Amex Business Platinum Card and Amex Business Gold Card: Why You Should Have Both

The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express and the American Express^® Business Gold Card are 2 of the best business credit cards on the market thanks to their combination of perks, protections, business benefits, and rewards ecosystem.

A common question from Upgraded Points readers is which card is better: the Amex Business Platinum card or the Amex Business Gold card. Truthfully, neither card is necessarily better than the other, but one card might be better suited for you based on your business needs and spending habits.

That said, we often find that many business owners could benefit greatly by having both cards, and in this guide, we will cover some of the top reasons why you might want to consider holding both cards in your wallet.

Card Snapshots

ELEVATED OFFER

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

This card is ideal for business travelers who enjoy luxury travel and are looking for a card loaded with benefits!

Learn More(at Amex's secure site)

The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express

This card is ideal for business travelers who enjoy luxury travel and are looking for a card loaded with benefits!

Welcome Offer

Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.

150,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$3,300

Annual Fee

$695

APR

18.74% - 27.74% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express is a premium travel rewards card tailored toward business owners who are frequent travelers with a high number of annual expenses.

When you factor in the large number of perks that the card offers like the best airport lounge access at over 1,400 lounges, along with tons of annual credits, it’s easy to see why this card can is a top option for frequent traveling business owners.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x Membership Rewards points per $1 on flights and prepaid hotels at Amex Travel
• Access to over 1,400 worldwide airport lounges as part of the American Express Global Lounge Collection
• Get 50% more Membership Rewards points (1.5 points per $1) on eligible purchases in key business categories, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more (cap applies)

Cons

• High annual fee of $695 (rates & fees)
• Airline fee credit does not cover airfare, only incidentals like checked bags

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Welcome Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
• 5X Membership Rewards^® points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com, and 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases.
• Earn 1.5X points (that’s an extra half point per dollar) on each eligible purchase at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more, on up to $2 million per Card Account per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus.
• Unlock over $1,000 in statement credits on select purchases, including tech, recruiting and wireless in the first year of membership with the Business Platinum Card^®. Enrollment required. See how you can unlock over $1,000 annually in credits on select purchases with the Business Platinum Card^®, here.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to the Card.
• $199 CLEAR^® Plus Credit: Use your card and get up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year on your CLEAR^® Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use the Business Platinum Card^®.
• The American Express Global Lounge Collection^® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market as of 03/2023.
• $695 Annual Fee.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 18.74% - 27.74% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer of up to 250k points with the Amex Business Platinum card. The current public offer is 150,000 points. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants.)

ELEVATED OFFER

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

American Express^® Business Gold Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Get 4x points in 2 select categories where your business spends the most each month (on your first $150,000 spent each year).

Learn More(at Amex's secure site)

American Express^® Business Gold Card

Get 4x points in 2 select categories where your business spends the most each month (on your first $150,000 spent each year).

Welcome Offer

Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.*

100,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$2,200

Annual Fee

$375

APR

18.74% - 27.74% Variable,0% on purchases for 6 months from date of account opening

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The American Express^® Business Gold Card is excellent at racking up rewards for your business spend.

The card earns a whopping 4x points per $1 in the 2 categories (from a list of 6) that your business spends the most money on each month. With no need to opt-in or preselect your categories, so you can focus on what matters most — running your business.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 4x points per dollar spent on your 2 highest purchase categories each month up to $150,000 each calendar year in purchases; categories include:
  • Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
  • U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
  • Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.
  • U.S. purchases at gas stations
  • U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
  • Purchases at U.S. media providers for advertising in select media (online such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, plus TV and radio)
• 3x points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card
• Access to Amex’s The Hotel Collection

Cons

• $375 annual fee (rates and fees)
• No elite travel benefits like airport lounge access or elite status

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Welcome Offer: Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.*
• 0% Intro APR ¤ for 6 months from the date of account opening on purchases eligible for Pay Over Time, then a 18.74% to 27.74% variable APR.*
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards^® points on the top two eligible categories where your business spends the most each month from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap.*
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards^® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card.*
• Earn up to $20 in statement credits monthly after you use the Business Gold Card for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and Office Supply Stores. This can be an annual savings of up to $240. Enrollment required.
• Get up to a $12.95** statement credit back each month after you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Business Gold Card. **Up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes on one membership fee.*
• The Business Gold Card now comes in three metal designs: Gold, Rose Gold and Limited Edition White Gold. White Gold design is only available while supplies last. Make your selection when you apply on Americanexpress.com.
• *Terms Apply

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 18.74% - 27.74% Variable,0% on purchases for 6 months from date of account opening
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer of up to 200k points with the Amex Business Gold card. The current public offer is 100,000 points. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants.)

Large Welcome Bonus Offers

One of the best parts of holding 2 cards is the opportunity to earn 2 separate welcome bonus offers. Fortunately, both the Amex Business Platinum card and the Amex Business Gold card come with large welcome offers, often ranging from 70,000 to 110,000 points on the Amex Business Gold card, and a whopping 120,000 to 170,000 on the Amex Business Platinum card.

