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 may be a better choice if you plan to use it for everyday business expenses rather than 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, you’re likely considering 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 with interest (terms and limits apply).
Both the Amex 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 our complete head-to-head guide of some of the most important details on both of these cards, including their rewards rates and annual fees.
Main details
| American Express Business Gold Card | The Business Platinum Card from American Express | |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus |
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| Rewards rate |
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| Annual fee | $375 | $695 |
Amex Business Platinum vs. Amex Business Gold highlights
Welcome bonus winner
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With the Amex Business Gold, you can earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of account opening. According to our points valuations guide, we estimate Amex points to be worth an average of 2.0 cents each when transferred with a high-value partner, giving this welcome bonus a value of $2,000.
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.
However, the Business Gold bonus is more attainable with its lower spending requirement — spending an average of $5,000 per month, compared to the Business Platinum’s $6,667 monthly spending requirement. Either way, be sure your business can meet the spending requirement in three months without going into debt.
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 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.
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 and 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:
- 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked with the Amex Travel portal
- 2X points on prepaid rental cars booked through Amex Travel portal
- 1.5X points on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more
- 1.5X points on eligible purchases in key business categories (up to $2 million per calendar year)
- 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 and U.S. shipping providers.
Annual fee winner
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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.
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. 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.
Here’s how those categories break down:
| 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 2.0 cents each when transferred to high-value 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, 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:
Why should you get the Amex Business Platinum?
The Amex Business Platinum is likely a better choice for business owners who travel often and want to maximize rewards on those purchases, as well as those who 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.
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 may make 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 to your spending habits and business needs.
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