Quick Answer
As of 14 September 2026. The Business Cards’ product pages showed an error message (“500 - System error”) on the day of checking. The figures therefore come from American Express’s own Business articles and from the Business Gold’s price and service schedule (as of June 2026). VoyageHacks found no current price schedule for the Business Platinum; where a figure comes only from an Amex article, that’s noted alongside it.
Business Platinum vs. Business Gold: the comparison
| Business Platinum | Business Gold | |
|---|---|---|
| Card fee | €850 a year (metal) | Year 1: €0, then €175 a year |
| Welcome offer per Amex | 200,000 Membership Rewards points | 50,000 Membership Rewards points |
| Points | 1 per euro, Membership Rewards included | 1 per euro, Membership Rewards Classic included |
| Credit | €840 a year per Amex | up to €100 Dell a year |
| Lounges | over 1,550 including Priority Pass | none, Priority Pass at up to 35% off |
| Hotel status | Hilton, ALL Accor, Radisson, Meliá, Marriott | not stated |
| Supplementary cards | 1 Business Platinum included, further ones €250; up to 98 Business Gold included | up to 99 included |
| Payment term | 28 days after statement, up to 58 days | 20 days after statement on request, up to 50 days |
| Foreign transaction fee | not stated in the article | 2% |
| Cash | not stated | 4%, min. €5, max. €950 in 7 days |
| Personal use | not allowed, Platinum Plus Card instead | not intended |
Two terms first:
- The payment term is the time between a card payment and the debit from the business account. The longer it is, the longer the money stays in the business.
- A supplementary card is a card for employees on the same card account. Its spending earns points for the main account.
Amex Business Platinum in detail
The Business Platinum is the corporate version of the Platinum, with a higher fee and different credits.
Cost and cards
- Primary card: €850 a year, billed annually, in metal.
- Business Platinum supplementary card: one included, each further one €250 a year.
- Business Gold supplementary cards: up to 98 included.
- Platinum Plus Card for personal spending: in plastic including one supplementary card at no extra charge, or in metal for €350 a year.
Credit: what’s behind the €840
American Express states “€840 in annual credit for mobility and business services from our partners.” The same article lists these individual items:
| Credit | Amount per Amex |
|---|---|
| Online travel credit | €200 a year |
| Dell Technologies | up to €200 a year, €100 per half-year |
| SIXT ride | €200 a year, worldwide |
| SIXT+ car subscription | €25 cashback a month, up to €300 a year |
Add these items up and you get €900, not €840. Amex doesn’t explain the difference in the article, so calculate with the items you’d actually use. On top come discounts that aren’t credit: €25 cashback a month at ebuero, a GetMyInvoices package “worth €362 a year” and 1 GB of eSIM data at eSIMfirst.
Lounges, status and Lounge on the Go
- Lounges: per Amex, “more than 1,550 airport lounges in over 140 countries” with Priority Pass included, plus Centurion Lounges. The same article elsewhere states “up to 50 visits” in Priority Pass lounges; the private Platinum has the same cap.
- Lufthansa Lounges: stop being included from 1 October 2026, for the Business Platinum too.
- Lounge on the Go: 6 x €20 in food and shopping credit at Frankfurt T1 and Munich T2 through March 2027, also available to the Business Platinum per the offer terms.
- Hotel status: Amex names “Hilton Honors Gold Status, ALL Accor Gold Status, Radisson Rewards Premium Status, MeliáRewards Gold Status or Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status.”
The lounge rules in detail, including guests and the 50-visit cap, are in the guide Amex Platinum Lounges.
Payment term
American Express states: “With it you don’t pay until 28 days after receiving your monthly statement, giving you up to 58 days of extra liquidity, interest-free of course.” According to Amex there’s no fixed credit limit.
Amex Business Gold in detail
The Business Gold is the cheaper business card, built for lots of supplementary cards and points, not travel luxury.
- Fee: €175 a year per the price schedule, no annual fee in the first year per the Amex article.
- Supplementary cards: up to 99 included.
- Points: Membership Rewards Classic, whose €30 annual fee is included in the card fee, 1 point per euro.
- Credit: up to €100 Dell a year (€50 per half-year), 25% off at GetMyInvoices, SIXT ONE Gold Status.
