How you spend money can influence which business card best meets your spending needs. American Express Business Gold Card offers 4X points in bonus categories such as FedEx, Grubhub and office supplies as well as great perks – making it the go-to card.
Membership Rewards points can also be invaluable when transferred to airline and hotel partners, with each point valued at two cents according to TPG valuations. Business Gold also features an excellent welcome offer of 120,000 points after $15k spent within three months – make the most out of your rewards with Business Gold today.
Rewards
American Express stands out among premium business credit cards with two that stand out. These are The Business Platinum Card and Amex Business Gold, each providing various rewards and perks designed to fit different types of small business owners. Let’s compare both cards so you can select the one best suited to you.
Both cards offer ample American Express Membership Rewards points; however, the Business Platinum card stands out due to its higher sign-up bonus and additional benefits that could make it more beneficial for certain people.
For instance, the Business Platinum card offers four times points in your top two spending categories each billing cycle (up to $250,000 total spending annually, after which 1X points accrue). This could include purchases such as office supplies; internet, cable and phone services; gas stations; restaurants; shipping costs etc. Additionally it earns fivex points when booked through Amex Travel while earning 1x on other eligible purchases.
This card also provides an impressive 35% redemption bonus on award flights compared to the standard 10%. Furthermore, you can redeem points at 1.25 cents each towards cash back or travel rewards.
Business Platinum card also provides several statement credits that could save your company money, such as a $300 Dell Technologies credit applied automatically twice annually and a $150 discount towards annual billed costs for Adobe Creative Cloud for teams or Acrobat Pro DC with e-sign (terms apply).
Both cards provide extensive airport lounge access, though the Business Platinum card stands out as having more options. You’ll gain entry to Amex’s global network of lounges as well as Delta Sky Clubs when traveling on same-day Delta flights. Furthermore, this card provides airline fee reimbursement credits such as $200 toward incidental purchases made with any airline as well as $189 toward Global Entry/TSA PreCheck applications fees.
Fees
When selecting a rewards card, select one that offers the best value based on your spending habits and welcome bonuses that help offset annual fees. In this instance, Amex Business Platinum stands out with an exceptional welcome bonus of 120,000 points!
Both cards provide you with numerous benefits to help save money, including statement credits worth up to $120 from U.S. wireless service providers such as T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T. Meanwhile, the Amex Platinum card gives a $189 annual credit towards CLEAR Plus membership – making your airport security experience faster than standard TSA methods.
Both cards offer bonus points on select business categories, making them attractive options for companies that spend heavily in certain categories or travel frequently. Both cards also provide an online expense manager that allows users to input receipts, tag purchases and notate statements, with Amex Business Platinum card providing sync capabilities with popular accounting software like QuickBooks.
Among its other perks, Amex Platinum cards also provide fee waivers for foreign currency wire transfers – an invaluable feature for businesses that utilize international funds on an ongoing basis. Both cards also make booking award flights easy by offering more points per dollar spent than other Amex cards; specifically the Amex Platinum card offers 35% back when booking first or business class flights on Amex Travel while the Amex Business Gold only gives 25%.
Both cards also give access to Amex Offers, a feature which gives discounts and bonus points on purchases that you are likely making anyway. This provides additional value from your points while making these cards worthwhile despite their higher annual fees.
Perks
Both cards offer valuable perks for businesses of any kind; which card you ultimately choose depends on your particular needs. Both allow users to earn and redeem Membership Rewards points in various ways such as purchasing directly from airlines, booking award flights with Amex Travel, shopping online or redeeming for gift cards – flight redemptions being the most lucrative with each point worth 1 cent redemption, although extended warranties and baggage insurance may also come included with both cards.
Amex Business Gold provides a straightforward rewards structure and higher earnings rates on certain purchases. You’ll earn four times as many points in each billing cycle for those two business categories where you spend the most each billing cycle (up to $150,000 annually); these categories could include airfare purchased directly from airlines; U.S. gas stations; select U.S. advertising; U.S. restaurants and shipping costs.
Amex Business Platinum gives cardmembers more options for earning and redeeming rewards, including receiving 35% of the Pay with Points rebate when booking eligible award flights through Amex Travel – providing a huge incentive for those booking their own airfare and travel arrangements independently. You also may be eligible for up to $200 annual airline fee charge credit – another major perk!
Amex Business Platinum card also provides statement credits that can help reduce its high annual fee, including up to $395 annually in statement credits; including up to a $155 Walmart+ credit and $240 ($20/month) toward purchases at FedEx, Grubhub or office supply stores with enrollment requirements (enrollment required).
Both cards give access to Amex’s extensive airline and hotel transfer partnerships, making these cards especially valuable for business travelers as the points transferred usually see the highest redemption value from any rewards program available today. According to TPG estimates, when transferring airlines you should expect around 2 cents for every point transferred while the Amex Business Gold provides 1.5 cents instead.
Value
Both cards offer tremendous value, making them worthy contenders when selecting an American Express business card that best meets your needs. Both earn Membership Rewards points that can be redeemed for travel, transferred to Amex airline and hotel partners, gift cards purchased with merchant partners or used towards statement credits – however the Business Platinum card boasts additional tools, including trip delay insurance, trip cancellation/interruption coverage, car rental loss/damage protection/baggage insurance/employee cards/QuickBook integration/year-end summaries/phone protection/extended warranty protection/ extended warranty protection – providing access to goods/ services for business use – while earning Membership Rewards points and statement credits/statements credits/statements credits are all earned.
This card provides many beneficial statement credits, including the $155 Walmart+ credit and $240 annual credits when purchases are made at FedEx, GrubHub or office supply stores. Recently added is the Indeed credit which offers cardholders up to $360 annually in statement credits for products and services related to hiring and recruiting. Cardholders also benefit from accessing American Express Concierge services that can assist with things such as rebooking cancelled flights; providing accommodations; getting tickets to sold-out events or finding an ideal location for an upcoming event.
Amex Business Gold cardholders can use their points to pay for airfare, hotels and car rentals. In addition, this card offers a generous welcome bonus and several travel perks like Centurion Lounge access and rental car elite status as well as an Amex Travel rebate of 35% when using Pay with Points for airfare purchases.
But for small businesses with tight budgets, the annual fee may be too steep to justify. Before making this commitment, it’s essential that you carefully consider how to take full advantage of all its perks and rewards.
At the core, your business’ needs and spending habits must dictate which card best meets them. For instance, if your business desires maximum rewards categories at 4x scale while not needing luxury travel perks and statement credits from the Platinum card – or you could carry both to take advantage of different categories as well as additional perks of the latter, such as rental car elite status or concierge service – then perhaps opting for Business Gold might be best.