Is the Amex Business Gold worth it?

The American Express® Business Gold Card allows business owners to earn 4X points on purchases from the top two of six eligible categories in which they spend the most during each billing cycle. These boosted rewards can be earned on up to $150,000 in purchases per calendar year, then they earn 1X points.

Cardholders also earn 3X points on flights and prepaid hotel stays booked through the Amex Travel portal and 1X points on all other purchases. New members can also earn a generous welcome offer of 100,000 points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of card membership.

Still, a $375 annual fee applies to this card, which should leave you with an important question: Is the American Express Business Gold Card worth it?

While the right business credit card is different for everyone, we believe the Amex Business Gold is “worth its weight in gold” for the right type of business owner.

When is the Amex Business Gold worth it?

Before signing up for the Amex Business Gold, it’s smart to consider how your business spends money as well as how you would prefer to redeem your rewards later on. You’ll also want to consider any perks you get just for being a cardholder.

Here are some scenarios where the Amex Business Gold can be well worth the $375 annual fee.

You want to earn Amex Membership Rewards points

First off, you should note that points earned with this card fall within the dynamic American Express Membership Rewards program. Points in this program are worth an average of 2.0 cents each when transferred to a high-value travel partner, according to Bankrate valuations. This means that the welcome offer alone can be worth $2,000.

Membership Rewards points are available to redeem in a variety of ways. Points can be used for merchandise, gift cards, statement credits and travel through the American Express Travel portal — though non-travel redemptions offer less value for your rewards. Your best value will come from transferring points to American Express transfer partners like Delta SkyMiles, Air France/Flying Blue and the Hilton Honors program.

Your business spends a lot in the card’s eligible bonus categories

Also remember that the Amex Business Gold rewards you with 4X points on up to $150,000 in purchases per calendar year in eligible spending categories. You’ll automatically earn the boosted rewards on the top two eligible categories (from a list of six) in which you spend the most each billing cycle (then 1X points). Business spending categories that qualify for heightened rewards include U.S. purchases made with electronic goods retailers and software/cloud system providers; U.S. wireless telephone providers; transit purchases (including trains, taxis, rideshare services, tolls, parking, ferries, buses and subways); online, TV and radio advertising with U.S. media providers; purchases at U.S. gas stations; and purchases at U.S. restaurants (including takeout and delivery).

If your business spends a ton in these categories, you could score quite the haul in points over the course of a year. After all, maximizing your spending in categories like select U.S. media advertising, purchases at U.S. gas stations and purchases from U.S. software providers could net you 600,000 Amex Membership Rewards points per year — which is worth an estimated $12,000 if you transfer your points to high-value partners.

You’ll also earn 3X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel. For travel heavy businesses, this can also be a nice boost to your rewards haul — especially since there is no spending cap, allowing you to earn 3X points on all your spending in this category.

Several included perks are attractive to you

Other Amex Business Gold benefits include no foreign transaction fees, a $100 experience credit at The Hotel Collection properties (terms apply), a baggage insurance plan, trip delay insurance, access to the Global Assist Hotline and secondary auto rental coverage. Separately, this card also comes with cellphone protection, extended warranties on eligible items and purchase protection against damage or theft.

When is the Amex Business Gold not worth it?

While the scenarios above are ones where this card’s annual fee can easily pay for itself, the Amex Business Gold won’t work for everyone. If any of the situations below apply, the Amex Business Gold probably isn’t the best option for you.

Your business spending doesn’t align with this card’s bonus categories

Earning 4X points in a range of popular categories (on up to $150,000 per year in the two eligible categories your business spends the most in each billing cycle, then 1X points) sounds like a good idea in theory, yet this exceptional rate will only benefit you if you spend in the included categories. If your business spending tends to fall elsewhere or you make a lot of miscellaneous purchases with a business credit card, the regular earning rate on the Amex Business Gold is just 1X points.

You’ll want to ensure you can max out the $150,000 spending cap with spending in the eligible categories.

You’d rather earn cash back

Also keep in mind that Amex Membership Rewards points are best for travel but are far from ideal if you want to rack up cash back or points you can redeem for merchandise or gift cards. You’ll only get 0.7 cents per point in value when you redeem rewards for purchases with the Amex Pay with Points feature, 0.6 cents per point if you redeem points for statement credits and anywhere from 0.5 cents to 1 cent per point for gift cards.

If you want a way to redeem rewards for non-travel redemptions and still get at least 1 cent per point, the Amex Business Gold is not the business credit card for you.

You’re trying to keep costs down for your business

As we mentioned already, the $375 annual fee on this card can be hard to justify if your business doesn’t spend enough to rack up a considerable amount of rewards.

The card does offer a 0 percent intro APR on purchases that qualify for “Pay Over Time” for six months from the date you open your account. However, you may want to look into cards that offer a longer zero-interest period on purchases. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, for instance, earns Membership Rewards points with no annual fee and offers a 0 percent intro APR on purchases for 12 months after account opening (17.74 percent to 25.74 percent variable APR after).

Should you get the Amex Business Gold?

The Amex Business Gold Card can be worth it if your business spending aligns with its bonus categories, you believe you can comfortably earn the welcome offer and you want some purchase and travel protections. That said, it can help to do some math to figure out what the rewards you earn will be worth.

As an example, a business owner who spends $60,000 per year in the eligible 4X bonus categories would earn 240,000 Membership Rewards points. Those points can be worth an estimated $4,800 in travel if transferred to high-value Amex transfer partners.

However, a business that only spends $5,000 in eligible 4X bonus categories per year would earn 20,000 points with an approximate value of $400. At that level of spending, you may want to consider some of the other top business credit cards available today — including options with no annual fee — to find a better fit.

The bottom line

Before you sign up for the Amex Business Gold, make sure to read our American Express Business Gold Card review. Doing so can help you understand everything this business credit card has to offer as well as how it stacks up to other business cards with comparable annual fees.

Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.