Amex Business Gold Card vs. Amex Business Green Card [Detailed Comparison]

If you’re running a business, regardless of its size, you know the importance of having business management tools that can help you organize your expenses, track how your money is being spent, and help your business grow.

Having the right business credit card is just one of those critical business management tools. We frequently discuss business cards and the role these cards play in your business operation but today we’re narrowing our focus to 2 popular business cards issued by American Express.

The American Express^® Business Gold Card and the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express have a lot in common. These Amex business cards earn valuable Membership Rewards points and have travel redemption options that deliver excellent value.

Both cards also come with business management tools that can help you run your business and useful travel/shopping benefits.

However, there are stark differences between the 2 cards that can determine which is the better fit for your specific operation.

We’re all set to investigate those differences here today and in the end, create a clear picture of which card might be more suitable for your specific business profile.

Amex Business Gold Card vs. Amex Business Green Card — Overview

Card	American Express® Business Gold Card	Business Green Rewards Card from American Express
Welcome Offer	Earn 70,000 points after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.	Earn 15,000 points after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months
Earning Potential	4x points on the top 2 categories where your business spends the most, up to $150,000 per calendar year (terms apply) 1x points on other purchases	2x points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com 1x points on other purchases
Redemption Options	Transfers to airline and hotel partners Statement credits, merchandise, gift cards, charitable donations, Amazon.com, PayPal.com	Transfers to airline and hotel partners Amex Travel bookings Statement credits, merchandise, gift cards, charitable donations, Amazon.com, PayPal.com
Hotel Program Benefits	Access to The Hotel Collection	None
Statement Credits	None
Travel Benefits and Protections	Secondary rental car insurance Baggage insurance plan Global Access Hotline
Shopping Benefits and Protections	Purchase protection Extended warranty Zero liability protection No preset spending limit No foreign transaction fees (rates and fees)	Purchase protection Extended warranty Zero liability protection No preset spending limit No foreign transaction fees
Annual Fees and Authorized Users	Annual fee of $295 No fee to add employee cards for up to 99 total cards after the first employee card annual fee of $50 (rates and fees)	Annual fee of $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95 Up to 99 total employee cards for no additional annual fee

The Value of a Welcome Bonus

One of the first benefits you’ll notice on most rewards-earning cards is the welcome bonus offer. You’ll generally earn this bonus after meeting minimum spending requirements within the first 3 months after card approval.

Earning the bonus is significant as it serves to jump-start your earnings account. You’ll rarely have the opportunity to earn as many points in such a short time frame.

Let’s look at a snapshot of each card’s current welcome bonus, and a summary of the card’s pricing and fees.

Amex Business Gold Card

Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a huge welcome bonus offer of up to 110,000 points with the Amex Business Gold card! The current public offer is 70,000 points. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants.)

Amex Business Green Card

While the Amex Business Gold card comes with a higher welcome bonus, it also charges a higher annual fee. Welcome bonuses fluctuate, so be sure to access the current information before applying for any card.

Comparing Earning Options

Both of our featured cards earn valuable Membership Rewards points that can be redeemed in a variety of ways, which we’ll discuss shortly.

Next up, however, we look at how the cards compare when it comes to earning potential.

Amex Business Gold Card

Amex Business Green Card

4x points per dollar spent on your 2 highest purchase categories each month up to $150,000 each calendar year in purchases; categories include: Airfare purchased directly from the airline Online advertising via select U.S. media Computer software/hardware, and cloud solutions via U.S. merchants U.S. restaurants U.S. gas stations U.S. shipping 2x points on qualifying travel purchases via Amex Travel 1x points on all other purchases

2x points per dollar spent on eligible travel purchases via Amex Travel 1x points on all other purchases

The Amex Business Gold card offers far more bonus-earning categories but the card does come with a higher annual fee. However, if your business spends just $2,272 (that’s $189 per month) in 4x bonus category spending each year, the annual fee could be easily offset, based on our valuations of Amex points at 2.2 cents each.

While earning is a significant component when selecting a business card, redemption options and benefits are also important.

Let’s see how the 2 cards stack up to each other when it’s time to redeem your rewards.

