The American Express Business Gold Rewards Card is the mid-range small business credit card by American Express, which comes with a very decent welcome bonus if you're able maximize it fully.
Bonuses & Fees
Currently, the American Express Business Gold Rewards Card offers up to 40,000 Membership Rewards points as a signup bonus when you apply via a referral link as long as you reach the minimum spending requirement of $7,500 in the first three months.
The annual fee is $199.Amex also offers a "Quarterly Purchase Bonus" which awards 10,000 MR points upon spending $20,000 in each of the four calendar quarters every year. No enrollment or registration is required – all of your purchases will count towards the quarterly bonus. Indeed, this is quite a large amount and not everyone would be able to take advantage of this feature.
The card also allows you to earn 15,000 MR points for every referral you make to any card in the Membership Rewards family, up to a maximum of 75,000 MR points a year.
While the product is geared towards small business owners, in general anyone can apply if they operate as a sole proprietor (i.e., do business under their own name).Earning Rewards
With the Business Gold Rewards Card, you'll earn a flat 1 MR point per dollar spent on all purchases. This is a very simple structure and the earning rate is standard. However, it can be a decent addition if you incur a lot of business expenses and can take advantage of the quarterly bonus which can amount up to an additional 50% more points.
Redeeming Rewards
The Membership Rewards program offers outstanding redemption opportunities. This is primarily because it’s a flexible, transferable rewards currency.
You can transfer your MR points to these airline and hotel programs at the following rates:
- Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio
- British Airways Executive Club at a 1:1 ratio
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Air France KLM Flying Blue) at a 1:0.75 ratio
- Delta SkyMiles at a 1:0.75 ratio
- Etihad Guest at a 1:0.75 ratio
- Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1.2 ratio
- Hilton Honors at a 1:1 ratio
Lastly, you have the option of redeeming MR points directly against travel purchases at a rate of 1 cent per point (cpp), although this is typically not recommended, as the value pales in comparison to what you could get by booking flights through Aeroplan, Avios, or even the Fixed Points Travel chart.
Perks & Benefits
While the Business Gold Rewards Card lacks some of the premium travel benefits that you'll find on the higher-end American Express cards, you’ll still get all of the standard perks of being an American Express cardholder.
If you enjoy watching concerts, theatre productions, or other special events, your Platinum card will give you access to presale and reserved tickets through Amex's Front Of The Line® program and with Amex Experiences.
You can also take advantage of specially-tailored Amex Offers for extra value when used at specific dining venues, shops, and more.
Lastly, for your peace of mind, the card includes round-the-clock customer service, emergency replacement if lost, and complete fraud protection.
Insurance Coverage
Insurance isn't necessarily the strong suit of the Business Gold Rewards Card, but it does include the following coverages if you charge your travel expenses to the card:
- Flight delay insurance: Up to $500 (aggregate maximum with Baggage Delay insurance), for food, accommodation and items purchased within 48 hours when your flight is delayed 4+ hours.
- Baggage delay insurance: Up to $500 (aggregate maximum with Flight Delay insurance), for items purchased within 4 days of arrival when your baggage is delayed 6+ hours. (Note: this is different from lost and stolen baggage insurance, which doesn't cover delays)
- Lost or stolen baggage insurance: Up to $500 of coverage total for all insured persons.
- Hotel burglary insurance: Up to $500 coverage for stolen items (excluding cash).
- Travel accident insurance: Up to $100,000 of Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance.
- Car rental theft and damage insurance: Comprehensive coverage for up to 48 consecutive days for cars with an MSRP of up to $85,000.
Lastly, the card offers Purchase Protection® Plan and Buyer's Assurance® Protection Plan, covering most eligible items you’ve purchased with your card up to $1,000 should they be stolen or damaged within 120 days of purchase, as well as an extended one-year warranty period on the manufacturer’s warranty.