If you’re looking for the Amex Business Gold because you thought it would be free for active duty: it’s not. Amex stopped waiving fees on business cards opened during active duty back in December 2019. The $375 annual fee applies to every active-duty holder who opens it during service.
Same goes for the Business Platinum ($695). SCRA on pre-service business-card accounts still works — if you opened one before you enlisted, you keep the waiver for life. Anything opened during service charges the full fee.
The key difference from personal Amex cards: Active-duty members get the personal Amex Platinum and Gold annual fees waived in full (MLA + SCRA). Business cards are not the same — Amex ended MLA waivers on business cards in December 2019, and SCRA only waives the fee on accounts opened before active duty. Open a business card during service and you pay the full annual fee.
The real question: is $375 worth it?
With the $300/year ChatGPT Business credit that Amex added to Business Gold in spring 2026, the net cost drops to $75/yr if you already pay for ChatGPT Business.
ChatGPT Business ($25/user/month on annual plan, minimum 2 users) runs $600/yr at the minimum tier. If your business or side hustle is paying for ChatGPT Business anyway, the Amex Business Gold effectively gives you $300 of that back. Card goes from $375 annual cost to $75.
If you don’t use ChatGPT Business, you’re paying $375 for the Gold’s other perks (4x points on rotating categories, no foreign transaction fees, up to 75,000 point welcome bonuses). Probably not worth it on perks alone.
SCRA on pre-service business cards
If you held a Business Gold, Business Platinum, or Delta Reserve Business before you went active duty, Amex preserves the SCRA waiver. Call the Amex Document Center and submit orders. The fee is waived retroactive to your active-duty start date.
This is an Amex-specific policy — no other major issuer extends SCRA to business cards. Strategically: if you know you’re heading active within the next year and you want a free Business Platinum later, open it now. The account’s SCRA eligibility gets locked in before your active-duty start.
What Amex business cards you can still have free
- Pre-service Business Platinum — fee waived for life of account.
- Pre-service Business Gold — same.
- Pre-service Delta Reserve Business — same.
Any business card opened during active duty: full fee.
The enrollment piece
The $300 ChatGPT credit requires enrollment — it doesn’t apply automatically. Log into your Amex benefits page, find ChatGPT, click enroll, and pay your ChatGPT Business subscription with the Gold card. Credit posts to your statement within one billing cycle.
Bottom line
Don’t open the Amex Business Gold during active duty expecting a free card. Do open it if you’re a ChatGPT Business user — the credit covers most of the fee. Or open it pre-service and keep the SCRA waiver through your active period.
For personal Amex cards that are actually waivable during service, see the Amex Platinum guide and the Military Credit Card Stack guide.