American Express Business Gold Card review 2024: Now shines even brighter with improved earnings and perk

The refreshed American Express® Business Gold Card * The information for the American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. (terms apply) earns 4 Membership Rewards points per $1 on up to $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year on the 2 select categories your business spends the most each month, 3 points per $1 on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com and 1 point per $1 for other purchases — making it a powerhouse for both small and large ventures.

American Express Business Gold Card basics

• Annual fee: $375. 
• Welcome bonus: 70,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. 
• Rewards: 4 Membership Rewards points per $1 on up to $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year on the 2 select categories your business spends the most each month, 3 points per $1 on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com and 1 point per $1 for other purchases.
• APR: 19.49% to 28.49% variable APR. 
• Perks/benefits: Up to $395 in various statement credits, cell phone protection¹, travel protections, purchase protections² (details below), card comes in rose gold or standard gold and has no foreign transaction fees on the American Express® Business Gold Card * The information for the American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. . 
• Does the issuer offer a preapproval tool? No.

About the American Express Business Gold Card

While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all-solution when it comes to business cards, the American Express® Business Gold Card * The information for the American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. comes close. After an October 2023 refresh, the American Express Business Gold Card earns 4 Membership Rewards points per $1 on up to $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year on the 2 select categories your business spends the most each month, 3 points per $1 on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com and 1 point per $1 for other purchases. 

This flexible yet lucrative earning structure offers high rewards potential for your business, allowing you to earn potentially hundreds of thousands of Membership Rewards points every year. New applicants can also receive 70,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. 

There’s an annual fee of $375 but also a couple new flexible annual statement credits designed for business owners that can help offset the cost. Cardholders will enjoy $20 back per month for eligible purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and office supply stores, for up to $240 annually (when you enroll). Additionally, the card offers reimbursement via an up to $12.95 statement credit, plus applicable taxes monthly for one Walmart+ membership (valued at $155 annually and subject to auto-renewal) for free shipping on everyday goods and groceries, savings on gas and more. If maximized, these statement credits alone outweigh the card’s $375 annual fee.

You’ll also enjoy peace of mind with up to $800 in cell phone coverage against theft and damage¹.

There’s a relatively high Pay-Over-Time APR depending on your creditworthiness — 19.49% to 28.49% variable APR. You should also be aware that the authorized user fee also got a price hike. Starting Feb. 1, 2024 the annual fee for employee cards will be $95 total for the first five employee cards and then $95 for each additional card thereafter.

Pros

• Extraordinary returns on business expenses: The card offers high rewards across a wide spectrum of typical business expenses.
• Up to $395 in statement credits: The American Express® Business Gold Card * The information for the American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. offers up to $20 in monthly statement credits towards eligible purchases at FedEx, GrubHub and office supply stores and reimbursement for a Walmart+ membership, worth up to $155 annually (subject to auto-renewal).
• Valuable protections and insurances: Perks include cell phone protection¹, Global Assist hotline³, purchase protection², extended warranty², trip delay insurance⁴ and baggage insurance².
• Available in rose gold and classic gold design: Choose between a classic gold or a new rose gold version, previously only available on the consumer version of the card.  
• No foreign transaction fees: American Express waives international change fees when using your card abroad.

Cons

• The annual fee increases from $295: The annual fee increased to $375, so you’ll want to determine whether it’s worth paying the additional $80 for the new bonus categories and benefits. Additionally, the annual fee will be charged in full when you open your account.
• Employee cards aren’t free: If this was a card you planned on giving out to a large team of employees, be aware that first five employee cards will cost you $95 total and then $95 for each additional card thereafter starting Feb. 1, 2024.
• Steep regular APR: With an interest rate of 19.49% to 28.49% variable APR, you’ll want to avoid making a habit of carrying a balance.
• There is an annual spend cap on the elevated rate: The select categories that earn the higher rate have a combined annual spending limit of $150,000 on the top two categories. 
• Shipping is no longer a bonus category: This ability to earn high rewards on U.S. shipping purchases was removed with the relaunch of the American Express® Business Gold Card * The information for the American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. . 

Rewards

New applicants of the American Express® Business Gold Card * The information for the American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. can earn a hefty welcome offer: 70,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. While you’re spending your way to this big welcome offer, you’ll also enjoy the card’s excellent rewards rate. 

You’ll automatically earn:

• 4 Membership Rewards points per $1 on up to $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year on the 2 select categories your business spends the most each month.
• 3 Membership Rewards points per $1 on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com.
• 1 point per $1 for other purchases.

There are two types of business owners that can likely maximize this rewards rate. First, if your month-to-month spending is predictable and you’re certain of which two bonus categories you’d like to prioritize with the American Express Business Gold, you could earn potentially up to 600,000 Membership Rewards® points every year at the card’s highest rate.

Otherwise, for budding entrepreneurs or unconventional businesses, the Amex Business Gold’s rewards rate can help you maximize your rewards on ever-changing expenditures. Best of all, these categories are automatically activated based on your spending. In January, for instance, your top categories may be transit and restaurant purchases — while in February, you might spend more on gas stations and on electronic goods. 

