Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum: Which premium business card is right for you?
Editor's Note
In the American Express lineup of small-business cards, the American Express® Business Gold Card and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express are two popular offerings.
But just like their consumer counterparts, these two cards are each geared toward cardholders with different goals and needs.
Let's review these cards to see how the refreshed Amex Business Gold competes with the Amex Business Platinum.
Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum comparison
| Amex Business Gold | Amex Business Platinum | |
|---|---|---|
Welcome bonus | Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership. | Earn 200,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership. |
Annual fee | $375 (see rates and fees) | $895 (see rates and fees) |
Earning rates |
|
|
Benefits (enrollment is required for select benefits) |
|
|
Redemption bonus | None | Receive 35% back on Pay with Points flight redemptions (up to 1,000,000 points back per calendar year) for eligible flights with your selected airline booked through Amex Travel. |
*Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum welcome offer
New applicants of the Amex Business Gold Card can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership.
TPG's February 2026 valuations peg Amex points at 2 cents apiece, so the current offer is worth an impressive $2,000.
The welcome offer on the Amex Business Platinum Card is even better. New applicants can earn 200,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership.
According to TPG's valuations, this welcome offer is worth $4,000.
Winner: Amex Business Platinum. As long as you can meet the card's hefty minimum spending requirement, its welcome offer provides more value.
Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum benefits
As premium business travel rewards cards, both come with many of the same features:
- Travel protections, including trip delay insurance***, baggage insurance** and car rental loss and damage insurance**
- Purchase protection**: Your eligible purchases are covered against accidental damage or theft for 90 days for up to $1,000 per incident with the Business Gold and up to $10,000 per incident with the Business Platinum for up to $50,000 per cardmember account, per calendar year. However, coverage related to natural disasters is limited to $500 per incident.
- Extended warranty**: Your purchases receive up to one additional year of warranty service on purchases with warranties of five years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your card for the item (up to a maximum of $10,000, not to exceed $50,000 per cardmember account, per calendar year).
- Cellphone protection***: Receive reimbursements for the repair or replacement costs for damage or theft with a maximum limit of $800 per claim (up to two claims in a 12-month period) when you pay your bill with your card.
**Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
***Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
The Amex Business Gold has solid statement credits that keep it on par with its counterpart, the Amex Business Platinum.
Still, the Amex Business Platinum has many benefits beyond what the Amex Business Gold offers. These benefits are enough to offset the card's high annual fee but are also tailored to help businesses with costs.
The Amex Business Platinum definitely wins as far as travel-related benefits are concerned. As a great example, you can't get lounge access with the Business Gold, but you can with the Business Platinum (enrollment required).
This access includes Amex's own Centurion Lounges, Plaza Premium lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Lufthansa lounges (with a same-day Lufthansa flight, regardless of the ticketed cabin) and Escape lounges.
This also includes Delta Sky Club access — eligible Business Platinum Card members will receive 10 visits per eligible card, per year to Delta Sky Clubs and grab-and-go locations when traveling on a same-day, Delta-operated flight, unless they spend $75,000 with their card in a calendar year to enjoy unlimited access. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Additional Amex Business Platinum travel benefits include complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and Hilton Honors Gold status. Enrollment is required.
Finally, the Amex Business Platinum offers Pay with Points bonuses on select flights booked through American Express Travel. When you use Membership Rewards points to book eligible flights with your selected qaulifying airline through Amex Travel, you'll receive 35% of them back as a Business Platinum Card member (up to 1 million points back per calendar year).
Winner: Amex Business Platinum. It offers an outstanding range of statement credits and travel perks.
Earning points with the Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum
As American Express-issued cards, both the Business Gold and Business Platinum earn points in the Membership Rewards ecosystem but at different rates and in different categories.
A unique aspect of earning on the Amex Business Gold is that you'll automatically earn 4 points per dollar spent in your top two spending categories each billing cycle, so there's no need to select a category and commit to it. The eligible categories are:
- U.S. purchases for advertising in select media
- U.S. purchases at gas stations
- U.S. purchases at restaurants
- Transit purchases, including trains, taxis, ride-hailing services, tolls, ferries, buses, parking and subways
- U.S. purchases made with electronic goods retailers and software and cloud service providers
- Monthly wireless telephone charges made directly with U.S. service providers
The Amex Business Gold also earns 3 points per dollar spent on flights, prepaid hotels and prepaid flight-and-hotel packages that are booked directly with Amex Travel.
In comparison to the Business Gold, the Amex Business Platinum offers a limited number of categories to earn points. The eligible categories include:
- Flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel (5 points per dollar spent)
- Eligible business categories (U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, software and cloud system providers, and shipping providers) and purchases of $5,000 or more in any category (2 points per dollar spent; applies to up to $2 million in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent)
- All other eligible purchases (1 point per dollar spent)
Winner: Amex Business Gold. Cardmembers can earn bonus points through several categories.
Related: Maximize your earning with the Amex Business Gold
Redeeming points with the Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum
Membership Rewards points earned with the Amex Business Gold and the Amex Business Platinum can be redeemed toward statement credits, used for travel purchases (such as airfare or hotels) through American Express Travel and transferred to the issuer's 20 airline and hotel partners.
However, there are slight differences between select flights booked via Amex Travel with the issuer's Pay with Points feature.
The most noteworthy difference between the two cards is that the Amex Business Platinum offers a 35% Pay with Points bonus (up to 1 million points back per calendar year) when booking eligible flights with your selected qualifying airline through Amex Travel.
Winner: Amex Business Platinum. The ability to use Pay with Points gives this card the upper hand.
Transferring points with the Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum
Membership Rewards points can be transferred to 20 airline and hotel loyalty programs. When used in this manner, points are worth 2 cents each, according to TPG's February 2026 valuations.
Transferring points to airline partners such as Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Club and Air France-KLM FlyingBlue can help you score phenomenal flights and maximize your return on your points — especially if you can complete your transfer during a limited-time transfer bonus.
Credit cards editor Olivia Mittak likes to use her Membership Rewards points for flights, such as with Air Canada Aeroplan and Delta SkyMiles.
Winner: Tie. Both cards offer the exact same list of transfer partners and ratios.
Should I get the Amex Business Gold or Amex Business Platinum?
The Amex Business Platinum is great for frequent travelers and those looking for a card to give them perks and benefits that enhance their experience when on the road. If you can use them, this card's perks justify its $895 annual fee.
That said, the Amex Business Gold is a better fit for small-business owners who want to earn as many points as possible on everyday business spending across a wide variety of categories, all for a manageable annual fee of $375.
Bottom line
Each of these business cards from American Express could be a good fit for your needs. Depending on the size and nature of your company, you might even consider getting both cards.
You could carry the Business Gold to maximize the card's bonus categories and keep a Business Platinum to enjoy benefits like Centurion Lounge access, rental car elite status and a 35% bonus on points redeemed for eligible flights with your selected qualifying airline booked through Amex Travel (up to 1 million points back per calendar year).
By examining your business needs, you can choose the best combination of cards to maximize your award travel possibilities.
For more information, see our full reviews of the Amex Business Gold and Amex Business Platinum.
Apply here: The Business Platinum Card from American Express
Apply here: American Express Business Gold Card
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum Card, click here.