be you) would be hard-pressed to find better welcome bonus offers outside of what American Express and Capital One are offering with their top-of-the-line business credit cards.
Right now, you can earn a welcome bonus of at least 150,000 points on both *biz platinum* and *venture x business* after hitting each card's (admittedly massive) minimum spending requirement. With identical bonuses, you'll need to look beyond the eye-popping pile of points to decide which card is right for your business. And the two cards' list of valuable travel credits and perks could certainly make choosing which card to get that much more difficult.
While the key differences in the benefits you get with each card are important factors, any travelers deciding between Business Platinum and Venture X Business cards should also consider which welcome bonus is the most valuable. Read on for a full breakdown.
Related reading: The Best Business Credit Card Offers Right Now
Amex Business Platinum & Capital One Venture X Business: Brief Card Overview
Full Benefits of the Amex Business Platinum Card
- Welcome Offer: bonus_miles_full
- Earn 5x Membership Rewards points on flights and hotels booked through amextravel.com.
- Earn 1.5x Membership Rewards points on all eligible purchases of $5,000 or more. Business Platinum Cardholders will also earn 1.5x Membership Rewards Points per dollar spent on up to $2 million spent each calendar year on electronic goods retailers, software and cloud service providers, U.S. construction materials, hardware supplies, and shipping providers.
- Earn 1x Membership Rewards points on all other qualifying purchases
- Annual Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 per calendar year for airline incidental fees at one airline.
- Lounge Access: Get access to Amex Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta), Escape Lounges, and membership in the Priority Pass Select program.
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: Get up to a $120 statement credit every 4 1/2 years for the application fee for TSA PreCheck and every 4 years for Global Entry. Membership in both programs is good for five years.
- 35% Points Rebate: Receive a 35% rebate on points redemptions on your selected airline or all premium cabin redemptions, for up to 1 million bonus points back per calendar year.
- Dell Statement Credits: Get up to $400 in statement credits annually ($200 every six months) for U.S. purchases with Dell.
- Indeed Statement Credits: Cardholders will get up to $90 each quarter on all Indeed hiring and recruiting products. Enrollment is required.
- Adobe Statement Credits: Get $150 each year to spend on select Adobe purchases, including Adobe Creative Cloud, and Acrobat Pro DC with e-sign. The benefit is valid only on purchases of annual prepaid subscriptions.
- Wireless Phone Service Credits: Business Platinum Cardholders now get up to $120 in statement credits each year for purchases made directly with any U.S. wireless telephone provider. The credits will be issued $10 per month ($120 per year). Any unused amount will be forfeited.
- CLEAR Plus Statement Credit: Get up to a $189 annual credit for CLEAR Plus, the privately run security program. Just pay for your membership with your Business Platinum Card and the credit should kick in automatically.
- Hotel Elite Status: Get Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors Gold status just for being a card member. Enrollment is required.
- Annual Fee: $695 (see rates & fees).
Learn more about *biz platinum*
Full Benefits of the Capital One Venture X Business Card
- Welcome Offer: Earn *Venture X Biz Offer*
- Earn Unlimited 2x Miles on all business purchases
- $300 Annual Travel Credit: Every year, you get a $300 travel credit to use on any flights, hotels, or rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel portal.
- Lounge Access: Complimentary access to 1,400-plus lounges in the Priority Pass network and Capital One's lounges in Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD), and Denver (DEN). Cardholders get two free guests, too.
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: Up to $120 in statement credits to sign up for either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. This credit is good once every four years, and membership in both programs lasts five years.
- Earning More Points: Capital One Venture X cardholders will earn 10x miles on hotels and rental cars, 5x miles on flights booked via the Capital One Travel portal, and an unlimited 2x miles on every dollar spent on all other purchases with the card.
- 10,000 bonus miles: Every year starting in year two, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after renewing your Venture X Card.
- Annual Fee: $395
Learn more about the *venture x business*.
Minimum Spending Requirement
First things first: You'll earn the same 150,000-point welcome offer bonus on both the Business Platinum and Venture X Business – but the two cards require vastly different spending to score those big bonuses.
Although you'll have the same timeframe to hit the minimum spending requirement, no matter which card you choose, there's a difference of $10,000 between the two. With the Business Platinum, you'll need to spend $20,000 within three months. While that number is already quite high, it's even worse with the Venture X Business as that card's 150,000 point bonus requires spending a whopping $30,000 in three months.
