The American Express Business Gold Rewards Card is the mid-range small business credit card by American Express, which comes with a very impressive welcome bonus if you're able maximize it fully.
Bonuses & Fees
Currently, the American Express Business Gold Rewards Card offers up to 75,000 Membership Rewards points as a signup bonus when you apply via a referral link as long as you reach the minimum spending requirement of $5,000 in the first three months.
The annual fee is $199. Beginning January 1, 2022, Amex introduced 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 in 2022 will simply start counting 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're comfortable declaring that they operate as a sole proprietorship (i.e., do business under their own name). This is done by listing one's own full name as the business name on the credit card application.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 isn't industry leading. However, it can be a decent addition if you incur a lot of business expenses and want to keep wallet simple.
Unfortunately, American Express has announced an end to the "Your 3 Suppliers" program with March 31, 2022, being the last day to make a purchase to earn 2x MR points on your chosen suppliers.Redeeming Rewards
The Membership Rewards program offers outstanding redemption opportunities as well. This is primarily because it’s a flexible, transferable rewards currency.
You can transfer your MR points at a 1:1 ratio to Aeroplan and British Airways Avios, as well as a host of other global frequent flyer programs (including Cathay Pacific Asia Miles) at a 1:0.75 ratio. Moreover, you also have the option of converting points to Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1.2 ratio for booking hotel stays.
Furthermore, you can redeem MR points directly for flights through the Amex Fixed Points Travel reward chart, although these are limited to round-trip flights departing from Canada. Essentially, you can use a fixed amount of points towards the base ticket price of a regular cash ticket, up to a certain maximum. The number of points required and the maximum ticket price depends on the geographical region you are visiting (you can only book roundtrip flights that originate in Canada). 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, including Front of the Line event presale tickets, American Express Invites to exclusive experiences, and Amex Offers for extra everyday value when you use your card.
Insurance Coverage
Insurance isn't necessarily the strong suit of the Business Gold Rewards Card. It doesn't come with Emergency Travel Insurance, which is a key protection that many travellers have come to expect.
Some coverage that it does offer include:
- Lost baggage insurance for lost or stolen baggage, up to $500 of coverage total
- Baggage delay insurance, up to $500 (aggregate total with Flight Delay insurance), for items purchased within four days when your baggage is delayed – this is different from lost and stolen baggage insurance, which doesn’t cover delays.
- Auto rental collision/loss damage insurance: Comprehensive coverage for up to 48 consecutive days for cars with an MSRP of up to $85,000, which can help you save on the insurance fees that the car rental company would otherwise charge.