Amex Business Gold vs BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

Both business cards worked out on the same spending: rewards, welcome bonus, fees and perks, line by line.

amex business gold

American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card

4.5

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BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

4.2

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Worked out on a typical small business spending $4,000 a month. Enter yours to see your own numbers.

$1,866

First-year value

$1,125

$536

Every year after

$306

Amex Business Gold is worth $741 more to your business in year one.

It stays ahead after that, by $230 a year.

How the first year adds up

Rewards and the welcome bonus in, the annual fee, FX fees and employee cards out, at your spending.

$915.19Better of the two
in American Express Membership Rewards points a year

Annual rewards

$635
in BMO Rewards points a year
+ $1,330Better of the two
first year only

Welcome bonus

+ $670
first year only
− $199

Annual fee

Better of the two$149− $0
$149 from year two
− $180
2.5% on $600/mo

FX fees

− $180
2.5% on $600/mo
$1,866.19Better of the two

First-year value

$1,125

Where each card earns

A year of your spending on each card, category by category, biggest spend first.

Amex Business Gold earns more on 14 of your 17 categories, BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®* on 3.

$239.4Better of the two
at 1x

All Other Business Expenses

$12,600 a year

$126.63
at 1.5x
$116.74Better of the two
at 1x

US Dollar Purchases

$6,150 a year

$61.83
at 1.5x
$91.2Better of the two
at 1x

Recurring Bills & Subscriptions

$4,800 a year

$48.24
at 1.5x
$68.4
at 1x

Gas & EV Charging

$3,600 a year

Better of the two$96.48
at 4x
$68.4Better of the two
at 1x

Dining & Restaurants

$3,600 a year

$36.18
at 1.5x
$57
at 1x

Office Supplies

$3,000 a year

Better of the two$80.4
at 4x
$45.6
at 1x

Phone, Internet & Cable

$2,400 a year

Better of the two$64.32
at 4x
$34.2Better of the two
at 1x

Hotels

$1,800 a year

$18.09
at 1.5x
$34.2Better of the two
at 1x

Shipping & Courier

$1,800 a year

$18.09
at 1.5x
$34.2Better of the two
at 1x

Accounting & Bookkeeping

$1,800 a year

$18.09
at 1.5x
$23.26Better of the two
at 1x

Other Foreign Currencies (EUR, GBP, etc.)

$1,230 a year

$12.38
at 1.5x
$22.8Better of the two
at 1x

Electronics & Software

$1,200 a year

$12.06
at 1.5x
$22.8Better of the two
at 1x

Air Canada

$1,200 a year

$12.06
at 1.5x
$22.8Better of the two
at 1x

Transportation

$1,200 a year

$12.06
at 1.5x
$11.4Better of the two
at 1x

Other Airlines

$600 a year

$6.03
at 1.5x
$11.4Better of the two
at 1x

Car Rental

$600 a year

$6.03
at 1.5x
$11.4Better of the two
at 1x

Other Travel

$600 a year

$6.03
at 1.5x
$0
10,000 points each quarter when you charge $20,000 in net purchases to your Card

Spend bonuses

on top of the rates

$0
none
$915.19Better of the two

Rewards in a year

$635

Welcome bonus

Each offer as the issuer words it, then which milestones your spending reaches.

Amex Business Gold

  • Earn a welcome bonus of up to 70,000 Membership Rewards® points in your first year.
  • Earn 50,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $7,500 in purchases within the first three months of Cardmembership.
  • Plus, earn an additional 20,000 points after spending $30,000 on your Card in your first 12 months of Cardmembership.
  • That’s up to $700 in statement credits to reinvest in your business.

BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

  • Get over $1,500 in value.1
  • This includes up to 100,000 bonus BMO Rewards Points in your first year (that’s $669 in value).1
  • Earn 20,000 bonus BMO Rewards Points (a value of $135) when you make your first purchase.1
  • Earn 8,000 bonus BMO Reward Points from months 3-12 by spending a minimum of $3,000 each month (a value of up to $535).1

Amex Business Gold

Worth $1,330 at your spending

Earn 50,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $7,500 on your Card in your first 3 months

50,000 pts

Earn 20,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $30,000 on your Card in your first year

20,000 pts

BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

Worth $670 at your spending

20,000 BMO Rewards Points on first purchase

20,000 pts

8,000 points per month when you spend $3,000+/month in months 3-12 (up to 80,000 total)

80,000 pts

Fees, rates and eligibility

What each card costs to hold and to use abroad, and who it's for.

