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Amex overhauls the American Express Business Gold Card
It won’t be any surprise to any of us that American Express is raising the annual fee on the American Express Business Gold Card.
The annual fee will rise from $295 to $375 if your application is received on or after 2/1/24.
But the new benefits kick in as of today, providing extra value to those that either have the card or get the card before 2/1/24 (How to Apply)
You also now have the opportunity to receive the card in the Rose Gold color already available on the consumer American Express® Gold Card / Rose Gold Card.
New Bonus Categories
The bonus categories are changing. You still earn 4X on the top 2 categories each month up to $150,000 annually – but the categories are changing
- (NEW) U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers,
- (NEW) Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.,
- (NEW) Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways,
- Purchases at U.S. media providers for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio),
- U.S. purchases at gas stations, and
- U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery.
(Note – airfare is GONE as a 4X category as is Shipping).
Here’s a list of rules for what is in that new Electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers category:
American Express has a number of rules regarding how you earn bonus points in each of the bonus categories. To earn bonus American Express Membership Rewards points, you must make a purchase from a provider included on Amex’s list of computer hardware, software and U.S. Electronic Goods retailers.
You must also purchase directly from the U.S. location of the companies on the list of select providers. You will not earn bonus Membership Rewards points if you buy through a third party.
U.S. Electronic Goods, Software and Cloud Systems
To earn additional rewards in this category, the purchase must be made directly from U.S. electronic goods retailers or U.S. software and cloud system providers.
Electronic retailers are in the primary business of selling a range of electronic goods (e.g., Dell Technologies, Newegg*).
Software and cloud system providers are in the primary business of selling programs and data storage, whether downloaded or cloud-hosted (e.g., Adobe, Salesforce*).
*This is not a complete list.
Examples of merchants where you will NOT earn additional rewards include:
- Online marketplaces that provide a variety of products outside of electronic goods (e.g., Amazon, eBay)
- Superstores (e.g., Target, Walmart)
- Purchases from wireless telephone and cellular service providers (e.g., AT&T, Verizon)
- Application purchases via aggregator platforms
- Consulting and management services
New Statement Credits
- (NEW) $240 Flexible Business Credit: earn up to $20 in statement credits each month after you use the Business Gold Card for eligible purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and Office Supply Stores. Enrollment required.
- (NEW) Walmart+ Membership Credit: use the Business Gold Card to pay for a monthly Walmart + membership (subject to auto-renewal) and receive a statement credit that covers the full cost each month, valued at $155 annually.
- (NEW) Earn 3X Membership Rewards points: on eligible purchases through AmexTravel.com.
New Benefits
- (NEW) Cell Phone Protection: with Cell Phone Protection, you can be reimbursed the lesser of your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month’s wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply.
Removed Benefits
This one wasn’t called out but I found it buried in the new Terms. The 25% airline rebate (where if you pay with points, you get a 25% rebate after the flight on all business class flights and economy flights with your one selected airline) will be gone as of February 1, 2024
Charges made on or after February 1, 2024 will no longer be eligible for the 25% Airline Bonus.
I’ll be updating the Your Best Credit Card page right now, but rest assured if you apply now you are getting the new benefits at the current annual fee.
How to apply for the American Express Business Gold Card
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You can find credit cards that best match your spending habits and bonus categories at Your Best Credit Cards.
New to all of this? My “introduction to miles and points” book, MilesTalk: Live Your Wildest Travel Dreams Using Miles and Points is available on Amazon and at major booksellers.
