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Amex Business Gold Card Review: Premium Points On Your Biggest Business Expenses

Review Updated
Lyle Daly
Author: Lyle Daly
Lyle Daly
Lyle Daly
Writer

Lyle Daly is a personal finance writer who specializes in credit cards, travel rewards programs, and banking. His work with Motley Fool Money and The Motley Fool has appeared syndicated in USA Today and Yahoo! Finance. He was born in California but currently lives as a digital nomad with a home base in Colombia.

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Many or all of the products here are from our partners that compensate us. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures that our product ratings are not influenced by compensation. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.

Offer Status

The information for the American Express Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Motley Fool Money. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Business owners with high spending in the right areas could earn plenty of rewards points using the American Express Business Gold Card. This card is special in that its bonus categories depend on where you spent the most money each billing cycle. Since it has a $375 annual fee (see rates and fees), you'll want to ensure it's a good fit before you apply. Read our full American Express Business Gold Card review to find out.

Ratings Methodology

American Express Business Gold Card

Great for: Bonus points flexibility

American Express Business Gold Card
Rating image, 4.25 out of 5 stars.
4.25/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Rating image, 4.25 out of 5 stars.
4.25/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Credit Score: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Credit Score Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Intro APR

Purchases: 0%, 6 months from the date of account opening

Balance Transfers: N/A

APR

18.74% - 27.74%, variable

Rewards Circle with letter I in it. 4 points per $1 in two of the following categories where you spend most: gas, dining, advertising, transit, electronics & wireless ($150,000 annual spending cap). 3 points per $1 on flights and prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com. 1 point per $1 on other purchases

1x - 4x points

Annual Fee

$375

Welcome Offer Circle with letter I in it. 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership

150,000 Membership Rewards® points

  • Businesses looking for flexibility in earning rewards should consider this card. With the ability to choose two spending categories where you earn 4X Membership Rewards® points (up to $150,000 per year), this card allows you to tailor rewards to match your business’s priorities. We also like that there’s no preset spending limit, offering added flexibility in your purchases. With flexible redemption options, premium business tools, and a generous welcome offer of 70,000 Membership Rewards® points, this card is designed to help businesses maximize their rewards and get the most value from their spending.

    • High-value welcome offer
    • Bonus rewards on your biggest expenses
    • Versatile rewards points
    • Consumer and travel protections
    • No preset spending limit
    • Annual fee
    • Spending cap on bonus rewards
    • Welcome Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
    • 0% Intro APR for 6 months from the date of account opening on purchases eligible for Pay Over Time, then a 18.74% - 27.74% variable APR.
    • MORE REWARDS: Get 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 select categories where your business spent the most each month. Earn 3X points on flights & pre-paid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com. 1X is earned for other purchases.
    • 4X points apply to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year.
    • Terms Apply
The information for the American Express Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Motley Fool Money. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Our Top Business Credit Card Alternate Options

We suggest taking a good look at various options to pick the perfect card for you and your small business. Remember, not all business credit cards are created equal, and every business has unique needs. To help you out, we've put together a short list of top-notch business credit cards that offer great value across a variety of business types.

Offer Our Rating Welcome Offer Rewards Program APR Learn More
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
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Earn up to $750 bonus cash back Circle with letter I in it. Earn $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening. Earn 5% cash back in select business categories Circle with letter I in it. Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year. Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. Earn 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn.

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% Intro APR on Purchases

Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 12 months

Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular: 17.74% - 25.74% Variable

Apply Now for Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

On Chase's Secure Website.

Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Earn $750 bonus cash back Circle with letter I in it. Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% Intro APR on Purchases

Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 12 months

Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular: 17.74% - 23.74% Variable

Apply Now for Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

On Chase's Secure Website.

Rating image, 4.75 out of 5 stars.
4.75/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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150,000 Miles Circle with letter I in it. 150,000 Miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening 2X-10X miles Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions. Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get the best prices on thousands of options.

Intro:

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular: N/A

Apply Now for Capital One Venture X Business

On Capital One's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Full Amex Business Gold Card review

This credit card is a good fit for: Business owners who want to earn big rewards in the categories where they spend the most.

Top perks

There are quite a few valuable benefits you get with the American Express Business Gold Card.

Welcome offer

You earn 70,000 bonus points after spending $10,000 on eligible purchases with your card in the first three months. Terms apply.

