The American Express Business Gold Rewards Card recently changed its sign-up offer. Previously, the card offered 25,000 bonus points redeemable for a round-trip airline ticket, $250 in gift certificates, or $125 in cash. Now the card is offering 40,000 bonus points, but there is a catch. Here are all the details.
- 5,000 welcome bonus points will be credited to new cardholders’ accounts 6-8 weeks after receiving the statement with your first purchase.
- If you spend more than $20,000 but less than $50,000 in your first year, you will receive 5,000 bonus points.
- If you spend more than $50,000, you will receive an additional 20,000 bonus points.
- If you pay the annual fee for the card ($125) for your second year of membership (the first year, this fee is waived), you will receive 10,000 additional bonus points.
While the rewards can be redeemed for a variety of gift cards and travel rewards, this offer may not be worthwhile for most people. It’s a shame that there is a new requirement to pay an annual fee before receiving some of the rewards. But if you are one of the few who will be able to maximize this offer, and the benefits as a Gold Card member may outweigh that $125 fee, apply here.
Updated May 9, 2011 and originally published October 23, 2007. If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to the RSS feed or receive daily emails. Follow @flexo on Twitter and visit our Facebook page for more updates.
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Flexo,
This is related to the Simply Cash Amex card. My app says that they need to verify my business, but I don’t own a business. In your previous post, it said I don’t need to own/operate a business to apply. How does this work for a student w/ no business but wants a card?
Brian: Any individual can be a sole proprietor without having to file any business paperwork with the federal or state government, so any individual can be considered a business. If you have a hobby that even has a *remote possibility* of bringing in income — or even if you’ve ever sold an item on eBay — you have a business. There are a million ways you could argue the point.
On the SimplyCash application, in the “your business” section, click the box to make the address match your home address, enter your phone number, choose an industry that represents your hobby (“Other” is always a good choice.) Leave Federal Tax ID blank, as sole proprietors can always use their SSN as a tax ID number.
I wouldn’t suggest exaggerating your business income. There is an option for $0, but chances are you’d be able to argue a higher business income.