Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Most of the time it doesn’t matter how you apply for a credit card, as you’ll get the same welcome bonus either way. But one of the big exceptions to this rule is American Express, which has been known to offer different welcome bonuses through different marketing channels. Sometimes you can get a higher bonus by using the CardMatch tool, sometimes your IP address or browser history might get you targeted for a better bonus and sometimes it’s possible to get elevated bonuses by having a friend refer you to the card you want.As reported by Doctor of Credit, it’s currently possible to get a 75,000 point welcome bonus on the American Express® Business Gold Card via referral. Based on the terms of that referral offer, new applicants will earn 50,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months, and an additional 25,000 points after spending $10,000 total in the first 3 months. TPG values Membership Rewards points at 2 cents each, making this full bonus worth $1,500. This offer is subject to change at any time.This would be a great offer all by itself, but it really stands out in comparison to the public offer on this card, which is currently only for 35,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Of course, you’ll need a friend to refer you to get the elevated 75,000-point offer, but if you don’t have any friends who have the Business Gold, no need to worry. Amex allows you to refer from almost any of its credit cards to almost any other card, meaning your friend could refer you from their the Business Platinum Card® from American Express and you can still apply for the elevated offer on the Business Gold card.The Amex Business Gold card was refreshed in late 2018 refresh — it now earns 4x points in the two categories you spend the most in each month from the following list:Airfare purchased from airlinesU.S. purchases for advertising in select mediaU.S. purchases for shippingU.S. purchases at gas stationsU.S. purchases at restaurantsU.S. purchases made from select technology providersAmex will automatically calculate these categories each month, meaning you can focus all your attention on your business and still receive the maximum possible rewards if your spending patterns shift over time. The 4x earning is limited to your first $150,000 in annual spending in the 4x categories, with the card earning 1x point per dollar on all other purchases.Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.As a reminder, TPG does not allow readers to share their own referral links in the comment section. Any links placed in the comments below will be removed.