You'll have to spend more and work harder to earn the welcome bonus on the Venture X Business. But since the card earns 2x Venture miles on every purchase, you'd end up with a total of 210,000 Capital One miles after earning the bonus.
With the Business Platinum's base 1x point earning rate, you'd earn a minimum of 170,000 points after meeting the card's spending requirement. Even if you can maximize the select business categories and spend over $5,000 on a purchase to earn 1.5x points, you'll still end up with just 180,000 points – far less than what you'll get with the Venture X Business.
While it's clear that you can earn more points with the Venture X Business, as you work on meeting the minimum spend requirement, you're spending more money along the way. Depending on the scale of your business and your typical monthly expenses, these spending requirements could be a sticking point … or it might not matter at all.
Which Points Are More Valuable?
The Business Platinum and Venture X Business earn the same bonus but are the points equal in value?
At first glance, Amex Membership Rewards points might appear superior to Capital One miles based on the bank's sheer number of transfer partners. With Capital One, you can transfer your miles to 15 airlines and three hotel programs, while Amex has 17 airline partners and three hotel chains from which to choose. But quantity isn't always greater than quality.
American Express Transfer Partners
Here's the full list of choices:
| Program | Type | Transfer Ratio | Transfer Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| AeroMexico | Airline | 1:1.6 | 3-5 days |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Air France/KLM | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| ANA | Airline | 1:1 | 1-2 days |
| Avianca | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| British Airways | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Cathay Pacific | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Delta | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Emirates | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Etihad | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Hawaiian | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Iberia | Airline | 1:1 | Up to 24 hours |
| JetBlue | Airline | 1.25:1 | Instant |
| Qantas | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Qatar Airways | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Singapore | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Virgin Atlantic | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Choice | Hotel | 1:1 | Instant |
| Hilton Honors | Hotel | 1:2 | Instant |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Hotel | 1:1 | Instant |
Capital One Transfer Partners
Here's the full list of options:
| Program | Type | Ratio | Transfer Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aeromexico | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Air France/KLM | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| British Airways | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Cathay Pacific AsiaMiles | Airline | 1:1 | Up to five business days |
| Emirates | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Etihad | Airline | 1:1 | Up to 1 day |
| EVA Air | Airline | 2:1.5 | Up to five business days |
| Finnair | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Qantas | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Singapore | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| TAP Air Portugal | Airline | 1:1 | Same day |
| Turkish Airlines | Airline | 1:1 | Same day |
| Virgin Red | Other | 1:1 | Same day |
| Accor | Hotel | 2:1 | Up to two business days |
| Wyndham | Hotel | 1:1 | Same day |
| Choice Hotels | Hotel | 1:1 | Same day |
How Do They Compare?
Let's break it down a bit further. Amex and Capital One share a handful of transfer partners, including valuable airline partners like Air Canada, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, British Airways, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic. But as you dive into the differences, Amex seems to have an edge.
When it comes to airlines, Amex has some unique partners that Capital One does not. For example, the bank offers travelers the ability to move points to airlines like ANA, Delta, El Al, Hawaiian, Iberia, and JetBlue. For those keeping score, that's three domestic airline partners for Amex and none for Capital One.
If you prefer to fly with SkyTeam airlines, American Express has you covered with Delta, Air France/KLM, and Virgin. That means you can cash in on one of the amazing Delta SkyMiles flash sales even if you're short on SkyMiles. And as the only bank currency that can transfer points to Delta, that's a win for Amex in our book.
Get amazing Delta SkyMiles deals sent to your inbox with Thrifty Traveler Premium+!
Capital One, meanwhile, has Air France/KLM and Virgin at its disposal … but again, no Delta. It's not the end of the world – but having more choices is always a good thing!
If you're looking to book a Star Alliance airline, both banks transfer to Air Canada's Aeroplan program. And even after a major overhaul in late 2020, there are some great sweet spots to book Star Alliance award travel with Aeroplan miles. You can even book flights on Etihad (including the Apartments) with Aeroplan miles now, too.
But a real winner for Amex is Japan's ANA – especially considering transferring points from Amex is your only real source for getting these miles. Even after a recent devaluation, you can still book roundtrip flights to Japan in business class for what most airlines charge for economy. Getting to Japan and back in a lie-flat seat for 100,000 miles is a steal, and ANA makes it possible.
