American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

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Amex Business Gold vs RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

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

American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card

4.5

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Our review Rewards calculator

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

2.9

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Our review Rewards calculator

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

$1,866

First-year value

$422

$536

Every year after

$302

Amex Business Gold is worth $1,444 more to your business in year one.

It stays ahead after that, by $234 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.

$915.19

in American Express Membership Rewards points a year

Annual rewards

$481.8

cash back a year

+ $1,330

first year only

Welcome bonus

+ $120.45

first year only

− $199

Annual fee

− $0

no annual fee

− $180

2.5% on $600/mo

FX fees

− $180

2.5% on $600/mo

$1,866.19

First-year value

$422.25

Where each card earns

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

Amex Business Gold earns more on 17 of your 17 categories.

$239.4

at 1x

All Other Business Expenses

$12,600 a year

$126

at 1%

$116.74

at 1x

US Dollar Purchases

$6,150 a year

$61.5

at 1%

$91.2

at 1x

Recurring Bills & Subscriptions

$4,800 a year

$48

at 1%

$68.4

at 1x

Gas & EV Charging

$3,600 a year

$36

at 1%

$68.4

at 1x

Dining & Restaurants

$3,600 a year

$36

at 1%

$57

at 1x

Office Supplies

$3,000 a year

$30

at 1%

$45.6

at 1x

Phone, Internet & Cable

$2,400 a year

$24

at 1%

$34.2

at 1x

Hotels

$1,800 a year

$18

at 1%

$34.2

at 1x

Shipping & Courier

$1,800 a year

$18

at 1%

$34.2

at 1x

Accounting & Bookkeeping

$1,800 a year

$18

at 1%

$23.26

at 1x

Other Foreign Currencies (EUR, GBP, etc.)

$1,230 a year

$12.3

at 1%

$22.8

at 1x

Electronics & Software

$1,200 a year

$12

at 1%

$22.8

at 1x

Air Canada

$1,200 a year

$12

at 1%

$22.8

at 1x

Transportation

$1,200 a year

$12

at 1%

$11.4

at 1x

Other Airlines

$600 a year

at 1%

$11.4

at 1x

Car Rental

$600 a year

at 1%

$11.4

at 1x

Other Travel

$600 a year

at 1%

10,000 points each quarter when you charge $20,000 in net purchases to your Card

Spend bonuses

on top of the rates

none

$915.19

Rewards in a year

$481.8

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.

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

Earn 2% cash back on purchases^* made on your card in the first three months.

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

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

Worth $120.45 at your spending

Intro rate for the first 3 months

$120.45

Fees, rates and eligibility

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

$199

Annual fee

$50

Employee cards

$0, max. of 1 additional card

2.5%

Foreign transaction fee

2.5%

American Express Membership Rewards

Rewards

Cash back

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

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

Interest rates

Purchase:

19.99%

Cash Advance:

22.99%

Balance Transfer:

22.99%

Recommended credit score

300

Poor

560

Fair

660⁎

Good

725⁎

Very Good

760⁎

Excellent

⁎Estimates based on Equifax scoring

Income required

Min Personal Income:

N/A

Min Household Income:

N/A

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

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

Earn 2% cash back on purchases^* made on your card in the first three months.
Earn 1% cash back on purchases^* made on your card after three months.
Once your cash back balance reaches $25 or more, you can have the full amount credited to your account at any time. Otherwise the cash back rewards will automatically be credited to your account every January.
Get $0 delivery fees for 3 months from DoorDash⁶

Insurance and perks

What both cards include comes first in each list.

Amex Business Gold

Insurance

Extended Warranty

1 year

Purchase Protection

90 days

Lost or Stolen Baggage

$500

Baggage Delay

$500

Car Rental Damage & Theft

yes

Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance

$100,000

Mobile Device Insurance

$1,000

Hotel Burglary Insurance

$500

Flight Delay

$500

Perks

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.

Priority Travel

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

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™

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

Insurance

Extended Warranty

Up to a year

Purchase Protection

90 days

Perks

No extra perks.

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

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

Flat 1% cash back on everything, no annual fee, no categories to optimize. It’s about as simple as a business rewards card gets. You won’t maximize value here — 1% is below what category-specific cards offer — but you also won’t pay a cent in fees or waste time tracking bonus spending. The 2% promotional rate for the first three months adds a small upfront sweetener. This card works best for sole proprietors or small businesses that just want to earn something on every purchase without any complexity. If your spending is high enough to justify a fee card, look elsewhere.

No annual fee
Simple cashback program
Interest-free grace period
DashPass subscription
Contactless payments
Credit card lock feature
Zero liability protection

No bonus cashback categories
limited additional cards
No travel perks
Foreign transaction fees
Annual cashback caps
No airport lounge access
Basic insurance coverage

More business card comparisons

Each card against every other business card we review.

Amex Business Gold

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

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.

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

^*Annual cash back cap : $650

⁶To receive a complimentary DashPass subscription for $0 delivery fees on orders of $15 or more at eligible restaurants when you pay with your Eligible RBC Credit Card, you must subscribe to DashPass by adding an Eligible RBC Credit Card, accept the DoorDash terms and conditions, and activate your benefit by clicking “Activate Free DashPass” before September 30, 2025 (“Offer Period”). If you are an existing DashPass subscriber and have already added an Eligible RBC Credit Card to your account you must activate your benefit by clicking “Activate Free DashPass” during the Offer Period. If you have been charged for DashPass you will receive a refund to the method of original payment, in the amount of the monthly subscription fee for the month you activate your complimentary subscription. For all clients, by clicking on “Activate Free DashPass” you agree to the DoorDash terms and conditions which can be found at https://help.doordash.com/consumers/s/terms-and-conditions .

Eligible RBC Credit cardholders include primary cardholders, co-applicants, authorized users, primary business cardholders and secondary business cardholders on an Eligible RBC Credit Card account.

The DashPass monthly subscription fee will be waived (“Complimentary DashPass Subscription”) and you will receive either a 3 month or 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription based on the Eligible RBC Credit Card you use to subscribe to DashPass.

DashPass subscriptions purchased through third parties, including third-party payment accounts, or online or mobile digital wallets (like Apply Pay and Google Pay) are not eligible for the Complimentary DashPass Subscription.

Eligible RBC Credit Cards: Your Eligible RBC Credit Card may only be used with one DoorDash account to receive a Complimentary DashPass Subscription. Once you have received a Complimentary DashPass Subscription you cannot use the same eligible RBC Credit Card to obtain a Complimentary DashPass Subscription with another DoorDash account.

You are only eligible for one 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription and one 3 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription during the Offer Period. The Complimentary DashPass Subscription commences on the date you subscribe to receive the Complimentary DashPass Subscription. For example, if you subscribe to a 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription in on the last day of your second month of a 3 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription you will receive a total of 14 months of Complimentary DashPass Subscription. In order to validate your credit card as an Eligible RBC Credit Card, Royal Bank may need to administer a $0.50 charge to validate your card enrollment. This charge will be reversed in 3 to 5 days once your account has been validated.

12 Month Complimentary DashPass Subscription is available for the following Eligible RBC Credit Cards:

As an RBC Avion Visa Platinum, RBC Avion Visa Infinite , RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege, RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege for Private Banking, WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard, RBC Rewards Visa Preferred, RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard, RBC Cathay Pacific Visa Platinum, RBC British Airways Visa Infinite, RBC Avion Visa Business, RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business cardholder.

You are eligible for a Complimentary DashPass Subscription for 12 months from the date you subscribe to receive the Complimentary DashPass Subscription. You will be auto-enrolled into full-price membership at the then-current rate after the end of the 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription. Your RBC credit card account must be open and not in default to maintain the benefits of DashPass.

3 Month Complimentary DashPass Subscription is available for the following Eligible RBC Credit Cards:

As an RBC Rewards+ Visa, Signature RBC Rewards Visa, RBC Visa Platinum, RBC Visa Cash Back, RBC Cash Back Mastercard, RBC Visa Classic Low Rate Option, RBC Visa Classic, RBC Student Visa Classic, RBC Visa Classic II Student, RBC Visa Gold, RBC U.S. Dollar Visa Gold, RBC Rewards Visa Gold, RBC RateAdvantage Visa, WestJet RBC Mastercard, RBC Visa Business, RBC Visa Business Gold, RBC Visa CreditLine for Small Business, or RBC Business Cash Back Mastercard.

You are eligible for a Complimentary DashPass Subscription for 3 months from the date you subscribed to the Complimentary DashPass Subscription. You will be auto-enrolled into full-price membership at the then-current rate after the end of the 3 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription. Your RBC credit card account must be open and not in default to maintain the benefits of DashPass.

DoorDash not Royal Bank of Canada, is responsible for (i) services and products provided through DoorDash; (ii) DashPass, including the DashPass Benefits, the administration of DashPass and (iii) the DoorDash terms and conditions. The Complimentary DashPass Subscription offer may be amended or withdrawn at any time. To learn more about DashPass, visit www.doordash.com/dashpass (opens to external site). For full DashPass for RBC Program Terms and Conditions, visit rbcroyalbank.com/credit-cards/documentation/pdf/full-doordash-tcs-en.pdf.