American Express® Business Gold Card review

American Express® Business Gold Card review

Updated: February 1, 2024

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Updated: February 1, 2024

Partner Offer: Terms Apply to the offers on this page

Apply now
Ratings Policy
Business Rating:
4.4 rating
4.4 rating
4.4 / 5
Rewards Value2.7
Annual Percentage Rate0.3
Rewards Flexibility3.7
Features3.8
Issuer Customer Experience4.6

In a Nutshell:

The American Express Business Gold Card is a solid choice for a small-business owner who wants to earn and redeem points for business or family travel.

Learn more about this card

Rewards Rate

  • 4 points per dollar in your top two categories your business spends the most each billing cycle out of six eligible categories (on up to $150,000 in combined purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter; only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap)
  • 3 points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com using your Business Gold card
  • 1 point per dollar on other purchases
  • Terms apply
Excellent

Introductory Bonus

  • 70,000 points if you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months of Card membership
  • Terms apply
Very Good

Annual Fee
$375 (see rates and fees)

Poor

APR
19.49% - 27.49% Variable (see rates and fees)

Poor

Rewards Redemption
Pros

  • Points don’t expire
  • No blackout dates
  • No limits on points that you can earn
  • Ability to transfer points to 16 partner airlines

Cons

  • Point transfers may not be instant
  • Lack of solid redemption options other than transferring to airlines
Very Good

American Express Customer Service Ratings

  • J. D. Power 2020 customer satisfaction rating: 838 (no issuers in this category ranked higher)
  • 24/7 customer service?: Yes
  • Online chat available?: Yes
  • Google Play Store mobile app rating: 4.3/5
  • Apple Store mobile app rating: 4.9/5
Excellent

Other Notable Features: No foreign transaction fee (See rates and fees), pay over time option, access to the Working Capital Terms program and short-term business loans, $50 flat fee to add employee cards (See rates and fees), purchase protection, baggage insurance, set limits on employee cards, track receipts through mobile phone, trip delay insurance

If you’re looking for a top-notch business travel card that awards you based on your business’s specific spending, the American Express Business Gold Card might be right for you.

The American Express Business Gold Card earns a stellar 4-point bonus on the two categories you spend the most in each billing cycle. American Express also offers financing features that give cardholders some options for managing cash flow.

Though the card’s $375 annual fee might be a deterrent for some business owners, the flexible earning and business-first perks on this card can make up the cost for the right spender.

See related: Amex Gold vs. Amex Business Gold

Why you might want the American Express Business Gold Card

The American Express Business Gold Card stands out primarily for its flexibility, offering a rewards scheme that adjusts as your business spending does. Plus, the card has a solid roster of business-related perks like expense tracking and financing program-eligibility that can add to its long-term value.

See related: How I use my Amex Business Gold

Flexible bonus categories

To help match rewards with your spending, the Business Gold Card rewards 4 points per dollar in the two categories your business spends the most in each billing cycle on up to $150,000 in purchases per year, then 1 point per dollar thereafter. Eligible categories include U.S. advertising, U.S. gas station purchases, U.S. restaurants, U.S. electronics and U.S. wireless services and transit.

This means that even if you spend the most on U.S. restaurant purchases in one month and the most on U.S. gas station purchases the next, you’ll still earn great rewards. Plus, you earn 1 point per dollar on the remainder of your purchases.

Again, the 4-point bonus is capped at $150,000 in total purchases per year, but this is a very high spending cap, and cardholders shouldn’t have much trouble earning a large number of Membership Rewards points at a high rate.

Fair introductory bonus

The American Express Business Gold Card currently offers 70,000 points for spending $10,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months of card membership. Though not quite as high as the card’s previous offering (which included up to $300 in statement credits on eligible U.S. advertising and U.S. shipping purchases), the latest bonus is still very generous, worth over $800 according to our estimates.

That said, the new bonus carries a high spending requirement, as you’ll need to spend at least $3,334 per month in your first three months to qualify.

When you pair these perks with the bonus points offered on several categories, including U.S. gas station and U.S. dining expenses, you stand to gain enough in the first few years of ownership to help offset the annual fee, especially since the cap is set so high for the combined bonus categories.

No foreign transaction fees

The Amex Business Gold Card doesn’t include a foreign-transaction fee (see rates and fees), which means you can use your card overseas without having to pay the additional 2% to 4% in fees that most cards charge. That said, American Express isn’t universally accepted outside of the U.S.

Manage your cash flow

The Amex Business Gold Card offers a few nifty options for business owners looking to finance a business:

  • Pay Over Time – With the Pay Over Time option, cardholders can choose to pay for eligible purchases over time with interest, up to a specified limit each month.
  • The Working Capital Terms program – American Express offers short-term financing to help card members pay vendor invoices and manage cash flow (terms and restrictions apply).
  • Business loans – Card members are also eligible to apply for fast (approved in as little as 60 seconds), fixed interest rate loans for working capital and short-term financing.

