Amex Platinum Business vs National Bank Business Mastercard

Both business cards worked out on the same spending: rewards, welcome bonus, fees and perks, line by line.

amex platinum business
Finly rebate
$175

Business Platinum Card® from American Express

4.6

Get offer
Naitonal Bank Business Mastercard

National Bank Business Mastercard

2.8

Learn more

Worked out on a typical small business spending $4,000 a month. Enter yours to see your own numbers.

$164

First-year value

Doesn't earn rewards

$164

Every year after

Doesn't earn rewards

Only Amex Platinum Business earns rewards we can work out.

Compare the fees, rates and perks below.

How the first year adds up

Rewards and the welcome bonus in, the annual fee, FX fees and employee cards out, at your spending.

$1,143.42
in American Express Membership Rewards points a year

Annual rewards

—
+ $0
not reached at this spending

Welcome bonus

—
− $799

Annual fee

—
− $180
2.5% on $600/mo

FX fees

—
$164.42

First-year value

—

Finly rebates are paid on top and aren't counted in these values.

Where each card earns

A year of your spending on each card, category by category, biggest spend first.

$299.14
at 1.25x

All Other Business Expenses

$12,600 a year

—
$146.15
at 1.25x

US Dollar Purchases

$6,150 a year

—
$114
at 1.25x

Recurring Bills & Subscriptions

$4,800 a year

—
$85.5
at 1.25x

Gas & EV Charging

$3,600 a year

—
$85.5
at 1.25x

Dining & Restaurants

$3,600 a year

—
$71.14
at 1.25x

Office Supplies

$3,000 a year

—
$57
at 1.25x

Phone, Internet & Cable

$2,400 a year

—
$42.64
at 1.25x

Hotels

$1,800 a year

—
$42.64
at 1.25x

Shipping & Courier

$1,800 a year

—
$42.64
at 1.25x

Accounting & Bookkeeping

$1,800 a year

—
$29.18
at 1.25x

Other Foreign Currencies (EUR, GBP, etc.)

$1,230 a year

—
$28.5
at 1.25x

Electronics & Software

$1,200 a year

—
$28.5
at 1.25x

Air Canada

$1,200 a year

—
$28.5
at 1.25x

Transportation

$1,200 a year

—
$14.14
at 1.25x

Other Airlines

$600 a year

—
$14.14
at 1.25x

Car Rental

$600 a year

—
$14.14
at 1.25x

Other Travel

$600 a year

—
$1,143.42

Rewards in a year

—

Welcome bonus

Each offer as the issuer words it, then which milestones your spending reaches.

Amex Platinum Business

  • Earn up to 120,000 bonus Membership Rewards® points
  • Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you charge $15,000 in net purchases to your Card in your first 3 months of Cardmembership
  • Plus, earn 40,000 points when you make a purchase between 15 and 17 months of Cardmembership
  • That’s up to $1,200 in statement credit that can be reinvested in your business

National Bank Business Mastercard

No welcome bonus right now.

Amex Platinum Business

Worth $0 at your spending

80,000 MR points when you spend $15,000 in the first 3 months

0 pts

40,000 MR points when you make a purchase in months 15-17 (card year 2)

40,000 pts

40,000 points when you make a purchase between 15 and 17 months of Cardmembership (card year 2)

40,000 pts

National Bank Business Mastercard

Fees, rates and eligibility

What each card costs to hold and to use abroad, and who it's for.

$799

Annual fee

Better of the two$0
$250 per Platinum, $0 per Gold (max 99)

Employee cards

$0
2.5%

Foreign transaction fee

2.5%
American Express Membership Rewards

Rewards

No rewards
American Express

Network

Mastercard

Amex Platinum Business

Interest rates

Purchase:

21.99% - 30%1

Cash Advance:

21.99% - 30%1

1 This charge Card has both Due in Full and Flexible Payment Option balances. All Due in Full balances must be paid each month. Interest rate of 30% applies to each delinquent Due in Full charge. The Preferred rate of 21.99% applies to your Flexible Payment Option balance. If you have 2 separate Missed Payments in a 12 month period, the Flexible Payment Option rate for your account will be 25.99%. If you have 3 or more separate Missed Payments in a 12 month period, the Flexible Payment Option rate will be 29.99%. These rates are effective from the day account is opened.

