These suit very different businesses: Brex is a corporate card aimed at startups and funded companies that can qualify without a personal guarantee, underwriting on business cash and revenue rather than personal credit. Amex Business Platinum is a premium travel card that typically requires a personal guarantee and good personal credit. Choose Brex if you want EIN-based, no-PG access; choose Business Platinum for premium travel rewards and perks.
Brex
EIN-only, no personal guarantee, no personal credit pull.
Pros
American Express
Centurion lounges + 5X on flights — premium tier only above $30K/yr.
Pros
| Spec | Brex Card | American Express Business Platinum Card |
|---|---|---|
| Origination fee | $0 | Verify |
| Best for | Funded startups with $50K+ in a business bank account or operating companies with $1M+ revenue. | Established SMBs with $30K+/year in business flight spend and frequent international travel. |
◈ marks the stronger option for that row.
Pick Brex Card if: Funded startups with $50K+ in a business bank account or operating companies with $1M+ revenue.
Pick American Express Business Platinum Card if: Established SMBs with $30K+/year in business flight spend and frequent international travel.
See all picks, methodology, and side-by-side comparison in Best Business Credit Cards.
No. Brex is a corporate card that does not require a personal guarantee from founders or employees. Brex underwrites based on the business itself — typically requiring a corporate bank account and either VC/institutional funding or demonstrated revenue. This makes Brex accessible to startups that have business funding but founders who have limited personal credit history. Amex Business Platinum requires a personal guarantee and pulls personal credit during application. (Source: Brex.com eligibility documentation; AmericanExpress.com.)
Brex evaluates business cash on hand, funding status, and revenue — not the personal FICO score of the owner. Amex Business Platinum is a traditional charge card product that requires a personal guarantee; Amex reviews personal creditworthiness at application and the owner is personally liable if the business can't pay. A VC-backed startup with strong runway but no personal credit history could qualify for Brex but be declined for Business Platinum. (Source: Brex.com; AmericanExpress.com.)
Brex's core card product is free (no annual fee for the standard tier; Brex Premium is available with additional features at a monthly fee — see Brex.com for current pricing). Amex Business Platinum charges a $895 annual fee as of 2026. The fee gap is substantial; Business Platinum's justification is its premium travel benefits (Centurion lounge access, airline fee credits, CLEAR credit, hotel status). If premium travel perks aren't a priority, the cost difference strongly favors Brex for eligible startups. (Source: Brex.com; AmericanExpress.com.)
Brex earns Brex Points on a category multiplier system — higher rates on rideshare, restaurants, software subscriptions, and travel booked through Brex; 1x on other spend. Brex Points transfer to airline partners (Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, and others). Amex Membership Rewards (Business Platinum) earns 1.5x on large purchases ($5,000+) and select categories, 1x elsewhere, and transfers to 20+ partners including Delta, United, Hilton, and Marriott. Amex MR's partner breadth generally advantages frequent travelers; Brex's category stack can be competitive for software-heavy startups booking SaaS on the card. (Source: Brex.com; AmericanExpress.com.)
Yes. Brex includes integrated expense management software as part of its platform — receipt capture, spend categorization, policy enforcement, and accounting integrations (QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, Sage) are built into the Brex dashboard at no additional cost. Amex Business Platinum provides transaction export and an online account portal but does not include a full expense management layer. For startups that want a unified spend management system, Brex's platform approach is a significant differentiator beyond the card itself. (Source: Brex.com platform documentation.)
Brex primarily targets U.S.-incorporated businesses with a corporate bank account and either institutional funding, significant cash on deposit, or demonstrated recurring revenue — and requires no personal guarantee. It is generally not available to sole proprietors or very early-stage businesses without a corporate structure. Amex Business Platinum is available to most U.S. businesses and sole proprietors who meet Amex's personal creditworthiness standards (typically good to excellent personal credit). If you are a sole proprietor or bootstrapped startup without external funding, Business Platinum is the more accessible product. (Source: Brex.com eligibility; AmericanExpress.com.)
Brex does not report card activity or balances to personal consumer credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) — this is core to its no-personal-guarantee model. Your Brex account history will not build or affect your personal credit score. Amex Business Platinum carries a personal guarantee and may report significant delinquencies to personal credit bureaus. For founders who want to keep business card activity separate from personal credit, Brex's non-reporting structure is a meaningful advantage. (Source: Brex.com; AmericanExpress.com card agreements.)
Yes — Brex does not charge foreign transaction fees on international purchases. The Brex card runs on the Mastercard network, which provides broad international acceptance. Amex Business Platinum also has no foreign transaction fees. Both cards are usable internationally, though Amex acceptance can be less universal in some regions compared to Mastercard. For businesses with significant international vendor spend or employee travel, either card avoids foreign transaction surcharges. (Source: Brex.com; AmericanExpress.com.)
Brex periodically offers welcome bonuses or introductory rewards for new accounts that meet a spending threshold within a set timeframe — check Brex.com for the current offer. Amex Business Platinum also offers a welcome bonus (historically among the largest in the premium business card space) for new cardmembers who meet a minimum spend requirement. Because welcome bonuses change frequently for both products, review current offers at Brex.com and AmericanExpress.com before applying. (Source: Brex.com; AmericanExpress.com — current cardmember offer.)
Brex sets dynamic spending limits based on your company's cash on hand and monthly spend patterns — limits adjust as your business balance changes, so a company with a large cash balance can carry a higher limit while a company drawing down its balance may see limits tighten. Amex Business Platinum is a charge card with no preset spending limit for many transactions — Amex evaluates each charge based on your payment history, account tenure, and financial profile. Neither card has a traditional fixed credit limit; the mechanics differ significantly, with Brex reflecting real-time cash position and Amex reflecting relationship-based per-transaction approval. (Source: Brex.com; AmericanExpress.com.)
Independent editorial comparison. ClearValue Lending is not the issuer of any product compared here; affiliate links may pay a referral commission at no cost to you — selection is independent of compensation.