| Last updated on October 26th, 2023
American Express® Business Gold Card
American Express® Business Gold Card
American Express® Business Gold Card
- 19.49% to 27.49% variable based on creditworthiness and the Prime Rate for Pay Over Time Regular Purchase APR
At a Glance
Business owners with a clear understanding of their company’s needs will enjoy the customizable rewards available to them through the American Express® Business Gold Card. The card gives you the ability to choose two categories to receive 4X the points from, then one point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases plus a generous welcome offer where companies can earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points.
- Best Benefits
- Rates & Fees
- Why Should You Apply?
- Welcome Offer: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership*
- **4X points apply to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year.*
- PAY OVER TIME OPTION: Decide whether you want to pay eligible purchases in full each month – or pay over time with interest.*
- *Terms Apply.
- Regular Purchase APR: 19.49% to 27.49% variable based on creditworthiness and the Prime Rate for Pay Over Time
- Penalty APR: 29.99% variable based on the Prime Rate
- Annual Fee: $295
- Late Payment Penalty Fee: $39 or 2.99% of any past due Pay in Full amount, whichever is greater
- Return Payment Penalty Fee: $39
- You own a business and want to earn points for everyday expenses on select bonus categories where your business spends the most, such as airfare, advertising, gas, shipping, and computers
- You plan to make frequent purchases, particularly within the first few months of becoming a cardholder, in order to qualify for lucrative introductory offers
- You can benefit from insightful software tools to both help manage your business and recruit promising talent
- You will make use of Amex’s Pay Over Time option for business expenses
American Express® Business Gold Card Review
The American Express® Business Gold Card is a lucrative business rewards card that operates on a pay-in-full basis (much like a charge card). The card provides up to 4X Membership Rewards points on purchases, with a host of excellent statement credits to help companies claw back the $295 annual fee. Businesses can add up to five (5) additional employees to the account for free, with each additional card over the five charged $35 per year per card.
Welcome Offer
The Business Gold Card from Amex also comes with a rather lucrative welcome offer. Your new accounts can earn 60,000 bonus Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of card membership. That offer is a very impressive addition to the already impressive point-earning potential of the Gold Card. Sixty-thousand points are roughly valued at $600 – more than enough for a flight upgrade on your next intercontinental business trip.
Up to 4X on the Categories that Matter to You
The Business Gold Card from American Express provides flexibility when it comes to selecting its most beneficial rewards category, while still offering elevated bonus points earning potential for the resulting secondary categories. Cardholders can choose to receive 4X Membership Rewards points from two of the following categories:
| Card Members can use the U.S. Business Gold Card to automatically earn 4X Membership Rewards points in the top two eligible categories where their business spent the most each billing cycle, to help take the guesswork out of earning rewards. Applicable on the first $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year, including the following categories: | |||
| Electronic goods retailers | Software | Cloud system providers | Monthly wireless telephone services |
| Select advertising (online, TV, radio | Gas stations | Restaurants, including takeout and delivery. | Transit |
Cardmembers also earn 3X points on eligible purchases through AmexTravel.com and 1X on all other purchases made with the card.
Previously, the card earned 4X on airfare purchased directly from airlines, U.S. purchases for advertising in select media, U.S. purchases at gas stations, U.S. purchases for shipping, or U.S. computer hardware, software, and cloud computing purchases made directly from select providers. They’ll also receive 1X points per dollar spent on other eligible purchases. The additions of advertising and recurring software is a great boost to companies that really plan to make use of the Gold Card – and the transit and wireless phone categories are great if you plan to issue multiple employee cards to amass the Membership Rewards points.
As noted, the 4X points apply to the first $150,000 in purchases with the Business Gold Card in the select spending categories. each calendar year. Once the business exceeds the $150,000 threshold, it’ll earn the same, flat rate 1X points as all non-select category purchases.
