New AmEx Business Gold Card Tailors Rewards to Expenses

American Express is getting personal with its newest small-business card. The American Express® Business Gold Card, with an annual fee of $375, will automatically change cardholders' bonus categories each month based on their spending patterns.

If the card name sounds familiar, it's because there's also The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN. That card is no longer accepting new applications, although existing customers can still use it or request a product change to the American Express® Business Gold Card, according to Courtney Kelso, head of U.S. commercial card products at American Express.

The new metal card earns 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent in two bonus categories from the following six where cardholders spend the most each billing cycle (up to the first $150,000 in combined purchases per year; then 1 point back):

• Airfare purchased directly from airlines.

• U.S. purchases at restaurants.

• U.S. purchases for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio).

• U.S. purchases at gas stations.

• U.S. purchases made directly from select technology providers of computer hardware, software and cloud solutions.

• U.S. purchases for shipping.

Other spending earns 1 point per dollar spent. Terms apply (see rates and fees).

“Card members do not have to manage on a month-to-month basis where they're going to earn the most,” Kelso says. “It's automatically calculated for them."

Other card perks

The American Express® Business Gold Card also offers:

• A 25% airline bonus on qualifying airfare purchases booked through American Express Travel, up to 250,000 points back per calendar year.

• No foreign transaction fees.

• Terms apply.

The card also features the following welcome bonus: Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

A trend toward customized rewards

The American Express® Business Gold Card joins a growing list of cards that offer some variation of tailored-for-you rewards. Other similarly structured options include the U.S. Bank Business Leverage® Visa Signature® Card and the U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Travel Rewards® Card.

AmEx also experimented with the SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card from American Express, which is no longer available as of July 2019. It paid 5% cash back on the first $50,000 spent on eligible U.S. wireless telephone services, 3% cash back on the first $50,000 spent in the category of your choice from a list of eight, and 1% cash back on other purchases.

A notable difference between that card and the American Express® Business Gold Card was that with the SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card from American Express, you could choose only once per year which category you wanted for the 3% earnings rate. The American Express® Business Gold Card will automatically adjust each month based on your spending.