Amex Business Gold review: A points-earning powerhouse

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

The American Express® Business Gold Card is an incredibly versatile small business card. It's one of the best cards for earning rewards on everything from business dining to advertising. To top it off, it earns American Express Membership Rewards® points, which are some of the most valuable travel rewards you can earn.

Below, CNBC Select details the benefits, welcome bonus, rewards and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card so you can decide if it's the right business travel card for you.

You may be eligible for as high as 200,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $15,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

American Express typically limits card members to earning an intro bonus once per lifetime per card. If you currently have this card or have had the Amex Business Gold Card before, you may not qualify for this welcome bonus, even if you're approved for the card. However, you may still be eligible for welcome bonus offers with other American Express cards, such as The Business Platinum Card® from American Express or the consumer American Express® Gold Card.

The Amex Business Gold Card has statement credits, which can be more valuable than its annual fee (see rates and fees). You can earn:

• Earn up to $20 in statement credits monthly after you use the Business Gold Card for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx (through 10/01/2026), Grubhub, and Office Supply Stores. This can be an annual savings of up to $240. Enrollment required.
• Up to $150 in annual credit for U.S. purchases with Squarespace. Enrollment required. Subscription purchases subject to auto-renewal. 
• Get up to $155 in Walmart+ credit annually. Earn $12.95** statement credit back each month after you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal; Plus Ups not eligible) with your Business Gold Card. **Up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes on one membership fee.

It also offers a handful of **purchase and travel protections, including:

• Baggage insurance (Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company)
• Rental car loss and damage insurance (secondary) (Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.)
• Trip delay insurance (Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company)
• Purchase protection (Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company)
• Extended warranty protection (Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company)
• Cell phone insurance (Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company)

Card members receive elite-like perks with Amex's The Hotel Collection program. Eligible bookings qualify for:

• Room upgrades at check-in (when available)
• Experience credit of up to $100

To be eligible for these benefits, you have to book through Amex Travel and the stay must be for two or more nights.

Earning

The Amex Business Gold Card earns 4X Membership Rewards points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases you make in the two select categories where you spend the most each month (then 1X points).

The categories are:

• U.S. dining purchases (including takeout and delivery)
• U.S. gas station purchases
• U.S. advertising purchases in select media (online, TV, radio)
• U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software and cloud system providers
• Transit purchases, including trains, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, subways, taxis and rideshare services
• Monthly wireless phone service charges made directly from a service provider in the U.S.
  Terms apply

Other purchases earn Amex points at the following rates:

• 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™
• 2X points on other eligible Amex Travel purchases
• 1X points on all other purchases

Redeeming

You can redeem American Express Membership Rewards points for statement credits, travel (booked through Amex Travel), shopping, seat upgrades, gift cards and more. These redemptions generally have a value of one cent per point or less. If you want to maximize the value of Amex points, then you'll want to transfer them to Amex's partner travel loyalty programs.

You can transfer Amex points to the following airlines and hotels:

• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Avianca LifeMiles
• Delta SkyMiles
• Etihad Guest
• Marriott Bonvoy
• Aer Lingus AerClub
• AeroMexico Rewards
• Flying Blue (Air France & KLM)
• ANA Mileage Club
• The British Airways Club
• Cathay Pacific
• Choice Privileges
• Emirates Skywards
• Hilton Honors
• Iberia Plus
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club
• Singapore KrisFlyer
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

By taking advantage of partner award sweet spots, you can unlock incredible value. For example, you can transfer 100,000 points to ANA and book a round-trip business-class flight from the U.S. to Europe on a Star Alliance airline. If you paid out of pocket for the same ticket, it could easily cost $3,000+, which means you could get a value of over three cents per point with that type of transfer.

The Amex Business Gold Card has a *$375 annual fee and you can add up to 99 employee cards. There are *no foreign transaction fees. The returned payment fee is *$39 and there is a late payment fee of the greater of $39 or 2.99% of any past due amount.

*See rates and fees.

Amex Business Gold Card vs. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees) is a more affordable alternative to the Amex Business Gold Card. It has a $95 annual fee and earns Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, which have a comparable value to Amex Membership Rewards points.

This card is also exceptionally rewarding for many common business expenses. It earns 3X Chase points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases per calendar year (then 1X points) in these categories:

• Shipping
• Advertising with social media sites and search engines
• Internet, cable and phone services
• Travel

The Ink Business Preferred also has a strong suite of insurance protections, including primary rental car coverage and cell phone insurance.

Amex Business Gold Card vs. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

Anyone who wants a business card that's loaded with luxury benefits will prefer The Business Platinum Card® from American Express over the Amex Business Gold Card.

The Amex Business Platinum Card isn't as rewarding for business purchases and it does have a higher $895 annual fee (see rates and fees). But it has a suite of benefits that far exceeds the value offered by Amex Business Gold's perks, including:

• Enroll and get up to $150 in statement credits on U.S purchases directly with Dell Technologies on the Business Platinum Card and an additional $1,000 statement credit after you spend $5,000 or more on that same Card per calendar year (enrollment required).
• Up to $360 in Indeed credit each year, up to $90 per quarter (enrollment required). 
• Enroll and get a $250 statement credit after you spend $600 or more on U.S. purchases directly with Adobe per calendar year on the Business Platinum Card
• Up to $600 in hotel credit on prepaid bookings with Fine Hotels and Resorts® or The Hotel Collection (two-night minimum stay required) book through Amex Travel.
• Up to $200 in Hilton credit ($50 in quarterly credit for eligible Hilton purchases; Hilton for Business membership required; benefit enrollment required; Gift cards are not an eligible purchase).
• Up to $120 in wireless telephone provider credit each year (up to $10 per month; enrollment required). 
• Use the Business Platinum Card® and get up to $209 back per calendar year on your CLEAR+ Membership (subject to auto-renewal).
• Up to $200 in airline fee credits per calendar year
• Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry or up to an $85 statement credit every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck® application fee credit
• Access to 1,550 airport lounges (Enrollment required)
• **Cell phone insurance (Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.)
• **Purchase protection (Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.)
• **Extended warranty (Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.)
• Marriott and Hilton Gold status. Enrollment required. 

The Amex Business Gold Card is useful for small business owners who can take advantage of the card's generous bonus spending categories. This card is hard to beat for purchases such as advertising, dining and transit. However, you only receive 4X bonus points on the two categories you spend the most in each month, so in some instances, a card with fixed bonus categories could be more valuable.

If you won't be spending a lot in the card's 4X bonus categories, the card's other benefits can still make it worthwhile. Even if you won't take advantage of the monthly Walmart+ credit, the up to $20 a month in statement credits for FedEx (through 10/01/2026), Grubhub and office supply stores is easy to use (enrollment required). That credit cuts your yearly out-of-pocket cost down to a more manageable $135, and using the Squarespace credit would put you $15 in the black.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every business card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best credit cards.

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For rates and fees of the Business Gold Card® from American Express, click here.

For rates and fees of The Business Platinum® Card from American Express, click here.

**Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.

American Express® Business Gold Card Welcome Offer: To view your personalized offer, you must first submit an application. If approved, you will: (1) receive your Welcome Offer details, (2) have the option to accept the Card with that offer, (3) be required to spend $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership, and (4) earn Membership Rewards® points. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. If you're approved and accept your offer, a credit check may be conducted, which could impact your credit score. Terms apply.