Is the American Express Business Gold card your best option for business trips?

Picking the right card for your next business trip can do more than just earn points — it can help keep costs down and make managing expenses much easier if you're spending across currencies or making frequent international purchases. The American Express Business Gold card is a popular option for Canadian business owners, but is it the most cost-effective choice for international trips?

We’ll walk you through everything the card offers, from who’s eligible and expected costs, to the rewards you can earn and how it compares to the Wise Business card for international spending.

We will be looking at

Overview of the American Express Business Gold card Eligibility and fees: Is it worth it for small or growing businesses? Amex Business Gold rewards: How they work for business travel The Amex Business Gold Prince of Travel Membership Currency conversion and foreign transaction costs Foreign transaction fees Potential drawbacks for international use Comparing the Amex Business Gold with other business travel cards How the Wise Business card helps you avoid FX fees What Is Wise Business? Why it’s a good complement to Amex Business Gold: When should Canadian businesses choose Amex Business Gold for travel? When to consider other options

Overview of the American Express Business Gold card

The American Express Business Gold Rewards Card is designed for Canadian business owners seeking to earn rewards on everyday business expenses while enjoying travel-related benefits.

Key benefits¹ include:

• Membership rewards program: Earn 1 point for every $1 in eligible purchases. Additionally, receive 10,000 bonus points each calendar quarter when you spend $20,000 in purchases on your Card.
• ​​Travel insurance coverage: Includes travel accident, flight delay, baggage, car rental damage, and emergency assistance insurance when eligible travel is charged to the card.
• Purchase protection plan: Coverage for eligible items against accidental physical damage or theft for up to 90 days from the date of purchase.
• Dynamic purchasing power: The Card’s purchasing power adjusts based on your spending habits, payment history, and credit record, offering flexibility as your business grows.
• Up to 55 interest-free days: Benefit from up to 55 days without interest on purchases, helping manage cash flow effectively.
• Employee cards: Add Employee Cards to earn more rewards and manage business spending efficiently. Each Employee Card earns 1 Membership Rewards point per $1 in eligible purchases².
• No pre-set spending limit: Enjoy a Card with no pre-set spending limit, providing flexibility for your business expenses.
• Amex offers and member extras: Access to special offers and experiences, including statement credits from top brands.

Eligibility and fees: Is it worth it for small or growing businesses?

To apply for the American Express Business Gold Rewards Card in Canada, you need to meet the following criteria¹:

• Residency: You must be a Canadian resident with a Canadian credit file.
• Age: You must be of the age of majority in your province or territory of residence.
• Business information: Provide your company's details, including legal business name, address, phone number, and annual revenue.
• Credit assessment: Approval is based on a credit assessment, evaluating factors such as your ability to make payments on time, current financial responsibilities, and likelihood to default on debt.

Amex Business Gold Card Fees and Terms

Feature	Details
Annual Fee	$199 CAD1
Interest Rate	This is a charge card with no pre-set spending limit. Offers up to 55 interest-free days1
Supplementary Cards	$50 CAD annually per supplementary card. Up to 99 supplementary cards can be added1
FX Fees	Standard foreign transaction fees apply
Welcome Bonus (subject to change)	Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards points after charging $7,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of card membership. This is equivalent to $400 in statement credits.

Amex Business Gold rewards: How they work for business travel

The American Express Business Gold Rewards Card is a smart choice for Canadian business owners who travel often and want to make every dollar count. With easy ways to rack up points, travel insurance to keep you covered, and plenty of options to use your rewards, it’s built to help take the hassle out of business trips and put extra value back in your pocket.

The Amex Business Gold Prince of Travel Membership

Here’s why the Amex Business Gold Rewards Card stands out for frequent business travelers:

• Flexible point transfers: Transfer Membership Rewards points to various airline and hotel partners, including Aeroplan and other frequent flyer programs for premium flights
• Comprehensive travel insurance: Enjoy peace of mind with coverage options such as flight delay, baggage delay, lost or stolen baggage, hotel burglary, car rental theft and damage, and up to $100,000 in travel accident insurance¹.
• Quarterly bonus opportunities: Earn 10,000 bonus points each quarter by charging $20,000 in net purchases to your card account, up to 40,000 points annually^3,4.
• No pre-set spending limit: Benefit from a charge card with no pre-set spending limit and experience flexibility when it comes to managing your business expenses.