Within the Oneworld Alliance, Amex Membership Rewards and Capital One miles largely come to a draw. Both banks have British Airways at their disposal, which I consider the strongest in the alliance – other than American Airlines, which isn't an option for either bank.
British Airways should be on your radar if you want to get to Hawaii for cheap. Using British Airways Avios, you can fly from several West Coast cities to all four major Hawaiian airports for 32,000 miles roundtrip. That's a win, seeing as American typically charges 45,000 AAdvantage miles (or more) for the exact same flights.
On the hotel side, Amex partners with Choice Privileges, Hilton Honors, and Marriott Bonvoy. Capital One meanwhile offers travelers the ability to move points to Choice, Wyndham, and Accor. While it's nice to have the option to move points to one of these hotel partners, none of these should be your first choice. In fact, we often caution against transferring points to hotels altogether just because there are many more valuable uses for them – but in the right situation, any of these three hotel partners could make sense.
In terms of which points are more valuable, Amex takes the cake here over Capital One due to both the quantity and quality of transfer partners. Regardless, both banks offer a long list of transfer partners that are incredibly valuable for travelers.
Best Ways to Redeem Amex Points
With 20 transfer partners, there are tons of options to redeem Amex points. These are just a few of our favorites.
- Fly business class to Tokyo and back in ANA business class starting at just 100,000 miles roundtrip by transferring your Membership Rewards to ANA. Read how to use ANA Mileage Club!
- Or book a trip all the way around the world in business class for around 125,000 miles using the ANA Around the World redemption!
- Save some points to transfer to Delta and book a SkyMiles flash sale, like a domestic trip for 8,000 SkyMiles or flights to Mexico for 12,000 roundtrip!
- Snag flights to Europe for just 34,000 roundtrip in economy by transferring points to Iberia – or 68,000 roundtrip to do it in business class!
- Got the Business Platinum Card® from American Express? It unlocks an option to Use Membership Rewards® to pay with Points for all or part of an eligible flight booked through American Express Travel and get 35% of those points back, up to 1,000,000 points back per calendar year.
Check out our full list of the best ways to redeem Amex points!
Best Ways to Redeem Capital One Miles
Capital One certainly has more airline transfer partners than Chase but does not have a valuable hotel partner like Chase does with Hyatt. Still, you can get a great deal booking flights using your Capital One miles.
- Book flights (or hotels and other travel experiences) directly through the Capital One Travel portal and save even more with features like price matching and freezing, price alerts, and automatic refunds if the price of your ticket price drops.
- Transfer your points to Air Canada Aeroplan and book an EVA Air business class flight from the U.S. to Asia for just 75,000 points each way.
- Remove travel purchases such as flights, hotels, Airbnbs, Ubers, or even a bucket list golf trip from your statement with your Venture Miles after the fact.
Read our full guide to earning & burning Capital One miles!
Are These Offers As Good As It Gets?
Look, a 150,000-point bonus is huge – but bigger is always better when it comes to new card welcome offers.
Like many of Amex's cards, depending on where you search and apply for the card, you may find an offer far more lucrative than the default 150,000-point bonus you'll find on sites like ours or even directly with Amex.
All you need to do is search for “Business Platinum Card” on an incognito tab to find out if you're eligible for a bigger offer. Here's the highest offer we've found to date.
That's 50,000 more points than the typical 150,000-point offer after spending an identical $20,000 in the first three months. Bonuses of 200,000 or even 250,000 points have become more and more common – not by applying straight with Amex or through a site like ours, but via referrals, opening links in an incognito, and targeted emails or pop-ups online.
With the Venture X Business Card, there's only one offer that's currently available and 150,000 points is the best you can do. That being said, the bank did offer a massive 300,000-point bonus earlier this year with an even greater $100,000 spending requirement over the first six months. It wouldn't be shocking to see Capital One return with a similar offer at some point down the road.
Read more: The Key to Earning a Bigger Amex Bonus!
Bottom Line
With *biz platinum* and *venture x business*, you can earn at least 150,000 points after meeting either card's lofty minimum spending requirement.
When it comes to evaluating which bonus is best, the Business Platinum's bonus is easier to earn and the points are generally more valuable than that of the Venture X Business – but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a better card … or the right one for your business.
