Bottom Line

This card is a good grab when it has a special offer, especially since it doesn't count towards your 5/24. If you spend a lot of money as a business owner in certain categories, the spend multipliers can offset the annual fee -- and then some.

Why You Might Want This Card

For Big-Spending Businesses

This is a hassle-free business card that earns very valuable points. And, you'll get maximum value if you’re a big spender. That's because you can get 4x points back on the 2 categories in which your business spends the most each billing cycle, up to $150,000 annually. Categories include advertising, gas and shipping -- stuff that you spend on anyways.

Offsetting the Annual Fee

Sometimes it’s hard to justify paying a large annual fee like the $295 on this one. But it might be worth it. This fee starts to get offset with the 25% points back you'll get (up to 250,000 points annually) when you use your card to book Amex Travel using the Pay-with-Points option. There's also a flexible payment option that allows you to carry a balance with interest on purchases over $100. It should be noted that purchases under $100 must be paid in full each month. There are no foreign transaction fees, and you have full access to global assist hotline. Once you collect your rewards, you’ll have the freedom to transfer them to Amex partners or Pay-with-Points through the Amex travel portal, getting back 25% of those points each time.

This card also includes the Amex Business app, where you can add receipt images and categorize your transactions, online statement access assigned to an account manager for handling card tasks, and the year-end summary to review annual spending.

Exceptions To The Rule

About Amex Member Rewards

American Express points are relatively easy to earn and use. The rub is, it takes a little more strategy to maximize value.

The simplest option is using the travel portal, which works similarly to Chase. Unfortunately each point is worth only 1 cent toward airfare, making it similar to Capital One valuation if used this way. But if you have the Business Platinum card, your points become worth 1.54 cents each (although it is through a points rebate, not for the current booking), making it a solid valuation with a ton of flexibility. Two quick notes:

1. If you don’t see a desired flight (e.g. Southwest) you can call 800-297-2977 as Amex has access to more flights and you can still pay with points
2. Bookings through Amex travel generally DO NOT show as award travel, so you should receive miles for the flight with the carrier’s system. In this way, it is better than Chase.

Buying gift cards through the Amex Portal will also yield 1 cent per point, sometimes slightly better if there’s a special offer.

Generally, 1 cent is a poor return on Amex points. So if you don’t have the Platinum card, the best way to maximize value is to transfer to a partner. Here are the top choices:

1. Delta Airlines is a 1-to-1 transfer partner of Amex, making your points worth about 1.3 cents each. The trick here is to use Virgin Atlantic (A star alliance partner of Delta) to book international business class and Delta for U.S. domestic flights.
2. Air France via Flying Blue is a great option for International Business Class Flights. You’ll pay some surcharges, but they are relatively small for business class seats.
3. Singapore Airlines, if your destination aligns with theirs, could be a great value for your seats. Here’s why: Singapore’s coach is better than most other carriers' “comfort” seats but cost fewer points.
4. Other potential transfer partners which are slightly more complicated include:
   1. British Airways
   2. Etihad (booking partners through their site)
   3. Avianca (booking partners through their site)

Where American Express Business Gold Fits In This Point Ecosystem

Personal Experience