AmEx Gold vs. Platinum: Which Is Better for Your Business?

The Platinum can help frequent flyers travel in style, while the Gold might be a better choice for rewards on daily spending.
Gregory Karp
By Gregory Karp 
Updated
Edited by Kenley Young
AmEx Gold vs. Platinum: Which Is Better For Your Business?

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When issuers name payment cards after precious metals, platinum is usually better than gold. But card names alone don’t help you make the right choice for your business.

You might choose the American Express® Business Gold Card if you travel but also want a workhorse rewards card for daily business spending.

But the right choice is The Business Platinum Card® from American Express if you want a more traditional luxury travel card for your business, replete with perks to make life on the road more rewarding.

Here’s how to choose between two good precious-metal cards from American Express.

A glance at what's different

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
NerdWallet rating 

American Express® Business Gold Card

American Express® Business Gold Card
NerdWallet rating 

Annual fee

$695

$375

New cardmember offer

Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

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.

Credit for airline incidentals

Up to $200

None

Airline redemption bonus

35% (up to 500,000 points back per calendar year). Terms apply.

25% (up to a 250,000 points back per calendar year). Terms apply.

Ongoing rewards

See below.

See below.

New cardmember offer

Both cards come with traditional bonus offers for new cardholders who can meet the required spending thresholds.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express features a higher offer, but the American Express® Business Gold Card has a lower spending minimum to earn its bonus.

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NerdWallet rating 

5.0

/5
NerdWallet rating 

5.0

/5
NerdWallet rating 

4.6

/5

Annual fee 

$0

Annual fee 

$150

Annual fee 

$0

Regular APR 

18.49%-24.49% Variable APR

Regular APR 

N/A

Rates & Fees

Regular APR 

18.49%-26.49% Variable APR

Rates & Fees

Intro APR 

0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months

Intro APR 

N/A

Intro APR 

0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening

Likelihood of approval 

Likelihood of approval 

Likelihood of approval 

Airline incidental credit

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express comes with an up to $200 credit for incidentals on your eligible airline of choice — when you use the card to pay for checked bags or buy in-flight refreshments, for example. Terms apply. This is a big deal if you’ll use it. It helps offset the difference in annual fees between the two cards, because the American Express® Business Gold Card doesn't come with an airline fee credit.

Airline redemption bonus

When you redeem Membership Rewards points to book certain eligible flights through American Express Travel, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express gives you 35% of those points back as a bonus, up to 500,000 points back per calendar year. This can apply to:

  • Any fare on your chosen airline.

  • First- and business-class fares on any airline.

  • Terms apply.

With the American Express® Business Gold Card, the rate is 25%, up to 250,000 points back per calendar year. Terms apply.

Ongoing rewards

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 5 Membership Rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through the American Express Travel website, and 1 point for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases. Also, earn 1.5 points on eligible purchases at U.S construction material and hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, software and cloud system providers and shipping providers — as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year. Terms apply.

American Express® Business Gold Card: Earn 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). Terms apply:

  • 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.

Travel perks

Many significant perks come only with The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. A sampling:

Global Entry or TSA Precheck. Card Members are eligible to receive either one $100 statement credit every 4 years for the application fee for Global Entry or one $85 statement credit every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck.

Airport lounge access. You’ll have access to 1,200 airport lounges worldwide via the AmEx Global Lounge Collection.

Hotel upgrades. You get Gold status with the Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors programs, along with perks when booking through Fine Hotels & Resorts.

Boingo Wi-Fi. Complimentary, unlimited wireless Internet access with the Boingo American Express Preferred Plan.

Terms apply.

What's the same?

Membership Rewards points. Membership Rewards points are redeemable for a wide variety of rewards, including travel, merchandise, charitable donations, gift cards and Amazon.com purchases. You can also transfer points to select airline and hotel rewards programs.

Payment options. Both cards started out as charge cards, meaning your bill was due in full every month and you couldn't carry a balance from month to month. Both now allow you to carry a balance on eligible purchases by way of American Express's "Pay Over Time" option, so they function more like traditional cards. Some purchases still must be paid in full monthly, though. Learn how Pay Over Time works.

How to choose

If you travel often enough use all the upgrades and perks of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, it could be worth the hefty annual fee. Otherwise, the American Express® Business Gold Card might be a better fit for business owners who want a mix of perks and rewards on their day-to-day spending.


To view rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, see this page.

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