Key takeaways
- The American Express® Business Gold Card and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express let cardholders earn valuable Membership Rewards points in categories common to many businesses.
- The Amex Business Gold makes more sense if most of your card’s activity will be for everyday business expenses instead of flights and hotels.
- If you travel frequently for work, the Amex Business Platinum offers a better rewards rate and more benefits to make business travel more comfortable.
American Express consistently ranks as one of the top credit card issuers for customer satisfaction. This is one of the reasons its cards are frequently at the top of must-have lists for business owners. If you’ve wanted an American Express business card for a while, consider choosing between these two cards: The American Express® Business Gold Card and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.
Neither card has a preset spending limit, but rather the amount you can spend adjusts based on factors including your purchase, payment and credit history. While you’re expected to pay your balance in full each month with both of these Amex cards, both cards allow you to pay off eligible charges over time through the Amex Pay Over Time option (terms and limits apply).
Both Business Gold and Business Platinum also feature excellent rewards and welcome offers, not to mention an impressive set of perks (some of which overlap). So, how do you decide between the two? Here’s an overview of some of the most important details on both of these cards, including their rewards rates and annual fees:
Main details
| Cards | American Express Business Gold Card | The Business Platinum Card from American Express |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus | 70,000 points after spending $10,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of card membership | 150,000 points after spending $20,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of card membership |
| Rewards rate |
|
|
| Annual fee | $375 | $695 |
Amex Business Platinum vs. Amex Business Gold highlights
Choosing between these two business credit cards typically boils down to the following important categories and which card shines the most in each:
Welcome bonus winner
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Welcome offers entice new cardholders by rewarding them with a large number of points after meeting a spending requirement. But it’s important to consider not only the benefit you’ll receive, but also whether you can comfortably meet the minimum spend required during the given time period.
For the Amex Business Gold, you can earn 70,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of account opening. According to our points valuations guide, where we estimate Amex points to be worth 2.0 cents each, this welcome bonus could be worth about $1,400 when transferred to a high-value travel partner.
For the Amex Business Platinum, you can earn 150,000 points after spending $20,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months. This makes the bonus worth up to $3,000 if transferred to a travel partner for a premium travel redemption. Therefore, the Amex Business Platinum wins in this category since it offers a higher bonus.The Business Gold bonus, however, is more attainable with its lower spending requirement. Be sure your business can meet the higher $20,000 spend in three months if you decide to open the Business Platinum.
Rewards rate winner
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The winner in this category depends on your business’ spending needs. You’ll want to focus on rewards structures that are geared to your specific spending habits, rather than picking the card that offers the most possible rewards. Even the best rewards rates won’t be of much use if your typical spending doesn’t match a card’s bonus categories.The Amex Business Gold earns:
- 4X points in the top two categories from among a list of six in which your business spends the most each billing cycle (on up to $150,000 in combined purchases per year, then 1X points).
- 3X points on eligible travel purchases, such as flights and prepaid hotels booked through the Amex Travel portal
- 1X points on all general purchases
Categories for the 4X points rate include:- Select U.S. advertising purchases
- Purchases at U.S. gas stations
- Purchases at U.S. restaurants
- Select transit purchases
- U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers, as well as software and cloud system providers
- Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.
The Amex Business Platinum, on the other hand, earns:- 1.5X points on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more
- 1.5X points on eligible purchases in key business categories (on up to $2 million per calendar year)
- 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked with the Amex Travel portal
- 2X points on prepaid rental cars booked through Amex Travel portal
- 1X points on all other purchases
Key business categories for the 1.5X points rate include:- U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers
- Electronic goods retailers
- Software and cloud system providers
- U.S. shipping providers
The Amex Business Platinum heavily skews its rewards toward travel and large purchases, but the Business Gold could be more rewarding for businesses with less travel and more varied spending that falls within 4X categories.
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The Amex Business Gold comes with an annual fee of $375, while the Amex Business Platinum includes a much higher annual fee of $695. The Amex Business Gold card costs approximately $320 less per year than the Amex Business Platinum, but it also comes with less travel perks and business statement credits. If you can maximize the value of an Amex Business Platinum, you might find that it’s worth the additional $320.
Foreign transaction fee winner
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Neither card charges foreign transaction fees, so you won’t pay more when traveling internationally or making purchases with vendors in a foreign currency.
Which card earns the most?
As you use either card, you’ll earn points for each dollar you spend. But the best Amex business card for you depends on which card better matches your spending habits. For example, if you’re a small business that spends more in certain business categories than on travel, then you’ll likely earn more with the Amex Business Gold than with the Amex Business Platinum.
You’ll also want to take redemption methods into account. According to our points valuations, Amex Membership Rewards points can be worth up to about 2.0 cents when you transfer your points to high-value airline and hotel partners. Other redemption methods — like paying with points at checkout or gift cards — might only net you around 0.7 cents per point.
Spending example
Let’s imagine that you travel a lot for business each month, spending $2,000 on airfare, $1,000 on hotels and $500 on car rentals.
With the Amex Business Gold, you’ll earn 3X points on airfare and hotels provided you booked all your plans through American Express Travel. You’ll also earn 1X points on car rentals. Assuming airfare is one of your top spending categories, you could earn 6,000 points on airfare, 3,000 points on hotels and 500 points on car rentals — for a total of 9,500 points per month.
