【October 17, 2026 update】 U.S. Amex Business Gold has tightened its 4x business earning categories:

  • Online, television, and radio advertising through U.S. media providers counts only when paid directly to Meta, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, GoDaddy, or Yelp
  • Monthly wireless bills count only when paid directly to Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Frontier, Comcast, Charter, Spectrum Mobile, UScellular, Optimum, Ultra Mobile, or Mint Mobile

Highlights

  • During each billing period, the two highest-spend categories among six designated business categories earn 4x Membership Rewards points; after a combined $150,000 in those categories per calendar year, those purchases earn 1x.
  • Prepaid flights and hotels booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App earn 3x Membership Rewards points.
  • The card offers a $240 Flexible Business Credit, $300 ChatGPT Business Credit, $150 Squarespace Credit, and up to $12.95 per month in Walmart+ Credit; enrolment is required for these credits.
  • There is no foreign transaction fee or preset spending limit, and the card includes mobile-phone, travel, and shopping insurance.

Who is this card for? It suits businesses that can concentrate advertising, software subscriptions, dining, transit, and wireless spending on the card and regularly make enough purchases in two categories each billing period. If most of your spending falls outside these categories, or you will not use the points and travel benefits, the $375 annual fee deserves a closer look.

American Express® Business Gold Card

Issuer: Amex
Network: Amex
Card type: Credit card
Annual fee: $375 for the Basic Card; $95 per Employee Business Gold Card, including the first five and each additional card; no annual fee for Employee Business Expense Cards
Foreign transaction fee: None

Membership Rewards points are credited to your Membership Rewards account. Earning, transferring, redeeming, and using the points are subject to the American Express Membership Rewards terms.

Welcome offer

【October 17, 2026 update】 Up to 200,000 Membership Rewards points (different applicants may see different offers):

  • Earn 200,000 Membership Rewards points after $15,000 in eligible purchases in the first three months
  • Basic and Employee Card purchases can count toward the threshold, but fees and interest, cash advances, travellers cheques, prepaid-card purchases or reloads, gift cards, person-to-person payments, and other cash equivalents do not count. Points generally post within 8–12 weeks after the threshold is met, and the account must not be cancelled or past due when the reward is issued.

Official application page 🔗

Applicants must be at least 18 and US residents, and all cards are for commercial or business use only.

Everyday spending

4x: During each billing period, the two categories with the highest spend among the following six earn 4x Membership Rewards points. The six categories share a $150,000 per-calendar-year cap; purchases above the cap earn 1x. The top two categories can change with each billing period. The six categories are: online, television, and radio advertising through U.S. media providers to promote a business; U.S. electronic-goods retailers and software and cloud-system providers; U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery; U.S. gas stations, excluding gas stations inside supermarkets or warehouse clubs; transit merchants including trains, taxis, rideshare, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways; and monthly wireless service bills paid directly to a U.S. provider.

3x: Flights and prepaid hotels booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. Prepaid hotels can also be booked by phone through Travel Consultants; non-prepaid hotels, car rentals, cruises, and travel packages do not earn this rate.

1x: Other eligible purchases and purchases in the 4x categories after the $150,000 annual cap. Fees and interest, cash advances, travellers cheques, prepaid-card purchases or reloads, gift cards, person-to-person payments, and other cash equivalents are not eligible; merchant-category coding, third-party sales or processing, and some electronic-wallet or digital-wallet transactions can also prevent the expected points from posting.

⚠️ Note: Starting February 17, 2027, advertising purchases must be paid directly to specified media providers, and monthly wireless bills must be paid directly to specified providers. Third-party providers, authorised retailers, and resellers do not qualify. Check the latest Offer Terms and Card Member Agreement before applying.

Benefits & insurance

  • Up to $240 per year in Flexible Business Credit

Eligible U.S. purchases at Grubhub, U.S. office-supply stores, and UPS.com small-parcel shipping services can receive up to $20 in statement credits per calendar month, up to $240 per year. Basic and Employee Card purchases share the annual cap; third-party payments, prepaid cards, and gift cards do not qualify. Credits can take up to eight weeks to post.

  • Up to $300 per year in ChatGPT Business Credit

Eligible ChatGPT Business subscription charges paid directly to OpenAI, with OpenAI as the merchant of record, can receive up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year. Monthly and annual auto-renewing subscriptions are subject to the current terms; refunds, cancellations, or reversed charges can reverse the credit, and posting can take up to eight weeks.

  • Up to $150 per year in Squarespace Credit

Eligible U.S. subscription charges paid directly to Squarespace or Acuity Scheduling can receive up to $150 in statement credits per calendar year. Monthly and annual auto-renewals depend on Squarespace being recognised as the merchant of record; credits may take several weeks to post.

  • Walmart+ Credit

Monthly Walmart+ membership fees can receive up to $12.95 plus tax in statement credits. Each account can enrol one monthly membership; an annual membership generally must be changed to monthly at least one day before renewal. Walmart+ Upsells and Walmart Business+ do not qualify. Basic and Employee Cards share the credit eligibility.