Why you might want a different card

Despite its many benefits, there are some drawbacks to the Amex Business Gold that mean it is not the best card for everyone.

High annual fee

The biggest drawback to this card is the annual fee: At $375 per year, it is one of the highest among the cards we’ve evaluated, and more than double that of cards with similar offers. The Business Gold Card does justify this fee with some nice features and perks. But you can find cards with similar benefits for half the price and a higher rewards value.

$50 fee for employee cards

In order to add additional employee cards, you’ll have to pay a flat fee of $50. Fortunately, you can add up to 99 cards once you meet this requirement.

How the American Express Business Gold Card compares to other business cards

The American Express Business Gold card certainly has a lot to offer in terms of flexibility, but it might not be the best choice for everyone. Depending on where your business spends the most, you might be better off with a card that has a higher rate on fixed bonus categories or a flat rate on every purchase. Here are a few alternatives to check out:

The Business Platinum Card®  from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Capital One Spark Miles for Business
Capital One Spark Miles for Business
Rewards rate

  • 5 points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels through AmexTravel.com
  • 1.5 points per dollar on qualifying purchases of $5,000 or more
  • 1.5 points per dollar on eligible purchases in key business categories
  • Cap applies
  • 1 point per dollar on general purchases
Rewards rate

  • 3 points per dollar on travel, shipping, internet, cable, phone services and advertising purchases ($150,000 combined purchases yearly)
  • 1 point per dollar on general purchases
Rewards rate

5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel

2 miles per dollar on all purchases

Welcome bonus

120,000 points if you spend $15,000 in first 3 months

Welcome bonus

100,000 points if you spend $8,000 in first 3 months

Welcome bonus

50,000 miles if you spend $4,500 in first 3 months

Annual fee
$695 (See rates and fees)
Annual fee
$95
Annual fee
$95 ($0 in first year)
Other things to know

  • Free access to Priority Pass lounges and the American Express lounge collection
  • Up to $100 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee every four years
  • Up to $200 statement credit for incidentals with one selected qualifying airline
  • Up to $189 CLEAR® Plus credit per year (subject to auto-renewal)
  • Statement credits on select purchases with your card, including up to $400 with Dell Technologies, up to $360 with Indeed, up to $150 with Adobe and up to $120 on wireless telephone purchases (enrollment required).
  • Terms apply
Other things to know

  • 25% bonus when you redeem points for travel in Ultimate Rewards portal
  • Free employee cards
  • $600 cellphone protection ($100 deductible, 3X per year)
  • Primary rental car insurance
Other things to know

  • Free employee cards
  • Transfer miles to 15+ travel partners
  • Up to $100 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee every four years
  • Quarterly and year-end summaries

The Business Platinum Card from American Express

The Business Platinum Card from American Express is a slightly more premium offering than the Amex Business Gold, for those who are interested in earning Membership Rewards on top of a bevy of other credits and perks. Its annual fee is steep – $695 – but it is absolutely packed with luxury benefits and value-adding credits like lounge access or up to $360 in credits on Indeed purchases.

Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

The Ink Business Preferred Credit Card from Chase is a more cost-effective option than the Amex Business Gold, only costing $95 per year and with free employee cards to boot. But the tradeoff is that you’ll only earn 3 points per dollar in the cards eligible bonus categories (as opposed to 4X on the Amex Business Gold, up to $150,000 per year, then 1X), and categories are fixed to travel, shipping, internet, cable and phone services and advertising purchases. There is also a $150,000 cap on combined purchases in these categories each year before the earning rate reverts to 1 point per dollar.

Capital One Spark Miles for Business

If you find you don’t spend heavily in any of the bonus categories offered by the Amex Business Gold card, you might find you can make more in rewards by opting for a flat-rate product instead. The Capital One Spark Miles card offers that exact scheme, giving cardholders the same 2-mile-per-dollar rate on every purchase they make. The Spark card is less expensive than the Amex Business Gold too, as it charges a $95 annual fee (waived in the first year).

How to use the American Express Business Gold Card

  • Use the Amex Business Gold Card to pay for everything in the bonus categories, unless you have another card that offers a higher rewards rate for a particular category.
  • Before transferring points to an airline, make sure seats are available.
  • Use Membership Rewards points when you need to book expensive flights, such as full-price economy, first class or business class travel.

Is the American Express Business Gold Card right for you?

So who should get the Amex Business Gold Card? Considering the high fee, we recommend this card only if you can take advantage of its flexible earning categories and use the Amex Travel portal. If you don’t travel frequently or your business spending doesn’t align with eligible categories, you can probably get more value out of a different card.

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.

For rates and fees of the American Express Business Gold card, please click here.

All reviews are prepared by CreditCards.com staff. Opinions expressed therein are solely those of the reviewer and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, presented in the review is accurate as of the date of the review. Check the data at the top of this page and the bank’s website for the most current information.

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Partner Offer: Terms Apply to the offers on this page

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