The American Express Business Gold card has seen a ton of changes. Its 4x categories have been revamped, new annual business credits were added and the the annual fee has increased by $80. The combination of the heftier annual fee and the new credits definitely makes this a different value proposition…better for many, worse for some.
Amex Business Gold Current Welcome Offer
| Card Offer |
|---|
130K Points ⓘ Friend-Referral 130K points after $10K spend in 3 months. Terms apply. (Rates & Fees)$375 Annual Fee Alternate Offer: Some people can find a targeted offer for up to 150K points. See this for more details.. Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. Recent better offer: (Expired 2/1/24) 130K referral offer after $10K in spend |
![](http://cdn.nextinsure.com/imaging/opt/b1678909-a196-414a-8066-e401677d02c3.png?w=300" alt="American Express® Business Gold Card" />)
Amex Business Gold Review
Similar to the Business Platinum card, the Business Gold has seen a bunch of “no lifetime language” offers over the last couple of years, so there are a lot of us out there who now have more than one. The card doesn’t have the plethora of elite perks that the Business Platinum card has, but it does have a lower annual fee and much better earning categories. Additionally, those that find themselves in “pop-up” prison with Amex consumer cards often find clear sailing on the business side, specifically with the Business Platinum and Business Gold cards. The 4x categories have changed, which will be a positive for some folks and negative for others. That said, the new credits and normally sizeable welcome offer makes this card a good choice for almost anyone for the first year.
- Annual Fee: $375
- Authorized User Annual Fee: $95 for the first five cards, then $95 for each additional card.
- Foreign Transaction Fee: None
- What points are worth: The Amex Business Gold earns Membership Rewards points. Our current Reasonable Redemption Values pegs them at 1.55 cents each.
- Best Use for Points: Membership Rewards can be transferred to travel partners at a 1:1 ratio and this will almost always yield the most value. There’s three hotel partners (Choice, Hilton, Marriott), but the transfer ratio makes them unappealing most of the time. On the other hand, airline partners are excellent and include Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, ANA Mileage Club and Avianca LifeMiles.
- Earning Categories:
- 4X – Combined spend in top two categories each billing cycle (capped at $150K spend per calendar year, then 1x):
- U.S. media providers for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
- U.S. purchases from electronic goods retailers and software/cloud system providers
- U.S. purchases at restaurants
- 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.
- 3x on eligible purchases through AmexTravel.com
- 1x – everywhere else
- 4X – Combined spend in top two categories each billing cycle (capped at $150K spend per calendar year, then 1x):
- Credits:
- $240 Flexible Business Credit ($20/month)
- U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and Office Supply Stores
- Up to $155 Walmart+ Membership ($12.95/month + taxes)
- $240 Flexible Business Credit ($20/month)
- Additional Perks:
- Hotel Collection: Book minimum two night stays at hotels through Amex Hotel Collection and get a $100 property credit.
- Travel Protections:
- Auto Rental Coverage: Secondary auto rental CDW (collision damage waiver). Provides reimbursement for theft and collision damage for rental cars in the U.S. and abroad.
- Trip Delay Reimbursement: Covers delays of more than 6 hours or that require an overnight stay. Up to $300 per trip.
- Lost Luggage Reimbursement: Up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage ($10,000 aggregate maximum limit for all covered Persons per covered Trip).
- Purchase Protections:
- Cell Phone Insurance: $800/claim and a $50 deductible/claim (2 claims max/year).
- Extended Warranty: One additional year, on eligible warranties of five years or less (US warranties only, max $10,000/claim, $50,000/account/year).
- Damage and Theft Protection: 90 days against damage or theft (up to $1,000 per claim and $50,000 per year).
- Who’s this card for? Anyone that’s looking for a heathy stash of Membership Rewards as a welcome offer and/or who can maximize the 4x categories and annual credits.
- Is the Amex Business Gold a keeper? The Business Gold could almost pay for itself if you can use the Walmart+ and annual business credits. Having office supply stores included in those credits makes it fairly easy to use, as you can just buy a $20 3rd party gift card every month. Over the last couple of years, the Business Gold has also been among the easier cards within the Membership Rewards portfolio to get repeatedly (churn), so many folks might prefer to try to open another card and get an additional welcome bonus, as opposed to keeping the one that they have. That said, for those not into churning cards and who can take advantage of the 4x categories and credits, there’s certainly a case for keeping it, even with the higher annual fee.
