Name: American Express® Gold Card
Brand: American Express

I've had the in my wallet for four years. It's been a cornerstone in my travel rewards strategy, thanks to perks like airport lounge access. The Amex Business Platinum is one of the best business rewards cards available, which is why it's a mainstay in my wallet. The benefits of membership are substantial, with savings of hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.

Amex Business Platinum: The basics

The is a premium business travel rewards card. It earns highly valuable, flexible Amex Membership Rewards points, which I often use to book business-class flights with the issuer's travel partners.

This card has a hefty $895 annual fee (see rates and fees), but it offers benefits I use frequently, like airport lounge access and hotel elite status with Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors and Leaders Club, in addition to expedited airport security programs. Enrollment is required for select benefits.

However, the Amex Business Platinum is not a simple one-size-fits-all product. To maximize the benefits and get value from this card, you'll need to put in some effort.

This card isn't suitable for every small business — especially those that don’t frequently send employees on business trips or whose primary spending categories don't align with the ones featured on the Amex Business Platinum.

Let’s dive into the card's details so you can decide if it’s a good fit for your business.

Amex Business Platinum pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Earns valuable Membership Rewards points Features several transfer partners Hotel elite status Offers travel credits Unparalleled lounge access	$895 annual fee Limited bonus categories Statement credits require effort and can be hard to maximize

Enrollment is required for select benefits.

Amex Business Platinum benefits

The offers several statement credits that easily total over $3,500 in annual value. These can help cardmembers potentially offset the high annual fee.

Here’s a close look at all of them. Enrollment is required for select benefits. I've designated each of those with an asterisk so you can easily track them.

Statement credits

Statement credit	Annual amount	How it works
Lodging	Up to $600 per calendar year	A statement credit of up to $300 biannually on prepaid American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts, The Hotel Collection or Airbnb Luxe bookings through American Express Travel® or the Amex Travel App™ when you pay with your Amex Business Platinum (The Hotel Collection and Airbnb Luxe stays require a two-night minimum; effective Jan. 1, 2027, Fine Hotels + Resorts bookings will require a two-night minimum stay)
Dell*	Up to $150 per calendar year, plus an additional $1,000 in statement credits after meeting a spending requirement per calendar year	Up to $150 in statement credits on U.S. purchases made directly with Dell and an additional $1,000 statement credit after spending $5,000 or more with Dell each calendar year
Indeed*	Up to $360 per calendar year	Up to $90 per quarter in statement credits for U.S. purchases
ChatGPT Business*	Up to $300 per calendar year	A statement credit of up to $300 for U.S. purchases of ChatGPT Business (subject to auto-renewal)
Adobe*	$250 per calendar year	A $250 statement credit after spending $600 or more on U.S. purchases made directly with Adobe each calendar year (subject to auto-renewal)
Hilton*	Up to $200 per calendar year	A statement credit of up to $50 per quarter on eligible purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio (Hilton for Business program membership is required)
Wireless telephone services*	Up to $120 per calendar year	Statement credits for purchases made directly from U.S. wireless telephone providers (up to $10 per month; effective Feb. 17, 2027, credit applies to select merchants)
Clear+*	Up to $219 per calendar year	A statement credit toward an annual Clear+ membership for expedited airport security (subject to auto-renewal)
Airline fee*	Up to $200 per calendar year	An annual airline fee credit of up to $200 for charges by the airline you select each calendar year
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck*	Up to $120	A statement credit for Global Entry ($120) every four years or TSA PreCheck (up to $85) every 4 1/2 years
Amex Travel flights and One AP*	Up to $1,200 in flight statement credits and up to $2,400 in One AP statement credits	Up to $1,200 in Amex Travel flight statement credits and up to $2,400 in One AP statement credits (valid from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 of the calendar year after meeting the requirement), both after spending $250,000 or more on eligible purchases in a calendar year (spending on your card this year counts toward the requirement)

Lounge access

Along with the plethora of statement credits you may (or may not) be able to use, the Amex Business Platinum shines through with its other travel perks. This is my go-to card for lounge access.

Aside from offering access to Amex’s Centurion Lounges, your card will open the door to the extensive American Express Global Lounge Collection (access is limited to eligible cardmembers). It is composed of more than 1,700 lounges worldwide, including:

Aspire lounges
Delta Sky Clubs, which you can enter when you have an eligible same-day flight (excluding basic economy tickets)
Escape lounges
Lufthansa lounges when you have a same-day flight on a Lufthansa Group airline
Plaza Premium lounges
Priority Pass locations (enrollment is required; restaurant locations are excluded)
Other Global Lounge Collection partner lounges

However, it’s worth noting that you’re limited to 10 total Delta Sky Club visits per year — unless you spend $75,000 in a calendar year to unlock unlimited access.

