American Express Business Gold Card vs Gold Card
Both are American Express cards. Here is every spend category, ranked by what each card actually returns.
Everything else
- Business Gold Card 2.0% 1x base rate
- Gold Card 2.0% 1x base rate
Dining
- Gold Card 8.0% 4x, capped
- Business Gold Card 2.0% 1x base rate
Groceries
- Gold Card 8.0% 4x, capped
- Business Gold Card 2.0% 1x base rate
Flights
- Gold Card 6.0% 3x
- Business Gold Card 2.0% 1x base rate
Flights · portal
- Business Gold Card · American Express Travel 6.0% 3x
- Gold Card · American Express Travel 6.0% 3x
Hotels · portal
- Gold Card · American Express Travel 10.0% 5x
- Business Gold Card · American Express Travel 6.0% 3x
Car rental · portal
- Gold Card · American Express Travel 4.0% 2x
Cruises · portal
- Gold Card · American Express Travel 4.0% 2x
What the numbers are doing
Gold Card's 4x on dining runs out: it applies to the first $50,000 of dining spend a year, and everything past that earns 1x.
Business Gold Card lets you choose 2 categories to earn 4x on. This table assumes nothing is chosen yet, so it earns its base rate everywhere; choose in the generator to see where it lands.
The table is earn rate only — annual fees are not netted out of it. These cards charge Business Gold Card $375 and Gold Card $325 a year, so a thin lead in one category may not cover the difference.
| Category | Best card |
|---|---|
| Everything else | Business Gold Card2.0% |
| Dining | Gold Card8.0% |
| Groceries | Gold Card8.0% |
| Flights | Gold Card6.0% |
| Flights · portal | Business Gold Card · American Express Travel6.0% |
| Hotels · portal | Gold Card · American Express Travel10.0% |
| Car rental · portal | Gold Card · American Express Travel4.0% |
| Cruises · portal | Gold Card · American Express Travel4.0% |
Content preview. Apple Wallet controls the layout; visible categories vary by device. Categories that rank the same as Everything else are left off; every other category is in pass details.
Every category, every card
Everything else
- Business Gold Card — 2.0%
- Gold Card — 2.0%
Dining
- Gold Card — 8.0%
- Business Gold Card — 2.0%
Groceries
- Gold Card — 8.0%
- Business Gold Card — 2.0%
Flights
- Gold Card — 6.0%
- Business Gold Card — 2.0%
Flights · portal
- Business Gold Card · American Express Travel — 6.0%
- Gold Card · American Express Travel — 6.0%
Hotels · portal
- Gold Card · American Express Travel — 10.0%
- Business Gold Card · American Express Travel — 6.0%
Car rental · portal
- Gold Card · American Express Travel — 4.0%
Cruises · portal
- Gold Card · American Express Travel — 4.0%
This link hands the pass straight to Wallet, no app and no account — its first three rows; the app unlocks every row.
iPhone app · not yet released
Preview this set of cards. The first three rows are free, whatever cards you hold; every row and every feature is $9.99 once, in the app. See the free combos.
Open this ranking in the generatorA cheat sheet in your Wallet that tells you which card to use. No account, no bank linking, no subscription.