Amex Business Gold Credit Card Review
Key Takeaways
If you qualify for a business card, the American Express Business Gold is worth considering at the right time. Because American Express generally limits sign-up bonuses to once every seven years, it’s usually best to wait for an elevated offer before applying. The $375 annual fee can be partially offset with the card's statement credits, but only if those are expenses you already have. Otherwise, the card can be difficult to justify as a long-term keeper.
Why This Card Could Be Right For You
The standard 100,000 point bonus after $15,000 in purchases within the first three months is solid, but we’ve seen higher public offers for the same spending requirement. Because of the Amex 1/7 Rule, it may be worth waiting for an elevated offer.
An elevated welcome offer alone can make the card worthwhile in the first year. Long-term value depends on how much use you get from the statement credits and spending multipliers:
- $300 annual ChatGPT Business credit (note that the business version requires a minimum of two users)
- $20 monthly credit for FedEx, Grubhub, or office supply stores
- $12.95 monthly Walmart+ credit
- 4x points in your top two eligible spending categories each billing cycle, on up to $150,000 in combined purchases annually
- There are six eligible spending categories for the 4x spending multiplier
- 3x on travel purchases booked through the Amex Travel portal
When The Usual Advice Doesn't Apply
Some reasons this card might not be right for you include:
- You can’t organically spend $15,000 in the first three months to receive the sign-up bonus.
- You want to wait for an elevated sign-up bonus because of American Express’s 1/7 rule.
- You won’t use the statement credits for FedEx, Grubhub, office supply stores, or Walmart+ to offset the annual fee after the first year.
What to Know About Amex Membership Rewards
Amex points are great in theory. We just find them harder to collect and more expensive to hold than Chase points.
- If you’re in the points game long enough, you’ll dabble in both main systems (Chase & Amex).
- Amex has a one card bonus every 7 years rule, so ultimately, there will be more of a limit to how many you can collect via sign-up bonuses.
- There is only one no-fee card that allows you to earn and keep Membership Rewards points - the Blue Business Plus card.
- Delta and Hilton are solid transfer values and having Amex points gives you top-off flexibility if you are invested in either of those systems.
- We do find Amex travel a higher quality of service over the Chase travel portal.
How The Amex Business Gold Credit Card Fits In The Amex Membership Rewards Ecosystem
The American Express Business Gold Card sits in the middle of Amex's business Membership Rewards lineup. It offers a lower annual fee than the Business Platinum while still earning transferable Membership Rewards points. Unlike personal Amex cards, business cards do not count toward your 5/24 status, and the Amex Family Rule does not currently apply to them.
- American Express Business Platinum
- Annual Fee: $895
- Welcome Bonus: 200,000 points
- Who it's for: Businesses that can maximize premium travel benefits and a long list of statement credits. Elevated offers can make this card particularly attractive.
- Personal Gold
- Annual Fee: $325
- Welcome Bonus: 60,000 points
- Who it's for: Individuals who spend heavily on dining and groceries and can benefit from its statement credits.
- Personal Platinum
- Annual Fee: $895
- Welcome Bonus: 150,000 points
- Who it's for: Travelers seeking premium lounge access and a variety of consumer-focused travel and lifestyle benefits.
- Blue Business Plus
- Annual Fee: None
- Welcome Bonus: 15,000 points
- Who it's for: Businesses looking for a no-annual-fee Membership Rewards card. It's one of our favorite long-term keeper cards and often a better choice than the Business Gold if you don't need the larger welcome offer or bonus categories.
Amex also offers the Business Green card, which we generally don't recommend because its welcome offer and benefits don't justify the annual fee. One advantage of the business card lineup is flexibility: if you start with the Business Platinum because of a strong offer, you can still earn welcome bonuses on the Business Gold and Business Green later. The same is not true on the personal side, where the Amex Family Rule generally requires you to go Green, then Gold, then Platinum to remain eligible for all three welcome offers.
My Experience, No Filter
Neither my wife nor I could get approved for new Chase business cards, and we had already applied for most other recommended cards that weren’t co-branded airline or hotel cards. I received a targeted offer for the American Express Business Gold card with a sign-up bonus of 175,000 miles after spending $15,000 in the first three months. That amount was high for us, but we had a spring break trip and a large purchase coming up, so it worked out.
We’ve enjoyed the Walmart+ membership for free grocery delivery, which we use at least once per week. We haven’t maximized the $20 monthly credit because we rarely spend much at office supply stores or on DoorDash. We haven’t decided yet if we’ll keep the card after the first year, but the large sign-up bonus made it worthwhile for us initially.
Card Information
Differentiating Perks
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Card Extras
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Historical Card Offers
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Estimated Next Offer
Amex Business Gold Application Rules
This business card will not show on your personal credit report, so it won't count against your 5/24 status
Card approval not subject to 5-personal-cards-in-24-months rule
Amex allows only 1 bonus per specific card every 7 years (yours or that version of the card)
After you apply, Amex may show a pop-up saying you're ineligible for the welcome bonus
