Amex Business Platinum cardholders receive up to $400 in Dell statement credits each year — here's how to activate and maximize the benefit

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• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express offers up to $400 in Dell credits per calendar year**.
• The credit is split — up to $200 from January to June, and up to $200 from July to December.
• The credits are valid toward US Dell purchases only, and you must activate the benefit first.
• Read Insider's guide to the best small-business credit cards.

Amex is an Insider advertising partner.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express comes with a long list of premium benefits, making it one of the best rewards cards to open if you're a small-business owner.

It currently has a hefty welcome bonus offer of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. Insider estimates Amex points value to be 1.8 cents each — making this bonus worth The Business Platinum Card® from American Express in travel, on average.

While the Amex Business Platinum Card has some of the same benefits as The Platinum Card® from American Express — such as up to $200 per year in airline incidental fee credits**, airport lounge access, and a statement credit for the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee** — one benefit that's unique to the business version is up to $400 annually toward US purchases with Dell**.

Here's everything you need to know to make the most of the Amex Business Platinum Card Dell credits.

We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

How the Amex Business Platinum Dell credit works

You'll first need to enroll your Business Platinum Card to be eligible for up to $200 in statement credits when you shop at Dell from January through June, and another $200 from July through December.

Purchases made by the enrolled basic cardmember and any employee cardmembers on the account will trigger the $200 biannual credit. However, the benefit is limited to one per card account, so you won't get $400 in annual statement credits for every separate employee card.

To earn the credit, you don't have to make a single purchase totaling $200 or more — you can make multiple US Dell purchases and receive credits totaling up to $200 each benefit period. Your statement credits will post automatically once you've activated the benefit, and you only need to enroll once.

Don't wait until the last minute to utilize this benefit, as sometimes the purchase date is not the same as the transaction date — and purchases may not post to your account until they're shipped.

How to maximize the Amex Business Platinum Dell credit

The Amex Business Platinum Card earns:

• 5 points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel
• 1.5 points per dollar on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more, and on eligible purchases in the US at electronics goods retailers, software, and cloud service providers, shipping providers, and on construction materials and hardware supplies (on up to $2 million in combined purchases per year, then 1 point per dollar)
• 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases

You will earn points for your purchase — Amex will simply reimburse you with a statement credit, up to $200, after the transaction posts.

Dell is one of the merchants frequently included among Amex Offers**, providing you with a chance to either earn bonus points or money back on eligible purchases. Before you make your purchases from Dell, be sure to check your Amex Offers and add any offers to your account before you shop.

In addition, many online shopping portals offer bonus points, miles, or cash back when you shop with Dell, so you'll want to browse the portals for the best offer, then click through to Dell's website using that portal. For example, Rakuten gives you the opportunity to earn either cash back or Amex points. That means you could foreseeably:

• Earn points for using your Business Platinum
• Earn bonus points or cash back with an Amex Offer
• Earn bonus points for shopping through Rakuten
• Receive a $200 rebate for your purchase

That's quite a string of savings!

Which Dell purchases will (and will not) trigger the credit?

You may hear "Dell" and think of computers, but they sell a lot more than that. There are no specific restrictions as to what you can purchase from Dell to receive a statement credit. Just because you don't need a new computer at the moment doesn't mean you'll have to let the credit go unused. 

While you can certainly use your credit toward the purchase of a laptop, you may want to browse some of their other products for some purchases right around $200, such as monitors, headphones, cameras, speakers, printers, or accessories.

If you're thinking of buying a $200 gift card in the first part of the year in order to utilize your statement credit to save up for a larger purchase later, that won't work. Dell does not currently sell its own gift cards online.

Maximize the Dell credit to offset the annual fee cost

With its The Business Platinum Card® from American Express annual fee The Business Platinum Card® from American Express - Rates & Fees, the Amex Business Platinum Card certainly ranks among the highest-fee premium rewards cards.

But the annual statement credits, including up to $200 in airline incidental fee credits and up to $400 in Dell credits**, go a long way in helping you offset that hefty fee.

Don't have a small business? Consider the personal Amex Platinum instead

While the Dell credits can be extremely useful, they're limited to the business version of the card. If you're not a small-business owner, but you like some of the overlapping benefits with the personal version, The Platinum Card® from American Express, consider opening that card instead. 

The personal The Platinum Card® from American Express is currently offering a bonus of The Platinum Card® from American Express.

With a The Platinum Card® from American Express annual fee The Platinum Card® from American Express - Rates & Fees, it's got many similarities to the business version. Instead of up to $400 in annual Dell credits, you receive credits such as:

• Up to $200 per year ($15 per month, plus an additional $20 in December) in credits toward Uber rides or Uber Eats orders**
• Up to $200 in credits per year toward prepaid hotel bookings through Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts or The Hotel Collection (minimum two-night stay)
• Up to $240 (up to $20 per month) in annual digital entertainment credits** toward membership with Hulu, ESPN+, Disney+, Peacock, Audible, SiriusXM, or The New York Times
• Up to $100 per year in Saks Fifth Avenue statement credits** (up to $50 from January to June, and up to $50 from July to December).

Read our comparison of the Amex Platinum and Business Platinum if you need help deciding which card is best for you.

Bottom line

The $400 in annual Dell credits** that come with the Amex Business platinum are easy to use — and they're valid for anything you can find on Dell's US website. Just be sure to enroll your card before you spend.

If you're able to use the full $400 in Dell credits each year, you'll effectively reduce your card's annual fee significantly. The remaining value you'll get from the card's other benefits makes it a keeper.