The American Express® Business Gold Card (terms apply, see rates & fees) offers a strong suite of benefits for business owners. Among the most popular features of the Amex Business Gold card is the ability to earn 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on the 2 select categories where a business spends the most each month (up to $150,000 combined purchases per calendar year), 3 points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels booked on Amex Travel and 1 point per dollar is earned for other purchases.
The card also offers up to $395 in statement credits each year and recently added a few new bonus categories. But along with these changes, American Express raised the card’s annual fee from $295 to $375. Check out Forbes Advisor’s full review of the American Express® Business Gold Card for all the details.
If paying that kind of annual fee on a business credit card makes you feel uncomfortable, you have options.
American Express® Business Gold Card
A business with significant spending can justify the annual fee and earn massive rewards through the 4x points rate on eligible purchases.
- Flexible redemption and points transfer options
- Robust travel benefits
- Automatic 4 points per dollar on the two categories where you spend the most each billing period on up to $150,000 in annual spending
- Very high annual fee relative to benefits
- 4 points per dollar rate capped at $150,000 in annual spending
- Welcome Offer: Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.*
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card.
- Earn up to $20 in statement credits monthly after you use the Business Gold Card for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and Office Supply Stores. This can be an annual savings of up to $240. Enrollment required.
- Get up to a $12.95** statement credit back each month after you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Business Gold Card. **Up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes on one membership fee.
- Your Card – Your Choice. Choose from Gold or Rose Gold.
- *Terms Apply
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
The Chase Ink portfolio has a mix of strong credit cards that can go head-to-head with the American Express® Business Gold Card. But the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is probably the most similar in regards to earning structure and points transferability.
Ink Business Preferred cardholders earn 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. While the Amex Business Gold might seem like a winner with its 4 points per dollar earnings rate, remember that you only get that rate in your top two spending categories. With the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, however, you earn 3 points per dollar in four categories every month:
- Shipping purchases
- Advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines
- Internet, cable and phone services
- Travel
You can redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards® points by transferring them to travel partners or using them to book travel through Chase Travel℠ for a 25% bonus. All of these features come with a reasonable annual fee of $95, which is substantially lower than the Amex Business Gold’s annual fee of $375.
Consider the Ink Business Preferred if you spend a lot on shipping as that is no longer an eligible bonus category with the Business Gold. Also, the Ink Preferred could be a fit if you prefer the Chase-specific transfer partners like Southwest, United Airlines, or Hyatt. See our complete Ink Preferred vs. Amex Business Gold comparison for more details.
Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card
As a base, the Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card card earns 3% cash back in the category of choice, 2% cash back on dining purchases and unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. Earn 3% and 2% cash back on the first $50,000 in combined choice category/dining purchases each calendar year and 1% thereafter. But the cash-back earning is even sweeter for Preferred Rewards members who get an earnings bonus of up to 75%, bringing the 3% cash-back category up to 5.25%.
The 3% categories include gas stations, EV charging stations, office supply stores, travel, TV/telecom and business consulting services. Since these rewards are earned as cash back, there are no extra bonuses for redemption. You do, however, have the ability to receive your rewards as a checking account deposit, a statement credit or a paper check.
You won’t find an annual fee on this card, and the welcome bonus is easily achievable: Earn a $300 online statement credit after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days of account opening.
Venture X Business*
The Venture X Business* is a powerhouse of travel rewards and perks. Starting with the rewards, cardholders earn 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on flights booked via Capital One Travel and 2 miles per dollar on other eligible purchases.
Miles can be redeemed toward travel at a value of 1 cent per point. Or cardholders can transfer their miles to over 15 travel partners. The $300 annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Travel and 10,000 bonus anniversary miles each year can help offset the $395 annual fee. Tack on lounge access and an up to $100 statement credit for TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry application fees, and the card is a strong contender.
Note that your business will need to spend a significant amount of money to earn the card’s welcome bonus: Earn 150,000 bonus miles after spending $30,000 in the first three months of account opening. But for businesses with annual expenses that easily exceed the Amex Business Gold’s $150,000 annual bonus cap, earning an unlimited 2 miles on every purchase could be a smart way to go.
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
If your business has a moderate level of annual expenses and a lot of those expenses are at office supply stores, consider the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card. The card’s cap for bonus category spending is $25,000 in comparison with the $150,000 on the American Express® Business Gold Card.
You’ll earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year and 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases.
If you were to maximize your bonus categories, you could earn $1,750 in rewards each year. These rewards come with a surprising $0 annual fee. Currently, the welcome bonus for the card is: Earn $350 bonus cash back after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening, making this offer particularly appealing for businesses with fewer expenses.
Featured Partner Offers
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
The Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card can best be described as a hybrid cash-back credit card. That’s because while the card earns a flat 1.5% cash back rewards on every business purchase, that cash back comes in the form of flexible Ultimate Rewards points. If you have other cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Ink Preferred, you can combine the rewards with one of these cards to get maximum value from your points.
You’ll be able to redeem your rewards directly for cash back, gift cards or travel through the Chase travel portal. The card also has a strong welcome offer: earn $750 bonus cash back after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Pair all of that with a $0 annual fee and you’ve got a serious candidate for wallet space. If you’re looking for an uncomplicated way to earn rewards and you don’t see yourself spending a significant amount in the Business Gold’s bonus categories, this card could be the one for you.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
While the points-earning capability is more robust on the American Express® Business Gold Card, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (terms apply, see rates & fees) offers more rebates and credits.
You can get the following annual statement credits: up to $400 back from Dell, up to $360 from Indeed, up to $150 from Adobe (these features expire 12/31/24), up to $120 a year for wireless credits, up to $200 in airline incidental fees (charged by your one selected airline) and $189 in CLEAR® Plus credit. Enrollment is required for select benefits. On top of this, you’ll earn Hilton Honors℠ Gold status, Marriott Gold Status, elite status with a number of car rental agencies and airline lounge access.
While this may seem like a lot of credits, the card does come with a $695 annual fee. If you’re not sure you’ll make use of enough of these features, then think twice before committing to the high spend.
This card could be a fit if you’re a frequent flyer, especially if you have a Centurion Lounge at your home airport. But keep in mind that most card purchases only earn 1 to 1.5 points per dollar. So if earning rewards is your main focus, the Business Gold is likely the better Amex business card for you.
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (terms apply, see rates & fees) earns a flat 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners up to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, then 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. There are no bonus categories to track which can take the stress out of earning rewards and let you focus on your business.
The card includes a modest welcome offer of 15,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening, plus a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate of 18.49% - 26.49% applies. You also don’t have to worry about paying an annual fee.
Consider your annualized business spend before applying for this card. If you’re going to be spending more than $50,000 a year, you’ll want to do the math to see if you can earn more with the Amex Business Gold.
Bottom Line
The American Express® Business Gold Card is a top choice for businesses that spend up to $150,000 in the card’s bonus categories. With that said, there is a flurry of alternative business credit cards that are worthy of consideration. Before deciding which card to apply for, make sure to run the numbers to see which would net you the most value overall.
Find the Best Business Credit Cards of 2024
To view rates and fees for the American Express® Business Gold Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express please visit this page.