Guest access to Centurion Lounges costs $50 per person. However, if you spend $75,000 or more in a calendar year, you'll also unlock complimentary access for up to two guests.

Additionally, you can add authorized users for $400 each (see rates and fees), and they will receive the same lounge access as the primary cardmember.

Hotel and car rental status

As for benefits that come in handy once you reach your destination, this card allows you to register for complimentary Gold status with Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy, which provides higher earnings and elevated benefits during stays with these two brands.

You can also enroll for Leaders Club Sterling status from The Leading Hotels of the World. LHW is a collection of independent hotels worldwide. With status, you'll receive benefits like upgrades and the ability to earn points.

Moxy Barcelona guest room — Moxy Barcelona in Spain. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY

Cardmembers also enjoy complimentary top-tier rental car elite status with multiple programs, including Avis President's Club, Hertz President's Circle and National Emerald Club Executive. Enrollment may be required. Plus, if you rent frequently with Enterprise, Budget or Sixt, you can request a status match to get their top-tier status.

I frequently rent with Hertz and value the ability to pick any car in the President's Circle aisle at airport locations. I just get in and go, skipping the rental counter, which saves me a bunch of time. Plus, when paired with the Business Platinum's Hertz benefits, cardmembers receive a four-hour grace period.

Shopping and travel protections

As you might expect, the Amex Business Platinum Card is also ideal for business-related purchases. It features extended warranty protection‡ that prolongs eligible U.S. manufacturer warranties of five years or less by an additional year, saving business owners time and money if an item they purchase has a problem.

Additionally, the card’s purchase protection‡ covers accidental damage or theft for up to 90 days after purchase (up to $10,000 per covered purchase and $50,000 per cardmember account per calendar year), so it’s a great choice for expensive items.

Business owner and manager working on the finances of the shop using a laptop — HISPANOLISTIC/GETTY IMAGES

The Business Platinum also offers a comprehensive suite of travel protections. These include:

Trip cancellation/interruption insurance: If you need to cancel or interrupt your trip because of a covered reason, you may be eligible for reimbursement of up to $10,000 per covered trip.**
Trip delay insurance: If your trip is delayed by more than six hours due to a covered reason, you may be eligible to be reimbursed up to $500 per covered trip for reasonable additional expenses.**

Other notable benefits

The card’s other standout perks include:

Access to the Cruise Privileges Program and the International Airline Program
Cellphone protection, for a maximum of $800 per claim, with a limit of two approved claims per 12-month period^
Access to Platinum Nights by Resy in Los Angeles, Miami and New York City
A 35% airline bonus when you use Pay with Points to cover flights in any cabin class on your designated airline (the same one you choose for your airline incidental statement credit, up to 1 million points back per calendar year)

‡Eligibility and benefit level vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. 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.
^Eligibility and benefit level vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

How to earn and use your rewards

To get the most out of your , it’s important to understand how you earn and redeem points with the card.

Earning points on the Amex Business Platinum

Small-business owners will earn points in key business and travel categories, including:

5 points per dollar spent on airfare and prepaid lodging purchases booked on amextravel.com
2 points per dollar spent on up to $2 million in eligible purchases per calendar year (then 1 point per dollar thereafter) in the following categories: eligible purchases of $5,000 or more, U.S. cloud service providers, U.S. construction materials and hardware supplies, U.S. electronic goods retailers, U.S. shipping providers*, and U.S. software
1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases

*Effective Feb. 17, 2027, select merchants only.

person paying with a credit card — FG TRADE/GETTY IMAGES

I don't put much spending on this card as my other cards offer higher earning rates. I'd prefer the option to choose how I book, especially when cards like the (see rates and fees) offer elevated earnings on hotels and flights booked directly.

For me, the earning rates make it tough to justify keeping this card year after year, even with all the statement credits, as I essentially just use the card as a coupon book and for airport lounge access.

Redeeming points on the Amex Business Platinum

You have multiple options for redeeming your points. However, many yield a value of 1 cent per point or less. The two most valuable redemption options are using Amex Travel’s Pay with Points feature and transferring your Membership Rewards points to any of Amex’s hotel and airline partners for maximum value.

The Pay with Points feature allows you to receive a 35% bonus when you use points toward a flight in any cabin on your designated airline. This boosts your redemption value for these purchases from 1 cent to 1.54 cents per point. Just note that you must have the full number of points for the standard redemption in your account at the time of booking.

Any points you're getting back with this benefit will arrive within two billing cycles (up to 1 million points back per calendar year).

