Amex Business Gold Card Review: Are 4x Points & Credits Worth The Fee?

This is my in-depth Amex Business Gold Card review, as this is one of Amex’s popular business cards. While the American Express® Business Gold Card has a substantial annual fee, it offers really lucrative 4x points bonus categories, and also has credits that can help offset the annual fee. Best of all, the card potentially has a massive welcome offer, which is a major incentive to apply.

While many people may be familiar with the American Express® Gold Card (learn more), the business version of the card is also worth being aware of, and I’d argue it’s one of the best business cards out there for earning points.

Link: Learn more about the American Express® Business Gold Card

Amex Business Gold summary & key details

Before I get into my Amex Business Gold Card review, here’s a brief summary of the key details of the card:

• Annual fee: $375 (Rates & Fees)
• Welcome offer: As high as 200,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months; welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer
• Points earn rate: 4x points in the category in which your business spends the most each billing cycle (from a choice of six) on up to $150,000 in spending per year, 3x points with select Amex Travel purchases, and 1x points for all other eligible purchases
• Credits & benefits: Up to $300 annual ChatGPT business subscription credit, up to $240 annual flexible business credit, up to $155 annual Walmart+ credit, up to $150 annual Squarespace credit, and more (enrollment required for all perks)
• Foreign transaction fee: None (Rates & Fees)
• Best for: Business owners who want to earn Membership Rewards points for their spending, who spend in categories that align with the bonuses, and ideally those who can also take advantage of the credits to offset the annual fee

Below are what I consider to be the pros and cons of the Amex Business Gold Card.

Amex Business Gold bonus, fees, & eligibility

Let’s take a look at some of the key details to be aware of if you’re thinking of applying for the Amex Business Gold Card, including the card’s welcome offer, the annual fee, eligibility for the card, and more.

Amex Business Gold welcome offer as high as 200K points

The Amex Business Gold Card welcome offer is incredibly lucrative, as the card currently has an offer as high as 200,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

Based on my most recent points valuations, I value Membership Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so to me those up to 200,000 points with the welcome offer are worth $3,400. This is an absolutely massive welcome offer, assuming you’re eligible for the headline amount (or anything close to it). It’s a huge incentive to at least give the card a try for a year.

Amex Business Gold eligibility requirements

If you’re applying for the Amex Business Gold Card, be aware of Amex’s general restrictions on applying for cards, including the “once in a lifetime rule.” That means you’re not eligible for the welcome offer on the card if you’ve already had this card, though you are potentially eligible for the bonus if you’ve had other Amex cards. Anecdotally, I find Amex business cards to be quite easy to get approved for.

There are two other things to keep in mind, that are kind of cool:

• While Amex typically has a five credit card limit, the Amex Business Gold doesn’t count toward that, because it’s a hybrid card, and not technically a credit card
• If you’re concerned about staying under Chase’s 5/24 limit, applying for an Amex business card won’t count toward that, since it doesn’t show up on your personal credit report in that way

Amex Business Gold $375 annual fee

The Amex Business Gold Card has an annual fee of $375 (Rates & Fees). You can add additional cardmembers to your account at no extra cost. This is one of the higher annual fee business cards out there, but fortunately the card offers some perks that will help offset that.

Amex Business Gold authorized user fee

Want to add Amex Business Gold authorized users? Beyond the annual fee for the primary cardmember, the card also has a fee to add authorized users. The cost is $95 for the first five authorized users (that’s total, not per person), and then $95 for each additional authorized user beyond that (Rates & Fees). It’s possible to add up to 99 employee cards to your account.

The good news is that Amex offers some business management tools that make it easier to control spending and help with accounting if you add several employee cards, like connecting to QuickBooks (to manage employee business expenses), along with an account manager and year-end summary feature.

Purchase protection, extended warranty, rental car coverage

As you’d expect for a card of this caliber, the Amex Business Gold offers some decent purchase protection benefits. You’ll want to consult the full cardmember agreement, but the card offers an extended warranty, purchase protection, secondary car rental loss and damage insurance, and trip delay insurance.