- Lounges: no free access, Priority Pass at up to 35% off.
- Payment: direct debit, due on request 20 days after the statement arrives.
- Fees in the price schedule: 2% foreign currency, 4% cash (minimum €5), default interest of 5 percentage points above the base rate, €8 reminder fee.
Requirements for an Amex Business Card
According to American Express’s own Business articles, the same conditions apply to both cards:
- Business: self-employment, freelance work or a company with up to 100 employees (sole proprietorship, GbR, GmbH, AG, e.K.).
- Business age: at least three months of trading.
- Person: of legal age, primary residence in Germany.
- Creditworthiness: “Good to very good creditworthiness (including a positive Schufa score).”
- Income: proof of sufficient income; Amex does not name a euro threshold.
- Bank: an account with a German bank.
- Tax: a valid tax number or VAT ID.
Possible documents at application: a trade registration or commercial register extract, proof of founding and tax documents. Identification runs via Video-Ident, eID or Post-Ident. If the business is a GmbH or AG, per the terms both the company and you as the primary cardholder are contracting parties.
Which Business Card fits?
- Business Platinum, if you fly for business often, use lounges and hotel status, and would spend the travel, Dell and SIXT credits anyway.
- Business Gold, if you want to hand out cards to many employees, collect points and rarely sit in lounges. It costs nothing in the first year.
- Private Platinum instead of Business, if you’re a freelancer mixing personal and business travel: the Business Platinum can’t be used privately. The personal card is in the Amex Platinum review.
Sources
All figures checked on 14 September 2026:
- American Express AMEXcited: Business Platinum Card (fee, supplementary cards, credit, lounges, status, payment term, requirements, personal use)
- American Express AMEXcited: Business Gold Card (first year, promotion, requirements, payment term)
- American Express: Business Gold Card information, PDF, as of June 2026 (fee, supplementary cards, foreign currency, cash, default)
- American Express: Platinum Card offer terms (Lounge on the Go)
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the Amex Business Platinum cost in Germany?
€850 a year for the metal primary card, billed annually (as of September 2026). One Business Platinum supplementary card is included, each further one costs €250 a year. On top of that come up to 98 Business Gold supplementary cards at no extra charge. Amex quotes €840 in annual partner credit for this, access to over 1,550 lounges and hotel status.
How much does the Amex Business Gold cost?
Nothing in the first year, then €175 a year (price and service schedule, as of June 2026). Up to 99 supplementary cards are included, as is Membership Rewards. The Business Gold has no free lounge access, but a Priority Pass at up to 35% off and up to €100 in Dell credit a year.
Who qualifies for an American Express Business Card?
Self-employed people, freelancers and owners of businesses with up to 100 employees, for example sole proprietorships, GbR, GmbH, AG or e.K., whose business has existed for at least three months. According to American Express you also need to be of legal age, have your primary residence in Germany, good creditworthiness with a positive Schufa, an account with a German bank and a tax number or VAT ID.
Am I allowed to use the Business Platinum for personal spending?
No. American Express states that the Business Platinum Card is meant for business and professional spending and may not be used privately. For personal spending, Amex offers a Platinum Plus Card alongside the Business Platinum: made of plastic at no extra charge including one supplementary card, or in metal for €350 a year.
How long is the payment term on Amex Business Cards?
On the Business Platinum, according to American Express, you don’t pay until 28 days after receiving your monthly statement, giving up to 58 days of interest-free liquidity. On the Business Gold, the amount is due, on request, 20 days after the statement arrives; Amex quotes a payment term of up to 50 days.
How high is the Amex Business Platinum’s welcome bonus?
In September 2026, American Express is advertising a promotion for the Business Platinum with 200,000 Membership Rewards points, and 50,000 points for the Business Gold. The exact spend threshold is in the promotion’s terms at the time you apply; check it there before applying. That’s markedly higher than the private Platinum’s up to 85,000 points.
Verdict
For business owners with a lot of business travel, the Business Platinum is the stronger card thanks to lounges, status and a 58-day payment term; for teams with many cards, it’s the Business Gold, which costs nothing in the first year. Freelancers who travel mostly for personal reasons do better with the private Platinum; all the personal cards are in the Amex card comparison Germany, and point transfers are in the Membership Rewards guide.