Why the Amex Business Gold Is Essential for My Domain Flipping Side Hustle

Last year, I started buying and selling internet domains. While I’ve yet to make any significant sales, I’ve spent time hand-registering unregistered domains directly and purchasing them at auction.

I haven’t spent a ton of money on domains, but I’m spending enough every month to want to earn the most rewards possible on my expenses. Most of my domain purchases — through Spaceship, Name.com, and GoDaddy — are coded as internet hosting or software on my card statement.

After some research, I found that the American Express^® Business Gold Card was the best option for earning points on these purchases. Since I opened the card, it’s helped me rack up tens of thousands of points. Even better, it has other benefits that help offset its $375 annual fee (rates & fees).

Let’s look closer at the Amex Business Gold card and how I use it to earn points when buying domains for my domain flipping side-hustle.

Amex Business Gold Card Overview

The Amex Business Gold card is one of the best business cards for spending on software, cloud services, advertising, and other common business expenses. The card automatically awards you 4 American Express Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on your top 2 purchase categories every billing cycle, so long as they fall into these 6 categories:

• Purchases at U.S. restaurants (including takeout and delivery) 
• Purchases at U.S. gas stations 
• U.S. advertising (online, TV, and radio) 
• Purchases with electronics, software, and cloud system providers in the U.S. 
• Monthly wireless telephone service bills purchased directly from U.S. providers
• Transit, including trains, taxis, rideshare services, tolls, parking, buses, and subways

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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 ins and outs 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).

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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 Offer Valuation*:

Up to $2,200

Annual Fee

$375

APR

17.99% - 28.74% 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 card application.

Good to Excellent

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.*
• 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 comes in three metal designs: Gold, Rose Gold and White Gold. Make your selection when you apply on Americanexpress.com.
• *Terms Apply

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 17.99% - 28.74% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

Further, the card includes up to $240 in business statement credits (split into up to $20 amounts every month) upon enrollment. This credit is applied to your account after qualifying U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and office supply stores. Office supply stores are typically the most lucrative place to spend your monthly credit since they may sell third-party gift cards for Apple, Uber, and other merchants.

The card has other benefits, like the ability to get up to a $12.95 statement credit each month to pay for your monthly Walmart+ subscription plus applicable taxes (subject to auto-renewal) and various travel and purchase protections. The card also has a high welcome bonus offer that you can use to rack up Membership Rewards quickly.

Membership Rewards points are some of my favorite transferable points to earn. They can be transferred to various hotel and airline loyalty programs, including my favorites like Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Air Canada Aeroplan, and Hilton Honors.

How I Use the Amex Business Gold Card To Earn 20K+ Points

There are 3 common ways of acquiring domains: hand-registering, auctions, or buying domains from a seller. I buy most of my domains by hand-registering, which means registering a previously unregistered domain through a major registrar like GoDaddy. This typically costs $9 to $100, depending on the type of domain I register and whether or not it’s considered a premium domain.

I’ve also purchased a handful of domains through auctions or from someone who has listed a domain for sale. Prices vary widely, but I’ve spent anywhere from $10 to $850 for domains in the past. Regardless of how I buy domains, I typically purchase them on GoDaddy or DynaDot. Both of these registars code as a 4x category under U.S. electronics, software, and cloud system providers.

I use the Amex Business Gold card for every domain I purchase to earn 4 points per $1 spent. Since I started using the card to pay for domains over the summer, I’ve earned over 20,000 Membership Rewards points — worth $440 for travel based on our Membership Rewards valuation of 2.2 cents per point.

That’s not a game-changing amount of points, but it’s enough to book a round-trip domestic flight and nearly enough for a flight to Europe. Depending on how my side hustle grows, the Amex Business Gold card could be even more helpful if I purchase more domains.

Final Thoughts

My domain reselling side hustle isn’t a huge revenue generator yet, but I’m slowly acquiring more domains every month. I want to earn as many points as possible, so I use the Amex Business Gold card to earn 4 points per $1 on my eligible domain purchases.

This points earning and the card’s $20 monthly flexible business credit mean I can justify paying the card’s $375 annual fee. Look at your business’s top expenses and see if the Amex Business Gold card could fit your spending well.