These are perks that are really worth it in those rare situations where they’re needed, so it’s worth using a card like that for your spending.

Amex Business Gold points earning structure

One of the primary reasons you may want to consider the Amex Business Gold Card (other than the great welcome offer) is because of the bonus categories that it offers on purchases. The card offers up to 4x points, though the way in which these bonus points are awarded is pretty nuanced, so let’s take a look at the Amex Business Gold rewards structure.

Earn 4x Membership Rewards points in select categories

Amex takes an interesting approach to offering bonus points with the Amex Business Gold, because the categories in which you earn 4x points adjusts along with your spending every billing cycle.

Each billing cycle you earn 4x Membership Rewards points in the two categories where your business spends the most. There are a total of six eligible categories to choose from. Note that you earn 4x points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year, and then 1x points thereafter. Categories eligible for 4x points include:

• Purchases at U.S. media providers for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
• U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
• U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
• U.S. purchases at gas stations
• Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
• Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.

It’s worth specifically emphasizing how five of the six possible 4x points categories are limited to U.S. purchases, so this isn’t a great card for a business that makes a lot of purchases abroad, or in foreign currencies.

Based on my valuation of Membership Rewards points, that’s the equivalent of a 6.8% return on spending in those categories, which is incredible.

What qualifies for 4x points bonus categories?

How does Amex define the bonus categories on the Amex Business Gold? Here are some general guidelines to be aware of:

• U.S. computer hardware, software, and cloud computing includes Apple, CDW, Dell, HP, IBM, Intuit, Lenovo, Microsoft, Newegg, Oracle, Rackspace, Sage Software, Salesforce.com, Symantec, and Tiger Direct
• U.S. advertising in select media includes Google, Facebook, Yahoo, NBC National Broadcasting, and CBS Radio
• U.S. wireless service providers include monthly charges from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, and more, and it doesn’t include purchases for hardware, bundled services, VoIP services, and purchases from resellers or third party sellers

The gas station, restaurant, and transit categories are mostly self-explanatory. Just keep in mind that gas station and restaurant categories are limited to U.S. locations.

The Amex Business Gold Card limits you to earning 4x points on a total of $150,000 of spending every calendar year. That’s across all the bonus categories, and it doesn’t matter how it’s split up. There’s no limit to the total number of points you can earn with the card, though there is a limit to the 4x points categories.

Earn 3x Membership Rewards points on Amex Travel

The Amex Business Gold Card earns 3x points on flights & pre-paid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com. While you don’t earn any bonus rewards on direct travel purchases, this could be worth it if you find good travel options through Amex Travel.

Earn 1x Membership Rewards points on other purchases

For categories in which you can’t earn 4x points or 3x points, the Amex Business Gold Card offers 1x points per dollar spent. There are generally going to be better cards for everyday spending.

No foreign transaction fees on spending

The Amex Business Gold Card has no foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees), so you can use it for purchases globally. Just keep in mind that some of the 4x point categories are largely restricted to U.S. purchases.

Amex Business Gold points redemption options

The Amex Business Gold Card earns Membership Rewards points. This is one of the major transferable points currencies, and is a favorite points currency for many. These points can efficiently be transferred to airline and hotel partners, and that’s super valuable.

Transfer Amex points to airline & hotel partners

The best way to redeem your Amex points is to transfer them to one of the Membership Rewards airline or hotel partners. Points can be transferred to the below 22 partners, including 18 airline partners and four hotel partners.

The reason this represents such a good deal is that you can get outsized value toward first and business class travel. These tickets are often super expensive if paying cash, while they can be a good deal on points.

For example, if you’re strategic, it’s not unusual to find one-way transatlantic business class award tickets that cost 60,000 to 80,000 points, when they would cost many thousands of dollars if paying cash. If you were otherwise to assume points are worth one cent each, that’s like paying “just” $600 to $800 for such a ticket.

On top of that Amex often has transfer bonuses, which can get you even better value, so always keep an eye out for those. Just as an example, I’ve redeemed 75,000 Aeroplan points for one-way transatlantic business class tickets on Lufthansa (recently from Austin to Frankfurt), or 60,000 Flying Blue miles for one-way transatlantic business class tickets on Air France (recently from Miami to Paris to Venice).

