American Express® Business Gold Card Review

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.

When you run a business, every dollar counts. Having the right credit card can not only help you pay the bills, but it can go a long way to help you actually save money.

As a business owner, you can qualify for cards that offer better rewards and perks than most personal travel cards.

(And don’t forget: freelancers, side hustlers, and really anyone with a bit of income on the side can qualify for business cards too. You don’t need to be an LLC or have a formal business setup!!)

One of the cards I love is the American Express® Business Gold Card. It’s simple and straightforward, offering flexible bonus categories that actually match your spending habits (something I wish more cards did), and is especially good if you do a lot of paid online ads.

Here’s everything you need to know about the American Express® Business Gold Card to see if it’s right for you:

 

What is the American Express® Business Gold Card?

The Business Gold Card is an easy-to-use business card issued by American Express. Its best feature is the ability to earn 4x points on the top two eligible categories where your business spends the most each month, from six eligible categories (more on those below).

I like that this keeps things simple, instead of offering a laundry list of statement credits to keep track of (though if you are interested in a card that does, check out my review of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express).

As an Amex card, you’ll also get access to fantastic customer service, Amex Offers, and some travel protections.

Here’s a glance at some of the benefits this card offers:

• Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first three months of Card Membership
• Earn 4x Membership Rewards points on the top two eligible categories where your business spends the most each month, from six eligible categories. While your top two categories may change, you will earn 4x points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1x). Only the top two categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap
• Earn 3x Membership Rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card
• Earn 1x on all other purchases
• Earn up to $20 in statement credits monthly for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and office supply stores (that’s up to $240 per year)
• Earn up to a $12.95 (plus applicable taxes on one membership fee) statement credit back each month after you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Business Gold Card (that’s up to $155 per year)
• No foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees)
• Extended warranty, purchase, and cellphone protection*
• Secondary car rental and baggage insurance*

The card does come with a $375 annual fee (See Rates and Fees).

*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.
 

Earning Membership Rewards Points

As I mentioned, the best feature of this card is the ability to earn 4x in the two categories where your business spends the most (on your first $150,000 of spending each year). It’s important to understand that this doesn’t include all spending categories though, just these six eligible categories:

1. Purchases at US media providers for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
2. U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
3. U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
4. U.S. purchases at gas stations
5. Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
6. Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.

The nice part about this benefit is that your top two categories can change from month to month, reflecting your real-time business needs. But one of the ways to really maximize this benefit is that you can get 4x on online ads while most other cards offer a max of 3x. So, if you put all your online ads on this card and keep it as one of your top categories, you can get more points per dollar spent on ads than any other card!

And don’t worry about keeping track of which categories are your most used. The card automatically figures out your top two spending categories and awards points accordingly (you’ll see them as 1x until your statement closes, after which your top categories will be determined and points awarded).

To me, this is a huge perk because it keeps things simple. After all, as a business owner, you already have enough on your plate.

On the flip side, your regular business spending might not align with these categories. If that’s the case, I’d recommend a business card that has an increased earning rate on the ones that you do spend in, or one that earns more across all categories (you can check out which ones I recommend in this post on my favorite business cards).
 

Using Your Membership Rewards Points

With the Business Gold Card, you’ll earn Membership Rewards® points, which you can transfer to any of Amex’s 21 airline and hotel partners. Since Amex has a well-rounded suite of travel partners, Membership Rewards points are some of the most valuable points out there.

These are Amex’s current travel partners:

• Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1 ratio)
• Aeromexico Rewards (1:1.6 ratio)
• Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1 ratio)
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue (1:1 ratio)
• ANA Mileage Club (1:1 ratio)
• Avianca LifeMiles (1:1 ratio)
• British Airways Club (1:1 ratio)
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:1 ratio)
• Choice Privileges (1:1 ratio)
• Delta SkyMiles (1:1 ratio)
• Emirates Skywards (1:1 ratio)
• Etihad Guest (1:1 ratio)
• HawaiianMiles (1:1 ratio)
• Hilton Honors (1:2 ratio)
• Iberia Plus (1:1 ratio)
• JetBlue TrueBlue (250:200 ratio)
• Marriott Bonvoy (1:1 ratio)
• Qantas Frequent Flyer (1:1 ratio)
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club (1:1 ratio)
• Singapore KrisFlyer (1:1 ratio)
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1 ratio)

Most transfers are instant, though some can take up to 48 hours. Remember to only transfer the exact number of points that you need to book your flight or hotel. Transfers are one-way only.

You can also use your Membership Rewards points to book flights and hotels in the Amex Travel portal. I would advise against it though. It’s not as good a value as transferring your points to partners.
 

Up to $395 Per Year in Flexible Credit for Business Purchases

The Business Gold card offers statement credits in two categories, adding up to a potential annual savings of $395 per year (effectively paying for the cost of the card).

First, you can earn up to $20 in statement credits each month after you use the Business Gold Card for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and office supply stores.

Second, you can earn up to $12.95 in statement credits each month after you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Business Gold Card. (Up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes. Plus Ups not eligible.)

I find these statement credits a bit random, and they’re not the most helpful if you have an online business like me. I usually max out on the Grubhub credits though!
 

Access to Amex Offers

The Business Gold Card also has access to Amex Offers, an ever-changing roster of deals where you can save money or earn bonus points with select retailers. The offers are targeted, so every cardholder has their own unique array of offers at any given time. For these offers, you do have to add them to your card before making a purchase (or you won’t get the deal).

Usually, they’re structured as “spend X, get Y amount back as a statement credit” though sometimes they’ll offer bonus points or a percentage back. While you probably won’t be able to take advantage of most offers, the more you can, the more you can offset the card’s annual fee.

New offers get added as old ones expire, so it’s worth checking back every so often so you can add any offers to your card that you might use.
 

Who is the Business Gold Card for?

The Business Gold card is best for business owners who have regular spending in the six categories where you can earn 4x points. This card is especially ideal for entrepreneurs who don’t want to worry about rotating or pre-selecting bonus categories. All you have to do is use it for your regular business spending and you’ll get your points.

Like with any card, if you’re carrying a balance — or think you might — you shouldn’t get this one. Travel cards like this come with high interest rates, and the rewards you earn won’t make up for what you’ll lose in interest charges. Trust me, no amount of points is worth going into debt over!

This card is also not for anyone with poor credit, as you need excellent credit to qualify. (If that’s you, check out the best credit cards for improving your score.)

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The American Express Business Gold Card is one of my favorite business cards. The ability to automatically earn 4x points on your top two spending categories each month keeps things simple and helps you rack up points quickly. And more points equals more trips.

While it’s not as flashy as its more premium counterpart the Business Platinum, I like to keep the Business Gold in my wallet because it works hard behind the scenes. If you’re looking for a solid business card that works as hard as you do, this one’s worth a closer look.

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