In the American Express lineup of small-business cards, the American Express® Business Gold Card and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express are two popular offerings.
But just like their consumer counterparts, these two cards are each geared toward cardholders with different goals and needs.
Let’s review these cards to see how the refreshed Amex Business Gold competes with the Amex Business Platinum.
Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum comparison
| Amex Business Gold | Amex Business Platinum | |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus | Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership. Also enjoy a 0% introductory annual percentage rate for six months from the date of account opening on purchases eligible for Pay Over Time, then a 18.49% – 27.49% variable APR(see rates and fees) | Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $20,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months of card membership. Plus, earn a $500 statement credit after spending $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel in the first three months of card membership. You can earn one or both parts of this offer, which ends June 30. |
| Annual fee | $375 (see rates and fees) | $695 (see rates and fees) |
| Earning rates |
|
|
| Benefits (enrollment is required) |
|
Enrollment is required. |
| Redemption bonus | None | Receive 35% back on Pay with Points flight redemptions (up to 1,000,000 points back per calendar year) for first- and business-class tickets with any airline and for all fare classes with your selected airline from a list of qualifying airlines booked through American Express Travel. |
*Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum welcome offer
New applicants of the Amex Business Gold Card can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. TPG’s April 2025 valuations peg Amex points at 2 cents apiece, so the current offer is worth an impressive $2,000. Plus, the card offers a 0% introductory APR for six months from the date of account opening on purchases eligible for Pay Over Time.
The welcome offer on the Amex Business Platinum Card is even better. New applicants earn 150,000 points after spending $20,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months of card membership. Plus, new applicants will earn a $500 statement credit after spending $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel in the first three months of card membership. You can earn one or both parts of this offer, which ends June 30. According to TPG’s April 2025 valuations, the welcome offer for the Business Platinum is worth a staggering $3,500, including the statement credit. However, it has a significantly higher spending threshold to earn the bonus.
Winner: Amex Business Platinum. As long as you can meet the card’s hefty minimum spending requirement, it’s welcome offer provides more value.
Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum benefits
As premium business travel rewards cards, both come with many of the same features:
- Travel protections (trip delay insurance***, baggage insurance**, and car rental loss and damage insurance**): Business Gold Card holders receive up to $500 worth of insurance for damaged, stolen or lost checked bags ($1,250 for carry-ons). Meanwhile, Business Platinum Card holders receive up to $2,000 for checked bags ($3,000 for carry-ons) when traveling on any common carrier, such as aircraft, trains, ships and buses.
- Purchase protection**: Your eligible purchases are covered against accidental damage or theft for 90 days for up to $1,000 per incident with the Business Gold and up to $10,000 per incident with the Business Platinum for up to $50,000 per cardmember account, per calendar year. However, coverage related to natural disasters is limited to $500 per incident.
- Extended warranty**: Your purchases receive up to one additional year of warranty service on purchases with warranties of five years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your card for the item (up to a maximum of $10,000, not to exceed $50,000 per cardmember account, per calendar year).
- Cellphone Protection***: Receive reimbursements for the repair or replacement costs for damage or theft with a maximum limit of $800 per claim (up to two claims in a 12-month period). In order to be eligible, the wireless bill for the cellphone line must be paid using either the Business Gold or Business Platinum. A $50 deductible is applied to approved claims.
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
**Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
***Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
The Amex Business Gold has statement credits, putting it more on par with its counterpart, the Amex Business Platinum. Cardmembers will receive up to $240 per calendar year (up to $20 a month in statement credits) for eligible purchases at FedEx, Grubhub and office supply stores. Additionally, cardmembers will receive up to $155 back per calendar year in statement credits for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal; excluding Plus Ups).
Still, the Amex Business Platinum has many benefits beyond what the Amex Business Gold offers. These benefits are enough to offset the card’s high annual fee but are also tailored to help businesses with costs. Statement credits include up to $400 with Dell Technologies (up to $200 biannually), up to $360 with Indeed (up to $90 quarterly), up to $150 with Adobe Creative Cloud or Pro DC and up to $120 with U.S. wireless service providers (up to $10 monthly) per calendar year.
The Dell and Adobe statement credits will end June 30, so if you are a new cardmember, be sure to use them fully before these benefits end. Enrollment is required for select benefits. Starting July 1, these statement credits will change extensively. Cardmembers will receive up to $150 in statement credits on U.S. purchases made directly at Dell and up to an additional $1,000 statement credit after spending $5,000 or more at Dell from July 1 through Dec. 31 and for each calendar year after. For Adobe, cardmembers will receive up to $250 after spending $600 or more on U.S. purchases made directly with Adobe from July 1 through Dec. 31, then for each calendar year after.
But where the Amex Business Platinum shines is with its travel benefits, including an up to $200 airline fee credit per calendar year for your choice of airline toward incidental purchases, an up to $199 Clear Plus credit per calendar year, and an up to $120 statement credit for Global Entry (every four years) or an up to $85 statement credit for TSA PreCheck (every 4 1/2 years).