For the Amex Business Platinum, you’ll earn 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel and 2X points on prepaid rental cars. If you book everything through American Express Travel, you could earn 10,000 points on airfare, 5,000 points on hotels and 1,000 points on car rentals — for a total of 16,000 points per month.
| Rewards on $2,000 airfare | Rewards on $1,000 hotels | Rewards on $500 car rentals | Total rewards earned per month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amex Business Gold | 6,000 points | 3,000 points | 500 points | 9,500 points |
| Amex Business Platinum | 10,000 points | 5,000 points | 1,000 points | 16,000 points |
This spending example leaves us with a disparity of 6,500 points per month if you used the Amex Business Gold over the Amex Business Platinum. Membership Rewards points can be worth about 2 cents each when transferred to partners for a premium travel redemption as we mentioned already, so the difference between these two rewards balances could equal about $130 in value every month.
However, it’s important to remember that these numbers are focused on travel rewards. If you don’t travel as frequently for work and plan on spending more in niche business categories like monthly wireless telephone services or U.S.-based advertising, then your earnings could look different.
Let’s look at an example where you spend $1,000 on select U.S. advertising services, $1,000 on software and cloud system providers and $5,000 on a large miscellaneous purchase. Here’s what you’d earn with each card:
| Rewards on $1,000 in U.S. advertising services | Rewards on $1,000 on software and cloud system providers | Rewards on a large purchase of $5,000 | Total rewards earned per month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amex Business Gold | 4,000 points | 4,000 points | 5,000 points | 13,000 points |
| Amex Business Platinum | 1,000 points | 1,500 points | 7,500 points | 10,000 points |
With the Amex Business Gold, you’d earn 8,000 Membership Rewards points at the 4X points rewards rate and 5,000 points at the 1X rewards rate for a total of 13,000 points. With the Amex Business Platinum, you’d earn 1,000 points at the card’s 1X points rate and 9,000 at the card’s 1.5X points rate for a total of 10,000 points.
In this example where you’re spending a lot in niche categories as opposed to travel, the Amex Business Gold earns 3,000 more points.
Why should you get the Amex Business Gold?
The Amex Business Gold is best for business owners who spend a lot in its bonus categories and want to maximize their rewards throughout the year. This card also works for businesses that spend considerable amounts on airfare, however, since these purchases can still earn 3X points if made through the Amex Travel portal.
The following factors are worth keeping in mind as you choose between these cards:
Additional benefits
Some of the Amex Business Gold’s benefits include:
- Up to $240 in flexible business credit annually ($20 per month) toward eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub and office supply stores
- Up to $155 in annual credits toward Walmart+ membership ($12.95 per month)
- Up to a $100 experience credit for qualifying dining, spa and resort activities when you book at least two consecutive nights with The Hotel Collection through the Amex Travel portal
- Business perks like free employee cards, QuickBooks integration and year-end summaries
- Protections like baggage insurance, car rental loss and damage insurance, trip delay insurance, extended warranty coverage and purchase protection
Redemption options
You can redeem your Amex Membership Rewards points for:
- Travel through the Amex Travel portal
- Transfers to Amex airline and hotel partners
- Statement credits
- Gift cards
- Shopping with merchant partners
- Paying with points at checkout at eligible retailers
Recommended credit score
A good to excellent credit score (670 to 850) is recommended for the Amex Business Gold.
Why should you get the Amex Business Platinum?
The Amex Business Platinum is a better choice for business owners who travel often and want to maximize rewards on those purchases, as well as those who spend a lot in key business categories or make a lot of larger purchases ($5,000 or more) throughout the year. This card is also ideal for travelers who want luxury perks that help them travel the world in style.
Additional benefits
The Amex Business Platinum offers many perks that aren’t associated with the Amex Business Gold card, including:
- 35 percent of your points back when you book a first or business flight or an economy class flight with a pre-selected airline through American Express Travel (capped at 1 million points back per calendar year)
- Free access to over 1,500 global airport lounges across 140 countries
- Up to a $100 or $85 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (once every four years for Global Entry and once every four and a half years for TSA PreCheck)
- Up to $120 in statement credits per year (up to $10 per month) for direct purchases with any U.S. wireless telephone provider (enrollment required)
- Up to $150 in statement credits per year on select Adobe purchases
- Up to a $189 statement credit per year for Clear Plus Membership
- Up to $200 in statement credits per year for qualifying airline fees with a pre-selected airline
- Up to $360 in statement credits per year on Indeed hiring and recruiting products and services (up to $90 per quarter; enrollment required)
- Up to a $400 statement credit per year on Dell purchases (up to $200 semi-annually; enrollment required)
- Up to $600 worth of complimentary perks for eligible bookings with Fine Hotels + Resorts
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status and Hilton Honors Gold Status
Other card benefits include travel insurance perks like trip delay insurance, baggage insurance and trip cancellation and interruption insurance, as well as car rental loss and damage insurance. You also get employee cards, QuickBooks integration, year-end summaries, cellphone protection, extended warranty protection and purchase protection.
Redemption options
Like the Amex Business Gold, you can redeem your points for travel, transfers to Amex airline and hotel partners, statement credits, gift cards, shopping with merchant partners or paying with points at checkout with eligible merchants.
Recommended credit score
A good to excellent credit score (670 to 850) is recommended for the Amex Business Platinum.
The bottom line
Both the American Express Business Gold Card and American Express Business Platinum Card provide helpful and money-saving perks as well as the ability to charge what you need for your business. However, if most of your card’s activity will be for everyday business expenses instead of flights and hotels, the Amex Business Gold makes more sense. You’ll earn points quickly, and you won’t pay more for services you won’t be using.
If you’re still not sure which card is right for your business, check out our choices for today’s best business credit cards. You can compare these cards with others that might be better suited for your spending habits and business needs.
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