If you carry an American Express corporate card through your employer, you could be eligible for a little-known perk called the Corporate Advantage Program. This program allows qualifying employees to receive exclusive annual statement credits (up to $150) on select Amex personal credit cards.
In this comprehensive update, we’ll explain who qualifies for the Corporate Advantage Program, how to enroll, the current statement credits, welcome bonuses and perks on offer, and important considerations regarding your personal credit and rewards.
Who Qualifies for the Corporate Advantage Program?
The Corporate Advantage Program is available to U.S. employees who hold an American Express corporate credit card provided by their employer. Eligible corporate card types include the Amex Corporate Green, Corporate Gold, Corporate Platinum, or Corporate Centurion cards. In other words, if your company issues you one of these Amex corporate cards for business expenses, you likely qualify to leverage this program for a personal card.
However, there are a few exceptions and eligibility requirements to note:
- Ineligible Groups: Corporate Amex cardholders employed by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) International Limited are specifically excluded from this program, as are those whose corporate card is a Business Extra® Corporate Card (a specialized corporate card). Aside from these exceptions, most holders of standard Amex corporate cards in the U.S. can participate.
- Personal Card Requirement: To use the Corporate Advantage Program, you must apply for a new eligible personal Amex card through the program’s enrollment platform (more on this below). The benefit is tied to opening a new personal card account via the program; you cannot simply apply the credit to an existing card you already have.
- Maintain Account Status: Once enrolled, you need to keep both your corporate card and the new personal card open and in good standing to continue receiving the yearly statement credits. If either card is canceled – or even if you fall behind on payments – the annual credit will no longer be awarded. The program requires that you maintain the same corporate card account and same personal card account as when you first enrolled, in order to get the credit each year.
How to Sign Up for the Amex Corporate Advantage Program
Enrolling in the Corporate Advantage Program is a straightforward process done through American Express’s dedicated online platform. Here are the steps to sign up:
Visit the Corporate Advantage Program page
Go to the official Amex Corporate Advantage enrollment site. You will be prompted to confirm your eligibility by entering your corporate card credentials.
Enter Corporate Card Details
Input your 15-digit corporate card number and the 4-digit card ID (this ID is printed on the front of your corporate card, just above the card number). This step checks that your corporate card qualifies for the program.
View Eligible Personal Card Offers
Once your corporate card is verified, the site will display the personal credit card offers available under the Corporate Advantage Program. Currently, the four eligible personal cards are:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- American Express® Gold Card
- American Express® Green Card
- Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Apply through the Corporate Advantage portal
Proceed with the application for your chosen personal card via the Corporate Advantage offer page. The application process is similar to a normal Amex credit card application. You will also see the details of the welcome bonus offer for the card during the application. (Amex now uses an “Apply with Confidence” approach that lets you see if you’re approved and what your welcome bonus will be before it impacts your credit score.)
Ensure you apply through the special portal – the Corporate Advantage benefits are only available when using the dedicated link/offer and cannot be combined with other application offers.
Approval and Enrollment
If approved for the personal card, you should be automatically enrolled in the Corporate Advantage Program for that card. The annual statement credit will then be posted to your new personal card account within 8–12 weeks of opening the account, and each year within 8–12 weeks after your cardmember anniversary (as long as you remain eligible). You don’t need to manually claim the credit; it should appear on your billing statement after the specified period.
Follow up if needed
In most cases, applying through the designated portal links your corporate and personal accounts for the program automatically. If for some reason you do not see the statement credit post in the expected timeframe (8–12 weeks), you can call the number on the back of your card or contact Amex customer service. Ask them to link your corporate card to your personal card and enroll you in the Corporate Advantage Program manually. Amex can verify your eligibility and add the benefit if it wasn’t applied initially.
Annual Statement Credits and Exclusive Perks
The centerpiece of the Corporate Advantage Program is the annual statement credit applied to your new personal Amex card. These credits are essentially a rebate on your personal card’s annual fee, given each year as long as you maintain an eligible corporate card. The exact credit amount depends on which personal card you get through the program.
Currently, the credits and eligible cards are as follows:
The American Express Platinum Card
$150 statement credit each year (Platinum’s annual fee is $695).
American Express Gold Card
$100 statement credit each year (Gold’s annual fee is $325).
American Express Green Card
$75 statement credit each year (Green’s annual fee is $150).
