American Express offers several of the best business cards on the market. One of these cards is the American Express® Business Gold Card, which offers diverse business-focused 4 points per dollar on select bonus categories.
However, you may doubt whether you can get approved for the Amex Business Gold Card. Specifically, you may wonder whether you are eligible for the card. And you may not be sure if your credit score is high enough. So today, we’ll take a closer look at these topics so you can decide whether to apply.
Amex Business Gold overview
The Amex Business Gold Card caters to small businesses with select types of business expenses. After all, the Amex Business Gold Card offers 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar (up to $150,000 per calendar year; 1 point thereafter) on the two categories where your business spent the most each billing cycle from the following list:
- U.S. purchases for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
- U.S. purchases at gas stations
- U.S. purchases made directly from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
- U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
- Transit (including trains, taxicabs, ride-hailing services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways)
- Monthly wireless telephone service charges directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.
You’ll only earn 4 points per dollar on the first $150,000 in purchases in the combined categories each calendar year (1 point per dollar thereafter). Therefore, by earning 4 points per dollar on $150,000 of spending each year, you’ll receive 600,000 points for these purchases. Based on TPG’s valuations, 600,000 Membership Rewards points are worth $12,000.
Even if you earn 4 points per dollar on significantly less spending each year, the Amex Business Gold Card could still make sense. For example, a road warrior who uses the Amex Business Gold Card for all their domestic gas and restaurant purchases could quickly earn enough rewards to justify the card’s $375 annual fee (see rates and fees).
In short, the value you’ll get from the Amex Business Gold Card depends on the business expenses you incur and what other cards you carry in your wallet.
Related: Credit card showdown: Amex Business Gold vs. Amex Business Platinum
What credit score do you need for the Amex Business Gold Card?
There is no set credit score requirement for the Amex Business Gold Card. However, successful applicants generally have a good consumer credit score of 670 or higher.
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
The Amex Business Gold Card is a business card. As such, Amex will check your consumer credit score as well as your business credit score. Not all businesses have a business credit score, though. In this case, Amex will base its decision on your consumer credit score and the details you provide about your business.
Related: What credit score do you need for business credit cards?
Who is eligible for the Amex Business Gold welcome offer?
The Amex Business Gold Card currently has a welcome offer of 70,000 bonus points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months of card membership. Since Amex Membership Rewards points are worth 2 cents each, this bonus is valued at $1,400.
However, not all applicants are eligible for this bonus. Specifically, under Amex’s one-bonus-per-lifetime policy, the welcome offer isn’t available to current or previous Amex Business Gold cardholders. Amex also notes in the welcome offer terms that it may “consider the number of American Express Cards you have opened and closed as well as other factors in making a decision on your welcome offer eligibility.”
Luckily, Amex has a welcome bonus qualification tool that will tell you after you apply if you aren’t eligible to earn the welcome bonus. You can opt to withdraw your application at this point, in which case Amex would perform a hard pull on your credit. So, if you don’t want the Amex Business Gold Card without its welcome offer, carefully read any messages that appear after submitting your application.
Related: Who qualifies for a business credit card?
How to check your credit score
Before applying for a small-business card, you’ll want to check your credit score. Luckily, there are many ways to check your credit score for free.
For example, you can pull your Experian FICO Score 8 for free by logging in to Experian’s FreeCreditScore website every 30 days. Likewise, you can check your TransUnion VantageScore 3.0 for free each week using Amex’s MyCredit Guide.
You can also check your business credit score. But, unlike consumer credit scores, you’ll usually need to pay to do so.
Related: How does applying for a new credit card affect my credit score?
Factors that affect your credit score
Your credit score isn’t just one number. Instead, your credit score at any given time may vary based on the calculation method (such as FICO Score 8 and VantageScore 3.0) and credit reporting agency (such as TransUnion and Experian). The exact calculation methods aren’t publicly available. But FICO says that a FICO Score consists of the following:
- Payment history (35%)
- Amounts owed (30%)
- Length of credit history (15%)
- New credit (10%)
- Credit mix (10%)
If you want to improve your credit score, it’s essential to understand what factors affect your credit score. Your credit score will usually improve as you pay off debt and learn how to pay your credit card bills the right way.
Related: 3 real ways to boost your credit score in 30 days
What to do if you get rejected
If you apply for the Amex Business Gold Card, Amex may reject your application. Even with excellent credit, other factors may lead Amex to deny your card application.
If Amex rejects your application, you’ll receive a letter stating Amex’s reasons for the rejection. TPG contributor Ethan Steinberg uses each of his rejected credit card applications as a learning experience. After all, it’s possible to improve your credit portfolio and then apply for another card (or the same card). However, Amex recommends waiting at least 30 days before applying for another Amex card.
Alternatively, if you have information that might cause Amex to change its decision regarding your application, you can call Amex customer service at 1-800-567-1083 and ask Amex to review its decision. Best case, Amex may reverse its decision and approve you for the card. But even if Amex isn’t willing to change its decision, you may better understand why Amex denied your card application.
Related: Your guide to calling a credit card reconsideration line
Bottom line
The Amex Business Gold Card offers 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar on purchases in select categories (on up to $150,000 of eligible purchases each calendar year). As such, this card can be an excellent choice for small businesses that incur substantial expenses each billing cycle in one or two of the card’s categories.
You don’t need a perfect credit score to get the Amex Business Gold Card. A good credit score of 670 or higher may be enough for approval, especially if other business details indicate your application is relatively low risk.
To learn more about the card, read our full review of the Amex Business Gold.
Apply here: American Express Business Gold Card
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Gold Card, click here.