Bottom Line: If you have a business with ongoing expenses falling into the bonus categories of the Amex Business Gold card, the card would be a hands-down winner over the Amex Business Green card. It’s possible, however, that smaller businesses with travel expenses that can be made via Amex Travel and a preference for a lower annual fee may fare better with the Amex Business Green card.

Comparing Redemption Options

Since both cards earn Membership Rewards points, redemption options are similar. However, the Amex Business Gold card has 1 clear advantage over the Amex Business Green card at redemption time.

Let’s take a look at how these cards compare when it’s time to redeem your rewards.

Redemption Option	Amex Business Gold Card	Amex Business Green Card
Travel via Amex Travel	Redeem points for 1 cent each via Amex Travel	Redeem points for 1 cent each via Amex Travel
Transfer to Travel Partners	20 airline and hotel partners; most transfer at a 1:1 ratio and a small fee applies for domestic airline partners
Statement Credits	Redeem for 0.6 cents per point
Additional Redemption Options	Upgrade flights, gift cards, merchandise, and shopping with retail partners

Both of our featured cards offer the option to redeem points for travel via the Amex Travel portal and an additional option to use the Amex travel partners where your points could receive potentially greater value.

Travel Benefits and Protections

You probably wouldn’t select a card based solely on the travel benefits and protections it provides, but if your business involves travel, you’ll want a business card that does offer some level of coverage.

Here’s an overview of the coverages that come with our featured cards.

Benefit	Amex Business Gold Card	Amex Business Green Card
Car Rental Insurance	Secondary car rental insurance with the option to purchase Amex Premium Protection for 1 low fee that covers the entire rental period, prices range from $12.25 to $24.95
Trip Delay Coverage	Up to $300 for eligible expenses if your trip is delayed more than 12 hours, maximum 2 claims per 12-month period	N/A
Baggage Insurance	Receive up to $1,250 for damaged, lost, or stolen carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage per covered person, per trip
Global Assist Hotline	24/7 travel and emergency assistance when you’re traveling more than 100 miles from home
Travel Accident Insurance	Up to $100,000 per person for accidental death or dismemberment
Foreign Transaction Fees	None (rates and fees)	2.7% of the purchase (rates and fees)
The Hotel Collection Benefits	Enjoy a $100 credit, an upgraded room when available, and 2x earnings on prepaid bookings on qualifying stays of 2 nights or longer at Hotel Collection properties.	N/A

Bottom Line: If your business involves foreign purchases, you’ll save by having the Amex Business Gold card. Add in the trip delay coverage and The Hotel Collection benefits and you’ll find the card may be a better fit for travel over the Amex Business Green card.

Shopping Benefits and Protections

If you’ve ever accidentally damaged an item shortly after purchase or had it fail just after the manufacturer’s warranty ran out, you’ll appreciate the protections that come with both of our featured cards when you use the cards to make an eligible purchase. You can even get reimbursed if your items are stolen from you shortly after purchasing them.

Additionally, you’ll find shopping benefits and offers that can save you money:

• Extended Warranty — Manufacturer’s warranties of 5 years or less, on eligible items purchased with the applicable card, receive 1 additional year of warranty coverage. Maximum coverage is $10,000 per covered purchase and up to $50,000 per calendar year.
• Purchase Protection — Receive coverage for theft and accidental damage for up to 90 days from the date of purchase on eligible items purchased with the card. The maximum coverage limit is $1,000 per covered purchase and up to $50,000 per calendar year.
• Amex Offers — Amex Offers can offer significant savings or bonus earnings on purchases made with select merchants. Log into your online card account and scroll down the home page to find a list of offers that can be added to your affiliated card.
• American Express Auto Purchasing Program — Receive guaranteed savings when purchasing a new car and be able to use your Amex card to pay for at least $2,000 of the car’s purchase price.

Business Management Tools

Both of our featured cards come with plenty of tools to help you manage your business operation.

