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The Amex Business Gold Card could now be more rewarding, depending on how your business spends money.

Among the best business credit cards, the American Express® Business Gold Card - Product Name Only stands out as a top pick for big spenders. Amex is an Insider partner.

The card has six spending categories eligible for earning up to 4x points. In the two where your business spends the most each billing cycle, you will earns four points per dollar on the first $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year (then one point per dollar).

In our points and miles valuations, we peg the worth of American Express Membership Rewards points at 1.8 cents apiece, so using the American Express® Business Gold Card - Product Name Only can earn you a 7.2% return on your spending that qualifies for the 4x bonus — and there are many great ways to redeem Amex points to get even more value for flights or hotel stays.

Amex just announced some updates to this card that make it even more valuable for business owners who want to maximize rewards on their spending. It's introducing some new money-saving features, as well.

New American Express Business Gold card bonus categories

The American Express® Business Gold Card - Product Name Only is adding the following categories to its list of eligible purchases for earning 4x points. You'll earn 4x points per dollar on the top two eligible categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle, on up to $150,000 spent in combined purchases each calendar year (then 1x).

  • U.S. purchases made from electronics goods retailers and software and cloud system providers
  • Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.
  • Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways

These new categories will join the following existing categories, which will still be eligible for earning 4x points according to the same rules as above: 

  • Purchases at U.S. media providers for advertising in select media (online, TV, and radio)
  • U.S. purchases at gas stations
  • U.S. purchases at restaurants

In addition to these new 4x categories, the American Express® Business Gold Card - Product Name Only will now offer 3x points on eligible purchases made through AmexTravel.com.

New monthly statement credit, cell phone protection, and more

Beyond more points-earning opportunities, the card is adding some perks that can save your business money. 

For one, the card will offer up to $20 in monthly statement credits after you use it for eligible purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and office supply stores. You will need to enroll your card to get the statement credits, but once you do, it shouldn't be hard to take full advantage of this benefit, since $20 is generally less than the cost of one delivery meal.

The American Express® Business Gold Card - Product Name Only is also adding a Walmart+ membership credit that will reimburse you for the full cost of the monthly membership fee each month when you pay for the membership with your card. This membership gets you free Walmart grocery deliveries (with a $35 order minimum), free shipping with no order minimum, an included Paramount+ subscription, and more. Just note that the Walmart+ membership is subject to auto-renewal, so you may want to keep track of when you first enrolled.

Another new, useful benefit is credit card cell phone protection. Now, if your phone is damaged or stolen, you can be reimbursed for the lesser of your repair or replacement costs, with a maximum of $800 per claim with a $50 deductible (and a maximum of two approved claims per 12-month period). To be eligible, your phone must be on a wireless bill and the prior month's bill must have been paid with your eligible card.

The final new benefit is a fun one for anyone who's felt left out with the personal American Express® Gold Card - Product Name Only offering a rose-gold card option. Now, when you're approved for the American Express® Business Gold Card - Product Name Only, you can choose between the classic gold design and a rose gold version. 

New Amex Business Gold benefits come with a higher annual fee

Unsurprisingly, Amex is introducing these additional perks at a cost: Starting February 1, 2024, the American Express® Business Gold Card - Product Name Only will have an annual fee of $375. That's an $80 increase from the current annual fee of American Express® Business Gold Card - Annual Fee.

Between the new monthly statement credit, cell phone protection, and Walmart+ membership, it's definitely possible to get more than $125 in additional value from the card's new perks, but you'll want to take a close look at the new benefits and your spending patterns to decide whether the card makes sense for you. And if you already have the card, you have a bit of time to decide whether it's still worth it at the higher annual fee level.

Read the original article on Business Insider