The American Express Business Gold Card – Requirements, Ideal Credit Score & Approval Tips [2024]

The American Express^® Business Gold Card is an excellent card option for any small business owner who wants a card that offers great benefits and allows them to maximize every dollar that their business spends.

With the Amex Business Gold card, you’re getting a card that allows you to earn 4x rewards in the 2 bonus categories that your business spends the most money on each month, travel protections, and purchase protections.

That all sounds great right? But how difficult is it to get approved for the Amex Business Gold card, and what can you do to increase your likelihood of being approved? This guide will breakdown all of that and more!

Amex Business Gold Snapshot

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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

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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

How to Check Your Credit Score

If you don’t already have a good idea of what your credit score is, then you’re going to want to find that so you’ll have a better idea of whether or not you should consider applying for the Amex Business Gold card.

To check your credit score, you’ve got a few easy options at your disposal. For starters, if you already have a credit card open, then check to see if the issuer offers your access to a monthly free credit report. Another great option to get a free credit report is by going straight to the source of the 3 credit bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian).

Lastly, you could use a free monitoring service like Credit Karma, which is a free website that not only allows you to keep track of your credit score month to month but also gives you tips to help improve your score.

Hot Tip: If you know your credit score already, but you’re not certain whether or not it is a strong score, have a look at our post to learn what is a good and low credit score, plus 5 ways to help boost your credit score. 

Business Credit Scores

Since the Amex Business Gold card is a business card, you may very well be applying for the card using an Employer Identification Number (EIN). In this case, your business credit score will also be checked. If you weren’t aware that you have both a personal and a business credit score, here is a quick breakdown.

While personal credit scores are scaled from 300 to 850, your business credit score is usually scored on a scale of 1 to 100, though this can vary based on the reporting agency. Three of the most popular reporting agencies are Dun & Bradstreet, Equifax Business, and Experian Business, where your business credit score can be viewed by anyone who is interested.

But while your business and personal credit score will be different numbers, they serve virtually identical purposes. If you manage your business finances responsibly, your business credit score will improve, and the better your business credit score, the more likely you are to be approved for new credit cards.

Hot Tip: Not sure if your business qualifies for a business credit card? It likely does! Whether you run your business part-time, just do it as a side hustle, or freelance, you’re able to apply for a business card. Even gig economy works like Uber drivers or DoorDash couriers can apply for a business card!

670+ Credit Score For the Amex Business Gold Card

If you’re considering applying for the Amex Business Gold card, we recommend you have a personal credit score of at least 670 or higher — or a business credit score of at least 75 or higher to maximize your chances of approval.

With that said, it is important to be clear about the fact that merely having a credit score higher than either of those figures does in no way guarantee that you will be approved for the Amex Business Gold card. But the odds of your application being approved will improve considerably the higher your credit score is.

As mentioned previously, your credit score is not the only factor that will be considered when you apply for the Amex Business Gold card. So let’s take a look at a few of the other factors that will help influence your application result.

Credit Score Factors

Naturally, one of the very most important factors of whether or not you’ll be approved for a new card is your credit score. So before we go any further, let’s outline the 5 factors of your credit score, why they’re important, and how they impact your score.

Payment History

This likely comes as no surprise, but your payment history is the most important factor of your credit score. In fact, your payment history makes up 35% of your overall credit score. So as long as you always pay your bill on time each month you’ll be sure to build a strong credit score. On the other hand, if you regularly miss payments, or have missed payments in the past, that will bring your credit score down and decrease your likelihood of being approved for the Amex Business Gold card.

Credit Utilization

Your credit utilization is the second most important factor that makes up your credit score, making up 30% of your overall score.

If you’re not familiar with the term, your credit utilization is the amount of credit you’ve currently used in a given billing cycle divided by your overall credit limit. For example, if you have a card with a credit limit of $10,000, and you’ve currently used $1,000 of that credit limit, then your credit utilization is 10%.

It is best to try and keep your credit utilization as low as possible. Using a large percentage of your available credit each month will negatively impact your credit score. If you currently are using a card that has a low credit limit, try to pay most of your balance off before your statement actually posts to lower that utilization rate.

Hot Tip: There is a popular myth that has caused many to believe that it is good for your credit score to leave a small balance on your credit card every month. This is categorically not true. There is zero evidence that this actually improves your credit score and only ends up costing you money in interest. If you are able, you should always pay off your full balance each month. 

