American Express® Business Gold Card review: Solid rewards for big spenders

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Business owners looking to maximize their rewards earnings with a single card may want to consider the American Express® Business Gold card.

While it comes with a substantial annual fee, the card's earning potential and benefits can make it worthwhile for the right businesses. Companies with larger spending needs may find significant value with this card, particularly when aiming to meet the minimum requirement for the welcome bonus.

How the the American Express Business Gold works

The American Express Business Gold card allows business owners to leverage their business expenses into valuable rewards. The card’s earning rates are generous and focus on common business spending categories. It comes with a generous welcome bonus, though it does have a high minimum spending requirement.

American Express Business Gold rewards

A major benefit of the American Express Business Gold is the ability to earn bonus points on two of your top earning categories. You also get a lot of flexibility in redeeming our American Express Membership Rewards points.

Earning rewards

One aspect that makes the Amex Business Gold stand out from other business credit cards is its rotating bonus categories based on your spending habits. You can earn 4X points per dollar spent on your top two eligible categories each billing cycle.

There are six eligible purchase categories:

• U.S. gas stations
• Transit (including public transportation, ferries, tolls, taxis, parking, and rideshare services)
• Wireless phone service charges from a U.S. provider
• U.S. restaurants and takeout and delivery services
• U.S. electronic goods retailers, U.S. software, and cloud system providers
• Advertising in select media by U.S. providers

Your top categories will change according to the category where your business spent the most each billing cycle. There is a $150,000 spending cap on 4X earnings, after which you'll earn 1X point per dollar.

Cardholders can also earn:

• 3X points on eligible travel purchases (including flights and prepaid hotels booked through AmexTravel.com)
• 1X point per dollar on all other eligible purchases

Redeeming rewards

Rewards redemption options are on par with other American Express cards and competitors offering general rewards credit cards.

You can use your Membership Rewards points to:

• Book travel on Amex Travel
• Redeem for gift cards
• Statement credits
• Shop on the Membership Rewards online shopping portal
• Pay with points on Amazon

American Express also has over 20 airline and hotel partners where you can transfer your points.

In most cases, you will get the most value by using your points to book travel on Amex Travel or transfer points to travel partners.

American Express Business Gold benefits

If you can maximize the perks included with the American Express Business Gold card, you may be able to justify the annual fee.

Welcome bonus

New cardholders can earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $15,000 in purchases within the first three months. While the welcome bonus is high, you do have to spend a decent chunk of money to get it. Keep in mind that you won’t be eligible for the welcome offer if you’ve had this card or previous versions of it in the past.

Additional perks

While you won’t get luxury travel benefits like airport lounge access, the Amex Business Gold offers several valuable perks.

• Flexible business credit: Receive up to $240 in statement credits on qualifying purchases at office supply stores, Grubhub, and FedEx in the U.S. You will need to enroll to receive this benefit.
• Walmart+ credit: You can receive up to $155 in statement credits each year if you use your Business Gold Card to purchase a Walmart+ membership.
• The Hotel Collection: When you book through Amex Travel, you can get up to $100 in statement credits for experiences at stays from The Hotel Collection. Qualifying experiences include spa treatments, resort activities, and dining. The credit applies to two consecutive nights.
• Pay Over Time intro APR offer: 0% intro APR for six months from the date of account opening on purchases eligible for Pay Over Time, then 18.74% to 27.74% variable APR (See rates and fees).
• No foreign transaction fees: You won’t pay foreign transaction fees when you use your card outside of the U.S., making it ideal for businesses with frequent overseas travel or global operations.

There are several travel and purchase protections: Car rental loss and damage insurance, trip delay insurance, baggage insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty for qualifying purchases

The Business Gold card also offers cell phone protection. If your phone is damaged or stolen, you can receive up to $800 per claim, up to two per year, as long as you used your card to pay for it.

American Express Business Gold drawbacks

High annual fee

The $375 annual fee (see rates and fees) isn’t the highest, but it’s not exactly budget-friendly, either. You’ll need to spend enough or use all of the available credits each year to offset the fee.

No luxury travel perks

Unlike some competitors that charge similar annual fees for business cards, the Business Gold doesn’t offer luxury travel perks like airport lounge access or statement credits for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fees.

Aside from the credit from bookings for stays at The Hotel Collection properties, there aren’t any statement credits from travel purchases.

Complicated bonus categories

While the Business Gold card's bonus categories can maximize your spending, you may not know how much you'll earn until the end of the billing cycle. The spending cap on bonus earnings may also limit rewards for businesses with high expenses.

How the American Express Business Gold compares

The American Express Business Gold card may be a great fit for high spenders, but it may fall flat for those looking for more travel benefits and bonus earnings in a broader range of categories. Businesses starting out or with lower spending needs may get less use out of the card.

American Express Business Gold vs. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

The Ink Business Preferred Credit Card has a lower annual fee, which may better fit businesses with lower budgets. The welcome offer is also lower, but so is the minimum spending requirement. Both cards offer flexible redemption options and the ability to transfer points to airline and hotel partners.

American Express Business Gold vs. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express doesn’t have an annual fee, which could be a good fit for businesses starting out or those who don’t want to spend a ton on expenses. See rates and fees.

There is a welcome offer, but it's much lower than you'd get with the Business Gold card. That said, the minimum spending requirement for the Blue Business Plus is also a third of the Business Gold.

What stands out with the Blue Business Plus is that you can earn a flat 2X points per dollar on all purchases up to $50,000, then 1X points per dollar thereafter. Businesses that spend across several spending categories may find this more straightforward to manage.

Who should get the American Express Business Gold?

The Business Gold card is best suited for businesses that spend heavily across the card’s bonus categories and on travel purchases. It’s also a great fit if you plan on making a large purchase and want to use the introductory APR offer to spread it out over time.

This card isn’t the best fit for businesses with smaller budgets that don't spend much on business-related travel, meals, ads, and software. Companies that won’t be able to maximize the statement credits offered may want to look at alternatives.

How we rated this card

Every credit card review we publish has gone through a rigorous editorial process to ensure accuracy and objectivity.

We rate all credit cards on a 10-point system, with 10 being the highest possible score and 1 being the lowest possible score. We assess each card across several key factors, weighted based on what our research shows matters most to readers like you. Learn more about our methodology here.

The bottom line

The American Express Business Gold card is a solid choice for businesses that can justify the annual fee, take advantage of statement credits offered, and maximize earnings through spending in eligible bonus categories. While it doesn't offer luxury travel perks, it provides practical benefits for business owners. However, businesses looking to pay lower annual fees might want to explore other options.

*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.

Editorial disclosure: Opinions expressed are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included in the post.