American Express® Business Gold Card review

How to apply for the American Express® Business Gold Card

1. Go to the provider's site and click Apply now.
2. Complete the application with details like your name, address, annual income, Social Security number and business information.
3. Review and submit your application.

What should I know before I apply?

To apply for the card, you must be:

• At least 18 years old.
• A US resident.

Information you’ll need

To complete the application, you’ll need to provide information about yourself and your business, including:

• Your name and contact information, including your email address and phone number.
• Your Social Security number and date of birth.
• Financial information like your annual income and your monthly rent or mortgage.
• The name of your business, its mailing address and its phone number.
• Your employee count, business type and business structure.
• Your years in business, annual business revenue and monthly business spending.
• Your tax identification number.

What credit score do I need?

You’ll have a better chance of approval with a good to excellent credit score of 670 or higher. If you have a healthy business and excellent credit, your likelihood of approval is strong.

How long will it take to get my American Express® Business Gold Card?

Because Amex automates conditional credit card approval online, you may get a decision on your application within 30 seconds. If there are issues with your application, it could take a few days to a few weeks to hear back.

After you’re approved, you’ll typically receive your card by mail within 10 business days.

American Express® Business Gold Card benefits

• Welcome offer. Enjoy a welcome offer of 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
• Rewards: Up to 4x points. Earn 4x points in the two categories you spend the most in each month among American Express’s six options on up to $150,000 in combined purchases each year. After you reach that cap, your rewards rate reverts to 1x points in those categories. You’ll also earn 1x points on all other eligible purchases. You’ll have six options to receive accelerated rewards:

• Airfare purchased directly from airlines
• US purchases for advertising in select media
• US purchases at restaurants
• US purchases at gas stations
• US purchases for shipping
• US computer hardware, software and cloud computing purchases directly from select providers

You can spend your points on a variety of redemption options, including travel, gift cards, statement credit and more. Check out our Membership Rewards redemption guide for more information.

• Expense management tools. Add employee cards to your account, designate a person to manage your credit card account, set spending limits and use the American Express® Business App to add digital notes to your transactions via mobile or desktop. You can also label and transfer your transactions from your American Express online statements into your QuickBooks account. These can be useful features for a business owner, especially if you make many monthly purchases.
• No foreign transaction fees. You won’t incur fees when you use your card abroad or on foreign websites. Typically, providers charge a 3% fee each time you use your card for an international transaction. It doesn’t sound like much, but it can add up over a trip spanning several days.Because the American Express® Business Gold Card comes with no foreign transaction fees, it can be a good choice for vacations or business trips.
• Travel benefits. When you purchase the entire fare of your eligible transportation ticket with your American Express® Business Gold Card, you’re covered by American Express’s Baggage Insurance Plan. The plan insures your bags against theft, damage or accidental loss according to American Express’s terms. You’re also covered by Travel Accident Insurance, which provides accidental death and dismemberment coverage on eligible transportation.When you’re more than 100 miles from home, access the Global Assist Hotline for medical, financial, legal and other emergency assistance.

  Finally, you’ll enjoy travel benefits while traveling by car. Call the Roadside Assistance Hotline from the road if you need help with towing, battery charges and more. And when you pay for a car rental with your American Express® Business Gold Card and decline the collision damage waiver, the vehicle is covered against damage or theft.

• Purchase benefits. The card extends warranties on eligible items you buy with your card. And with Purchase Protection, your eligible items may be covered against damage or theft.You can also access Amex Offers for extra rewards and discounts at select retail and dining partners.

American Express® Business Gold Card drawbacks

• Annual fee: $295 annual fee. The American Express® Business Gold Card has a steep $295 annual fee.This is a higher annual fee than many other business credit cards. Several business cards that offer a $0 intro annual fee charge annual fees of just $95 in your second year.
• No balance transfers. American Express does not allow balance transfers for this card. However, many business credit cards do allow you to transfer balances.

Compare business credit cards

If you want more information about how the American Express® Business Gold Card compares to other business cards on the market, select up to 4 cards and click Compare to view them side-by-side.

Sort by:

Name	Product	Rewards	Purchase APR	Annual fee
Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card		1.5% cash back on all purchases	0% intro for the first 12 months (then 13.24% to 19.24% variable)	$0	$750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening.	See offer View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card		3x points on the first $150,000 on travel and select business categories annually, then 1x after and on all other purchases	15.99% to 20.99% variable	$95	100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening. That's $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.	See offer View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Brex 30 Card		8x points on rideshares, 5x on Brex Travel, 4x at restaurants, 3x on software subscriptions and 1x points on all other purchases	N/A	$0	The first corporate card for startups. No personal guarantee or security deposit needed, meaning your personal credit score won't be affected.	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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What size business is the American Express® Business Gold Card good for?

Mid- to large-sized businesses are best positioned to make the most of the American Express® Business Gold Card. High annual fee aside, the card’s value is only maximized with big spending. Ideally, you’ll want to reach the $150,000 cap on 4x points each and every calendar year to make this card truly shine. Smaller businesses that don’t carry a lot of annual costs may not be able to push their spending to this cap reliably. And unlike travel business cards, the American Express® Business Gold Card doesn’t offer complimentary credits to take the sting out of the annual fee. Instead, you’ll have to generate at least the value of the fee each year to break even on the card.

Giving each Membership Rewards® point an approximate value of 1 cent, you’ll need to earn 29,500 points to break even on a $295 annual fee.

Here’s how much you’ll need to spend to earn those points based on each earning category:

Consider whether your business spends heavily in the card’s 4x-point categories. If the answer is no, you may get more out of another rewards card.

American Express® Business Gold Card reviews and complaints

American Express Company has been accredited with the Better Business Bureau since 1948 and earns an overall A+ rating as of April 2021. However, roughly 90% of its reviews are negative — and it’s attracted nearly 3,400 customer complaints. Amex cardholders in general complain about rude customer service reps, missing statement credits and issues disputing charges.

As of April 2021, the company earns a Trustpilot score of 2 out of 5. Many negative reviews cite unhelpful customer service and inflexible company policies. Positive reviews say the company employs pleasant customer service representatives. Overall, your mileage may vary with American Express customer support.

Bottom line

The American Express® Business Gold Card is best suited for businesses that can take advantage of the accelerated points categories. Strong rewards come with a decent welcome offer and travel benefits.

Before you apply for a credit card, consider other business cards to find one that best suits your business needs and spending.

Images: AmericanExpress.com