- Intro Offer
-
70,000 points Welcome Offer: Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.*
- Annual fee
- $375
- APR
- 19.49% – 28.49% Variable
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
-
670 – 850
Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1x – 4x Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap.; Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card.; 1X is earned for other purchases. **
At a glance
With the chance to earn 4X points in the two select categories your business spends the most in each billing cycle from six eligible categories (on up to $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year, then 1X points), the American Express® Business Gold Card is a flexible option to make the most of your business expenses with its high rewards rate. It earns flexible American Express Membership Rewards points that can be used to book travel directly, transferred to Amex partners or redeemed for non-travel options at a worse redemption rate.
Our take
The American Express® Business Gold Card is a flexible and rewarding card for business owners who travel relatively frequently. It may not offer as expansive of a benefits package as The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, but it also comes at a lower price tag of $375 annually (see rates and fees) compared with the Business Platinum’s $695 annual fee (see rates and fees). Amex Business Gold cardholders get a rewards program that tailors to how their business spends, providing the greatest rewards in the eligible categories you spend the most in. The card’s rewards are best redeemed for travel, providing outsized value if you can leverage Amex’s 20 hotel and airline transfer partners effectively but significantly worse value -- less than one cent per point -- if you redeem your points directly for merchandise purchases or statement credits.
Though lacking the premium perks offered by the Business Platinum card, the American Express® Business Gold Card offers a generous welcome offer, good rewards which can then be used to fund your business travels and a nice selection of consumer and travel protections. It’s a perfect middle ground for business travelers who travel enough to redeem their points they earn but don’t travel enough to make the Business Platinum’s full suite of luxury travel benefits worthwhile. Business owners who don’t travel at all, or want to use their credit card rewards to offset other business spending, would be better off with a business cash back card like the American Express Blue Business CashTM Card or one of Chase’s Ink Business cards.
Pros and cons
Pros
Generous welcome offer
Earns 4X points on up to $150,000 in eligible bonus categories each calendar year, then 1X
Earns flexible rewards points that transfer to airlines and hotels
No foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees)
Cons
High variable APR if you carry a balance
$375 annual fee -- higher than many other mid-tier business travel cards
No premium travel perks like lounge access
Who this card is best for
- Small-business owners that travel occasionally: Small-business owners who travel will love this card’s lack of foreign transaction fees, as well as the rewards redemption options for travel. Not only can cardmembers redeem their points for travel directly through American Express Travel, they can also transfer their points to Amex airline and hotel partners for potentially greater value.
- Businesses that spend a lot in eligible bonus categories: Businesses that spend a lot in the card’s eligible bonus categories can earn 4X points on up to $150,000 in bonus spending each calendar year (then 1X). If a business owner is able to max out this benefit, the American Express® Business Gold Card offers the potential to earn 600,000 Amex Membership Rewards points in rewards annually.
- Amex Membership Rewards enthusiasts: This card is popular for business owners who love Amex Membership Rewards points and want to maximize their rewards within that ecosystem. In fact, you could pair this card with a personal Amex card that earns Membership Rewards as well as other Amex business cards.
Who this card isn’t best for
- Frequent travelers who want luxury perks: If you want premium benefits like annual travel credits, fee credits for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership or airport lounge access, the American Express® Business Gold Card isn’t for you.
- Businesses that don’t spend a lot in the card’s bonus categories: Business owners who don’t spend much in the card’s 4X point categories may be better off with a business card that better matches their spending patterns.
- People who prefer to redeem rewards for cash back or statement credits: While you can redeem Amex Membership Rewards points for non-travel options, you’ll get less than one cent per point of value if you do. The Membership Rewards program only gives you 0.7 cent per point if you pay with rewards at checkout with eligible retailers, 0.6 cent per point for statement credits, and 0.5 cent per point if you use your points to pay directly for merchandise.
A closer look at the American Express® Business Gold Card
Welcome offer and rewards
The American Express® Business Gold Card starts new cardmembers off with earning 70,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership.
While the minimum spending requirement is rather high for this bonus (at least $3,334 in average monthly spending for three consecutive months), the rewards are worth it if you can meet the threshold through your business’s natural spending. American Express Membership Rewards points are worth on average two cents each, according to The Point Guy’s valuations, when you transfer rewards to partners for travel redemptions. This means the welcome bonus on this card could be worth $1,400 or more depending on how you redeem your rewards.