Rewards breakdown¹:

• 1 point per $1 spent on all eligible purchases
• 10,000 bonus points each quarter when you spend $20,000 in net purchases (up to 40,000 points annually)
• Points never expire as long as your account is in good standing
• Transfer points to travel partners like Aeroplan, Avios, and other frequent flyer programs
• Redeem points for flights, hotels, gift cards, statement credits, or merchandise

Currency conversion and foreign transaction costs

When using the American Express Business Gold Rewards Card for international business expenses, it's important to be aware of potential foreign transaction fees and currency conversion costs.

Foreign transaction fees

American Express Canada applies a foreign currency conversion fee to transactions made in a currency other than Canadian dollars. This fee is a percentage of the converted amount and is added to the transaction total. The exact percentage can vary, and it's advisable to refer to your Cardmember Agreement for specific details regarding these charges.

Potential drawbacks for international use

• Additional costs: Foreign transaction fees can raise the cost of purchases made in other currencies, which can add up quickly for businesses that regularly spend internationally.
• Currency fluctuations: Exchange rates can vary daily, and the rate applied to your transaction may not be the most favourable, potentially leading to higher costs.
• Limited acceptance: While American Express is widely accepted, some international merchants may not accept the card, which could limit its usability abroad.

Comparing the Amex Business Gold with other business travel cards

There's more to choosing the right business travel card than simply weighing up points — it also means finding the one that offers the best overall value, from rewards and travel perks to features that support your business when on the go. The American Express Business Card is popular thanks to its flexible rewards and travel perks, but let's see how it compares against other top Canadian business cards?

Amex vs Other Top Canadian Business Cards for Travel

Card	Annual Fee	FX Fee	Notable Travel Perks
Amex Business Gold	$199 CAD	2.5%5	Earn 1 point per $1 on all eligible purchases Up to 40,000 bonus points annually (10,000 per quarter with $20,000 spend) Extensive travel insurance coverage No pre-set spending limit Points transferable to travel partners like Aeroplan, Avios, British Airways, and more
RBC Avion Visa Infinite6	$120 CAD	2.5%7	Earn 1 Avion point for every $1 spent in net purchases with your card Enjoy 35,000 Avion points + 1st year annual fee waived upon approval Built-in premium insurance Save 3¢/L on fuel and earn 20% more Petro-Points
BMO World Elite8	$149 CAD (first year waived)	2.5%9	1.5 points for every $1 you spend on card purchases Earn 18.99% interest on purchases Airport Lounge Access with a complimentary membership to Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass, plus 2 free lounge passes a year Up to 7 cents off per litre on Shell fuel Comprehensive travel insurance coverage

How the Wise Business card helps you avoid FX fees

If your business regularly makes purchases or payments in foreign currencies, avoiding unnecessary conversion fees can make a big difference to your bottom line. That’s where the Wise Business card comes in.

What Is Wise Business?

Wise Business is a multi-currency account built to simplify international finances for global and local businesses. It allows you to send, spend, receive, and manage money in multiple currencies using the real mid-market exchange rate with no hidden markups and low conversion fees starting from 0.48%¹⁰. With a Wise Business account, you can hold and convert over 40 currencies, pay overseas suppliers, receive payments like a local with international account details, and issue expense cards to your team.

Opening a business account at Wise is free, online and easy! With Wise, you don’t lose money to monthly subscriptions or have it held up as minimum balance. You pay only for what you use. Here’s what you get for the essential and complete version for a one-time fee of 55 CAD:

Features	Essential features - without registration fees	All features for a one time payment of 55 CAD
Send money to over 70 countries	✅	✅
Wise Business Card	✅	✅
Holding and converting money across 40 currencies at the mid-market rate	✅	✅
Minimal fees starting at 0.48%	✅	✅
Local account details to receive payments in over 20 currencies	❌	✅
Direct debit to make recurring payments	❌	✅

You can always upgrade from the essential features to avail all Wise business features for a one-time payment of 55 CAD

Experience owning a Wise business account
with our demo >>>

It only takes a few minutes to set up your multi-currency account, and make the most of the mid-market exchange rate.

