Small businesses need to constantly reassess their expenses and spending habits to ensure they can stay in business. You check to see if you can buy the product cheaper from another supplier and should also consider the credit card – or card – you are costing your business to get the best possible return on on your purchase. mine.
Another important consideration is whether the small business credit card you’re using is worth its annual fee. Are you getting the perks and benefits that match this fee? Is it worth it for you to pay the card’s annual fee to use the rewards it provides for your business expenses? Or would you be better served with a different credit card?
The American Express® Commercial Gold Card there is a $295 annual fee (see rates and fees), so let’s take a look at these questions to see if the card is worth the annual fee.
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Welcome Bonus
New candidate for Amex business yellow card can earn 70,000 bonus Membership Rewards after spending $10,000 on purchases within the first three months of the card membership.
Membership bonus points worth 2 cents each, according to Our latest pricing. That makes this bonus worth $1,400, providing a solid 14% return on spend during the welcome offer period.
Related: How to redeem American Express Membership Rewards for maximum value
25% airline bonus
When cardholders use their points to pay for flights over American Express Travel, they are eligible to get 25% of their points back. This applies to business and first class flights on any airline or tickets in any class with your preferred airline (you must choose in advance). Card players can get up to 250,000 points back per year using this feature.
Related: Our full review of the Amex Business Gold card
Adaptive bonus income
Many credit cards offer specific categories where you’ll earn 3 points per dollar here and 2 points per dollar there each month. Instead, the Amex Business Gold card provides the bonus earnings you’re most spending right now.
Gamblers earn 4 points for every dollar in the two categories where they spend the most in each pay cycle. This applies to the first $150,000 of purchases in the bonus categories each year (followed by 1 point for every dollar thereafter). Bonus categories include:
- Air tickets purchased directly from airlines.
- Purchase from the United States to advertise in certain media (online, TV or radio).
- U.S. purchases are made directly from select technology providers of computer hardware, software, and cloud solutions.
- America buys goods at a gas station.
- US restaurant purchases, including takeout and delivery.
- Purchased in the US for shipping.
Card players earn 1 point per dollar on all other purchases with no limit on how many points they can earn in a year.
Related: What credit score do you need for the Amex Business Gold Card?
Small business perks
Amex Business Gold primary cardholders can enjoy a number of business-related benefits. These perks include year-end summaries, automatic expense classification in Intuit QuickBooks, and Bill.com’s Vendor Pay bill payment service. The feature is free for the first user and offers six months free for the second user, then $15 per month for the second user. Pre-registration is required for this benefit.
Primary cardholders can also add an employee card, for an annual fee of $50 for the Business Gold card or no annual fee for the Business Green card (see rates and fees). These cards will help key account holders earn rewards on employee spending while controlling and limiting employee spending as needed. In fact, you can also designate someone else as an account manager to handle many of these features.
The Amex Business Gold card is not a traditional credit card, but instead no preset spending limit. This means that the amount you can spend on the card will vary based on factors like your creditworthiness, payment history, and your relationship with American Express. Alternatively, you may be eligible to apply Payment by time on your card and sometimes Amex sends targeted offers to Bonus points for signing up for this feature.
Related: 6 Little-Known Perks of the Amex Corporate Gold Card
Travel and shopping privileges
Primary cardholders have access to Hotel Collection Book with Amex Travel. While a two-night minimum applies to these bookings, you can get perks like a $100 credit at the property for things like dining, spa or resort activities, and room upgrades upon check-in (if any).
As an American Express card, cardholders have access to Offers of Amex, which may offer savings or rewards points on qualifying purchases to targeted cardholders. Amex Business Gold card members also enjoy many benefits buy and travel protection. They include an additional year Warranty extension* and 90 days out of purchase protection* for stolen or accidentally damaged items (up to $1,000 per occurrence and up to $50,000 per year). When traveling, card players also enjoy secondary rental car insurance** and baggage insurance* up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage – beyond what is offered by your carrier.
Related: Your Complete Guide to American Express Card Shopping Protections
*Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. The policies are underwritten by the AMEX Insurance Company.
** Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Not all vehicles or rentals are covered and geographical restrictions apply. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. The policies are underwritten by the AMEX Insurance Company. Coverage is provided through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
Key point
The Amex Business Gold card doesn’t offer things like elite status or a certificate of free hotel nights like you’ll find on travel rewards credit cards. Instead, it focuses on providing the tools small business owners need to keep track of their finances. It also offers adaptive points earning, which helps you earn more points where you’re currently spending the most, and 25% off flights when you pay with points.
For most small business owners, the value found with the Amex Business Gold card will be based on the protections the card provides and the number of points you can earn on purchases. If these add value to your business, it would be a good choice. If your spending category doesn’t fit this card, it’s best to get another one cards that fit your spending category more exactly.
Official app link: American Express Commercial Gold Card with a welcome bonus of 70,000 bonus points after spending $10,000 on purchases within the first three months of card membership.
For Amex Business Gold card rates and fees, click here.