$199

Annual fee

Better of the two$149
$0 the first year
$50

Employee cards

$50
2.5%

Foreign transaction fee

2.5%
American Express Membership Rewards

Rewards

BMO Rewards
American Express

Network

Mastercard

Amex Business Gold

Interest rates

Purchase:

21.99% - 29.99%1

Cash Advance:

N/A1

1 This charge Card has both Due in Full and Flexible Payment Option balances. All Due in Full balances must be paid each month. Interest rate of 30% applies to each delinquent Due in Full charge. This rate is effective from the day account is opened. The Preferred rate of 21.99% applies to your Flexible Payment Option balance. If you have 2 separate Missed Payments in a 12 month period, the Flexible Payment Option rate for your account will be 25.99%. If you have 3 or more separate Missed Payments in a 12 month period, the Flexible Payment Option Rate will be 29.99%. These rates are effective from the day the Flexible Payment Option is first available on your account.

Recommended credit score

300
Poor
693
Fair
743⁎
Good
790⁎
Very Good
833⁎
Excellent
⁎Estimates based on TransUnion scoring

Income required

Min Personal Income:

N/A

Min Household Income:

N/A

BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

Interest rates

Purchase:

18.99%

Cash Advance:

23.99%

Balance Transfer:

23.99%

Recommended credit score

300
Poor
560⁎
Fair
660⁎
Good
725⁎
Very Good
760⁎
Excellent
⁎Estimates based on Equifax scoring

Income required

Min Personal Income:

$80,000

Min Household Income:

$150,000

How each card earns

The earn rates and caps, as each issuer sets them.

Amex Business Gold

  • 1x point per $1 spent on all purchases
  • 10,000 points each quarter when you charge $20,000 in net purchases to your card

BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

  • Get 4 points for every $1 you spend on gas, office supplies, cell phone and internet bill payments3,4
  • Get 1.5 points for every $1 you spend on all other card purchases3,4

Insurance and perks

What both cards include comes first in each list.

Amex Business Gold

Insurance

  • lost baggage

    Lost or Stolen Baggage

    $500
  • hourglass timer

    Baggage Delay

    $500
  • car insurance

    Car Rental Damage & Theft

    yes
  • heart lock

    Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance

    $100,000
  • extended warranty

    Extended Warranty

    1 year
  • purchase protection

    Purchase Protection

    90 days
  • burglar

    Hotel Burglary Insurance

    $500
  • hourglass timer

    Flight Delay

    $500

  • mobile device insurance

    Mobile Device Insurance

    $1,000

Perks

  • travel

    Travel Credit

    Book two or more consecutive nights at participating properties through The Hotel Collection with American Express Travel to receive a $100 credit for amenities or a complimentary room upgrade, if available.
  • airport waiting room

    Priority Travel

    Enjoy premium benefits at the Toronto Pearson Airport, including access to the Pearson Priority Security Lane and discount on parking.
  • Amex logo

    Amex Experiences™

    Access Front Of The Line® Amex Presale & Reserved Tickets to some of your favourite concerts and theatre performances and special offers and events curated for Cardmembers with Amex Experiences™

BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

Insurance

  • lost baggage

    Lost or Stolen Baggage

    $1,000
  • hourglass timer

    Baggage Delay

    $500
  • car insurance

    Car Rental Damage & Theft

    Included
  • heart lock

    Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance

    $500,000
  • extended warranty

    Extended Warranty

    1 year
  • purchase protection

    Purchase Protection

    90 days
  • burglar

    Hotel Burglary Insurance

    $1,000
  • hourglass timer

    Flight Delay

    $500

  • car accident

    Car Rental Accident

    $200,000
  • luggage insurance

    Car Rental Personal Effects

    $1,000
  • luggage insurance

    Personal Effects

    $1,000
  • cancel airplane

    Trip Cancellation

    $2,500
  • pause

    Trip Interruption

    $2,000

Perks

  • alcohol cheers

    Airport Lounge - Dragon Pass

    complimentary membership to Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass, plus 2 free lounge passes a year.
  • gas station

    Gas Discount

    Get up to 7 cents off per litre on all your Shell®± fuel – just for being a BMO cardholder[9]

Our take

Amex Business Gold

The American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card is an excellent choice for business owners who also travel seeking an entry-level card that offers a strong balance of generous travel benefits without excessive costs. With a relatively low annual fee, this card provides flexibility and a range of perks that make it stand out among other options.

  • Flexible rewards
  • Travel perks
  • Foreign transaction fees
  • Limited travel insurance
  • Lower acceptance

BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

BMO’s strongest business points card, with 4x on gas, office supplies, and telecom — categories where most businesses naturally spend. That translates to roughly 2.7% return in those categories, which is competitive. The welcome bonus of up to 100,000 points (~$670 value) and first-year fee rebate make the first year especially strong. You also get airport lounge access and solid travel insurance. The weak spot is the 1.5x base rate on everything else and the annual spending caps on bonus categories. At $149/year, it works well for businesses that spend meaningfully on fuel, supplies, and phone/internet. Less compelling if your spending is spread across categories this card doesn’t bonus.