Rewards

The American Express Business Gold Card has one of the more unique and beneficial rewards structures of all business credit cards. Each billing cycle, you earn 4 points per $1 on whichever two of the following categories your business spent the most money:

  • Airfare purchased directly from airlines
  • U.S. purchases for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
  • U.S. purchases made directly from select technology providers of computer hardware, software, and cloud solutions
  • U.S. purchases at gas stations
  • U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
  • U.S. purchases for shipping
  • Terms apply

The bonus rate of 4 points per $1 applies to your first $150,000 in bonus spending per calendar year. On all other spending, this card earns 1 point per $1.

Learn more: Best Rewards Credit Cards

Versatile points

A big benefit of American Express cards that earn Membership Rewards points is how useful those points are. The Membership Rewards program has one of the largest rosters of airline and hotel partners, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to transfer your points and get lots of value from them.

In addition to points transfers, you can also redeem your points towards the cash price of an airline ticket through American Express's Pay with Points feature. You get a value of $0.01 per point this way, but the American Express Business Gold Card will also refund you 25% of your points on flights with your selected qualifying airline and first or business-class bookings with any airline. Terms apply.

Consumer and travel protections

This card offers several complimentary protections that can come in handy, including:

Hotel benefits

When you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel and stay at least two consecutive nights, you're entitled to the following benefits at participating properties:

  • $100 credit for qualifying dining, spa, and resort activities (qualifying activities vary by property)
  • Room upgrade upon arrival, when available
  • Terms apply

See more: Best Hotel Credit Cards

No foreign transaction fees

As you'd expect from a card that earns travel rewards, the American Express Business Gold Card doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee (see rates and fees).

Related: Check out Motley Fool Money's guide to the Best American Express Credit Cards.

My experience with the American Express Business Gold Card

I have been using the American Express Business Gold Card for just over a year now and have been extremely happy with my decision to make this my go-to credit card for my small business. Before I signed up for this card I was making use of personal credit cards for all my primary business expenses. This included product purchases from my manufacturer, vendor payments and my biggest overall expense, online ad spending. I had read somewhere that you can multiply the impact of online ad spend if you charge it to the right card.

My research led me to the Amex Business Gold Card and its 4X multiplier on all online advertising spend. This meant if I was spending about $250/day in online advertising, I could earn 30,000 points for that spend in a single month. With my previous card I was getting only 1:1 on my ad spend. Combine that with the fact that I could also earn 4X on the two categories where you spend most ($150,000 annual spending cap) and I signed up for this card and never regretted it once. My only regret was not signing up sooner.

What could be improved

The American Express Business Gold Card has a couple areas where it could be better.

Annual fee

With a $375 annual fee, the American Express Business Gold Card isn't cheap. And unlike many credit cards in this price range, it doesn't offer much in the way of spending credits or travel perks.

For the annual fee to be worth it, you need to get enough value from those bonus categories. A good rule of thumb is to consider getting this card if your business spends at least $2,000 per month in bonus categories. With that much spending, you'd earn 96,000 points per year. Even at a conservative value of $0.01 per point, that's $960. After subtracting the annual fee, you'd be getting $585 in annual value.

Keep in mind that it doesn't take nearly as much spending to break even on the annual fee. You'd earn enough to offset the annual fee with $615 per month in bonus spending.

Find the best credit card for your needs
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Amex Business Gold Card credit score

To have a good chance of approval for the American Express Business Gold Card, your FICO® Score should be at least 670. This is a premium business credit card, and it's aimed at business owners with good to excellent credit scores.

You will also need a business to open this card. Keep in mind that you're eligible for a business credit card with any type of business, including a sole proprietorship or a side hustle.

The Amex Business Gold Card is right for you if:

If your business spends in quite a bit of money in one or two bonus categories, then the American Express Business Gold Card could be just what you need.

The business owners who will benefit the most are those who spend upwards of $2,000 to $12,500 per month in this card's bonus categories. Any less than $2,000 and you'd probably be better off comparing credit cards with lower annual fees. Any more than $12,500 and you'll need a card with a higher spending cap on its bonus categories. But if your bonus spending is in that range, you'll get your money's worth from all the points you earn.

Our Credit Card Methodology

At Motley Fool Money, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates credit cards.

FAQs

  • The American Express Business Gold Card doesn't have a credit limit or a preset spending limit. It offers a flexible spending limit that's based on several factors, such as your purchase, payment, and credit history. To see if a large purchase you want to make will be approved, you can use the Check Spending Power tool in your online account or in the American Express mobile app.

  • The American Express Business Gold Card isn't hard to get, but approval depends on your credit history, income, and business. Most approved applicants have a FICO® Score of 670 or higher. If your business is new and doesn't have much revenue yet, it's possible to get approved based on your personal income and credit profile.

  • Yes, you can use this card internationally, and it doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee.