American Express has five business card products, but they split into two distinct categories: charge cards (full balance due monthly) and credit cards (balance can be carried). We checked the latest terms on americanexpress.com/uk: Gold and Platinum are charge cards. BA Accelerating and Amazon are credit cards. Business Basic sits in the middle with a flexible payment option. Most buyers don’t realise this until after they apply.
Confirm current terms before applying.
American Express Business Gold Card
- Membership Rewards points on all spend
- No pre-set spending limit
- Travel insurance included
- Airport lounge access (with annual fee)
- Airport transfers included
| Card | Annual fee | APR / Type | Best for | Key features | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amex Business Gold | £0 yr 1, then £195/yr | Charge card | High-spend businesses that clear monthly and want flexible points |
| View details → |
Our takeThe most popular Amex business card for a reason: 1 MR point per £1 on all spend, flexible redemption across airlines and hotels, and broad sole trader eligibility. The charge card structure means the full balance clears monthly. Watch outFull balance due monthly — no option to carry. Check Amex acceptance with your key suppliers. Not ideal ifYou need to carry a balance, or key suppliers reject Amex EligibilitySole traders, partnerships, LTDs, LLPs | |||||
 Amex Business Platinum | £650/yr (+£295 supplementary) | Charge card | Frequent business travellers with high monthly card spend |
| View details → |
Our takeThe premium tier: higher earn rate, airport lounge access, and travel insurance. The fee only makes sense at high spend levels or with regular business travel. Watch outHighest fee in the Amex range. Calculate break-even against your actual spend. Not ideal ifYou don’t travel often, or monthly spend won’t cover the fee EligibilitySole traders, partnerships, LTDs, LLPs | |||||
 Amex Business Basic | £0 | Charge card | Low-cost Amex entry with occasional payment flexibility |
| View details → |
Our takeNo annual fee, no Membership Rewards. A starting point if you want Amex infrastructure without rewards or high fees, with a Pay Over Time option for eligible purchases. Watch outPayment structure has changed — confirm current terms at americanexpress.com/uk. Not ideal ifYou want any rewards programme (Gold or Platinum instead) EligibilitySole traders, partnerships, LTDs, LLPs | |||||
 BA Amex Accelerating | £250 | Credit card | Regular BA flyers who want direct Avios earning |
| View details → |
Our takeThe only Amex business card earning Avios directly. Converts card spend into BA flights without a transfer step. No value if you don’t fly BA. Watch outAvios only valuable if you fly BA. Amex acceptance gaps still apply. Not ideal ifYou don’t fly BA or prefer flexible Membership Rewards EligibilitySole traders, partnerships, LTDs, LLPs | |||||
 Amazon Amex | £50/yr (free yr 1 if £8k+ spend) | 26.7% variable Credit card | Heavy Amazon Business buyers wanting cashback on that spend |
| View details → |
Our takeDesigned for businesses with significant Amazon spend. Earn rate drops outside Amazon, so the value is concentrated in one channel. Watch outRewards are Amazon-specific. Diversified spend earns more on Gold or Platinum. Not ideal ifLow Amazon spend or you want rewards redeemable elsewhere EligibilitySole traders, partnerships, LTDs, LLPs. Amazon Business account required. | |||||
The card type distinction matters more than the rewards difference. Gold and Platinum are charge cards — full balance due monthly. BA Accelerating and Amazon are credit cards. Business Basic now has a flexible payment option. Your supplier mix and cash flow pattern decide which structure works, not the rewards headline.
Charge Cards vs Credit Cards in the Amex Range
We verified the card types against americanexpress.com/uk: Gold and Platinum are charge cards. The full balance is due each month. There is no minimum payment option and no way to carry a balance. Interest doesn’t apply because you’re expected to pay in full.
That distinction matters more than most comparison sites suggest. If you run a seasonal business — say a landscaping company that bills £15k in summer and £3k in January — a charge card forces you to clear £15k in a single payment. A credit card lets you spread it. You need to be honest about whether your cash flow can absorb that monthly clearance in every month, not just the good ones.
BA Accelerating and Amazon are credit cards. You can carry a balance and pay interest, or clear in full. Standard credit card structure. This is worth knowing because you might assume all Amex business cards work the same way. They do not.
Business Basic has shifted: Amex introduced a “Pay Over Time” flexible payment option that allows partial payment on eligible purchases. Check current terms at americanexpress.com/uk — the classification has changed from its original charge card designation. If you want Amex card infrastructure with no annual fee and occasional payment flexibility, Business Basic is the option — but note it does not earn Membership Rewards points.