  • Impressive optimization
  • Generous welcome bonus
  • First-year fee rebate
  • Airport lounge access
  • Comprehensive coverage
  • Shell fuel discounts
  • Additional employee cards
  • High annual fee
  • Low base earn rate
  • Annual spending caps
  • High income requirements
  • Low point values
  • Additional cardholder fees
  • Limited bonus categories

More business card comparisons

Each card against every other business card we review.

Legal


Amex Business Gold

*Terms and conditions apply.


This charge Card has both Due in Full and Flexible Payment Option balances. All Due in Full balances must be paid each month. Interest rate of 30% applies to each delinquent Due in Full charge. This rate is effective from the day account is opened. The Preferred rate of 21.99% applies to your Flexible Payment Option balance. If you have 2 separate Missed Payments in a 12 month period, the Flexible Payment Option rate for your account will be 25.99%. If you have 3 or more separate Missed Payments in a 12 month period, the Flexible Payment Option Rate will be 29.99%. These rates are effective from the day the Flexible Payment Option is first available on your account.


Account must be in good standing. Membership Rewards points (points) earned by the Basic Cardmember on all purchases, less credits and adjustments. Interest charges, annual fees, other fees and cash equivalent transactions are not purchases and do not qualify for Membership Rewards points. A minimum purchase of $0.50 is required to earn points. Earn one (1) point for every $1.00 in eligible purchases charged to your card.


American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, (I/we) may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment.

BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

1 a) The value of up to $1,520 could be earned in the first year of Account opening and is based on the combined total value of:

b) BMO Ascend World Elite Business Mastercard applications must be received between June 3, 2024 and December 13, 2025 (the “Offer Period”) to be eligible for this offer. 20,000 BMO Rewards points will be applied to your BMO Rewards Collector Account only after the first eligible Purchase is made on the account (less refunds and excluding cash advances, cash-like transactions, interest charges, fees, credit or debit adjustments) in the first 75 days after the account open date, as long your account is open and in good standing at the time you qualify for the points. 20,000 BMO Rewards first-use bonus points will be credited to your Collector Account within three (3) business days following the qualifying spend. Receive additional 8,000 BMO monthly Rewards points after you spend a minimum of $3,000 (less refunds and excluding cash advances, cash-like transactions, interest charges, fees, credit or debit adjustments) per month within month 3 – 12 (Month 3 starts on Day 76 and Month 12 ends Day 375) after the account open date, as long your account is open and in good standing at the time you qualify for the additional points. BMO Rewards monthly bonus points will be credited to your Collector Account within seven (7) business days following the qualifying $3,000 net monthly spend. The primary cardholder’s annual fee of $149 will be rebated in the first year and will appear as a fee and a credit on the primary cardholder’s first statement. The primary cardholder’s annual card fee applies after the first year and will appear on your account statement twelve (12) months after the account open date. Your credit card account must be open and in Good Standing at the time the annual card fee rebate is awarded. If an additional cardholder is added to the account within the first year, the Additional Card annual fee of $50 per card will be charged at a prorated rate and will not be waived or rebated. This offer is not available to current or former BMO Ascend World Elite Business Mastercard cardholders who reinstate a closed account or open a new account during the “Offer Period”. Existing BMO credit card cardholders who transfer into this product during the Offer Period are not eligible for this offer. If you cancel your card within ninety (90) days of account opening, the welcome bonus will be cancelled. If you receive points in error, we reserve the right to deduct them from your points balance. This offer may be withdrawn or changed without notice.

c) You can redeem for travel rewards at bmorewards.com or by calling the BMO Rewards Centre. Points can be used to cover any applicable taxes and fees. If you don’t have enough points to redeem a particular travel reward, you can top up the number of points you need by purchasing those points on your card. There is no maximum top up amount for travel rewards. There is no online booking fee. We charge fees plus applicable taxes for each phone reservation, modification or cancellation of a travel reservation. For fees, please see the Important Information enclosure that is provided with your BMO credit card and any notice that we may provide you. Supplier fees for each change or cancellation to your travel arrangements may also apply and will be disclosed at the time of booking based on your specific travel reservation. Booking fees, change fees and cancellation fees are non-refundable. All travel rewards are subject to availability. Additional points or cash can be used to pay for all or a portion of the flight taxes and fees or a higher value flight.


  • $149: The annual fee waiver for the first year.
  • $182: Complimentary membership ($68) in Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass and two complimentary passes ($32 each) at an approximate exchange rate of $1.38 USD as of November 1, 2023 ($132 USD = $182 CAD).
  • $520: Five free virtual care visits on Maple shared by you ($520 based on the approximate annual value of 5 GP).
  • $669: 100,000 BMO Rewards points based on the following requirements:
    • First-Use Bonus of 20,000 BMO Reward points earned when you make your first purchase with your card in the first 75 days after the account open date.
    • Monthly Bonus Offer: 8,000 BMO Reward Points per month when you spend at least $3,000 per month within month 3 – 12 (Month 3 starts on Day 76 and Month 12 ends Day 375) after the account open date.

