Earn 70,000 points and up to $300 in credits

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In recent months, banks have added new credit card benefits for the pandemic and introduced increased welcome bonuses, and Amex has been particularly generous. We’ve seen elevated offers and additional perks on cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express
, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
, and American Express® Gold Card
, and now there’s another new bonus to consider.

Until April 7, 2021, the American Express® Business Gold Card is offering 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of card membership. New cardholders can also earn up to $300 in statement credits in the first three months (terms and cap apply): up to $150 in statement credits toward eligible U.S. advertising purchases in select media, and up to $150 toward eligible U.S. shipping purchases (terms and cap apply).

We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Increased Amex Business Gold bonus: 70,000 points plus $300 in credits

The standard offer for the American Express® Business Gold Card is just 35,000 points with no statement credits, so you’ll earn double the usual points with this limited-time bonus. If you can maximize the credits you’ll do even better, because they can more than offset the card’s $295 annual fee (See Rates).

In the first three months of account opening, cardholders can receive up to $150 back as a statement credit toward both US advertising in select media and US shipping purchases (a total of up to $300 back). US advertising in select media includes expenses like promoting your business through Google and Facebook ads or television and radio spots, and shipping can include USPS, FedEx, and UPS purchases. 

One reason the American Express® Business Gold Card is so appealing to small-business owners is the way it earns rewards based on your spending habits. You’ll earn 4x Amex Membership Rewards points in the top two categories you spend the most in each month, on up to $150,000 in combined purchases each year (then 1x). All other eligible purchases earn 1 point per dollar with no limit.

The American Express® Business Gold Card 4x categories include:

• Airfare purchased directly from airlines
• US gas stations
• US restaurants
• US shipping providers
• Select US advertising and technology providers
• US purchases for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)

This is especially handy if your spending patterns change often — for example, your airfare and dining purchases might be high one month due to travel, but the next you might have increased expenses from buying new computer hardware and software. 

If your business doesn’t spend a lot in these categories, you might be better off with a card like The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, which has no annual fee (See Rates) and earns 2x points on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 in spending per year (then 1x).

Or, if you spend a lot on travel or make frequent large purchases, the Amex Business Platinum Card could be a better fit. It earns 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel, 1.5x points on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more (up to 1 million additional points per calendar year), and 1x points on everything else.

Amex Business Gold benefits and rewards

With the American Express® Business Gold Card, you’ll earn Membership Rewards points, which are highly valued for their flexibility. You’ll typically get the most value by transferring your points to airline and hotel partners for award travel, or by using them to book flights, accommodations, car rentals, and more through Amex Travel.

Here’s where the American Express® Business Gold Card has an edge — when you redeem your points through Amex Travel for a first-or business-class ticket (or any class of service on an eligible airline you choose each year), you’ll get a 25{b530a9af8ec2f2e0d4045baab79c5cfb9bfdc23e498df4d376766a0b44d3f146} points rebate. When you redeem this way, you can effectively boost the value of your points from the standard 1 cent each (through Amex Travel) to 1.33 cents apiece.

If you don’t have plans to hit the road any time soon, there are lots of other ways to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points that don’t involve travel, including:

• Use points to buy gift cards (usually 1 cent per point)
• Cash in points for statement credits toward purchases made on your card (0.6 cents per point)
• Pay with points at checkout at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Saks Fifth Avenue, Boxed.com, Dell.com, Staples, and more (0.7 cents per point)
• Redeem points for food delivery with GrubHub and Seamless (0.7 cents per point)
• Use points to pay for New York City taxi fare in vehicles using enabled point-of-sale devices (1 cent per point)
• Shop with points for merchandise and gifts through Amex (usually 0.5 cents per point)

The card also comes with solid travel and purchase benefits that Amex is well-known for, including extended warranty, purchase protection, baggage insurance, trip delay coverage, car rental insurance, and a Global Assist Hotline. You won’t pay foreign transaction fees (See Rates) with the American Express® Business Gold Card, so it’s a good choice if you make a lot of international purchases.

Jasmin Baron is an associate editor at Personal Finance Insider, where she helps readers maximize rewards and find the best credit cards to fit their lifestyles.

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