How not to redeem Amex points

While you can redeem Membership Rewards points toward the cost of merchandise (including with Amazon), toward gift cards, toward travel purchases with Amex Travel, or to pay off your statement, these aren’t good uses of your points.

You’ll typically only get up to one cent of value per point, and often much less value than that, so that’s not how I’d redeem them. Instead, focus on redemptions that get you well over one cent of value per point, if possible.

Amex Business Gold benefits & credits

The Amex Business Gold Card offers several benefits that cardmembers may find useful, including up to $845 in annual credits (sadly none of them are for airlines or hotels, unlike so many other premium cards nowadays). Do the benefits justify the annual fee, though? Let’s take a closer look.

Up to $300 annual ChatGPT business subscription credit

The Amex Business Gold Card offers up to $300 back annually for purchases of ChatGPT Business made directly with OpenAI in the U.S., and enrollment is required. That’s of course a perk that matches the times.

For what it’s worth, the minimum cost of ChatGPT Business is $20 per user per month, with a minimum of two users required. So that means you’d pay a minimum of $40 per month for two users, or $480 per year. With the $300 credit, you’d be paying just $180, or $15 per month total for two people. That could definitely be a good value, though unless there’s a promotion (which there sometimes is), this is unlikely to get you something “free.”

Up to $240 annual flexible business credit

The Amex Business Gold Card offers up to $240 back annually for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx (through 10/01/2026), Grubhub, and office supply stores.

This comes in the form of up to $20 per month in statement credits toward eligible purchases. Enrollment is required for this perk, and for many, this will be worth face value. I’d say that it’s easy enough to spend $20 per month in any of those three categories.

Up to $155 annual Walmart+ membership credit

The Amex Business Gold Card offers up to $155 per year in Walmart+ credits, which comes in the form of a $12.95 monthly credit toward a Walmart+ membership, covering the entire cost of it. Walmart+ can save you money on shipping and delivery of Walmart purchases, as well as on prescriptions and gas. You need to enroll for the Walmart+ benefit.

Up to $150 annual Squarespace credit

The Amex Business Gold Card offers up to $150 back annually for U.S. purchases with Squarespace, and enrollment is required. Note that this can be used as a one-time credit, so there’s no need to break this down into monthly credits, or anything like that.

Squarespace can help you build a website or online store, and it’s very popular. I can’t say I’ve used this benefit or value it much, but others will feel differently, and will recoup the full value from this benefit.

Access to the Amex Offers program

One of the great features of Amex cards is access to Amex Offers, which offers savings or bonus points on purchases with all kinds of retailers. The more Amex cards you have, the more offers you’ll have access to, so it’s another reason to get the Amex Business Gold.

Amex Offers could save you hundreds of dollars per year. You can access these offers by logging into your account and scrolling down to the bottom of your account summary page.

Access to The Hotel Collection

For staying two or more nights at select luxury hotels, you can receive extra benefits through The Hotel Collection, and having the Amex Business Gold unlocks that. Benefits include a $100 hotel credit and a room upgrade if available. This is different than Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts®, which requires having an Amex Platinum Card.

Is the Amex Business Gold worth it?

I tend to think that the Amex Business Gold Card is a pretty polarizing card. Either it’s absolutely a no-brainer for your business, or there are probably better cards out there.

Personally, I think it makes sense to get the Amex Business Gold Card if you have a business that spends a significant amount in the categories that are eligible for 4x points, since there are some unique categories there where not many other cards offer bonuses.

If you spend quite a bit in any of those categories, then it should be easy enough to justify the annual fee on the card, especially when taking advantage of the up to $845 in credits offered by the card annually.

Meanwhile if you have a small business, don’t spend much on credit cards, can’t maximize the credits, and the bonus categories don’t align with your spending, then there are absolutely better cards out there. Speaking of that, let’s take a look at some other business cards that people may consider, to see how they compare.