Even at the lower end of both of these ranges, the welcome bonus offers of both cards would net you over 200,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after completing the minimum spend requirements. Thanks to the plethora of high-value redemptions you can make with Amex points, we value Membership Rewards at 2.2 cents per point, which would make 200,000 points worth $4,400.

Increased Point-Earning

A great rewards card can help you earn tons of points, and 2 great cards with contrasting bonus categories can help you ensure that you’re always earning as many points as possible on all of your business expenses. Here is a look at how the Amex Business Platinum card and Amex Business Gold card can help you do just that.

* 4x rewards are applied to the top 2 categories where your business spends the most in each billing cycle from the eligible categories, and on up to $150,000 in spend per calendar year.

Fortunately, there isn’t much overlap in bonus categories between the 2 cards, which makes it fairly easy to assign each card to certain purchases so that you can always earn as many points as possible.

For instance, one strategy could be to use your Amex Business Gold card on 2 of the eligible bonus categories in which your business spends the most, like U.S. media providers for advertising and electronic goods retailers, software, and cloud system providers to earn 4x points on these expenses.

From there, you could use your Amex Business Platinum card to earn 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels at AmexTravel.com, along with 1.5x points on U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers and non-bonused purchases larger than $5,000.

Combined together, this gives you at least 5 different bonus categories where you are earning 1.5x to 5x points, and remember, you can adjust your 4x categories on your Amex Business Gold card month to month based on your business needs. For businesses with large monthly expenses, having the ability to earn 1.5x to 5x points on a wide variety of expenses can amount to some serious point earning.

Over $1,900 in Annual Credits

Without a doubt, the 2 biggest pain points of the Amex Business Platinum card and Amex Business Gold card are their annual fees of $695 (rates & fees) and $375 (rates & fees), respectively.

However, both cards come loaded up with hundreds of dollars in various statement credits to help take the sting out of the annual fees. Note that enrollment is required through your American Express account.

With the Amex Business Platinum card, you’ll receive:

• Up to $400 in statement credits per year toward U.S. purchases with Dell Technologies
• Up to $360 in statement credits per year (up to $90 back per quarter) for purchases with Indeed
• Up to $150 in statement credits per year for eligible annual prepaid business plan purchases with Adobe
• Up to $120 in statement credits per year for wireless telephone service purchases made directly with a wireless provider in the U.S.
• Up to $200 annual airline fee credit
• Up to $199 annual CLEAR Plus credit
• Up to $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit (as of October 1, 2024)

Enrollment required for statement credits above.

Plus, with the Amex Business Gold card, you’ll receive up to $240 in statement credits per year (enrollment required) for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and office supply stores, along with Walmart+ statement credits of up to $155 annually.

Altogether, this amounts to over $1,900 in annual statement credits. Even if you personally only valued each of these credits at 60% of their stated value, it would still be enough to eclipse the annual fees of both cards combined.

Top-Notch Travel Perks

While the Amex Business Gold card really shines when it comes to earning points, thanks to its 4x rewards on your top 2 spend categories each billing cycle, the Amex Business Platinum card reigns supreme when it comes to travel perks. In fact, we would argue that it is the best business card for travel perks on the market.

For starters, you receive airport lounge access to over 1,400 airport lounges worldwide (enrollment required), including Amex Centurion Lounges, Escape Lounges – The Centurion Studio Partner, Priority Pass lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, select Virgin Clubhouses, Delta Sky Clubs when flying with Delta the same day, and more.

The Amex Business Platinum card has you covered with hotel benefits, too, offering automatic Hilton Honors Gold status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status (upon enrollment), which each include perks like bonus points, complimentary room upgrades (if available), late checkout (if available), and more.

Plus, you’ll receive access to the Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts program, available at hundreds of hotels worldwide with perks like room upgrades (when available), daily breakfast for 2, noon check-in (when available), guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout, and a unique amenity valued at $100 (usually a food and beverage, or spa credit)

The elite status offered with the Amex Business Platinum card extends to rental cars as well, where you’ll receive benefits with Avis, Hertz, and National, each of which can offer discounted rental rates, car upgrades, and more (enrollment required).

As if all of that weren’t enough, cardholders can also take advantage of the Amex Pay With Points rebate, which gives you the ability to receive a 35% rebate when redeeming your points for business and first class flights with any airline, or toward flights in any cabin on your chosen airline. This allows you to redeem your Amex points for 1.54 cents per point towards these flights.

The Amex Business Gold card no longer has a 25% Pay With Points rebate, so if this is a perk you’d value having, that is all the more reason to hold the Amex Business Platinum card.

Bottom Line:

It should come as no surprise now that the Amex Business Platinum card is the benefits-rich option of this card combo. For a full look at all of the perks that the card can offer you, read through our dedicated guide on the best benefits of the Amex Business Platinum card.