Amex Business Gold Pros and Cons
Pros
- Excellent 4x categories
- 4x categories can change monthly according to spending amounts
- Annual credits that include Walmart+ and office supply stores can be very useful
- Usually has an excellent welcome offer
- One of the easier Amex cards to get repeatedly
- Good travel and purchase protections
- Terrific airline partners
Cons
- High annual fee ($375)
- Credits are coupon-booky and spread out monthly
- No premium perks like lounge access or elite status
American Express Transfer Partners
| Rewards Program | Amex Transfer Ratio | Best Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus Avios | 1 to 1 | Fuel surcharges are sometimes lower when booking with Aer Lingus (Avios.com) rather than British Airways, Qatar, or Iberia. It's possible to move points (Avios) between Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Qatar. See also: Avios Sweet Spots for Award Tickets. |
| AeroMexico ClubPremier | 1 to 1.6 | AeroMexico is a SkyTeam partner. Club Premier points can be used to book flights on AeroMexico, SkyTeam alliance members (such as Delta or Korean Air), or on select partner airlines. Unfortunately many have reported that awards are extremely difficult to book through AeroMexico so we do not recommend transferring points to this program. If you want to fly AeroMexico, look to transfer points to another SkyTeam partner (such as Air France) and then book AeroMexico with that program. |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1 to 1 | Redeem for Star Alliance flights and/or flights with Air Canada partners (such as Etihad). No fuel surcharges; $39 CAD award booking fee; 5,000 points to add stopover on one-way award. See: Air Canada Aeroplan: Everything you need to know. |
| Air France KLM Flying Blue | 1 to 1 | Monthly Air France Promo Awards often represent very good value. Air France miles can be used to book Sky Team awards, including Delta awards. Air France often offers very good business class award pricing between the US and Europe & Israel. |
| ANA Mileage Club | 1 to 1 | Redeem for Star Alliance flights. Multiple stopovers allowed. ANA offers many great sweet-spot awards, including flying around the world in business class for as few as 115K miles! See also: ANA - a terrific Membership Rewards gem. |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1 to 1 | Avianca LifeMiles can be great for Star Alliance awards. They offer reasonable award prices and no fuel surcharges on awards. They also offer shorthaul awards within the US (for flying United, for example) for as few as 7,500 miles one-way. Best of all, their mixed-cabin pricing can lead to fantastic first-class award prices. See this post for details. |
| British Airways Avios | 1 to 1 | While flights on British Airways itself often incur outrageously high fuel surcharges, many BA partners charge low or no fuel surcharges. Excellent value can be had in redeeming BA points for short distance flights. It's possible to move points (Avios) between Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Qatar. See also: Avios Sweet Spots for Award Tickets. |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 1 to 1 | Cathay Pacific has a decent distance based award chart, but they no longer allow stopovers longer than 24 hours. Cathay Pacific Asia Miles can be a good option for booking American Airlines flights with a distance based award chart, especially if other OneWorld Alliance miles aren't available. For long distance flights, it is possible to reduce the cost of a premium cabin award by adding on a lower cabin segment. See this post for details. |
| Choice | 1 to 1 | Choice Privileges points seem to be randomly valuable within the US, but dependably valuable internationally in expensive locations such as Scandinavia and Japan. Points can sometimes offer great value when used towards participating Preferred Hotels of the World. |
| Delta SkyMiles | 1 to 1 plus excise tax | Delta no longer charges change or cancellation fees on awards originating in North America. Flash award sales and flights to/from locations other than the U.S. or Canada can offer great value. See: Best uses for Delta miles. |
| Emirates Skywards | 1 to 1 | The best use of Emirates miles has been to fly Emirates itself. Unfortunately fuel surcharges can be steep. See: Emirates Sweet Spot Awards - First class from 30K miles round trip. |
| Etihad Guest | 1 to 1 | Etihad offers a distance based award chart for flying Etihad and another for its partners. Points may offer good value for expensive but short-distance flights. |
