Is the Amex Business Gold worth the annual fee?
Editor's note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
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Small businesses must constantly reevaluate their expenses and spending habits to stay in business. And just as you check whether you can get your products at a lower price from another supplier, you should consider whether the credit card — or cards — you're using for business expenses get the best return on your purchases — for a reasonable annual fee.
One of our favorite cards — in fact, the winner of the Best Business Card at the 2024 TPG Awards — is the American Express® Business Gold Card. It has flexible bonus categories and valuable statement credits.
However, it also has a substantial $375 annual fee (see rates and fees), so let's consider whether this card's earning potential and benefits make that fee worth paying.
Welcome offer
New applicants for the Amex Business Gold can find out their offer and see if they are eligible for as high as 200,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Membership Rewards points are worth 2 cents apiece, according to TPG's December 2024 valuations. That makes this bonus worth up to $4,000, providing a solid return on spending.
Related: How to redeem American Express Membership Rewards for maximum value
Adaptive bonus earnings
Many credit cards offer set bonus categories and allow you to earn extra rewards on purchases at those merchants — but you're often forced into those categories. In contrast, the Amex Business Gold provides bonus earnings that adjust monthly, so you can earn additional points where you're spending the most.
Cardmembers earn 4 points per dollar in the two categories where they spend the most each billing cycle. This applies to the first $150,000 in combined purchases in bonus categories yearly (then 1 point per dollar after that). The available bonus categories include:
- Transit purchases, including trains, taxicabs, ride-hailing services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses and subways
- U.S. purchases from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
- U.S. monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider
- U.S. purchases at gas stations
- U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
- U.S. purchases for advertising in select media (online, TV or radio)
Beyond the top two spending categories from this list, cardholders earn 3 points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
If you can earn bonus points on the full $150,000 of spending in these available bonus categories, you'll earn a staggering 600,000 bonus points each year — worth $12,000 according to TPG's December 2024 valuations.
Related: What credit score do you need for the Amex Business Gold Card?
Statement credits
With the Amex Business Gold, you can get up to $845 in statement credits each year:
- Up to $300 back annually for U.S. purchases of ChatGPT Business (subject to auto-renewal; enrollment required)
- Up to $240 back annually (up to $20 back per month) for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx (through Oct. 1, 2026), Grubhub and office supply stores (enrollment required)
- Up to $155 back annually (up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes on one membership fee; Plus Ups not eligible) for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal; enrollment required)
- Up to $150 back annually for U.S. subscription purchases with Squarespace (subject to auto-renewal; enrollment required)
If you can take full advantage of these statement credits, you'll more than justify the annual fee cost
Related: A guide to the Amex Walmart+ benefit
Small-business perks
Amex Business Gold primary cardholders can access several business-related benefits. These perks include year-end summaries, auto-expense categorization in Intuit QuickBooks and bill-pay services with Vendor Pay by Bill.com.
Vendor Pay is free for the first user and offers six free months for the second user, then $15 per month for the second user. Enrollment is required in advance for this benefit.
The primary cardmember can add up to five Business Gold cards for $95 total, and then $95 for each additional card after that (see rates and fees). They can also add additional employee for no additional fee, up to 99 additional cards.
There's no real difference between the two other than being able to select between the Gold and Rose Gold versions. As a result, most small-business owners should opt for the additional business expense card.
Regardless of your choice, these cards will help the primary account holder earn rewards on employee spending while also controlling and limiting employee spending as needed. In fact, you can also designate other people as account managers to handle many of these features.
The Amex Business Gold card is not a traditional credit card but has no preset spending limit. This means the amount you can spend on the card will vary based on things like creditworthiness, payment history and your relationship with American Express. Additionally, you may be eligible to enroll in Pay Over Time on your card, and Amex sometimes sends out targeted offers of bonus points to enroll in this feature.
Related: 6 lesser-known perks of the Amex Business Gold Card
Additional perks and protections
Amex Business Gold cardholders enjoy several additional perks and protections, including:
- Access to The Hotel Collection: The primary cardmember can make The Hotel Collection bookings with Amex Travel. While a two-night minimum is imposed on these bookings, you can receive perks like up to $100 on-property credit for things like dining, spa or resort activities and room upgrades at check-in (when available).
- Access to Amex Offers: Cardmembers have access to Amex Offers, which can provide savings or bonus points on qualifying purchases for targeted cardholders.
- Travel protections: Cardmembers enjoy multiple travel protections, including baggage insurance,* trip delay insurance** and car rental insurance.***
- Cellphone protection: Cardmembers can be reimbursed for the cost to repair or replace their stolen or damaged cellphone up to $800 per claim for up to two approved claims per year (with a $50 deductible for each claim).**
- Extended warranty: Eligible warranties of five years or less can be extended by one year (applies to warranties of 5 years or less on Covered Purchases in the United States or its territories or possession)*
- Purchase protection: Eligible purchases are covered for up to 90 days from the covered purchase date if stolen or damaged (limited up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per account each calendar year).*
It's difficult to quantify the specific value of these benefits, but the protections alone will provide you with invaluable peace of mind.
*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
**Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
***Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered, and geographic restrictions apply. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
Related: Your complete guide to shopping protections on American Express cards
Bottom line
If you can maximize its bonus categories and statement credits, the Amex Business Gold will provide value for your business that far exceeds its annual fee. However, if you aren't able to utilize the statement credits or want additional travel-specific benefits, you'll likely get better value from a different card.
For more details, read our full review of the Amex Business Gold.
Apply here: American Express Business Gold Card
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Gold card, click here.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.