  • The Hotel Collection

A new booking of at least two consecutive nights at a participating hotel through Amex Travel or the Amex Travel App can receive up to a $100 credit toward eligible hotel charges, plus noon check-in, 4 p.m. late checkout, and a room upgrade when available. Each stay can include up to three rooms; the cardmember must be an eligible guest, and participating properties and eligible charges depend on the booking page and current terms.

  • American Express Venue Collection™

After enrolment under the current terms, qualifying food and beverage concession purchases at participating stadiums and arenas can receive a 10% statement credit, up to $250 per enrolled card per calendar year; the current terms run through December 31, 2026. Some events may also offer cardmember entrances or fast lanes with a valid event ticket. Venues, events, and eligible purchases can change.

Travel insurance

Official insurance certificates 🔗

  • Baggage Insurance Plan

The full Common Carrier fare must be charged to this card before the loss occurs. American Express Loyalty Programs or Pay with Points may qualify; redemptions from other programmes may not. Covered trips can last up to 365 consecutive days, and coverage can extend to the cardmember, spouse or domestic partner, and dependent children under 23. Checked baggage is covered up to $500 per covered person, while carry-on baggage and direct travel to and from the carrier terminal are covered up to $1,250 per person. High-risk items are capped at $250 per person per trip, and New York cardmembers have a $10,000 aggregate cap per covered trip. Coverage is secondary; normal wear, cash, documents, tickets, medication, freight shipments, and government confiscation are excluded. Notice is generally required within 30 days, with proof within 60 days.

  • Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance

Reserve and pay for the entire rental with this card, decline full CDW or similar coverage at the counter, and have the eligible renter sign the agreement. Each rental agreement can cover up to 30 consecutive days and up to $50,000 for vehicle damage or theft, plus certain eligible related charges; this is secondary vehicle coverage and does not include liability, bodily injury, or uninsured-motorist coverage. Rentals in Australia, Italy, New Zealand, and OFAC-sanctioned countries, peer-to-peer rentals, cargo and large vans, limousines, motorcycles, off-road vehicles, commercial use, and rentals longer than 30 days are excluded. Unauthorised drivers, impaired driving, off-road use, an unlocked vehicle, and mechanical failure can also be excluded. Notice is generally required within 30 days, with proof within 60 days.

  • Trip Delay Insurance

The full round-trip Common Carrier fare must be charged to this card; Membership Rewards points, certificates, vouchers, or coupons may be combined only as allowed by the terms. When a covered cause delays the trip by more than 12 hours, reasonable meals, lodging, toiletries, medication, and personal necessities can be reimbursed up to $300 per eligible trip, with up to two claims per eligible card in a 12-month period. Covered causes include inclement weather, terrorist action or hijacking, Common Carrier equipment failure, and lost or stolen passports or travel documents. Coverage is secondary; delays known before departure, pre-trip expenses, and commercial-card costs paid or reimbursed by an employer are excluded. Notice is generally required within 60 days, with proof within 180 days.

Shopping insurance

  • Purchase Protection

When you use the card for one original purchase of a tangible item for personal or business use or as a gift, accidental damage or theft within 90 days may qualify for coverage. The limit is $1,000 per eligible purchase and $50,000 per eligible card per calendar year; natural-disaster claims are capped at $500 per event. Coverage is secondary and applies only after other insurance, retailer, wholesaler, or manufacturer coverage. Normal wear, product defects, unexplained loss, inadequate safeguarding, cash or gift cards, rented or borrowed items, software, motorised devices, and resale inventory are excluded. Notice is generally required within 30 days, with proof within 60 days; theft or vandalism must be reported to the relevant authority first.

  • Extended Warranty

An original purchase of an eligible tangible item with this card can extend a valid manufacturer’s warranty in the United States, District of Columbia, or U.S. territories by up to one year. The original warranty and purchased service contract together cannot exceed five years. The extended warranty begins after the later-ending warranty or service contract; the limit is $10,000 per eligible purchase and $50,000 per eligible card per calendar year. Consumables, used goods, rentals, motorised devices, software, resale inventory, unauthorised repairs, and non-approved parts are excluded. Notice is generally required within 30 days, with proof within 60 days.

  • Cell Phone Protection

The monthly eligible mobile-phone bill must be charged to this card, and coverage generally starts on the first day of the month after that payment. Theft and eligible damage such as a cracked screen can qualify for repair or replacement; the limit is $800 per claim and per account, with up to two approved claims in a 12-month period and a $50 deductible for each claim. Loss or unexplained disappearance, cosmetic damage, accessories, rented or prepaid phones, normal wear, unauthorised repairs, and losses covered by a warranty are excluded. Theft generally requires a police report within 48 hours, followed by notice to Amex and supporting documents within the stated deadlines.