American Express® Business Gold Card Review

Full Review of American Express Gold Business

Pros Explained

• Excellent and flexible rewards in categories in which you spend the most: This card designates six categories as eligible for its best rewards: tickets bought directly from eligible airlines, U.S. advertising expenses (online, TV, and radio), computer hardware and software purchases from eligible U.S. technology providers, U.S gas stations, U.S. shipping services, and dining at U.S. restaurants. Each month, the two categories among these in which your business spends the most within the U.S. earn 4 times the Membership Rewards points per dollar spent. With those points averaging a worth of 1.54 cents each, according to Investopedia's valuation, rewards in those categories approach an outstanding 5 cents per dollar spent. What’s more, the categories eligible for those earnings adjust monthly to your spending. For example, if you spend heavily on restaurants and shipping in January and on gas and airfare in February, the 4X Membership Rewards rate would automatically shift from January’s biggest-spending categories to the corresponding ones for February.
• Flexible limits and payment options: This card offers some welcome features to accommodate the cash-flow challenges of a business. First, unlike original Amex "charge cards," it has a Pay Over Time option that allows eligible cardholders to carry a balance (with interest). Balances under $100, however, are due in full each month. There's also no pre-set spending limit; instead, the amount adjusts with your use of the card. And finally, cardholders get access to the Amex Working Capital Terms program, which provides access to funds (between $500 and $150,000) to pay vendors for 30, 60, or 90 days at a flat fee of 0.6% to 5.25%.

Cons Explained

• Few or no premium travel benefits: If you frequently travel for business and crave certain perks while on the road, this might not be the card for you. It lacks travel niceties you can find with other business cards, like airport lounge access, credits for Global Entry membership, and free checked bags.
• High annual fee: At $295, the annual fee for this is high indeed. Similar cards offer comparable rates on diverse rewards for less. The Chase Ink Business Preferred card, for example, charges $95 per year and offers 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 combined spent on travel, shipping, Internet, cable and phone services, and advertising each year. It, too, has a sizable bonus offer.

The American Express® Business Gold Card is best suited to small businesses whose highest monthly expenditures fall into at least two of this card's six bonus categories. And those optimal candidates should indeed be small enterprises; you can earn 4 points per dollar for the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these two categories each calendar year.

This is also a card for business owners who are comfortable receiving rewards as Amex membership points, rather than as cash. Receiving points is more complex since it requires some mastery of American Express's rewards system. And the closest option to receiving rewards as cash is to use them to buy gift cards, a cumbersome option that also results in lower values per point than for other options, such as redeeming points to cover travel purchases.

Finally, this card is a decent choice for use abroad, since it doesn’t have the foreign-transaction fee, typically of 3%, that many cards impose on purchases made outside the country.   

American Express® Business Gold Card Bonus Offer

New cardholders who spend $10,000 or more within the first three months of card membership receive 70,000 Membership Rewards points. Plus, you can earn up to $150 back on both U.S. advertising in select media and shipping in the U.S., for a total of up to $300 in statement credits within the first three months. You'll receive the bonus points eight to 12 weeks after meeting the spending requirement.

Based on our valuation for Membership Rewards points, this offer is worth up to $700 when points are used to book flights through the American Express Travel portal. While that’s a solid return among business cards, it isn't the highest available. The Chase Ink Business Preferred card, for instance, offers 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points for spending $15,000 or more within the first three months of card membership—a bonus worth more than the American Express Business Gold, according to our points valuations. 

Rewards Earning Details

This card offers 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar on two categories out of a designated six in each billing cycle. American Express automatically selects the two on which your business has spent the most in that billing cycle. So those earnings are automatic—there's no need to opt in or track categories. The 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar rate is limited to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these two categories each calendar year.

These are the six categories that qualify for bonus rewards. Except for the first item, all require that the spending be made within the U.S.:

• Airfare purchased directly from airlines
• Advertising in select U.S media (online, TV, radio)
• Direct purchases of computer hardware and software from U.S. technology providers like Apple, CDW, Dell, HP, IBM, Intuit, Lenovo, Microsoft, Newegg, Oracle, Rackspace, Sage Software, Salesforce.com, Symantec, and Tiger Direct
• U.S. gas stations, except those at superstores and warehouse clubs
• U.S. restaurants
• U.S. shipping expenses

Spending outside of those categories earns 1 point per dollar spent, as does any spending over the $150,000 threshold for the higher rewards rate.

Rewards Redemption Details

You can redeem points through your American Express account in a variety of ways. Those redemption options include:

• Booking or upgrading travel through the American Express Travel portal
• Paying with points at checkout at various retailers
• Buying gift cards 
• Applying against charges on your card 
• Shopping through the American Express shopping portal

The value of each point varies based on the redemption option you choose. You’ll generally get the best value per point by redeeming points for travel through the American Express Travel portal or by transferring them to a travel partner. Cardholders who book their flight with American Express Travel using Membership Rewards Points will get 25% of those points back. 

Transferring Points

Membership Rewards points can be transferred to the frequent-flyer programs of American Express's partner airlines, with values that vary by airline. Unusual among card issuers, though, American Express charges 0.0006 cents per point for some partner transfers, to a maximum fee of $99. You might be allowed to redeem additional points to cover the fee, though, and despite the charge, there's still a good chance you'll get the most value out of your points by transferring them to another rewards program. 

How to Maximize Your Rewards

To get the most out of this card, use it to pay for expenses that fit into its six bonus categories—you’ll earn 4 times the Membership Rewards points spent on the two categories where you spend the most each month. For all other purchases, you’ll earn 1 point per dollar, which still adds up but may fall short of what you could make with another card on those transactions.