Step 1. Enter information relevant to yourself and your business.
Step 2. Share essential information about your business. This includes

• Business registration
• The business registered and trading addresses
• The industry you’re in
• Online presence
• Name, date of birth, country of residence - for all stakeholders
• Documents proving ownership of the business

Step 3. Enter essential information to verify your identity
Step 4. Set up and make a transfer as indicated on your account. Alternatively, you could pay the one-time fee and get account details in over 10 currencies.
Step 5. Wise sends you a confirmation email within 10 working days.

In case you add team members to the business account, they will need to be verified too.

Wise's has been reviewed and appreciated on public platforms such as:

• Trustpilot Canada: 4.3/5 stars with 256,776+ reviews
• Play Store Canada: 4.7/5 stars with 1.28M+ reviews

Why it’s a good complement to Amex Business Gold:

The Wise Business card doesn’t replace your Amex — it complements it. Here’s why using both can be a smart move:

• Use Amex Business Gold for earning points, perks, and insurance on domestic and large purchases
• Use Wise Business when travelling or making payments abroad to avoid exchange rate markups and save on foreign transactions
• Combine points with savings. Earn Amex rewards, then use Wise for payments in local currencies with no extra fees
• Ideal for making online purchases in other currencies, overseas supplier payments, and team travel spending

When should Canadian businesses choose Amex Business Gold for travel?

You travel frequently for work

If flights, hotels, and other travel costs are a regular part of running your business, the Amex Business Gold card can help you earn rewards on those purchases while offering premium travel insurance coverage.

You book flights and hotels often

You’ll earn 1 Membership Rewards point for every $1 spent, and those points can be transferred to programs like Aeroplan, British Airways Avios, or Marriott Bonvoy, reducing future travel costs.

You want to earn predictable rewards

The card’s simple earning structure, plus quarterly bonus points (up to 40,000 per year), makes it easy to build up points without juggling rotating categories.

You have a team with travel needs

You can issue up to 99 supplementary cards, making it easy to track and reward employee travel spending.

You value built-in travel insurance

The card includes coverage for delayed flights, lost or delayed baggage, hotel burglary, car rental damage, and up to $100,000 in travel accident insurance which can reduce the need for third-party insurance.

When to consider other options

• Frequent foreign currency spending – Avoid the 2.5% FX fee with Wise’s mid-market rate
• Receiving payments internationally – Get local bank details in multiple currencies with Wise
• Managing exchange rate risks – Hold and convert currencies when rates are favourable
• Team spending abroad – Issue Wise employee cards with no foreign transaction fees or annual charges
• Tight budgets – Wise has no annual fee and transparent, low-cost pricing
• Prefer debit over credit – Wise lets you spend only what’s in your account
• Streamlined accounting – Wise integrates directly with accounting tools like Xero and QuickBooks

Final thoughts

The American Express Business Gold card is a good choice for Canadian business owners who want to earn rewards and enjoy travel-related benefits. With no pre-set spending limit, the Business Gold card is designed to make business travel smoother, offering useful perks like travel insurance, up to 55 days without interest on purchases, and access to special offers and experiences.

However, for businesses with frequent international spending, the card’s foreign transaction fees can quickly impact your bottom line. In these cases, using the Wise Business card alongside Amex can help you avoid costly FX fees and manage multiple currencies more effectively.

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Sources:

1. American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card | Amex CA
2. Employee Cards | Business Gold Rewards Card Limited Offer | American Express CA
3. Amex Business Gold: Up to 75,000 MR Points + Major Changes! | Prince of Travel
4. Amex Business Cards: Staggering All-Time-High Signup Bonuses (120,000 MR Points!) | Prince of Travel
5. AMERICAN EXPRESS CARDS TABLE OF FEES & CHARGES SAMPLE FINANCE CHARGE (FC) COMPUTATION FOR RETAIL AND CASH ADVANCE TRANSACTIONS
6. Apply for RBC Avion Visa Business Card - Royal Bank Canada
7. Visa Infinite Avion
8. BMO Ascend World Elite Business Mastercard
9. Important information about BMO MasterCard cards
10. Wise Business Fees & Pricing: Only Pay for What You Use

Sources verified on 9 July, 2025