| Hawaiian Miles | 1 to 1 plus excise tax | Hawaiian Airlines’ award prices tend to be quite high, but there are some not-terrible uses: fly to neighboring islands for 7.5K miles, fly first class round-trip from Hawaii to South Pacific islands for as few as 95K miles, fly first class round-trip from Hawaii to Australia for as few as 130K miles, or use miles to upgrade paid flights. |
| Hilton | 1 to 2 | 5th Night Free awards. Best value is usually found with very low end or very high end Hilton hotels. Bonus: award nights are not subject to resort fees. |
| Iberia Avios | 1 to 1 | On their own flights, Iberia offers low award prices and a very reasonable 25 Euro cancellation fee. Partner awards can offer good value under some circumstances as well, but these are usually nonrefundable. Fuel surcharges are sometimes lower when booking with Iberia rather than British Airways, Aer Lingus, or Qatar. It's possible to move points (Avios) between Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Qatar. See also: Avios Sweet Spots for Award Tickets. |
| JetBlue | 250 to 200 plus excise tax | JetBlue points offer the most value when cheap ticket prices are available and when award taxes are high relative to the overall cost of the ticket (more details can be found here). The JetBlue Plus Card and the JetBlue Business Card offer a 10% rebate on awards, so you can get more value by holding one of these cards. |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 1 to 1 | 5th Night Free awards. Opportunities to get outsized value exist but can be hard to find. |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1 to 1 | Best use is probably for flights on El Al with no fuel surcharges. Also useful for short AA flights. Qantas offers distance based award charts similar to Cathay Pacific. Both are OneWorld Alliance members. I recommend comparing award prices across both programs before transferring to either. Qantas offers round the world business class awards for only 280,000 points (but with many restrictions) |
| Qatar Privilege Club Avios | 1 to 1 | Qatar has reasonable award prices for flying Qatar itself. Points are now transferable 1 to 1 to British Airways (and from there to Aer Lingus or Iberia). It is now also possible to book JetBlue flights with Qatar Avios. |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1 to 1 | Use to book Singapore Airlines First Class awards (generally reserved for their own members), Alaska Airlines economy awards, or for Star Alliance awards (including United Airlines). |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1 to 1 | Virgin Atlantic offers a few great sweet spot awards including US to Europe on Delta One business class for 50K points one-way. See: Best uses for Virgin Atlantic points (Sweet Spot Spotlight). |
Related Cards
| Card Offer |
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I’m seeing 130K welcome offer for referrals, anyone need a referral link?
Our spam filter won’t allow links in the comments. Universal 130k links have been dead for a few days (ie, the only ones that existed are those that only work in some browsers or incognito mode). But maybe they’re back again. Does yours work in multiple browsers and incognito modes?
Yes, I’m seeing my referral link offering 130K even in an incognito browser Tim
Does purchase in Best buy qualifies as electronic goods retailer?
Cons: $10,000 spend.
Is there any easy online way to get a third-party gift card every month? No office stores near us. TY.
Order online from Staples
PSA: Here’s one gotcha with the card. The card’s terms and conditions state that warehouse club gas stations that are not MCCed as gas stations will not qualify for the gas category bonus. Fair enough. My Sam’s Club gas station is MCCed as a gas station and is so credited on non-Amex cards. Nonetheless, Amex credits these purchases as un-bonused.
This feels like a dumb question, but is Amazon a 4x category?
No
just approved out of pop up jail. legit consulting businesses but amex biz is how i am working towards 5/24 again. 150k $10k gold.
Nice! Congrats on getting out jail! 🙂
P2 and I both got our first Biz Gold cards this year. Any advice on adding new cards–wait time, how many cards can one get, etc.?
Wait 90 days to apply for another Biz Gold, otherwise it will be auto-denied. You can call reconsideration after 90 days and have the application re-opened, however. You can still apply for other cards within that time frame, but you are limited to at most 10 open charge cards (Biz/Personal Platinum/Gold/Green) at a time. Most welcome offers will have language that states you may be ineligible for the welcome bonus if you’ve had the card before, but you can still try it and will receive a pop-up telling you whether or not that applies before finalizing the application…my last two approvals came on applications that contained that language. Check out this post for more application rules by bank.