Next, make sure to spend at least $10,000 on this card within the first three months of membership in order to take full advantage of the welcome offer, which we calculate is worth about $798.

It’s best to book your flights through American Express Travel using points, which allows you to get 25% of the points spent back. Doing this after spending the annual maximum of $150,000 in the 4-points-per-dollar Membership Rewards categories would allow you to recoup 150,000 points that would be worth as much as $2,310 by our calculations.

Finally, obtain additional cards for employees who make purchases on behalf of the company in order to further increase the miles earned on the account. Of course, depending on your company policy, those employees may be entitled to retain rewards earned on their travel for their personal use. If so—or in order to allow them to do so—you can enroll your business in Delta's corporate SkyBonus program, provided you have at least five employees with cards who together spend at least $5,000 annually on Delta flights. The program, which is free, allows both the employee and their employer to earn miles rewards on Delta flights. 

Here are average and above-average spending scenarios to illustrate how to make the most of this card for reaping rewards. In all cases, our calculations don't include the value of the 35,000-point welcome offer or factor in the additional 1 point per dollar you'd earn for making purchases outside of the premium rewards categories.

Average Case

Let's say you mainly use this card for two business expenses—flights and restaurants. Each year, you take four round-trip economy flights at an average of $302 each, which is just a little less than the average round-trip flight fare in 2022 according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. You spend an additional $500 per month on purchases at restaurants.

Assuming travel and dining are perennially your two highest monthly spending categories, and so earn 4 times the Membership Rewards points, you'd earn 28,832 points, worth $328.68, when redeemed for travel through American Express. And when redeeming points in that way, 25% of the points used would be returned to your account—boosting your net earnings by an extra $82.17, for a total of $410.85.

Aspirational Case

Adding employees as additional card members could boost your rewards exponentially, especially since there's no charge for each additional card.

Let's say that in addition to your spending on flights and restaurants in the scenario above, you have two employees who each fly for business twice per year and spend a combined $250 per month on restaurant purchases. Assuming you retain employees’ rewards for business trips, the business would earn another 16,832 points with this card. That would put your company’s total for the year at around 45,664 points, which would be worth about $520.57 based upon our valuation of Membership Rewards points. Since 25% of points would be returned to your account for booking through American Express, worth a further $130.14, the total bounty for this spending would reach $650.71. 

American Express Gold Business Card's Outstanding Benefits

• Get 25% points back after using points to pay for all or part of flights booked through Amex Travel
• No pre-set spending limit, which means your spending limit is flexible. Unlike a traditional card with a set limit, the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment, and credit history.
• Access to Working Capital Terms from American Express
• Expense-management tools
• Access to travel discounts and amenities through The Travel Collection
• Benefits with The Hotel Collection 

Standard Benefits

• Global assistance hotline*
• Rental car loss and damage insurance (secondary to your own policy)*
• Access to exclusive events
• Baggage insurance*
• Dispute resolution for fraudulent or incorrect charges 
• Pay Over Time option
  

Cardholder Experience

In the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Small Business Credit Card Satisfaction Study, American Express placed highest and received a score of 862, which was a solidly above-average score.

Cardholders have several options to get in touch with customer service. They can call by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 800-528-4800. Customers can also log in to their account to chat with a representative, and can tweet questions and comments to @AskAmex.

Security Features

Cards from American Express come with industry-standard security precautions, including fraud and online account protection. If your card is lost or stolen, the company will replace it for free through the American Express Go portal.

Final Verdict

Even with its steep annual fee of $295, the American Express® Business Gold Card can be lucrative for small business owners who spend heavily in its bonus categories. However, the rate of 1 point per dollar spent outside of those categories may make it smart to pair this card with a high-earning, flat-rate points card for spending outside of the bonus categories. The Amex Blue Business Plus card, for example, offers 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on everyday business purchases up to $50,000 per year and has no category restrictions.

To see the rates and fees for American Express® Business Gold Card visit the Rates and fees page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is American Express Business Gold worth it?

For the American Express Business Gold to be worth its $295 annual fee, you'll need to spend $500 in two of the bonus categories each month. At four times the points per dollar, that rate should earn you $300 in rewards over the year. If your business doesn't tend to spend in the Business Gold rewards categories, or if you're looking for premium travel perks, this card might not be worth it for you.

Is the American Express Business Gold Card hard to get?

The Business Gold Card from American Express isn't necessarily "hard" to get, but you'll need to make sure your application is strong if you want the best chance of approval. A FICO credit score of 670 or higher shows you have good credit, and that—along with your credit history, personal and business information, and income—will help American Express determine whether you're a creditworthy applicant.

Is the American Express Business Gold good for small businesses?

The Amex Business Gold Card will be best for small businesses that do significant spending in at least two of the card's bonus categories. That way, they can recoup the annual fee.

Does the Amex Business Gold Card have a limit?

There is no pre-set spending limit with the Amex Business Gold Card. Instead, American Express will tailor your limit to your needs, which can be useful when you have big purchases to make.

Is the Amex Gold Card a luxury card?

With a $295 annual fee and terrific points value, the Amex Business Gold Card might feel like a luxury card—but if so, it's an accessible luxury. Your business doesn't need to be a certain size or bring in a certain amount of revenue for you to get approved for the Business Gold Card, and while the annual fee is steep, it's easy enough to recoup the cost with the 4X Membership Rewards program.