Welcome offer aside, cardholders also earn 4X points in the two eligible categories their business spends the most in each billing cycle (on up to $150,000 in combined spending from these categories each calendar year, then 1X), 3X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com, plus 1X points on other purchases. Only the top two categories each billing cycle will count toward the $150,000 cap. The categories are:
- Transit
- U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software and cloud system providers
- U.S. monthly wireless telephone service charges
- U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
- U.S. purchases for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
- U.S. purchases at gas stations
Fees
The American Express® Business Gold Card charges an annual fee of $375 and no foreign transaction fees. Other fees to be aware of include a late payment fee of $39 or 2.99% of any past due Pay in Full amount (whichever is greater; see rates and fees) and a returned payment fee of $39 (see rates and fees).
Notable business perks
The American Express® Business Gold Card doesn’t have the most impressive benefits, especially considering its high annual fee. That said, it does come with some useful protections including trip delay insurance*, a baggage insurance plan*, secondary car rental loss and damage insurance*, purchase protection*, and extended warranties*.
What it’s noticeably lacking are any annual credits, whether for travel or non-travel-related services. Many cards at this annual fee level will offer a few. For example, the consumer version of the American Express Business Gold Card, the American Express® Gold Card**, offers up to $120 Uber Cash annually for rides and eats in the U.S. when you add your Gold Card (up to $10 each month) and up to $120 in dining credits annually when you pay with your card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations (up to $10 each month) in exchange for its $250 annual fee. Annual credits can help offset some of the cost of the annual fee so long as you can use them.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Alternative cards
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
The Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card comes with an annual fee of just $95, and cardholders earn 3X points on up to $150,000 in spending each year in eligible bonus categories (then 1X points) and 1X points on other purchases. New cardholders can also earn 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $8,000 on purchases within three months of account opening.
The big difference here is the fact that Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to a different set of airline and hotel partners, of which there are 14 in total. Some transfer partners available through Chase Ultimate Rewards but not Amex Membership Rewards include Southwest Rapid Rewards, United MilagePlus and World of Hyatt. Plus, cardholders get 25% more value (1.25 cents per point) when redeeming their points for airfare, hotel stays, car rentals and more through Chase Travel℠.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express comes with a much higher annual fee of $695 (see rates and fees), but it offers premium travel benefits like airport lounge access, a fee credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership, up to $400 annually in statement credits toward U.S. purchases with Dell Technologies (up to $200 back semi-annually), up to $360 in statement credits per year for purchases with Indeed, up to $120 in statement credits per year for wireless telephone service purchases made directly with a wireless provider in the US, up to a $200 airline incidental fee credit each year at one selected qualifying airline, up to $189 per year in statement credits toward CLEAR® Plus membership (subject to auto-renewal) and a 35% points rebate when using your points to book qualifying airfare through Pay with Points with American Express Travel (up to 1,000,000 bonus points back per calendar year).
Cardholders can also earn a much higher welcome offer of 150,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $20,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership, plus 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com and 1.5X points in key business categories and on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (on up to $2 million in combined spending per calendar year). All other eligible purchases earn the standard rate of 1X points per dollar spent.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
How American Express® Business Gold Card compares to other cards
- Intro Offer
-
70,000 points Welcome Offer: Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.*
- Annual fee
- $375
- APR
- 19.49% – 28.49% Variable
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1x – 4x Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap.; Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card.; 1X is earned for other purchases. **
- Intro Offer
-
Earn 100,000 bonus points Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Annual fee
- $95
- APR
- 21.24% – 26.24% Variable
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1x – 3x Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year; Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases–with no limit to the amount you can earn
- Intro Offer
-
Earn 150,000 points Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- Annual fee
- $695
- APR
- 19.49% – 28.49% Variable
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1x – 5x 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com; Earn 1.5X points on eligible purchases at US construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year; 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases.
The bottom line
The American Express® Business Gold Card is worth considering if your business spending matches the card’s eligible categories and you travel enough that you can get enough value out of the rewards and card benefits to make the annual fee worthwhile. However, if you’re looking for annual credits or airport lounge access for a more premium travel experience, you might want to consider another option. On the other hand, if you want a simple cash back card with rewards you can use on non-travel expenses, this card won’t provide the best value either.
FAQs
Membership Rewards points can be redeemed for merchandise, statement credits, gift cards or travel through the Amex Travel portal. Cardholders can also transfer their points to a range of airline and hotel brands that partner with Amex where they could be worth more. Non-travel redemptions, such as statement credits or merchandise purchases, tend to offer far lower value so we don’t recommend them.
American Express makes it easy to transfer points to partners through your online account management page. All you have to do is log into your account online. From there, you’ll click on “Explore Rewards,” then “Earn and Redeem.” At that point, you can select the option to “Transfer to Partners,” enter your loyalty program number and transfer your points in increments of 1,000.
For rates and fees of American Express Business Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of American Express Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card from American Express, click here.
**All information about the American Express Gold Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.