Blue Cash Preferred Card
$50 statement credit each year (Blue Cash Preferred’s annual fee is $95, with an introductory $0 fee in the first year).
These Corporate Advantage credits post once per year to your personal card account, typically after you pay the annual fee. Essentially, Amex charges the full annual fee, then credits back the respective amount above as a statement credit. This effectively reduces your net annual fee on the personal card.
Importantly, these statement credits are an exclusive benefit for corporate cardholders; regular consumers without a corporate Amex card cannot get these annual fee rebates. The credits are in addition to all the standard perks and rewards that come with the personal card itself.
Welcome Bonuses Available Under the Program
Enrolling through the Corporate Advantage Program does not prevent you from earning the usual welcome bonus on the new personal card. According to American Express, you “could earn a welcome offer of Membership Rewards® points or statement credits depending on the card” you choose, in addition to the yearly credit.
This means if you meet the spending requirements for the card’s sign-up bonus, you’ll still receive those points or cashback, just as any new cardmember would (assuming you’re eligible under Amex’s bonus application rules).
As of mid-2025, the Amex welcome offers on these cards are quite attractive – and Corporate Advantage applicants have access to the same or similar offers that the general public does.
For instance, The Platinum Card has been offering sign-up bonuses in the range of 100,000 to 150,000 Membership Rewards points, and in some targeted cases even up to 175,000 points after spending a required amount in the first 6 months. The American Express Gold Card typically features a welcome bonus around 60,000 Membership Rewards points for qualifying new members (after spending about $6,000 in 6 months).
Meanwhile, the Blue Cash Preferred Card usually offers a welcome promotion such as $250 statement credit after you spend a few thousand dollars in the first 3–6 months. (The Green Card’s welcome bonus is generally around 40,000 points after a modest spend, as another example.)
A Note From TheMilesAcademy
Do note that Amex’s standard “once per lifetime” rule on welcome bonuses still applies – meaning if you’ve held that exact personal card before and earned a bonus, you may not be eligible for a new bonus now. The Corporate Advantage Program itself doesn’t waive that rule; it simply gives you the annual fee credit.
Amex will usually inform you during the application process if you are not eligible for a welcome offer due to your history, so you can decide whether to proceed. But if you are eligible, you’ll get the full welcome bonus of the card in addition to the yearly Corporate Advantage statement credit – a great combo for maximizing value.
Impact on Personal Credit and Points
One common concern is how linking a corporate card to a personal card might affect your credit or your relationship with your employer. The good news is that enrolling in the Corporate Advantage Program has no negative impact on your personal credit beyond the normal effects of opening a new credit card, and it remains entirely private from your employer. Here are some key points to understand:
Personal Credit Check
Applying for a new Amex personal card through this program is like any credit card application – American Express will evaluate your credit, which may involve a credit inquiry on your report. This is your own personal credit account, so you are individually responsible for it. The new card will appear on your personal credit report and your credit score may dip slightly from the inquiry and the new account, as usual for a credit card application.
However, using Amex’s “Apply with Confidence” tool, you can see if you’re approved (and the offer you’ll get) with no initial impact on your score. The bottom line is that this is your personal credit line, so manage it as you would any other credit card in your name.
No Employer Involvement
American Express does not inform your employer about your participation in the Corporate Advantage Program. Your company will not receive any notice that you applied for a personal card, and they receive no details of your personal spending. The program is simply an added benefit for you as the cardholder; it’s not something that the employer tracks or has to approve.
In fact, your employer gains no incentive or reward from your enrollment either – it’s purely between you and Amex. So you can enroll with peace of mind that your boss or corporate accounting department won’t be involved.
Separate Liability
Your personal Amex card account remains entirely separate from your corporate card account. That means your company is not liable for any charges or balances on your personal card, and conversely, you are not personally liable for charges on the corporate card (aside from any agreements you have for business expenses).
All activity on the new personal card affects only your personal credit profile, not your employer’s accounts. So if you charge a vacation or personal purchases on the new card, it’s treated like any normal personal credit card activity.
Membership Rewards Points
If your personal card earns Membership Rewards (MR) points (as the Green, Gold, and Platinum do), those points are yours in your personal MR account. Linking your corporate card via this program does not merge or share point accounts automatically. (Corporate cards can earn Membership Rewards points, but typically those points are either managed by the company or the employee depending on company policy.