Excellent Card Protections

Lastly, both the Amex Business Platinum card and Amex Business Gold card will give you excellent travel and purchase protections, including:

• Trip Delay Insurance: When you purchase a round-trip ticket with your card and the flight is delayed by more than 6 hours, you’re covered for up to $500 in reasonable expenses like meals, lodging, and personal use items.
• Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance: Secondary coverage to your rental car toward damage or theft
• Baggage Insurance: If your baggage is lost, damaged, or stolen, you can receive coverage of $2,000 for checked baggage and a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on baggage.
• Cell Phone Protection: Receive up to $1,600 in cell phone protection (2 claims per year with up to $800 for each claim) against theft and damage, including cosmetic damage (like a cracked phone screen).
• Purchase Protection: Items purchased with the card are covered for up to 90 days from the purchase date, up to $10,000 per item, and $50,000 per year, in the event of theft, loss, or damage.
• Extended Warranty Protection: Any items purchased with your card that have a manufacturer’s warranty of 5 years or less can be extended up to 1 additional year.

Additionally, the Amex Business Platinum card also offers trip cancellation and interruption insurance, covering flights purchased with your card that are canceled or interrupted due to an eligible reason, like inclement weather or accidental injury; coverage is up to $10,000 per trip and $20,000 per year.

Final Thoughts

Either way you slice it, both the Amex Business Platinum card and the Amex Business Gold card are fantastic options and you cannot go wrong with either. However, if you really want to level up your overall points strategy, you very well might seriously benefit from holding both cards in your wallet.

The strong point-earning potential of the Amex Business Gold card and the benefits-rich Amex Business Platinum card make for a powerful 1-2 punch that can help you earn as many points as possible on your business expenses and significantly upgrade your travel experiences.

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For the trip delay insurance benefit of The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express, up to $500 per covered trip that is delayed for more than 6 hours; and 2 claims per eligible card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For the trip delay insurance benefit of the American Express^® Business Gold Card, up to $300 per covered trip that is delayed for more than 12 hours; and 2 claims per eligible card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For the trip cancellation and interruption insurance benefit of The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express, the maximum benefit amount for trip cancellation and interruption insurance is $10,000 per covered trip and $20,000 per eligible card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express, car rental loss and damage insurance can provide coverage up to $75,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the commercial car rental company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please 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 car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of the American Express^® Business Gold Card, car rental loss and damage insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the commercial car rental company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations Apply. Please 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 Business Platinum Card^® from American Express, baggage insurance plan coverage can be in effect for covered persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen baggage during their travel on a common carrier vehicle (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the Entire Fare for a ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible card. Coverage can be provided for up to $2,000 for checked baggage and up to a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the common carrier. The coverage is also subject to a $3,000 aggregate limit per covered trip. For New York State residents, there is a $2,000 per bag/suitcase limit for each covered person with a $10,000 aggregate maximum for all covered persons per covered trip. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the baggage insurance plan benefit of the American Express^® Business Gold Card, baggage insurance plan coverage can be in effect for eligible persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen baggage during their travel on a common carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the entire fare for a common carrier vehicle ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible account. Coverage can be provided for up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the common carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus). For New York State residents, there is a $10,000 aggregate maximum limit for all covered persons per covered trip. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the cell phone protection benefit of The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express, coverage for a stolen or damaged eligible cellular wireless telephone is subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions and limits of liability of this benefit. The maximum liability is $800, per claim, per eligible card account. Each claim is subject to a $50 deductible. Coverage is limited to two (2) claims per eligible card account per 12 month period. Eligibility and benefit level varies by Card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For the cell phone protection benefit of the American Express^® Business Gold Card, coverage for a stolen or damaged eligible cellular wireless telephone is subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions and limits of liability of this benefit. The maximum liability is $800, per claim, per eligible card account. Each claim is subject to a $50 deductible. Coverage is limited to two (2) claims per eligible card account per 12 month period. Eligibility and benefit level varies by Card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For the purchase protection benefit of The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express, purchase protection is an embedded benefit of your card membership and requires no enrollment. It can help protect covered purchases made on your eligible card when they’re accidentally damaged, stolen, or lost, for up to 90 days from the covered purchase date. The coverage is limited up to $10,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Coverage limits apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the purchase protection benefit of the American Express^® Business Gold Card, when an American Express^® card member charges a covered purchase with their eligible card, purchase protection can help protect their covered purchases for up to 90 days from the covered purchase date if it is stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the extended warranty benefit of The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express, when an American Express^® card member charges a covered purchase to an eligible card, extended warranty can provide up to one extra year added to the original manufacturer’s warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) 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 card member account per calendar year. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the extended warranty benefit of the American Express^® Business Gold Card, when an American Express^® card member charges a covered purchase to an eligible card, extended warranty can provide up to one extra year added to the original manufacturer’s warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) 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 card member account per calendar year. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.