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The Gold Card from American Express OPEN(SM) Review
Issued by American Express
  
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Overall Rating:
Benefit Rating:
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The Gold Card from American Express OPEN(SM), is a charge card designed for business owners with good credit who plan to pay their business-related expenses in full each month and would like to participate in the Membership Rewards® program for no additional fee.
Although this card does not offer the option to pay balances over time, it does help to prevent businesses from accumulating too much credit card debt, which can often be the case when paying only the minimum due with high interest rates.
The Membership Rewards® program is one of the most flexible reward programs in the credit card industry due to the variety of merchandise and services that can be redeemed for accumulated points. In addition, points never expire, and there is no maximum number of points that can be earned.
Not only do cardholders earn one point for every dollar in purchases and have the opportunity to earn additional points through participating merchants, but they also receive 25,000 Membership Rewards® bonus points, redeemable for one domestic round-trip airline ticket, 5,000 bonus points after their first purchase, 5,000 bonus points for reaching $20,000 in spending, 20,000 additional bonus points for reaching $50,000 in spending, and another 10,000 bonus points upon the one-year renewal of the card. With a spending average of just $5,000 per month, cardholders can potentially earn up to 100,000 points or more in the first year alone.
There is no annual fee for the first year. Thereafter, there is an annual fee of $125 for the primary cardholder and $45 for each additional cardholder.
Through OPEN Savings, cardholders will receive discounts on products and services from participating partners including FedEx®, Delta®, Hertz®, and more. It is important to review the disclosures for participating merchant discounts, as restrictions and limitations do apply.
As with all business credit cards issued by American Express®, cardholders will be able to take advantage of various services and benefits including purchase protection, auto rental insurance, up to $100,000 in travel accident insurance, and various travel and emergency assistance services.
Therefore, those who can afford to pay in full each month and will be able to take advantage of the reward program as well as the additional discounts at participating merchants will benefit most from what The Gold Card from American Express OPEN(SM)has to offer.
Although this card does not offer the option to pay balances over time, it does help to prevent businesses from accumulating too much credit card debt, which can often be the case when paying only the minimum due with high interest rates.
The Membership Rewards® program is one of the most flexible reward programs in the credit card industry due to the variety of merchandise and services that can be redeemed for accumulated points. In addition, points never expire, and there is no maximum number of points that can be earned.
Not only do cardholders earn one point for every dollar in purchases and have the opportunity to earn additional points through participating merchants, but they also receive 25,000 Membership Rewards® bonus points, redeemable for one domestic round-trip airline ticket, 5,000 bonus points after their first purchase, 5,000 bonus points for reaching $20,000 in spending, 20,000 additional bonus points for reaching $50,000 in spending, and another 10,000 bonus points upon the one-year renewal of the card. With a spending average of just $5,000 per month, cardholders can potentially earn up to 100,000 points or more in the first year alone.
There is no annual fee for the first year. Thereafter, there is an annual fee of $125 for the primary cardholder and $45 for each additional cardholder.
Through OPEN Savings, cardholders will receive discounts on products and services from participating partners including FedEx®, Delta®, Hertz®, and more. It is important to review the disclosures for participating merchant discounts, as restrictions and limitations do apply.
As with all business credit cards issued by American Express®, cardholders will be able to take advantage of various services and benefits including purchase protection, auto rental insurance, up to $100,000 in travel accident insurance, and various travel and emergency assistance services.
Therefore, those who can afford to pay in full each month and will be able to take advantage of the reward program as well as the additional discounts at participating merchants will benefit most from what The Gold Card from American Express OPEN(SM)has to offer.
Review Date: July 16, 2008
Note: The review on this card was updated on July 16, 2008. The review is believed to be accurate during the update, however, information posted may have changed since the update. We strongly suggest that you carefully read the Terms and Conditions statement that accompanies the credit card application.
| Credit Card Rate Details | |
Intro Rate (Intro APR):
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No Introductory Rate Available |
| Credit Card Fee Details | |
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Annual Fee:
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$125** |
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Annual Fee Details:
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**The annual fee will be waived for the first year. Thereafter, the fee is $125. |
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Additional Cardholders:
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$45** |
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Late Payment Fee:
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$0 to the greater of $35 or 2.99% |
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Cash Advance Fee:
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3%, $5 minimum for Express Cash transactions |
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Minimum Credit Limit:
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See Important Notations |
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Maximum Credit Limit:
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See Important Notations |
| Credit Card Reward Program Details (Point) | |
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Points Per Dollar:
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1 Point |
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Additional Points:
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Additional points can be earned through participating partners. |
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Point Details:
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Points can be redeemed for travel, office equipment, merchandise, entertainment events, and other rewards. |
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Expiration:
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None |
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Yearly Limit:
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None |
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Bonus First Purchase:
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5,000** |
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Bonus Annually:
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10,000*** |
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Bonus Details:
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**Cardholders receive 5,000 welcome bonus points after their first purchase ***Cardholders receive 10,000 bonus points upon their one-year card renewal. ****Cardholders receive 5,000 bonus points for reaching $20,000 in a spending year, and they receive 20,000 bonus points for reaching $50,000 in a spending year |
| Features | |
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Most Attractive Feature(s):
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| Various business-related discounts; bonus points. | |
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Least Attractive Feature(s):
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| Slightly high annual fee. | |
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Additional Features:
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| Access to the OPEN Savings program for discounts on products and services at participating merchants and retailers. Access to savings on air, hotel, and car reservations when cardholders book through the Online Business Travel Center. Access to expense management reports that are compatible with QuickBooks®. Various Internet account related services. Up to $100,000 in travel accident insurance. Lost and damaged luggage insurance. Auto rental insurance. Extended warranty for purchases. Purchase protection. Return protection. No liability for unauthorized transactions. Emergency card replacement. Identity theft assistance. Emergency check cashing. See website for additional benefits. |
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Important Notations
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| The card has no pre-set spending limit; however, purchases are approved based on credit record, account history, and personal resources. See website for complete terms and conditions of card usage and application disclosure. | |
| Additional Information | |
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Apply Online for the The Gold Card from American Express OPEN(SM) from American Express See other Business Credit Cards See other American Express Credit Cards |
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