American Express corporate card in Hong Kong: Your complete guide

Hoi Yi Leung

American Express (Amex) is a premium financial service, mainly known for its credit card lines with amazing perks and rewards. Amex has been in Hong Kong for more than 100 years, serving both personal and corporate customers. For businesses in Hong Kong, Amex Corporate cards can be a comprehensive solution to your corporate needs, from business travel to overseas purchasing.

This guide will introduce you to American Express Corporate cards available in Hong Kong, showing their features, benefits, and potential pitfalls. You will also find out about an alternative to complement your business needs: the Wise Business account.

Understanding Amex Corporate cards for Hong Kong business

When it comes to Hong Kong business credit cards, Amex Corporate cards have been known as “the best Corporate card for your company” for 12 years in a row6- and honestly, for so many good reasons. The Amex Corporate cards come with so many options, tailored to the needs of your business:

  • American Express® Corporate Card: Good for business expenses with rewards and spend control.
  • American Express® Gold Corporate Card: Good for frequent spending due to much better rewards and more value on business spending.
  • American Express® Classic Corporate Card: Good for standard corporate needs.
  • American Express® Elite Corporate Card: Good to enjoy more premium benefits.

These Corporate cards are mostly for established companies, especially those with frequent travel needs. Amex has a bunch of perks that make business travel way more enjoyable, like travel insurance, airport lounge access, and flexible rewards you can use for flights or statement credits.

Besides these cards, Amex Corporate also offers another product line – the American Express® Corporate Purchasing Card. This card is great for simplifying high-volume B2B purchasing by consolidating all expenses into one place.

How about those SMEs? No worries, American Express also offers the American Express® Gold Business Card, designed specifically to support smaller businesses.

So, Amex Corporate cards are pretty inclusive – no matter what size your business is.

Amex Corporate card Benefits for Hong Kong Businesses

Amex Corporate cards are designed to tackle some of the most common challenges faced by businesses in Hong Kong.

Amex is a solid option for overseas spending because its corporate solutions heavily emphasize business travel benefits. A lot of Amex rewards are travel-focused; for example, you can accumulate miles as you spend, which can then be used for flights and other travel perks.

One of the biggest perks is the “pay now, pay later” feature. With an Amex Corporate card, businesses don’t need to keep a large amount of cash on hand. When employees travel, there’s also no need to carry cash or worry about exchanging currencies: just swipe the card and you’re good to go. This also means employees don’t have to use their personal credit cards or go through the hassle of claiming expenses afterward.

On top of that, tools like the @Work platform give companies clear insights into spending, helping them stay in control of their expenses. Amex Corporate cards also come with company-level protection, giving peace of mind for both businesses and employees.

Overall, Amex Corporate cards help businesses in Hong Kong enjoy:

  • Comprehensive travel insurance
  • All-in-one and online expense management tool
  • Access to airport lounges (only for American Express® Gold Business Card)
  • Accumulate miles for every eligible business spend
  • 24/7 online fraud protection and customer care hotline

Understanding Amex Corporate Card fees & requirements

The Amex Corporate cards come with some fees. These are the Amex Corporate fees and thresholds you should know1,2:

CategoryFees
Annual Fees (per cardholder)
  • American Express Corporate Card and American Express Gold Corporate Card: 40 HKD - 400 HKD per card, depending on how many card holders
  • American Express® Classic Corporate Card: 440 HKD per card
  • American Express® Elite Corporate Card: 590 HKD per card
Foreign currency transaction Fee2% of every transaction amount
Cash advance Fee10 HKD + 5% of the transaction amount
Late Payment Fee3.3% of the outstanding balance (minimum 100 HKD; the fee will not exceed the outstanding balance)

Navigating the Amex Corporate card opening process in Hong Kong

Eligibility to open Amex Corporate card

Amex Corporate cards in Hong Kong are available to Hong Kong businesses – no matter what size they are. To register for an Amex Corporate card, you need to have these documents:

  • Valid Hong Kong business registration.
  • HKID (for Hong Kong resident) or passport copy.

Application process for an Amex Corporate card

Follow these few simple steps to register for an Amex Corporate card:

  1. Access to the application form from the Amex Corporate card website, @Work®’s applications, or from your Account Managers
  2. Provide Company Information and Applicant information following the prompt on the screen
  3. Create and authorize your digital signature
  4. Submit all the required documents.

The whole process is digital, which saves you a ton of time! And if you can’t finish everything in one sitting, no worries, you can save it and come back later, as long as you complete the process within 30 calendar days.

FAQ Section

What are the actual costs of using an Amex Corporate card for international transactions in Hong Kong?

Amex is pretty transparent about its rates through the American Express Currency Conversion Charge. On top of the exchange rate, you’ll also pay an additional 2% of the total transaction amount. There’s also an annual fee of up to HKD 5901,2. And if you forget to pay your balance on time, late payment fees will apply as well.

So it’s always a good idea to be aware of the costs, no matter what type of card your company is considering.

What Amex offers for overseas spending?

Amex Corporate offers businesses good deals for overseas spending. Amex Corporate card cardholders can enjoy 2 Membership Rewards points for every 1 HKD they spend at selected airlines, everyday merchants and foreign currencies and 1 Membership Rewards point for every 1 HKD for all other eligible spend.

Is the Amex Corporate card good to pay suppliers in different currencies?

Yes, but with limitations.

You can definitely use an Amex Corporate card to pay overseas suppliers, and you will still earn good rewards on those transactions. But be aware of the costs that might be incurred with cross-border transactions: the FX fees might add up pretty quickly if your business frequently pays suppliers in different currencies. Also, Amex’s acceptance might vary by merchant and countries, and some smaller international suppliers might not accept Amex.

So the common approach is to use Amex for travel and employee expenses, while relying on other payment solutions for supplier payments where cost efficiency matters more.

Discover Wise Business: The Easy and Cost-saving Way to Cross-Border Payments

It is true that having an Amex Corporate card can make business spending – especially business travel and overseas purchasing – way easier to manage. However, Amex isn’t the only way to handle global transactions in Hong Kong.

Whether your business is big or small, you might also need to make cross-border money transfers. If you want something simple and efficient, check out Wise Business account.

Just like an Amex Corporate card, a Wise Business account also can be opened online. You don’t have to worry about showing up at a local branch.

Wise Business account

With a Wise Business account, you can:

Ready to simplify your business expenses with transparent pricing for international payments? Open a Wise Business account today for a clear view of your global payment costs.

Learn more about Wise Business


Sources used in this article:
  1. American Express: Key Facts Statement for American Express Corporate Card and American Express Gold Corporate Card
  2. American Express: Key Facts Statement for American Express® Classic Corporate Card and American Express® Elite Corporate Card
  3. American Express: American Express® Corporate Card System Account Set-Up Form
  4. American Express: Hong Kong Corporate Card Application Guide
  5. American Express: Foreign Exchange ECB Comparison
  6. American Express: The Best Corporate Card for your company

Sources last checked on 04-Feb-2026


*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.

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