The Amex Membership Rewards program offers a broad range of redemption options, from covering charges on your statement credit to redeeming gift cards. You can expect a redemption value of 0.5 cents to 1 cent per point, depending on how you use them. 

However, booking travel will almost be the best use of your coveted Membership Rewards points, and you can look toward Amex’s nearly two dozen airline and hotel transfer partners. By transferring your Membership Rewards points to Delta SkyMiles, Hilton Honors and other participating loyalty programs, the sky’s the limit for your point-redemption value — especially if you’re looking to travel in style. 

For instance, you could transfer your points to Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue to fly in a lie-flat seat from Atlanta to Paris for just 70,000 points in February 2024. This premium ticket typically costs at least $3,500, meaning that you’ve tapped into almost 5 cents per point in value. Even better, Amex occasionally offers a 25% transfer bonus to Flying Blue throughout the year, meaning that same ticket would cost even fewer points when such a bonus is active — just 56,000 Amex Membership Rewards points.  

American Express Business Gold Card rewards potential

All businesses vary greatly in size, income and expenditures, so it can be difficult to capture the exact rewards potential. Therefore, we will use government data and other publicly available information for households in the U.S. that would be in the market for this card — with an annual income of $84,352 and $25,087 in expenses.

For the purpose of this exercise, we estimate that half of these expenses fall under the top two categories on the American Express® Business Gold Card * The information for the American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. . Therefore, a business could collect 66,830 Membership Rewards points each year.

If you redeem these points at a value of 1 cent each, that’s $668.30 worth of rewards. But, as mentioned above, savvy travel redemptions may net you a greater value.

How the Amex Business Gold compares to other business cards 

American Express Business Gold Card vs. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express * The information for the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

If you’re looking for advanced travel perks, look no further than The Business Platinum card (terms apply). Enjoy a finer airport experience with lounge access at more than 1,400 outposts worldwide, including the premium Amex Centurion clubs. The Amex Business Platinum card is now the only Amex business card to offer a unique Pay with Points Bonus, offering 35% back on eligible airline award tickets (up to 1 million points back per calendar year). 

Most notably, the Amex Business Platinum comes with a much higher $695 annual fee than the American Express® Business Gold Card * The information for the American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. . Similarly, there are plenty of annual travel and business credits to help you offset this cost, including a Dell Technologies statement credit for U.S. purchases of up to $400, an airline fee statement credit of up to $200, a statement credit of up to $189 toward your CLEAR® Plus membership and more. Terms apply, enrollment required for some benefits.

It’s also worth comparing the rewards rate on the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express * The information for the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , which earns 5 Membership Rewards® points per $1 on flights and prepaid hotels through American Express Travel, 1.5 points per $1 at U.S. construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software and cloud system providers, shipping providers, and purchases of $5,000 or more on up to $2 million per calendar year and 1 point per $1 on other eligible purchases. Ultimately, the Amex Business Gold’s elevated earning rate in the top two categories where your business spends the most is hard to beat for businesses with thousands of dollars in expenses.

American Express Business Gold Card vs. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card * The information for the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.  

Chase offers the Ink Business Preferred for folks who can’t stomach a triple-digit annual fee like on the American Express® Business Gold Card * The information for the American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. . At just $95 per year, the Ink Business Preferred provides great returns on relevant business expenses, earning 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.

The Chase Ultimate Rewards® program offers high-value redemption options, and Chase provides over a dozen airline and hotel transfer partnerships. Alternatively, you can redeem your Ultimate Rewards points at a value of 1.25 cents per point on any travel booked through the Chase portal.

Finally, the Ink Business Preferred comes with a high-value welcome bonus: 100,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. However, you’ll want to make sure your business can meet this spending requirement in this short timeframe. 

American Express Business Gold Card vs. Capital One Spark 2% Cash Plus * The information for the Capital One Spark 2% Cash Plus has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Some business owners may prefer simplicity and ease when it comes to earning credit card rewards. The Capital One Spark Cash Plus has an annual fee of $150 and offers unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase and 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Plus, you can get your annual fee refunded every year you spend at least $150,000. 

Another perk of the Capital One Spark Cash Plus is that there’s no preset spending limit. What you can charge to the card adapts based on your spending behavior, payment history and credit profile. However, there are no travel transfer partners with this card, unlike with the American Express® Business Gold Card * The information for the American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , so if that’s a feature you’re seeking, this card is not a fit.

Is the American Express Business Gold Card right for you?

The American Express Business Gold is a terrific option for those who:

• Have thousands of dollars in business expenses that fit into one or two of the bonus rewards categories.
• Generally spend no more than the $150,000 annual cap in those bonus categories.
• Want to start earning flexible and valuable Membership Rewards points in return.
• Can earn enough back in value from the rewards and statement credits to make the card’s $375 annual fee worth paying.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

^{¹Coverage for a Stolen or damaged Eligible Cellular Wireless Telephone is subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions and limits of liability of this benefit. The maximum liability is $800, per claim, per Eligible Card Account. Each claim is subject to a $50 deductible. Coverage is limited to two (2) claims per Eligible Card Account per 12 month period. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.}

^{²Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.}

^{³Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.}

^{⁴Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.}