The quick answer
If you're a UK small business choosing between the Amex Gold Business Card and Capital on Tap, it comes down to your monthly spend and what you value most.
Capital on Tap is the safer bet for most SMEs: zero annual fee, fast approval (often minutes), credit limits up to £250,000, and solid accounting integrations. It's built for businesses that need cashflow flexibility without the bells and whistles.
Amex Gold Business is the better card if you're spending £3,000+ per month. At £195/year, you're paying for Membership Rewards points (transferable to Avios, hotel partners), airport lounge access, and travel insurance. The rewards can easily outweigh the fee at higher spend levels.
Fee comparison
The Amex Gold costs £195 per year. Capital on Tap is completely free.
That means you need to earn at least £195 worth of value from the Amex rewards to break even. At 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent, and a rough valuation of 0.8p per point, you'd need to spend around £24,375 per year (about £2,000/month) just to cover the fee.
Rewards breakdown
Amex Gold earns 1 MR point per £1, with 2x on travel. These points transfer to British Airways Avios, Virgin Atlantic, Hilton, and Marriott — making them genuinely valuable for business travel.
Capital on Tap earns 1 point per £1, redeemable as statement credit. Simpler, less sexy, but effectively 1% cashback with no annual fee eating into it.
The cashflow angle
Here's where it gets interesting. Both cards give you a credit cycle of roughly 30-45 days, which is free float on every payment.
But the real power move is combining either card with a bill pay service — that lets you put invoices on your credit card even when suppliers only accept bank transfer. You're extending your cashflow and earning rewards on spend that would normally just leave your bank account as a direct debit.
Points hacking tip
If you go with Amex Gold, the smart play is to route as much business spend through the card as possible to stack Membership Rewards. Transfer to Avios at 1:1 and you can get outsized value on business class redemptions — we've seen 2-5p per point on long-haul flights.
Capital on Tap is simpler: 1% back across the board. Less exciting, but you never have to think about transfer partners or redemption strategies.
Our verdict
For most UK small businesses: Capital on Tap. No fee, fast setup, high limits.
For businesses spending £3k+/month who travel: Amex Gold Business. The rewards and travel perks justify the fee.
Pro tip: Use both. Capital on Tap for day-to-day expenses and high-volume payments. Amex Gold for travel bookings and supplier payments where you want to maximise Membership Rewards.