Recommended credit score

300
Poor
693
Fair
743⁎
Good
790⁎
Very Good
833⁎
Excellent
⁎Estimates based on TransUnion scoring

Income required

Min Personal Income:

N/A

Min Household Income:

N/A

National Bank Business Mastercard

Interest rates

Purchase:

20.99% or 14.5%^

Cash Advance:

22.99% or 14.5%^

Balance Transfer:

22.99% or 14.5%^

Recommended credit score

300
Poor
560
Fair
660⁎
Good
725⁎
Very Good
760⁎
Excellent
⁎Estimates based on Equifax scoring

Income required

Min Personal Income:

N/A

Min Household Income:

N/A

How each card earns

The earn rates and caps, as each issuer sets them.

Amex Platinum Business

  • 1.25x points per $1 spent on all purchases

National Bank Business Mastercard

  • Pay just $30 in annual fees with a minimum credit limit1 of $1,000 and reduce your rate to 14.5% on purchases, balance transfers and cash advances.2,3
  • Get up to $10,000 in coverage against fraudulent uses of your credit card by authorized cardholders.

Insurance and perks

What both cards include comes first in each list.

Amex Platinum Business

Insurance

  • purchase protection

    Purchase Protection

    90 days

  • lost baggage

    Lost or Stolen Baggage

    $1,000
  • hourglass timer

    Baggage Delay

    $1,000
  • car insurance

    Car Rental Damage & Theft

    Yes
  • heart lock

    Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance

    $500,000
  • mobile device insurance

    Mobile Device Insurance

    $1,500
  • extended warranty

    Extended Warranty

    1 year
  • burglar

    Hotel Burglary Insurance

    $1,000
  • travel accident medical

    Travel Medical Insurance (64 & under)

    15 days
  • cancel airplane

    Trip Cancellation

    $1,500
  • pause

    Trip Interruption

    $1,500
  • hourglass timer

    Flight Delay

    $1,000

Perks

  • concierge

    Concierge Services

    Personalized concierge at your service
  • discount

    Discount

    Your Business Platinum Card gets you savings on the seats you really want and lower fares on premium tickets with participating airlines
  • grwoth

    Interest on Balance

    Up to 55 interest-free days
  • Amex logo

    American Express® Experiences

    Access Front Of The Line® Presale & Reserved Tickets to some of your favourite concerts, theatre shows, and special offers with American Express® Experiences
  • star fall

    Status lift

    Earn Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status by spending $30,000 or staying 10 nights combined with 15 Elite Night Credits. Status retention depends on Marriott Bonvoy terms.
  • bed furniture

    Free Extra Night at Hotels

    Each year, 8-10 weeks after your anniversary, receive a Free Night Award for a Marriott Bonvoy room up to 35,000 points, valid for 1 year. Resort fees excluded.
  • travel

    Travel Credit

    Access a $200 Annual Travel Credit each year of your Cardmembership
  • border guard

    Nexus Program Rebate

    Access a $100 credit for NEXUS with your Cardmembership
  • alcohol cheers

    Airport Lounge - American Express Global Lounge

    Take full advantage of the American Express Global Lounge CollectionTM which unlocks access to over 1400 airport lounges worldwide. This includes The Centurion® Lounge network, Plaza Premium Lounges, and hundreds of other domestic and international lounges designed to enhance your travel experience. Terms and Conditions apply.
  • hotel

    Complimentary Hotel Benefits

    Enjoy Fine Hotels + Resorts benefits at over 1,600 properties worldwide like guaranteed late check-out, complimentary breakfast for two, and more with Business Platinum.
  • airport waiting room

    Priority Travel

    At Toronto Pearson Airport get Priority Security lane, Complimentary valet and 15% discount at the Express Park and daily park
  • mobile phone wifi

    Wireless Credit

    Up to $120 in statement credits each year. Spend $10 each month with eligible wireless providers month and get a $10 credit.
  • business briefcase

    Business Statement Credits

    Up to $500 in business statement credits. Enroll and earn statement credits on eligible purchases with $200 Dell statement credit, $300 Indeed statement credit.

National Bank Business Mastercard

Insurance

  • purchase protection

    Purchase Protection

    90 days

Perks

No extra perks.