A little off topic but I have the American Express Business Platinum card. One of the benefits is “Enroll and get up to $120 in statement credits per year (up to $10 back per month) for wireless telephone service purchases made directly with a wireless provider in the U.S. on your Business Platinum Card.‡” My wireless is AT&T and for a year and I half I have to fight with them every month for the credit.
Really very simple all online. I do two cards per month, usually around the 1st. I just go to Payments and pay $10 a card. It will say I do not owe, but proceed anyway. Never an issue. So in the matter of minutes the account shows $20 credit. The balance of the bill is on auto-pay with Chase Ink card for 5x. Wished all coupons were that easy.
I’m not sure I follow. I autopay my entire AT&T wireless bill with my Platinum card but the credit doesn’t show up.
Oh, you have an issue with Amex and not ATT. Now business card, not personal, you should get $10 statement credit usually posted 3-5 days (much slower lately as is most anything Amex including SUBs). Please don’t take the wrong way, but you did enroll w/Amex? Just trying to think of anything that could/would be the problem. Amex I think would make this right including the past credit omissions. Again ATT has nothing to do with this.
Correct. I did enroll with Amex. Starting in August 2022 I would receive the monthly credit a few days after my charge was posted. Then last December it stopped and I have to chat with them every month to get the credit manually. I finally called and talked to a very helpful woman yesterday and she’s working on it. My annual fee comes due in February and if I don’t get a decent retention offer I will be cancelling the card anyway.
Good Luck! Know the feeling about if this does not work or that cancel. My Amex card portfolio is getting smaller. IMO the great points post COVID days are over. Can’t complain as I (we) did very well.
Do you have or had more than one service from AT&T like internet, uverse, or something? I’ve heard sometimes AT&T will start billing the bundled bill under a single charge that doesn’t register as cell phone. In one case it was still happening even though the person had cancelled the other services.
Maybe you could try manually paying $10 of your cell phone bill on the 1st of the month and see it the merchant name appears differently and gets automatically credited. It is still work but would avoid dealing with a human.
The only thing we have on our AT&T bill is my wife’s and my cell phone service. On the Amex website it shows as “Will appear on your Jan 3, 2024 statement as AT&T UVERSE PAYMENT 8002882020 TX” but it’s always appeared that way.
For what it’s worth that’s the exact issue someone else had. His charge appeared as Uverse but instead should be ATT Mobility or Vesta ATT or similar. Even though he no longer had UVerse service for years, the cell service continued to bill that way. Maybe you can talk to ATT.
This is true for us, too – have to spend time getting the $10 all the time. GoogleFi.
I got a Gold card right before a month long trip to Portugal, knowing I’d make good use of the 4x restaurants. Not one place accepted Amex!!
It’s US only anyway. The category is: “U.S. purchases at restaurants”
No, the restaurant category was for international. Supermarket was only US.
It’s literally on the card page: “U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery”. So Portugal wouldn’t have counted even if they accepted it.
I have the regular gold not business. It clearly stated international. One of the reasons I got the card.
“ 4 points per dollar on restaurant purchases, whether you choose takeout or delivery in the U.S., or dine out at restaurants worldwide”
This article is about Gold Business.
Europe is not Amex friendly. I rarely even take my Amex cards with me when I go. That said, I understand your disappointment!
Had a similar experience in Portugal this year, stark contrast to London and to a lesser extent Paris the year before.
Might be worth describing benefit differences between paid, full employee cards, and free “additional cardholders.”
For the business platinum card, there are key differences, e.g. Centurion lounge access. Here the difference is less clear.
As a hobbyist, sure. Grab the SUB and punt. As a business owner, I’ve always struggled with the Business Gold. It’s too much of a niche card. If you have substantial spending in one of the designated categories, sure. But, the exclusion of certain gas stations from 4X has always been an issue. And, the loss of 4X on shipping will be a big hit to some companies. The absence of professional services (legal and accounting) is glaring. For me, that leaves only the software category. For the sake of simplicity, I’m not going to hold a card for just one category.
re: Gas purchase posting.
In northern NJ, WaWa and Quickcheck post transactions as fuel so I get 4X. 7-11 (where gas is sold) does NOT post trans as fuel, so no 4x. I haven’t tried other stations.