3 You will earn 4 BMO Rewards points for each dollar you spend (up to an annual limit of $50,000) at gas stations, office supply stores, and on your cell phone/internet (phone) bill payments. The 4 BMO Rewards points includes the base earn rate of 1.5 BMO Rewards points for each dollar you spend and the bonus of 2.5 BMO Rewards points for each dollar you spend in qualifying gas, office or cell phone/internet purchases. To qualify for the bonus reward points, your purchases must be made at merchants classified in the Mastercard network as Service Stations (gas stations with or without ancillary services) and Automated Fuel Dispensers (Merchant Codes: 5541 & 5542), Stationery and Office Supply Stores (Merchant Codes: 5111 & 5943) and Cellphone/Internet billings (Merchant Codes: 4812, 4814 & 4816). Some merchants may sell similar products/services or are separate merchants who are located on the premises of these merchants but are classified in another manner, in which case this bonus earn would not apply. After you reach yearly cap of $50,000 in qualifying gas, office or cell phone/internet purchases, you will earn 1.5 BMO Rewards points for each dollar you spend on these purchases and on all other eligible purchases made with the card.


4 Subject to the BMO Rewards Terms and Conditions for Business, BMO Rewards points are calculated based on purchases of goods or services charged to the BMO Ascend World Elite Business Mastercard account, less any refunds or adjustments, rounded down to the nearest whole point. Cash advances (including purchases of foreign currency or travellers cheques), interest charges, fees, credit or debit adjustments and any amount other than purchases that may be charged to the account with the card, do not qualify for points. Bank of Montreal may establish other qualifying and nonqualifying transactions from time to time.


9 This offer is available only to AIR MILES collectors who have linked their BMO credit card with their AIR MILES collector account. To receive the savings at the pump, the eligible AIR MILES collector number must be connected to your BMO credit card and the eligible AIR MILES collector number must be valid at the time of the purchase transaction.
To qualify for the offer, eligible collectors with a BMO credit card:
Can receive their fuel discount at the pump once the customer input their AIR MILES collector number and complete the payment with the BMO credit or debit card that has been linked to their AIR MILES collector account.
BMO AIR MILES credit card holders with a valid AIR MILES collector account will receive an instant discount of $0.02 per litre on regular fuel (Shell Bronze and Shell Silver) and $0.07 per litre of premium fuel (Shell V-Power NiTRO+ or Shell V-Power NiTRO+ 91 or Shell V-Power NiTRO+ 93) at Shell (excluding Flying J locations) between March 18, 2024, to December 31, 2024, to a maximum of 1,000 litres in one month.
BMO non-AIR MILES credit card holders, including other BMO Mastercard and BMO Visa* holders must link their credit card to an existing or new AIR MILES collector account at airmilescardlink.ca/bmo-shell-benefit to be valid for this offer. The Opt-in process might take up to 5 days before the benefit is provided, then eligible AIR MILES collectors will receive an instant discount of $0.02 per litre on regular fuel (Shell Bronze and Shell Silver) and $0.07 per litre of premium fuel (Shell V-Power NiTRO+ or Shell V-Power NiTRO+ 91 or Shell V-Power NiTRO+ 93) at Shell (excluding Flying J locations) between March 18, 2024, to December 31, 2024, to a maximum of 1,000 litres in one month. This is a limited time offer and may be changed, extended, or withdrawn at any time without notice.
All BMO AIR MILES Mastercard credit card holders are automatically linked to their AIR MILES collector card, and thus, are automatically eligible for this offer.
All BMO non-AIR MILES Mastercard credit holders, by linking their BMO Mastercard to their AIR MILES collector card, are automatically enrolled in this Shell CPL offer and in other AIR MILES card-linked offers. To learn more about other AIR MILES card-linked offers, visit https://www.airmilescardlink.ca/.
BMO, AIR MILES, and Shell reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to suspend, disqualify, limit or revoke this offer to any person or account holder manipulating or otherwise abusing the process, fairness, integrity or operation of the offer. This offer will be in addition to any other offers available for you.
Shell and their affiliates are not liable or responsible for any of the services and products offered/provided by BMO. Please note that any information you provide directly to Shell or that Shell obtains about you as a Shell customer or participant will be governed by Shell’s Privacy Notice.
Offer is subject to the Terms and Conditions of your BMO Mastercard Cardholder Agreement or BMO Visa Cardholder Agreement.


BMO is not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click on the Apply now link for the most up to date information.