Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum: Which is best?

Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum comparison

Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum: fee comparison and value breakdown

The Amex Business Gold carries a $375 annual fee, significantly lower than the Business Platinum's $695 fee. To offset these costs, both cards offer various statement credits and rewards that can provide substantial value for businesses.

The Business Gold offers simpler, more straightforward savings through its statement credits: up to $240 annually ($20 monthly) for purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and office supply stores, plus up to $155 back annually for Walmart+ membership. To break even on the annual fee, businesses need to spend about $9,375 per year in the card's 4X bonus categories.

The Business Platinum justifies its higher fee through a broader range of credits: up to $400 with Dell Technologies, $360 with Indeed, $150 with Adobe, $120 for wireless services, $200 for airline fees, $199 for Clear Plus, and $120 for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck. While these credits total over $1,500 in potential value, they require more active management to maximize and may not align with every business's spending patterns.

Bottom line

The Business Gold offers more accessible cost savings for typical business expenses, while the Business Platinum's savings potential is higher but requires strategic use of specific vendors and travel services. Choose based on whether your business can realistically maximize the Platinum's more extensive but restricted credits, or would benefit more from the Gold's straightforward rewards on everyday business spending.

Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum welcome offer

The Amex Business Gold Card offers new cardmembers 100,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of opening their account. With each point typically worth about 2 cents when transferred to travel partners, this welcome bonus has a potential value of $2,000 in travel rewards.

The Amex Business Platinum Card currently features a higher welcome bonus of 150,000 Membership Rewards points, though it requires spending $20,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months. While the spending requirement is $5,000 higher than the Gold card, the bonus points are worth approximately $3,000 when maximized through travel partners.

Bottom line

The Business Platinum offers the more valuable welcome bonus at 150,000 points ($3,000 potential value) versus the Business Gold's 100,000 points ($2,000 potential value). However, this comes with a steeper spending requirement of $20,000 versus $15,000 in the same three-month period.

Choose based on your business's spending capacity and whether you can comfortably meet the higher threshold without overextending.

Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum: points guide

Both cards earn American Express Membership Rewards points, which can be transferred to over 20 airline and hotel partners. Points are typically valued at about 2 cents each when transferred strategically to travel partners.

Earning points with the Business Gold

The Business Gold uses an innovative automatic rewards system that adapts to your spending patterns each billing cycle. Your business automatically earns maximum points in your top two spending categories, with no need to preselect or lock in categories.

• 4X points on your top two categories (up to $150,000 in combined spending per year):
• U.S. advertising purchases
• U.S. gas stations
• U.S. restaurants
• Transit purchases
• U.S. electronics retailers and software/cloud providers
• U.S. wireless telephone services
• 3X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel
• 1X points on all other purchases

Spending points with the Business Gold

The Business Gold offers standard Membership Rewards redemption options with no special bonuses or rebates. Points can be redeemed for travel, merchandise, or cash back, though travel transfers typically provide the best value.

• Transfer to airline and hotel partners at varying rates
• Book travel through Amex Travel portal
• Redeem for statement credits
• Purchase gift cards
• Shop with merchant partners
• Pay with points at checkout with select retailers

Earning points with the Business Platinum

The Business Platinum's earning structure targets two specific types of spending: travel bookings and large transactions. This card is designed to reward businesses that frequently book travel through Amex and make significant individual purchases.

• 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel
• 1.5X points on:
• Purchases of $5,000 or more
• U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers
• Electronic goods retailers
• Software and cloud system providers
• U.S. shipping providers
• (1.5X bonus limited to $2 million in purchases per calendar year)
• 1X points on all other purchases

Spending points with the Business Platinum

The Business Platinum enhances standard redemption options with a valuable points rebate on select flight bookings. This rebate effectively increases the value of your points when used for premium cabin flights or economy flights on your selected airline.

• All redemption options available with the Gold card
• Additional 35% points back when using Pay with Points for:
• First or business class flights with any airline
• Economy flights with your selected airline
• (Capped at 1 million points back per calendar year)
• Transfer to the same airline and hotel partners

Bottom line

The Business Gold offers more flexible earning potential for everyday business expenses, while the Business Platinum rewards focus on travel bookings and large purchases. The Platinum's 35% points rebate on select flight redemptions can provide significant additional value for frequent travelers.

Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum: benefits

The Amex Business Gold provides travel insurance, purchase protection, and basic business benefits with a $375 annual fee. Key benefits focus on purchase and travel protection, with coverage for baggage, trip delays, cell phones, and extended warranties.

Amex Business Gold benefits include:

• Travel protections including trip delay insurance and baggage insurance up to $500 for checked bags
• Car rental loss and damage insurance
• Purchase protection covering items against damage or theft for 90 days up to $1,000 per incident
• Extended warranty adding up to one additional year on eligible purchases
• Cellphone protection up to $800 per claim, maximum two claims per 12-month period
• Hotel Collection credit up to $100 for qualifying dining, spa, and resort activities
• No foreign transaction fees

The Business Platinum includes all of the Gold card's core benefits plus premium travel perks and higher coverage limits for a $695 annual fee. The card adds significant travel benefits including lounge access, hotel status, higher insurance limits, and point redemption bonuses.

Amex Business Platinum benefits include:

• Enhanced baggage insurance up to $2,000 for checked bags and $3,000 for carry-ons
• Purchase protection up to $10,000 per incident
• Access to Centurion Lounges, Plaza Premium lounges, and Priority Pass Select
• Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and Hilton Honors Gold status
• Elite status with multiple car rental providers
• Fine Hotels + Resorts benefits including room upgrades
• 35% points back on eligible flight redemptions
• Cellphone protection up to $800 per claim
• Extended warranty coverage
• No foreign transaction fees

Bottom line

While both cards offer solid core protections, the Business Platinum delivers significantly more premium travel benefits and elevated insurance coverage. Choose based on whether your business travel patterns and purchasing needs justify the Platinum's enhanced benefit package.

Alternatives to Amex Business Gold and Business Platinum

Ramp Business Card

The Ramp card takes a fundamentally different approach from points-based cards like the Amex Business Gold and Platinum. While those cards require careful tracking of bonus categories and strategic point redemption to maximize value, Ramp focuses on delivering real savings through automation and intelligence. Businesses using Ramp save an average of 5% on their spend through automated insights and optimization features.

Instead of travel perks and complex rewards structures, Ramp provides built-in spend management features that deliver measurable bottom-line impact. The platform's AI-powered technology automatically identifies duplicate subscriptions, negotiates better prices with vendors, and flags opportunities to save - functions that go beyond traditional credit card rewards to directly improve business profitability.

Key features:

• Average of 5% savings on business spend through automated insights
• Cashback on purchases with no annual fee
• Automated expense management and receipt matching
• AI-powered savings insights that identify cost-cutting opportunities
• Real-time spending controls and unlimited virtual funds for employees
• Travel management software

Divvy Business Card

Divvy combines elements of traditional rewards cards with built-in expense management features. The card offers tiered rewards based on payment frequency, with businesses earning higher rates for more frequent payments. Weekly payment plans earn up to 7x points on restaurants, 5x on hotels, and 2x on recurring software subscriptions, while monthly payment schedules earn lower rates.

The platform includes basic budgeting and expense tracking tools, though these features lack the automated savings insights found in more sophisticated spend management solutions. While Divvy provides virtual cards and some spend controls, businesses may find the rewards structure adds unnecessary complexity compared to straightforward cash back or automated savings approaches.

Key features:

• Tiered rewards rates tied to payment frequency
• Basic expense management and receipt tracking
• Virtual cards for employee spending
• Free expense reporting software
• Built-in budgeting tools
• No annual fee
• Integration with QuickBooks, Sage Intacct, and NetSuite
• Travel booking software

Disclaimer: Content on Ramp's blog may change, and opinions are those of the authors and not necessarily Ramp's. The information in this article is provided in good faith for general informational purposes, but does not constitute accounting, legal, or financial advice. Please contact an accountant, attorney, or financial advisor to obtain advice with respect to your business. Ramp is not liable for any losses or damages. The information provided in this article has not been officially confirmed by American Express and is subject to change.