How to Redeem Amex Membership Rewards
As with other loyalty programs, Amex Membership Rewards points apply to a wide variety of redemption options. Those redemption options include:
| Travel | Hotels | Airfare |
| Cruises | Merchandise with select partners | Gift cards |
| Statement credits | Charitable donations | Transfer to partners |
Membership Rewards have an average value of $0.01, but Amex points usually have a higher average value when they are transferred to partners. American Express Membership Rewards are an exceptional value because they transfer to many other airlines and hotels. These include:
| AeroMexico (Club Premier) | Avianca (LifeMiles) | Emirates (Skywards) |
| Air Canada (Aeroplan) | British Airways (Executive Club) | Etihad (Guest) |
| Aer Lingus (AerClub) | Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles) | Air France/KLM (Flying Blue) |
| All Nippon Airways (ANA Miles) | Delta Air Lines (SkyMiles) | Hawaiian Airlines (HawaiianMiles) |
| Iberia Plus | Choice Privileges | Hilton Honors |
| Marriott Bonvoy | JetBlue (TrueBlue) | Marriott Bonvoy |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Virgin Atlantic (Flying Club) |
Choose Your Own Design
Business Management Tools
To help expedite the accumulation of points, cardholders can add Employee Cards to their account, which can be tracked using the Spend Manager feature, account alerts, and detailed online statements for added peace of mind. Other business management tools include Amex Year-end Summary, which offers detailed summaries of charges so companies can review their annual spending.
Here are all Amex’s SMB business management tools:
| Complimentary employee cards | Get more out of your Business Card with Employee Cards. Earn miles‡ and stay on top of how much employees are spending. |
| QuickBooks® integration | Save time with auto-expense categorization in QuickBooks- Once enrolled, your Business Card transactions are automatically tagged with your QuickBooks categories. |
| Account manager | Free up time. Assign a trusted team member to oversee your American Express account. Account Managers can handle tasks like making payments, reviewing transactions, and adding Employee Cards, so you’re free to focus on other priorities. |
| Account alerts | Set Account Alerts to help you avoid late payments, spot irregular spending, and monitor Employee Card use. |
| Vendor Pay by Bill.com | You can make the most out of paying your business bills. Improve your cash flow and take advantage of Card benefits when you use your Card to pay bills with Vendor Pay by Bill.com. Take advantage of Vendor Pay by Bill.com by enrolling your Card. With the basic plan, there is no monthly fee for the first user and no fee for a second user for six months. After six months, the second user will have a fee of $15 per month. Additional fees may apply based on plan type and number of users. |
| Year-end summary | After the end of the year, see a complete summary that categorizes your spending by month and purchase type, and helps you track your business expenses down to the last detail. |
| ‡ Terms apply | |
Pay Over Time
While the Business Gold Card is a charge card, that does not mean companies can’t enjoy the chance to carry a balance. American Express offers a special “Pay Over Time” feature that allows businesses to finance select purchases of $100 or more at a competitive APR.
Cardholders can activate Pay Over Time, and select charges will be added to the feature automatically. Then Gold Cardholders have the choice of paying the balance in full or carrying that balance with interest. The Pay Over Time credit limit is found in the balance details on a user’s account.
Other Features
Cardholders also enjoy cell phone protections, meaning you can be reimbursed the lesser of your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen or theft, for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month’s wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of two (2) approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply.
Like other American Express business card products, the Gold Card features a variety of benefits and protections. These features include:
| Extended Warranty | Return Protection | Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance | Amex Concierge |
| Purchase Protection | Zero Fraud Liability | Trip Delay Insurance | Amex Offers |
Amex Ratings
What is America Express like as a bank? Here is a selection of ratings for Amex:
| BestCards | Better Business Bureau | TrustPilot |
|
3.5/5 |
2/5 |
1.5/5 |
Should You Apply for the American Express Business Gold Card?
The Gold Business Card may seem pricey given it’s $295 annual fee, but for the right companies, it’s a very fair price. Earning 4X points in the two categories they spend the most is always a welcome perk, but when those categories include advertising, shipping, technology, and dining, it’s a guaranteed recipe for savings. This is especially true when additional employee cards are issued, as the value soars even further.
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.
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.
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