Cardholders also enjoy access to an extensive collection of airport lounges, including Amex’s own Centurion Lounges, Plaza Premium lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Lufthansa lounges (with a same-day Lufthansa flight, regardless of the ticketed cabin) and Escape Lounges. This also includes Delta Sky Club access — eligible Business Platinum Card members will receive 10 visits per eligible card, per year to Delta Sky Clubs and grab-and-go locations when traveling on a same-day, Delta-operated flight, unless they spend $75,000 with their card in a calendar year to enjoy unlimited access. Enrollment is required for select benefits; terms apply.
Additional Amex Business Platinum travel benefits include complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and Hilton Honors Gold status. Enrollment is required, and terms apply.
Finally, the Amex Business Platinum offers Pay with Points bonuses on select flights booked through American Express Travel. When you use Membership Rewards points to book first- or business-class flights on any airline or economy tickets on your designated airline, you’ll enjoy 35% of them back as a Business Platinum Card member.
Winner: Amex Business Platinum. It offers an outstanding range of statement credits and travel perks.
Earning points with the Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum
As American Express-issued cards, both the Business Gold and Business Platinum earn points in the Membership Rewards ecosystem but at different rates and in different categories.
The Amex Business Gold has useful business-friendly bonus categories that earn 4 points per dollar. A unique aspect of earning on this card is that you’ll automatically earn 4 points per dollar in your top two spending categories each billing cycle, so there’s no need to select a category and commit to it. The eligible categories are:
- U.S. purchases for advertising in select media
- U.S. purchases at gas stations
- U.S. purchases at restaurants
- Transit purchases, including trains, taxis, ride-hailing services, tolls, ferries, buses, parking and subways
- U.S. purchases made with electronic goods retailers and software and cloud service providers
- Monthly wireless telephone charges made directly with U.S. service providers
The Amex Business Gold also earns 3 points per dollar spent on flights, prepaid hotels and prepaid flight-and-hotel packages that are booked directly with Amex Travel.
In comparison to the Business Gold, the Amex Business Platinum offers a limited number of categories to earn points. The eligible categories include:
- Flights and prepaid hotels booked through amextravel.com (5 points per dollar)
- Eligible business categories (U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, software and cloud system providers, and shipping providers) and purchases of $5,000 or more in any category (1.5 points per dollar; applies to up to $2 million in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
- All other eligible purchases (1 point per dollar)
Winner: Amex Business Gold. Cardmembers can earn bonus points through several categories.
Related: Maximize your earning with the Amex Business Gold
Redeeming points with the Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum
Membership Rewards points earned with the Amex Business Gold and the Amex Business Platinum can be redeemed toward statement credits, used for travel purchases (such as airfare or hotels) through American Express Travel and transferred to the issuer’s 21 airline and hotel partners.
However, there are slight differences between select flights booked via Amex Travel with the issuer’s Pay with Points feature.
One noteworthy difference between the two cards is that the Amex Business Platinum offers a 35% Pay with Points rebate (up to 1 million points back per calendar year).
Winner: Amex Business Platinum. The ability to use Pay with Points gives this card the upper hand.
Transferring points with the Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum
Membership Rewards points can be transferred to over 20 airline and hotel loyalty programs. When used in this manner, points are worth 2 cents each, according to TPG’s April 2025 valuations. Transferring points to airline partners such as Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Club and Air France-KLM FlyingBlue can help you score phenomenal flight options and maximize your return on your points — especially if you can complete your transfer during a limited-time transfer bonus.
Chris Nelson, a credit cards writer at TPG, regularly transfers points to Avianca LifeMiles and has secured transatlantic flights to Europe from Newark for as little as 17,000 points in economy.
Winner: Tie. Both cards offer the exact same list of transfer partners and ratios.
Should I get the Amex Business Gold or Amex Business Platinum?
The Amex Business Platinum is great for frequent travelers and those looking for a card to give them perks and benefits that enhance their experience when on the road, such as Marriott and Hilton elite status and access to an array of airport lounges. These perks justify the card’s $695 annual fee (see rates and fees).
That said, the Amex Business Gold is a better fit for small-business owners who want to earn as many points as possible on everyday business spending across a wide variety of categories, all for a manageable annual fee of $375 (see rates and fees).
Bottom line
Each of these business cards from American Express could be a good fit for your needs. Depending on the size and nature of your company, you might even consider getting both cards. You could carry the Business Gold to maximize the card’s bonus categories and keep a Business Platinum to enjoy benefits like Centurion Lounge access, rental car elite status and a 35% bonus on points redeemed for select airfare through Amex Travel.
By examining your business needs, you can choose the best combination of cards to maximize your award travel possibilities.
For more information, see our full reviews of the Amex Business Gold and Amex Business Platinum.
Apply here: The Business Platinum Card from American Express
Apply here: American Express Business Gold Card
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum Card, click here.