Average Age of Accounts

Your average age of accounts is just as it sounds — the average age of all of the credit cards open under your name. For example, if you have 1 card that has been open for 5 years, and another that has been open for 3 years, your average age of accounts is 4 years.

Ideally, you’d like to keep your average age of accounts as high as possible, since this factor makes up 15% of your overall credit score.

New Credit

If you are just starting the process of building your credit history, you’ll want to make sure that you don’t open up too many new credit card accounts in too short a time frame, as each new credit inquiry will usually drop your credit score by a handful of points, and each new account will lower your average account age.

While this factor makes up just 10% of your overall score, it can really have a significant impact on your overall score if you haven’t built much credit history yet.

Credit Mix

Finally, your credit mix makes up the remaining 10% of your credit score. Your credit mix refers to the types of different credit accounts that have been extended to you, like credit cards, mortgage loans, and auto loans. Borrowers who have multiple forms of credit extended to them, and are managing them responsibly, are seen as less risky than those that do not.

Bottom Line: All things considered, your payment history and your credit utilization make up 65% of your overall credit score. So if you want to build or maintain a strong credit score, then make sure to always keep your credit utilization low and always pay your bills on time. 

Other Approval Considerations

Business Income

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that your business income will be taken into consideration — after all, any issuer is going to want to know that you can pay charges off.

With that said, it is not the end all be all. As even if your business is brand new and you don’t have much income to show for it just yet, you’re still eligible to apply for the Amex Business Gold card. But those with higher incomes stand a better chance of being approved for the card.

Length of Credit/Years in Business

Another important factor is your number of years of credit history or the number of years your business has been open and operating.

Again if your business is brand new, that doesn’t mean you should feel discouraged from applying for the Amex Business Gold card. But whether your business is brand new or it has been running for years, we recommend having at least 2 years of great personal credit history before applying for the Amex Business Gold card.

Tips To Boost Your Credit Score

If you’ve checked your credit score and you feel that it is not high enough to get approved for the Amex Business Gold card, all hope is not lost. In fact, there are multiple things you can do to help improve your credit score.

Here are a few actionable steps that you can take to help move your credit score in the right direction.

Get a Starter Credit Card

If you’ve never had a credit card before, and are having trouble getting approved for certain cards because of it, then you should consider applying for a starter credit card first.

A starter credit card is usually either a secured credit card, or one that offers a very low credit limit, that is designed for anyone looking to begin their journey with credit cards or improve their credit score. When you use a starter credit card responsibly by making your payments on time and keeping your utilization low, your credit history and overall score will begin to improve.

Get Added as an Authorized User

If you’re looking to improve your credit score then one of the easiest ways to do so is to get added as an authorized user on someone else’s credit card. Why does this help? Well for starters it shows that someone else is willing to trust you with their credit, and as long as the main account holder makes all of their payments on time, and keeps their utilization low, your credit will improve as well.

However, if you’re added as an authorized user on an account that does not manage their credit responsibly, then this can negatively impact your credit score. So before being added as an authorized user, it is extremely important that you make certain that this is a person you trust and one who keeps their finances in check.

Get Errors Removed

If there is one major selling point for using a credit monitoring service, it is being able to regularly check your credit reports for any errors or inaccuracies. When you spot these on your credit report they can have a drastic impact on your score. So whether you were a victim of identity theft or a bill is being reported as past due that you’ve already paid off, you want to regularly make sure that everything on your credit report is accurate.

If you ever come across anything on your credit report that you feel is incorrect, then it is important that you file a dispute with the reporting credit bureau. This is usually a straightforward process and can be done online at the Experian, Equifax, and Transunion website. Once you’ve gotten any and all errors removed, your credit score can start to bounce back rapidly.

Final Thoughts

For business owners who are in the market for a new card, have expenses that fall within the Amex Business Gold card’s 6 bonus categories, and are looking for benefits like purchase protection or travel protection, the Amex Business Gold card might be the perfect fit for you.

So if you’re someone who has at least a few years of good credit history, a solid credit score, and a growing business, then you’ll have a good chance at being approved for the Amex Business Gold card so you can start racking up those Membership Rewards points! Take a look at our post on this Amex Business Gold offer to see how you can take advantage.