American Express® Business Gold Card
- Best for: Business owners whose biggest monthly costs are advertising, software, restaurants, gas, transit, or wireless service
- What Sets It Apart: 4X lands automatically on the two of six categories you spend most in each cycle; up to $845 a year in credits
- Welcome Offer: Earn up to 200,000 points after $15,000 in purchases in the first 3 months; Amex shows your amount after you apply
- Rewards: 4X on your top 2 of 6 categories each billing cycle, on the first $150,000 a year combined; 3X on flights and prepaid hotels at AmexTravel.com; 1X elsewhere; points worth 1 cent on Amex Travel flights
- Features: $20 a month for Grubhub, U.S. office supply stores, and UPS.com; $300 a year for ChatGPT Business; $150 a year for Squarespace; up to $12.95 a month for Walmart+; Amex enrollment for all but Walmart+
- Annual Fee: $375
- APR: 17.99% to 28.74% variable on Pay Over Time balances
- Cost: No foreign transaction fee; $95 a year per Employee Business Gold Card
- Pros: 4X adjusts to your top 2 categories; 1:1 transfers to most partners; no foreign transaction fee
- Cons: 1X outside its categories; advertising and wireless 4X limited to named providers from Feb. 17, 2027
Get the American Express® Business Gold Card if your biggest business costs fall in its 4X categories, such as advertising, software, and restaurants, and you’ll use its statement credits. Your top two each month earn 4 points per dollar, on up to $150,000 a year. If those costs are small, take the no-fee Blue Business Plus instead.
Its six bonus categories are U.S. advertising, electronics and software, restaurants, gas stations, and wireless service, plus transit, while the personal Gold Card’s top rate goes only to restaurants and U.S. supermarkets. Amex says freelancers, gig workers, and sole proprietors can apply, giving a Social Security number if they have no employer identification number (EIN).
Key Features
- A charge card with a $375 annual fee, its balance due in full each month except eligible charges carried through Pay Over Time, up to a limit, at a 17.99% to 28.74% variable annual percentage rate (APR)
- 4 points per dollar (4X) on your top 2 categories each billing cycle, on the first $150,000 a calendar year combined, then 1X
- Points worth 1 cent each on Amex Travel flights and 0.6 cent as a statement credit, in Amex’s own examples
- Up to $845 a year in credits for Grubhub, U.S. office supply stores, UPS.com shipping, ChatGPT Business, Squarespace, and a monthly Walmart+ membership, most needing enrollment
- Welcome offer of up to 200,000 points after $15,000 in purchases in the first 3 months
Pros
- Top rate adjusts to your spending with nothing to choose or activate
- Points transfer to airline partners and hotel programs, most at a 1:1 ratio
- 3X on flights and prepaid hotels through AmexTravel.com
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Only 1X outside its categories, half the 2X the no-fee Blue Business Plus pays on its first $50,000 a year
- $95 a year for each Employee Business Gold Card, though Employee Business Expense Cards are free
- From Feb. 17, 2027, advertising and wireless service earn 4X only with named providers, such as Google, Meta, Verizon, and AT&T
- No airport lounges, which the Business Platinum adds for $895 a year
At 1 cent a point, $2,000 a month in its top two categories, with nothing else on the card, earns $480 a year more than the Blue Business Plus would, or $105 after the $375 fee, not counting credits. Owners who spend mostly elsewhere and won’t use the credits do better with the no-fee Blue Business Plus.
Learn more about the American Express® Business Gold Card or see how it compares to the best small business credit cards.
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