The Corporate Advantage Program doesn’t change how corporate card points work.) You can choose to combine points from your corporate MR account into your personal MR account if you are allowed to (some corporate programs let employees keep the points). For example, Amex allows corporate cardholders to link accounts to a personal Membership Rewards account by calling customer service. But this is a separate step and not a requirement of the Corporate Advantage Program.
If You Leave the Company
What happens if you quit your job or your company switches away from Amex? You won’t be penalized on your personal card – you can continue to keep and use the personal card as long as you want. However, if your corporate card account is closed or no longer active, you will no longer receive the annual statement credit going forward.
For example, say you got the Platinum with the $150 credit but then you leave the employer and your corporate card is canceled – you would stop qualifying for that $150 credit in future years. You do not have to give back any credits already received, and your personal card remains yours to use (you’ll just be responsible for the full annual fee after you lose eligibility for the program).
Essentially, the Corporate Advantage perk is only active while you have an eligible corporate Amex linked to your account. If you anticipate leaving your company soon, it might be worth considering the timing – but even one year of credit could be worthwhile if the welcome bonus and card benefits make sense for you.
Key Terms and Conditions to Know
Before jumping in, make sure you’re aware of a few important terms and restrictions of the Corporate Advantage Program (per American Express’s terms):
Must Apply via Eligible Channel
The Corporate Advantage offers are only available when you apply through the dedicated Corporate Advantage Program page or link with an eligible corporate card. The offer cannot be combined with any other sign-up offer, referral, or promo. This means you shouldn’t expect to stack a friend’s referral bonus or a different promo code on top of this program’s benefits.
Use the official channel to ensure you’ll receive the annual credit. (If you apply through a normal public offer or referral link, Amex may not honor the Corporate Advantage credit automatically, although some cardholders have reported success by linking after the fact – this would be at Amex’s discretion.)
Maintain Both Cards to Retain Benefits
As mentioned earlier, you must keep the same corporate card account and the same personal card account open to continue getting the credit each year. If either account is closed, or if your personal card is ever canceled or past due, you become ineligible for that year’s statement credit. In short, no card, no credit – so plan to keep your corporate card active (which usually isn’t an issue if you’re still employed and your company uses Amex) and keep your personal card in good standing.
Credit Posting Timeline
The annual statement credit typically posts 8–12 weeks after your personal card is opened, and then 8–12 weeks after each anniversary of your personal card opening (as long as requirements are met). It won’t usually sync exactly with the fee charge date, so don’t worry if you don’t see the credit immediately – give it a couple of billing cycles.
Non-Transferrable
The Corporate Advantage offer is non-transferrable – only the individual who holds the eligible corporate card can use it for their personal card application. You cannot share it or give it to someone else. Similarly, you can’t combine two people’s benefits (each person’s corporate card only helps their own personal card).
One Credit Per Personal Card
Each eligible personal card account can receive one Corporate Advantage credit per year. You can’t stack multiple corporate cards to get bigger credits on one personal card. Also, if you happen to have multiple corporate cards (say you have two jobs with Amex cards), generally you would enroll one personal card per corporate account. The program is designed to give a benefit on a one-to-one basis (one corporate card -> one personal card).
Always read the full terms presented on the offer page when you apply, as American Express may update conditions or have additional details. But the above points cover the core program rules that are most relevant to cardholders.
Final Thoughts
The American Express Corporate Advantage Program is a valuable and often underutilized benefit for those lucky enough to have an Amex corporate card through their employer. It allows you to save $50 to $150 every year on a personal Amex card’s annual fee – a perk that regular applicants can’t get.
For employees eyeing premium cards like the Platinum or Gold, this program can make those cards more affordable in the long run, effectively putting money back in your pocket each year. You’ll still enjoy the full welcome bonuses, rewards, and travel perks of the personal card, with this extra statement credit as a cherry on top.
Perhaps best of all, using the Corporate Advantage Program is hassle-free and has no downside for you as the consumer. It doesn’t involve your employer in your personal finances, and it doesn’t impact your corporate card account or status at work. Your personal credit card remains your own, and the connection to your corporate card only serves to verify your eligibility for the benefit.
For any travel enthusiast or points collector who has a corporate Amex, it’s absolutely worth taking advantage of this program when opening a new card. In plain terms: if you qualify, don’t leave this money on the table. The Corporate Advantage Program can significantly boost the value you get from an American Express personal card, making it easier to justify the annual fee while you reap the rewards and benefits that come with the card.