• Free Employee Cards for Authorized Users — Add up to 99 additional users at no charge — the Amex Business Gold card comes with fee-free employee Amex Business Green cards and up to 99 total fee-free employee Amex Business Gold cards after the first employee card annual fee of $50 (rates and fees).
• Pay Over Time Feature — Decide whether you want to pay eligible purchases in full each month or pay over time with interest
• Connect to Quickbooks — Make accounting simpler by loading your receipts and syncing your Amex account information with QuickBooks.
• Year-end Statements Online — Tax time will be easier with organized reports of all your business spending.
• Mobile Account Management — Access and manage your card account anytime, anywhere.
• Custom Account Alerts — Set up alerts for maximum spending limits, payment reminders, and managing employee purchases.

Bottom Line: Both the Amex Business Gold card and Amex Business Green card come with the same shopping benefits and protections. The cards also offer an equal collection of business management tools. 

Amex Business Gold Card vs. Amex Business Green Card — Summary

We’ve covered a lot of information on our 2 featured cards. Let’s sum it all up with our take on how the cards compare in each category.

Best for Earning Rewards — With a long list of 4x bonus earning categories on common business purchases (up to $150,000 in purchases each calendar year), the Amex Business Gold card is definitely the winner in the earning category.

Best for Travel Benefits and Protections — The Amex Business Gold card has the edge when comparing travel benefits and protections as the card offers trip delay coverage, no foreign transaction fees, and access to benefits at properties in The Hotel Collection.

Best for Shopping Benefits and Protections — Both cards offer the same shopping protections when using your card to make an eligible purchase. In addition, you’ll find both cards come with Amex Offers and the Amex Auto Purchasing Program.

Best for Business Management Tools and Adding Authorized Users — Both of our featured cards offer the same business management tools, including the ability to add up to 99 additional users for no extra fee.

Bottom Line: The Amex Business Gold card surfaces as having greater earning potential and an edge when using points for eligible flights. It does have a higher annual fee, so your spending in 4x bonus earning categories would need to be nearly $7,500 each year or find additional value in the benefits offered for it to be a fit for your business.

Alternative Amex Business Cards

Two cards that are also popular business card choices include The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express and The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card.

The cards pair up similarly to our featured cards in that one works better for international business travelers while the other is for smaller businesses that want more simplicity.

Amex Business Platinum Card

The Amex Business Platinum card is highly popular with business travelers due to its unprecedented access to airport lounges worldwide, its elevated earnings on travel, and the ability to receive excellent value when transferring points to affiliated travel partners.

The card comes with plenty of travel and shopping benefits and protections as well.

Amex Blue Business Cash Card

Busy startup business owners have little time to keep track of bonus-earning categories and complicated redemption options. The Amex Blue Business Cash card offers a simple solution with its 2% flat cash-back earnings on every purchase the business makes, up to $50,000 in purchases each year, then 1% thereafter.

Bottom Line: American Express offers several business card products suitable for every type and size of business. To learn more, check out all the best Amex business card options overviewed in our article on the topic.

Final Thoughts

There is no doubt that the Amex Business Gold card offers far more earning potential, the edge when it comes to redemption options and greater travel benefits/protections.

You will, however, pay a higher annual fee to receive these added benefits. The better card for your business operation will be the one that allows you to receive greater value than you would pay for an annual fee.

If your operation has a lot of expenses in the bonus categories offered with the Amex Business Gold card, you would fare better with that card. If you are looking for an entry-level business card with a lower annual fee, your business’s expenses are non-bonus category expenses, and travel expenses could be facilitated with Amex Travel, there might be a case for the Amex Business Green card.

You might also consider the Amex Business Green card if your primary purpose for getting a card is to start establishing business credit with American Express.

For the car rental collision damage coverage benefit of the American Express^® Business Gold Card and Business Green Rewards Card from American Express,  eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car rental loss or damage coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. For the baggage insurance plan benefit of the American Express^® Business Gold Card and Business Green Rewards Card from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. For the extended warranty and purchase protection benefits of the American Express^® Business Gold Card and Business Green Rewards Card from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. For the Global Assist Hotline benefit of the American Express^® Business Gold Card and Business Green Rewards Card from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. If approved and coordinated by the Global Assist Hotline, emergency medical transportation assistance may be provided at no cost. In any other circumstance, card members may be responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.

For the trip delay insurance benefit of the American Express^® Business Gold Card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

The information regarding the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of the American Express^® Business Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, click here.