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If your business spending fluctuates from month to month, the American Express® Business Gold Card is a standout card, since it automatically lets you earn the highest rewards rate in the top two categories you spend the most in each month.
This card does come with a $375 annual fee; however, the value you can get from its welcome offer, rewards rate and benefits can more than make up for that amount each year.
We highlight the pros and cons of the American Express® Business Gold Card, and compare it to The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card with no annual fee to help you determine which card is the right fit for you.
Intro Purchase APR
0% on purchases for 6 months from date of account opening
Regular Purchase APR
18.99% - 27.99% Variable
Intro BT APR
N/A
Regular BT APR
N/A
Annual Fee
$375
Cash Advance Fee
N/A
Foreign Transaction Fee
None
Balance Transfer Fee
N/A
Generous rewards on your top spending categories
When you use the American Express® Business Gold Card, you’ll get 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 eligible categories where your business spent the most each month on the first $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card. Earn up to $20 in statement credits monthly after you use the Business Gold Card for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and Office Supply Stores. This can be an annual savings of up to $240. Enrollment required. Terms apply.
The 4X bonus categories include the following:
Note that the elevated rate only applies to the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases from the two categories each calendar year (1X Membership Rewards points on all other purchases). Still, if you max out the spending cap, you can earn 600,000 points per year on those purchases.
Solid welcome offer
You’ll earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.* If you use your Membership Rewards points to book flights through the Amex Travel portal, they’ll be worth 1 cent each – making the welcome offer worth $700. Points can also be redeemed for other travel, gift cards or merchandise, or used to cover your card charges — but often for less value.
You can typically squeeze the most value from your Membership Rewards points by transferring them to one of American Express’s travel partners, largely at a rate of 1 to 1. Partners include British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Marriott Bonvoy and more.
Foreign transaction fee: None
While many credit cards charge foreign transaction fees ranging from around 3% to 5% of the amount of each transaction when you make purchases outside of the U.S., the American Express® Business Gold Card doesn’t. This makes the card ideal to bring along when traveling abroad.
25% airline bonus
When you use your American Express® Business Gold Card to book an eligible flight through American Express Travel using Membership Rewards® Pay with Points, you’ll get 25% of your points back — up to a maximum of 250,000 points per calendar year.
Plus, enjoy the following travel benefits:
No preset spending limit
Unlike most credit cards, which have a set credit limit you have to keep your spending within, the American Express® Business Gold Card has no preset spending limit. Now, that doesn’t mean you can spend an unlimited amount with this card — rather, the limit is flexible and adapts based on factors like your credit history and your purchase and payment history.
Pricey annual fee
With an annual fee of $375, the American Express® Business Gold Card won’t be cheap to carry. And while the welcome bonus can more than make up for that amount during the first year of card membership, you’ll have to spend at least $9,375 per year after that in categories that earn 4X points to recoup the annual fee (assuming you redeem those points for a 1-cent value each).
If you don’t plan on spending enough to justify the annual fee, you may want to consider a no annual fee card, like The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card. Just know that rewards cards with no annual fee often offer lower rewards rates and less robust benefits than those that do charge one.
High spend requirement to earn welcome offer
To earn this card’s welcome offer, you’ll need to spend $10,000 in the first three months of card membership. This equals out to approximately $3,333 per month for three months.
If you’re planning to spend heavily on the card during the first three months, the welcome offer can be easily attainable. But if your business operates on a smaller scale, you may want to consider a card that requires a lower spend to earn the welcome offer.
Bonus categories may not align with your spending
If your spending fits well within the six categories that can potentially earn the 4X rewards rate, the American Express® Business Gold Card can be a great choice. But if you spend more in other categories — such as hotels, grocery stores, commuting or online purchases — a card that offers accelerated rewards on those purchases will likely serve you better.
Can't carry a balance on some purchases
With the American Express® Business Gold Card, you can only carry a balance from month to month on certain charges through its Pay Over Time option. This feature lets you pay for eligible purchases of $100 or more over time with interest; however, you’ll still be responsible for paying the remainder of your purchases in full at the end of each billing cycle.
Note that enrollment for Pay Over Time is required, and you’ll accrue interest charges on all eligible purchases if you choose to carry a balance.
If you want to finance a large purchase and pay it off over time interest-free, you should instead consider a card that offers a 0% intro APR on purchases for a year or longer. The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, for example, comes with a 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 12 months, after which an APR of 17.99% - 23.99% Variable applies.
If you’re a business owner who travels frequently and doesn’t mind paying a much heftier price tag for more premium travel benefits, such as airport lounge access, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express will be a better fit.
You’ll earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, get 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com, and 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases. Earn 1.5X points (that’s an extra half point per dollar) on each eligible purchase at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more, on up to $2 million per Card Account per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus.
This card does charge a high annual fee of $695, but if you take advantage of its valuable travel benefits and credits, you can more than make up for that amount each year. Along with access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection® and a 35% airline bonus, this includes:
If the earning categories for the American Express® Business Gold Card don’t match your spending habits, and you don’t plan to take advantage of premium travel benefits, a no annual fee business card — like The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card — may be better suited for your needs.
The card offers a solid earning rate on every purchase: Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1% If you max out the annual $50,000 spending cap, you can earn $1,000 in cash back on those purchases each year.
If you need to finance a big purchase, this card offers an introductory APR of 0% on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening (then 17.99% - 25.99% Variable APR), unlike the American Express® Business Gold Card and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.
| Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Welcome Offer | Rewards Rate | Annual Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
American Express® Business Gold Card
|
Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.* | Get 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 eligible categories where your business spent the most each month on the first $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card. Earn up to $20 in statement credits monthly after you use the Business Gold Card for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and Office Supply Stores. This can be an annual savings of up to $240. Enrollment required. Terms apply. | $375 | ||
|
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
|
Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. | 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com, and 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases. Earn 1.5X points (that’s an extra half point per dollar) on each eligible purchase at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more, on up to $2 million per Card Account per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus. | $695 | ||
|
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
|
Earn a $250 statement credit after you make $3,000 in purchases on your Card in your first 3 months. | Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1% | No annual fee |
If you spend thousands of dollars each year on business expenses that fit into the American Express® Business Gold Card’s offered bonus categories — and you take advantage of the card’s travel benefits — you stand to get a lot of value from the card, even with its $375 annual fee.
But if you want access to even more luxurious travel benefits and credits that can easily be worth more than $1,000 per year, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express may be a better fit.
Or, if you want to earn a solid cash back rate on all of your business expenses, but you aren’t ready to commit to paying an annual fee each year, The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card may be preferable.
To see rates & fees for American Express cards mentioned on this page, visit the links provided below:
The content above is not provided by any issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of LendingTree alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any issuer. The offers and/or promotions mentioned above may have changed, expired, or are no longer available. Check the issuer's website for more details.
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