Our take

Amex Platinum Business

The most premium business card in Canada, and priced accordingly at $799/year. You get 1.25x Membership Rewards points on everything, a massive welcome bonus of up to 120,000 points, and a deep roster of perks: airport lounge access, hotel elite status, statement credits, and comprehensive insurance. The value proposition only works if you travel frequently and use the perks — the earn rate alone doesn’t justify the fee. But for businesses that fly often, entertain clients, and want best-in-class coverage, the benefits can far exceed the cost. Amex acceptance gaps in Canada remain a consideration.

  • Optimize all purchases
  • Premium travel perks
  • Comprehensive insurance
  • Interest grace period
  • Business statement credits
  • High annual fee
  • Limited acceptance

National Bank Business Mastercard

This is a no-rewards, no-frills business card — and that’s exactly the point. There’s no annual fee, no points to track, and no complicated structure. What you get is a clean way to separate business expenses from personal ones, with the option to drop your interest rate to 14.5% for just $30/year. That makes it one of the better options if your business occasionally carries a balance. It won’t earn you anything on spending, but for businesses that just need a functional credit line without paying for features they’ll never use, it does the job.

  • $0 annual fee (including additional cards)
  • Option to lower interest rate to 14.5% with $30 annual fee
  • Helps separate business and personal expenses
  • No rewards program (no points or cash back)
  • Limited insurance coverage
  • No travel perks or premium benefits

More business card comparisons

Each card against every other business card we review.

Legal


Amex Platinum Business

*Terms and conditions apply.


This charge Card has both Due in Full and Flexible Payment Option balances. All Due in Full balances must be paid each month. Interest rate of 30% applies to each delinquent Due in Full charge. The Preferred rate of 21.99% applies to your Flexible Payment Option balance. If you have 2 separate Missed Payments in a 12 month period, the Flexible Payment Option rate for your account will be 25.99%. If you have 3 or more separate Missed Payments in a 12 month period, the Flexible Payment Option rate will be 29.99%. These rates are effective from the day account is opened.


American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, (I/we) may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment.

National Bank Business Mastercard

Little details that matter


Customer service or report a lost or stolen card

Report fraudulent use by an authorized cardholder

Chargeback


®Mastercard and Mastercard BusinessCard are registered trademarks, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. Authorized user: National Bank
 

TM ID Check and Identity Check are trademarks of Mastercard International Inc. Authorized user: National Bank.
 

1 Subject to credit approval from National Bank.
 

2 Grace period: No interest will be charged on purchases made during the month, provided the client pays the balance in full within twenty-one (21) days of the statement date. This grace period does not apply to cash advances or balance transfers. Minimum payment: If your account balance is lower than $10, you must pay the entire balance. If you reside in the province of Quebec, your minimum payment will correspond to 2.5% of the credit card account balance plus any overdue payment or $10, whichever amount is higher. If you are a business that chose the corporate responsibility, please refer to the cardholder agreement and account statement. Account statement: A statement is sent monthly. 

 

Average balance

Annual interest rate

$500

$3,000

22.99%

$9.45

$56.69

20.99%

$8.63

$51.76

14.5%

$5.96

$35.75

11.7%

$4.81

$28.85


*Variable interest rate in effect on April 24, 2023.

3 Subject to credit approval from National Bank. The total of all amounts transferred cannot exceed $5,000.
 

4 Certain conditions apply. Visit mastercard.caopens in a new tab for more information. Refer to the credit card terms and conditions.

This content is made available by National Bank and its affiliates for information purposes only. It does not create any legal or contractual obligations for National Bank and its affiliates. The conditions described herein are not exhaustive and are subject to change.

Some of our cards offer a compensation plan in the event of fraud by a cardholder. If necessary, the fraud compensation plan entitles you to a refund limited to the real loss resulting from fraudulent use of the card or account by the cardholder. This plan only applies in the event of fraudulent use by a cardholder who is not also an authorized signatory. The refund amount can be up to $100,000 per account per 12-month period. To use this plan, the company and all authorized signatories must fully collaborate with the Bank and file an official complaint with law enforcement authorities. The application of the fraud protection plan is governed by the conditions set out in section 14 of the credit card agreement. In particular, the plan does not apply if, through negligence, the cardholder contributed to the unauthorized or fraudulent use of the card or account by any person other than a cardholder.


National Bank is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. If you apply and get approved for a National Bank Card, (I/we) may receive compensation from National Bank, which can be in the form of monetary payment.