However, you can unlock the most value from your earnings by transferring points to any of Amex’s 20 airline and hotel partners, with some of my favorites being:

Most transfers are processed at a 1:1 ratio and are processed instantly.

Redeeming points this way requires some research, but a little effort can significantly increase their value.

I frequently receive outsize value by transferring points to Air Canada Aeroplan to book lie-flat seats on Star Alliance partners, such as United Airlines Polaris business-class flights to Europe. I also like to transfer points to Air France-KLM Flying Blue to take advantage of the program's frequent Promo Rewards sales.

I also try to look for transfer bonuses to make my points even more valuable.

However, not all redemptions have to be glamorous. Some are just practical and can save you a boatload of money.

For example, TPG director of content for credit cards and points and miles Carly Helfand had her Thanksgiving plans delayed by a pet emergency and had to cancel her ticket. She transferred 16,000 points to British Airways Club to book a new flight on American Airlines the next day.

It wasn't her best redemption ever, but she was happy not to pay a last-minute cash fare the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

Downsides to consider about the Amex Business Platinum

While no card will be perfect, when you're spending almost $900 on an annual fee, the cons can really weigh heavily.

Most expensive publicly available business card on the market, with an $895 annual fee.
You can get lounge access with much cheaper business cards on the market.
You don't earn bonus points for travel purchases made outside a portal.
You need to be willing to manage multiple statement credits (including some niche ones that require high spending) to extract maximum value.

If you can use even half of the statement credits and benefits the Business Platinum provides, you can easily recoup the cost of the annual fee and more. Otherwise, another card may be a better option.

Amex Business Platinum vs. Sapphire Reserve for Business

The is the Amex Business Platinum's biggest rival. Both are premium business travel rewards cards that earn valuable points, come with expansive benefits and have hefty annual fees.

The Business Platinum offers more complimentary elite statuses and travel perks than the Sapphire Reserve for Business. However, the Sapphire Reserve for Business offers generous statement credits, including many that are more straightforward and easier to use than the Business Platinum's, and industry-leading travel protections.

Person traveling by train — RISKA/GETTY IMAGES

In terms of earnings rates, it surpasses the Amex Business Platinum by providing elevated earnings on hotels and flights booked directly, as well as uncapped elevated earnings on advertising.

The Business Platinum offers the best airport lounge access on the market, but the Sapphire Reserve for Business also provides solid lounge access.

When to apply for the Amex Business Platinum

New members can find out their offer and may be eligible for as high as 300,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.

This is the card's standard welcome offer.

Woman paying bills on laptop — DAMIRCUDIC/GETTY IMAGES

TPG's April 2026 valuations place the Membership Rewards points this card earns at 2 cents apiece. So, if you're eligible for the highest number of points available and can manage this offer's high spending requirement, you’ll receive up to $6,000 in value.

It's important to note that Amex has application restrictions, including a once-in-a-lifetime rule. If you have or have held this card in the past, you may not be eligible to receive this welcome offer.

Other cards to consider if you don't want the Amex Business Platinum

If you feel that your business might not be able to get the full value out of the Business Platinum, you might want to consider other options:

Capital One Venture X Business: A premium business card with a lower annual fee, solid lounge access and a flat rate earning structure. To learn more, read our full review of the Venture X Business.
: A business card that has elevated earning rates in a variety of business-centered categories and access to the same transfer partners with a lower annual fee ($375 annual fee; see rates and fees), but lacks many of the premium perks of the Business Platinum. To learn more, read our full review of the Amex Business Gold.
: A premium non-business card that has many of the same benefits and protections as the Business Platinum. To learn more, read our full review of the Amex Platinum.

For additional options, check out our picks for the best business credit cards.

Bottom line

The remains an excellent choice for business travelers who spend a significant amount in its bonus categories and with merchants covered by its statement credits.

Its solid roster of transfer partners, unrivaled airport lounge access and robust suite of travel protections are reasons enough for this card to have a slot in my wallet.

While it might not be worth it for all business owners, its travel perks are hard to beat for the right cardmember.

Apply here:

For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Gold, click here.

TPG featured card

American Express® Gold Card

TPG Editor's Rating

4/5

TPG Editor's Rating

4/5

at American Express's secure site.
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.

Rewards rate

Rewards rate
Rate	Category
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	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.

Intro offer

As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

Annual fee

$325

Regular APR

See Pay Over Time APR

Recommended credit

Excellent to Good

Pros + cons

Pros

Valuable dining and food-related credits
Points are transferable
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.
Difficult credit redemption

More details

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.
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.
$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.
Enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status 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.
Book two nights or more with The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and receive a $100* credit towards eligible charges at over 1,400 upscale hotels worldwide. *Eligible charges vary by property.
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.