American Express® Business Gold Card Review

The American Express® Business Gold Card rewards high spenders with a lot of valuable Membership Rewards points.  The card offers the ability to earn 4x based on your ToP areas of spend. In this American Express® Business Gold Card review we will look at the card's welcome offer, earning structure, benefits and share our overall thoughts.

Current Welcome Offer

The Amex Business Gold currently has the following welcome offer (various card colors to choose from):

• 100,000 Membership Rewards after $15,000 spend on eligible purchases in the first 3 months. Terms apply.
• This card has a $375 annual fee. See Rates and Fees.

**It should be noted it may be possible to get higher offers via referrals.

Amex Application Rules

If you choose to apply, remember that Amex typically will not approve you for more than two Amex credit cards during a 90-day period. They also have a 10 card limit on the colored Membership Rewards earning cards (of which this is one of). This includes personal and business cards. This is separate from the 5 card limit on credit cards.

Amex also has a once per lifetime welcome offer rule on each card. This is more like every 5 – 7 years in reality though, and not actually your lifetime. That timeline is based off of when you last held a card, not when you last earned a welcome offer on the product though. If you are ineligible for the welcome offer for any reason American Express will usually let you know that with a pop-up before the application is processed. You can cancel the application at this time with no hard pull.

American Express® Business Gold Card Review: Earning Rate

The Amex Business Gold comes with the following earning structure:

• Earn 4X Membership Rewards(R) points on the top two eligible categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle from 6 eligible categories.
  • While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter).
  • Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap (terms apply).
    • US purchases on the following 6 categories are options:
      • Electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
      • Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.
      • Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways.
      • Online, TV, and radio advertising
      • Gas stations
      • Restaurants (including takeout and delivery)
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com (terms apply).
• Earn 1x on other purchases.

Amex Gold Card Benefits

The Amex Business Gold card comes with a variety of travel benefits for the small business owner.  These include:

Flexible Business Credit

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.

$100 Hotel Credits

Get a $100 credit when a cardholder books their stay through the Amex Hotel Collection and stays at least two consecutive nights. The $100 credit applies to qualifying dining, spa, and resort activities.  Additionally, you will receive a room upgrade upon arrival based on availability.

Walmart+ Membership

Get up to $12.95 back in statement credits each month when you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Business Gold Card. $12.95 plus applicable taxes. (Terms Apply)

Large Purchase Benefits

• An additional year to the original manufacturer’s warranty on purchases with warranties of five years or less.
• Purchase protection on covered purchases for up to 90 days from the purchase date if an item is stolen or accidentally damaged. This coverage is limited to $1,000 per incident, up to $50,000 per calendar year.

ToP Analysis

The Amex Business Gold card has a strong earning power and mediocre benefits. The flexibility to earn 4x on a variety of categories makes this card a keeper for high spenders. The new categories should offer a wider appeal to people too. The ability to earn 600,000 MRs per year from a single card makes the annual fee acceptable, assuming you can maximize the opportunity.

The benefits are “lite” versions of more premium cards. The Business Gold offers 25% points rebate via the Amex Travel Portal and access to The Hotel Collection. This can come in handy in times where the cash price of a flight makes more sense than the award price. It recently added some credits which will require you to jump through some hoops, but some may find value in them.

The card's welcome offer combined with it not impacting your 5/24 slots makes it a great card to apply for if you are eligible for business cards and trying to maintain your 5/24 status.  Further, the Business Gold card could be a great keeper card if the flexibility of the 4x categories works for you.  This is especially a great option for those with high gas and electronics spend.

American Express® Business Gold Card Review: ToP Thoughts

The Amex Business Gold card can be a great addition for those who have significant spend in the bonus categories. The card's powerful earning structure easily offsets the annual fee, despite lacking strong benefits. It's also a great option for those looking for a solid welcome offer while being mindful of their 5/24 status.

What do you think of the Amex Business Gold? Come share your thoughts in our Facebook group!