Which Amex Card?
| Your Situation | Best Fit |
|---|---|
| High spend, clear monthly, want flexible rewards | Business Gold |
| Frequent business travel, high spend, want lounge access | Business Platinum |
| New to Amex, want lower fee commitment or occasional flexibility | Business Basic |
| Fly British Airways regularly | BA Amex Accelerating |
| High Amazon Business spend | Amazon Amex |
American Express Business Gold Card
American Express Business Platinum Card
American Express Basic Business Card
British Airways Accelerating Business Card
Amazon Business Prime American Express Card
Annual Fee Break-Even: How Much Do You Need to Spend?
The Gold card costs £195/year after the first year. Whether that fee earns its keep depends on how you value Membership Rewards points and how much spend you actually put on the card. We calculated the break-even at different spend levels so you can see where the maths tips.
Membership Rewards points have no fixed cash value — they depend on how you redeem. Transfer to Avios and use them for a short-haul flight, and each point is worth roughly 1p. Redeem through the Amex shopping portal, and the value drops to 0.4–0.5p. We used 0.8p per point as a reasonable mid-range estimate for a business traveller who redeems thoughtfully.
At £2,000/month (£24,000/year), you earn roughly 24,000 Membership Rewards points. At 0.8p per point that is £192 in value — barely covering the £195 fee. You break even, but you have earned nothing net. At £3,000/month (£36,000/year), you earn around 36,000 points worth roughly £288 — a net gain of £93 after the fee. At £5,000/month (£60,000/year), the return is approximately £480 — a net gain of £285.
Compare that to Capital on Tap’s 1% cashback with no annual fee. At £3,000/month you earn £360 in cashback — no fee to offset, no points to manage. The Amex Gold only overtakes Capital on Tap’s raw cashback value at the upper end of spend, and only if you redeem Membership Rewards well. If you cash out MR points through Amex’s weakest redemption options, the Gold card never catches up.
The Platinum card has a higher fee and a higher earn rate, but the break-even is steeper. We would recommend you calculate your personal break-even before applying for any fee-bearing card. Your actual earn rate depends on your spend categories and Amex’s current bonus multipliers — check americanexpress.com/uk for the latest.
Can You Earn Enough Points to Justify Two Amex Cards?
Some businesses consider pairing the Gold with the BA Accelerating card. We would not recommend this unless your monthly spend exceeds £8,000 and you have clear, separate use cases for Membership Rewards and Avios. Running two fee-bearing cards doubles your break-even threshold and splits your spend across two programmes. For most businesses, concentrating spend on one card maximises your return.
Does the First-Year Fee Waiver Change the Calculation?
Yes — but it can also trap you. The £0 first year is a genuine saving, and if your spend is moderate (£1,500–£2,500/month), you will earn a reasonable return in year one. The risk is that you commit to the card, set up supplier payments around it, and then face the £195 fee in year two when your actual return does not justify it. We recommend running the break-even calculation at the post-waiver fee before you apply, not after.
The Amex Acceptance Problem
Amex acceptance in the UK has improved significantly, but it’s not universal. We reviewed acceptance across common business spend categories: major supermarkets, most online retailers, and large suppliers generally accept it. Smaller UK businesses, some professional services firms, and certain trade suppliers don’t.
Before committing to any Amex card, we recommend checking your three or four largest regular suppliers. If even one of them doesn’t accept Amex, you will need a Visa or Mastercard alongside it — which reduces the value of consolidating spend on the Amex. See our full business credit card comparison for Visa and Mastercard options.
Here is a practical test you can run in fifteen minutes. Pull up your last three months of business bank statements. Identify your top ten suppliers by spend. Phone or email each one and ask whether they accept American Express. If more than three say no, your effective Amex spend is capped at 70% of your total — and the annual fee break-even calculation above needs adjusting downward. We have seen businesses sign up for Gold, discover the acceptance gap after the first-year waiver ends, and end up paying £195 for a card they use on 40% of their transactions.
The acceptance gap matters most for charge card holders. Because you cannot carry a balance, you need to use the card regularly to justify the fee. If your monthly Amex-eligible spend is below £2,500, the fee is difficult to earn back through rewards alone. At that point, a no-fee Visa card with 1% cashback — like Capital on Tap — gives you a better net return with zero acceptance friction.
If Amex Doesn’t Work
Capital on Tap Business Credit Card
Barclaycard Select Cashback Business Credit Card
Methodology and Disclosure
Sources: We verified card types, fees, and rewards structures against americanexpress.com/uk on 20 March 2026. We update these figures quarterly. Some details may have changed since verification.
Affiliate disclosure: BusinessExpert may receive referral fees from some providers listed on this page. This does not affect our assessments or the order in which products appear.
Regulatory note: This page is editorial content, not regulated financial advice. Check your eligibility and current terms directly with the provider before applying.