Sunrise on Haleakala: How I’d Use the 100,000 American Express Business Platinum Bonus

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The 100,000 bonus point offer for The Business Platinum® Card from American Express OPEN is back for a limited time until August 8, 2018!  This is the highest public bonus we have ever seen on this card.

And if I were to get this bonus, I would put it to good use by catching a breathtaking sunrise on Haleakala in Maui!

Flying to Hawaii can be expensive, but the welcome bonus along with the minimum spend from the AMEX Business Platinum could make your flights nearly free!  Though Maui has nice beaches and beautiful landscapes, the Haleakala crater is not to miss because it’s considered one of the best places to view a sunrise!

Our last trip to Maui included a trip up Haleakala, but unfortunately the fog that day prevented us from seeing the incredible views.  Several years later we are still wanting to go back, and what better way than almost free with AMEX Membership Rewards points!

Use the AMEX Business Platinum 100,000-Point Offer To Fly To Maui!

Apply Here:   The Business Platinum® Card from American Express

Our Review of the American Express Business Platinum

Until August 8, 2018, the AMEX Business Platinum card has an increased welcome bonus of up to 100,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points after meeting tiered minimum spending requirements.

You will earn:

• 50,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening
• 50,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points after you spend an additional $15,000 on qualifying purchases within the same time frame

Once you meet the spending, you’ll have at least 125,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points (100,000 point total intro bonus + at least 25,000 minimum spending points).  This is enough points to fly my wife and me to Maui!

Transferable Points Means Multiple Options

American Express Membership Rewards points offer folks a lot of value because of their flexibility.  You can transfer the points to multiple airlines, and many of these airlines are part of a global alliance or have partnerships with other airlines.  For example, you can transfer your points to British Airways to fly on Alaska Airlines.

Delta is one of the most popular AMEX Membership Rewards transfer partners.  They don’t publish an award chart, but if your travel dates are flexible you can find very good deals.  Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio and are usually instant, but remember you’ll pay an excise fee of 0.06 cents per point (up to a maximum of $99) when you move points to US airlines.

Flights with Delta in the summer cost a lot of miles, but searching for flights in November and December required much less!

With the welcome bonus of 100,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points plus points earned from minimum spending, this is enough to take my wife and me to Maui!

However, many folks can find better redemption options by using partner airline awards.  For example, you can transfer AMEX Membership Rewards points to British Airways to fly on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines!  Flights from the West Coast to Hawaii start at just 12,500 British Airways Avios points each way.  This means you would only need to use 50,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points because these also transfer to British Airways at a 1:1 ratio!  And you would have at least 75,000 points left over for more travel!

However, you can’t book Alaska Airlines flights on the British Airways website, so you must call to make this reservation.  Also, because I am not on the West Coast, the Delta option could still work well for folks like me.  You can also book American Airlines flights using British Airways Avios points, and these are also only 12,500 points each way from the West Coast!

Note:   Watch for deals on paid airfare, like these recent cheap ~$400 round-trip coach flights to Hawaii!  You may be able to save a lot of points by using AMEX Pay With Points for your ticket.  And if the flight is on your selected airline (or any airline if it’s a First or Business Class ticket), you’ll get a 35% points rebate.

We visited Maui in 2011 and would like to return.  This was our second trip to the state of Hawaii and the first time to the island of Maui.  While many folks like the vibrant city life in places like Waikiki Beach on the island of Oahu, we preferred the more laid back atmosphere of Maui.

We spent most of our days enjoying the beach and driving around to explore the island.  I would highly recommend that you book a rental car on the island to take advantage of seeing all that the island has to offer.  Like Million Mile Secrets team member Joseph, we found the Road to Hana to be quite an adventure.

The peak of Haleakala Crater is the tallest point in Maui, with wonderful views across Maui and the Big Island.  Due to its high elevation, you will actually want to pack some warmer clothes for the trip up.

There are tour buses if you don’t want to drive up the windy road yourself, but we found that by paying attention and taking it slow around the curves there were no issues in taking our rental car during daylight.  You also have to watch for bicyclists traveling down—another option for the adventurous!

We took the trek up in the morning and got out of our car to the crisp air.  Unfortunately the clouds obscured our views that day, but after hearing many locals on the island describe the beauty of the sunrise, we knew our next trip to Maui would have to include another drive up the crater!

Is the AMEX Business Platinum Right For You?

It is important to remember that to earn the full 100,000-point welcome bonus, you have to spend a minimum of  $25,000 in 3 months on purchases.  And purchases do not include the annual fee of $450 that is not waived the first year.  While this annual fee may seem high, there are many benefits with the AMEX Business Platinum that can more than offset the annual fee.

American Express limits welcome bonuses to once per person, per card, per lifetime.  This means if you ever had the Business Platinum card then you are not eligible for this bonus.  However, this does not include any other American Express cards, only if you have received a bonus on this particular card.

I have never had The Business Platinum Card from American Express so I am eligible for this offer.  And I have been waiting for an increased offer like this before applying.  However, I don’t have enough expenses coming up to meet the minimum spending requirement.  But if you have a lot of planned business expenses in the near future then this offer could make sense for you!

Bottom Line

This is the highest welcome offer we have ever seen for The Business Platinum Card from American Express.  You can earn up to 100,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points after meeting tiered minimum spending requirements.

Once you meet the full spending, you’ll have at least 125,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points (100,000 point total intro bonus + at least 25,000 minimum spending points).  I would use the welcome offer to fly my wife and me to Maui and visit Haleakala for the sunrise, a sight we unfortunately missed out on our prior visit.

If you are expecting large business expenses in the next few months, now would be a great time to apply!

What would you do with 100,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points?