The American Express card with the best initial welcome bonus right now is the Business Gold Rewards Card

 
Just a few short days we saw eight of American Express Canada's consumer and business cards come out with new welcome bonus offers that are lower than previous offering. However there was one card from American Express that retained the same increased bonus as it is had through most of the spring and that card is the American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card

Highest initial bonus from American Express

This card can now claim top spot in the American Express portfolio of cards in terms of highest initial bonus. That is, the points awarded on the spend requirement in the first set months of having the card. In this case that bonus is 70,000 Membership Rewards Points when you spend $5,000 on the card in the first three months.

The additional 40,000 points that are being marketed as part of the 110,000 points comes from this card's standard offering of 10,000 bonus points in each calendar quarter that you spend $20,000 on the card. Meet that spend requirement over the course of the year and you have earned the 40,000 more points to give 110,000 points in the first year. This quarterly bonus is not limited to the first year of having the card as you will continue to earn it in any quarter that you spend $20,000 or more.

Card details:

Earn a welcome bonus of 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first three months of Cardmembership with the American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card Plus earn 10,000 bonus points, when you charge $20,000 in net purchases to your Card account each calendar quarter. That’s a total of up to 40,000 points every year. That’s up to $1,100 in statement credits that can be reinvested in your business. The Membership Rewards program boasts an exceptional line-up of rewards redemption options for you and your business, including travel, dining, entertainment, gift cards, merchadise, and more You can maximize your cash flow with up to 55 interest free days. Use the Card throughout the month for all of your everyday business expenses, and earn reward points while you're at it. Earn 1 Membership Rewards point for every dollar in purchases charged to the Card. Track Your Progress by logging into your American Express® App to see how your quarterly purchases are stacking up. Download the Amex App for your phone or use http://amex.ca/Mobile to view more information. Available on iOS and Android only.  Take advantage of purchasing power that grows with your business. With this Card, your purchasing power adjusts dynamically with your Card usage, and can grow over time, as long as you make your payments on time and maintain a good credit history Make the most of a suite of business management tools that give you more control over your business - anytime and anywhere 99% Recycled Plastic: You will receive your new Business Gold Rewards Card once your current Card expires. You can continue to use your current Card until you receive a new one. As part of our commitment to sustainability, your Card has been created using 99% recycled plastic Special Business Offers with American Express. Explore offers for dining, travel, business supplies and services, and more – from brands you love Enjoy added confidence with Mobile Device Insurance. You can be protected with our Mobile Device Insurance. Enjoy your new mobile device with more confidence 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. Interest rate of 19.99% applies to your Flexible Payment Option balance. This rate is effective from the day the Flexible Payment Option is first available on your account. American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information click the Apply now link. Conditions apply

Welcome Bonus Value

The initial welcome bonus of 70,000 points works out to $700 in value for almost any purchase made on the card. It then increases to up to $1,400 in value if you redeem for flights via Amex's Fixed Points for Travel. You can also convert the points 1:1 to Air Canada Aeroplan or British Airways Executive Club, both of which we value at no less than 1.5 cents each so the welcome bonus is worth no less than $1,050 but in most cases you should get more value than that. 

Here's an example of receiving even better value with a conversion to Aeroplan. This is a flight in business class between Vancouver and Montreal this August:

You can redeem 59,100 points + $81.45 for taxes for this flight that costs $1517.85.  That means the 59,100 points covers $1436.40 cost for a redemption value of 2.4 cents per point. If you could redeem all 70,000 points at this rate that would put the welcome bonus value at $1,701.32. That's pretty good and I know a lot of you can do even better!

Wrapping it up

I really look at this welcome bonus as a 70,000 point bonus since the 10,000 points per calendar quarter is a standard bonus the card provides even beyond the first year. The 70,000 points on their own are the highest initial bonus on any American Express card at this time and they provide some really great value as shown above. At the very least you are looking at $700 in travel or cash back but in many cases that should easily eclipse $1,000. Remember that American Express is quite flexible with small business cards and many consumers who free lance or have side hustles have no issues getting one of these cards simply using their Social Insurance Number as their business number when applying.

Click here to learn more and to apply for the American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card