Use Amex Blue Business Plus as Amex Business Gold complement

If I could get just one Amex business card, it would probably be The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (learn more), which offers 2x Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 spent every calendar year (1x after that). This is a no annual fee card (Rates & Fees) that should be a no-brainer for just about anyone.

This is a great complement to the Amex Business Gold Card:

• You can earn 2x points on non-bonused spending with the Blue Business Plus
• You can earn 4x points in bonus categories with the Business Gold

Amex Business Gold vs. Business Platinum

If you’re considering the Amex Business Gold, odds are that you’re also at least looking at The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (learn more). The card has a $895 (Rates & Fees) annual fee, which is obviously even steeper.

As I see it, the Amex Business Gold and Amex Business Platinum are quite different — the Amex Business Gold is one you get for the rewards structure, and you try to use the credits to justify it. Meanwhile the Amex Business Platinum is one you get for the perks, as it’s not as rewarding for spending. The only exceptions are that the Amex Business Platinum offers 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels via Amex Travel, and that it offers 2x points on purchases of $5,000 or more in a single transaction, on up to $2 million of spending per calendar year.

If you ask me, the Amex Business Platinum is quite easy to justify, in my opinion, as the card offers airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and all kinds of credits that can justify the annual fee. In many ways, I’d say the two cards could even be complements, even though I realize we’re talking about a lot of fees at this point. but still, the cards serve different purposes.

Amex Business Gold vs. Chase Ink Preferred

One of the best business credit cards out there is the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (learn more). The card has a massive welcome bonus, a reasonable $95 annual fee, offers 3x points in useful categories, has a great cell phone protection plan and rental car coverage, and more.

Personally, I think the Ink Preferred is a more well-rounded card with a more reasonable annual fee. If I could only get one card, I would get the Ink Preferred.

However, for some businesses, it could make sense to get both cards, or if you’re already in the Amex card ecosystem, then there’s value in continuing to earn Membership Rewards points.

Amex Business Gold vs. Sapphire Reserve Business

The Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (learn more) is another Amex Business Gold competitor worth considering. The card does have a steep $795 annual fee, but there are lots of reasons that could be worth paying. The card has a massive welcome bonus, it offers a variety of credits (including a $300 annual travel credit), it offers airport lounge access (including Chase Sapphire Lounge access and a Priority Pass membership), and it also has a great rewards structure.

Specifically, the card offers 4x points on direct airline and hotel spending, plus 3x points on social media and search engine advertising, on up to $1 million in spend each anniversary year, starting November 15, 2026. If you spend a lot on search engine advertising, that cap of $1 million is much higher than the cap of $150,000, so it could be a major reason to get the card.

Amex Business Gold vs. Venture X Business

I’d argue that the Capital One Venture X Business (learn more) is another card that’s quite a competitor to the Amex Business Gold Card, given how lucrative it is. The card also has an excellent welcome bonus, so applying for the card is easy to justify.

The card offers 2x miles per dollar spent with no foreign transaction fees. While the card has a $395 annual fee, that’s easy to make the math work thanks to the $300 annual Capital One Travel credit, 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, and much more.

Capital One miles can also be transferred to a variety of airline and hotel partners. Lastly, the card offers lounge access, including a Priority Pass™ membership, and access to Capital One Lounges and Capital One Landings.

In many ways, the Amex Business Gold and Venture X Business are the opposites — the former is great for its bonus categories, while the latter is great for everyday spending.

Amex Business Gold FAQs

Bottom line

I know it was long, but there’s my Amex Business Gold Card review. This is one of American Express’ best business cards for earning Membership Rewards points. The card has a steep annual fee, so it’s best for those who can maximize the bonus categories. It’s easy enough to help offset the annual fee by using the up to $845 in annual credits offered by the card.

If you’d benefit from the 4x points categories, the welcome offer, and the ongoing credits, then I think the card is definitely worth it. Otherwise, I think there are other business cards to consider.

If you want to learn more about the Amex Business Gold Card, follow this link.

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: American Express® Business Gold Card (Rates & Fees), The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), and The Business Platinum® Card from American Express (Rates & Fees).