Best American Express Business credit cards of March 2023

The Business Platinum Card from American Express: Best for travel

• What we love about the Business Platinum card: Owners get what they pay for with this premium business card. It offers a haul of valuable annual credits and provides access to some of the best luxury travel lounges around, all while rewarding top business expenses like electronic goods and hardware supplies. This card is built for high-spending, established businesses, whether online, brick-and-mortar or both.
• Who this card is good for: Frequent business travelers who desire the height of luxury and comfort on their trips.
• Alternatives: This card offers luxury travel benefits and high rewards returns at a premium price. If top-tier travel rewards are your primary focus outside the business-centric perks, consider the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card a strong alternative. This card can earn even higher rewards returns when booking through Capital One Travel, and your base rewards rate could also be more rewarding. You’d still gain access to some lounges, but fewer than what comes with the Business Platinum. Plus, you’d receive all of these perks for a more reasonable $395 annual fee.

Read our full The Business Platinum Card from American Express review or jump back to offer details.

The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express: Best for no-annual-fee rewards

• What we love about the Blue Business Plus: The highest rewards tier offered by this card is not limited by specific spending categories, making it ideal for businesses with a well-rounded approach to spending. While cardholders face a spending cap for their top rewards tier, that cap is generous at up to $50,000 for 2X points per year, then 1X points.
• Who this card is good for: Small-business owners who want straightforward rewards without paying an annual fee.
• Alternatives: Finding a competitive travel business card with no annual fee can be tricky but possible. If you want to avoid spending caps, the Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card offers an unlimited 1.5 percent base rewards rate on all purchases, including travel and business expenses.

Read our Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express review or jump back to offer details.

American Express Blue Business Cash Card: Best for business startups

• What we love about the American Express Blue Business Cash: The card’s Expanded Buying Power feature gives business owners a longer runway to cover unexpected expenses that may push you over your credit limit. This perk is a unique extension of purchasing power new businesses may not often have access to.
• Who this card is good for: Business startups that want to earn straightforward, flat-rate cash back.
• Alternatives: The Blue Business Cash card does not charge an annual fee and boasts strong flat-rate rewards, but it may be held back by its yearly spending cap on 2X categories. If you can stomach taking on a reasonable annual fee, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus offers unlimited 2 percent rewards on all purchases with no spending caps.

Read our full American Express Blue Business Cash Card review or jump back to offer details.

American Express Business Gold Card: Best for earning rewards

• What we love about the American Express Business Gold Card: American Express offers six valuable, business-oriented rewards categories. Cardholders will retroactively earn 4X points on the two highest-spending categories each billing cycle until you pass $150,000 in combined bonus category purchases for that calendar year (earns 1X on other purchases).
• Who this card is good for: Small-business owners with flexible spending habits.
• Alternatives: Though the Business Platinum Card from American Express comes with a steep $695 annual fee, jet-setting business owners might find its premium travel perks and comprehensive airport lounge network worth every cent.

Read our full American Express Business Gold Card review or jump back to offer details.

Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card: Best for airline-specific perks

• What we love about the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card: The $250 annual fee can be quickly offset with a lucrative welcome offer and the annual domestic companion certificate each year after renewing your card. Cardholders, primarily dedicated Delta flyers, have plenty of other features to take advantage of, including free first-checked bag on Delta flights, priority boarding, in-flight savings and a significant amount of travel and shopping protections.
• Who this card is good for: Habitual Delta flyers and occasional travelers looking to save on yearly domestic vacation costs can receive plenty of value from the SkyMiles Platinum Business card.
• Alternatives: If you’re not loyal to Delta or its partners, the American Express Business Gold Card comes with exceptional rewards earning potential and The Hotel Collection credits that may help offset the lack of Delta-specific features. The Business Gold Card also comes with Amex’s impressive Membership Rewards program, which offers greater flexibility for point redemption.

Read our full Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card review or jump back to offer details.

American Express offers access to its renowned Membership Rewards® program on its consumer and business credit cards. Still, it also allows businesses to turn every purchase into an investment in the company with Corporate Membership Rewards. This program enables users to book business trips, recognize employees with gift cards, supply the office and everything in between. For an annual membership fee of $75 per card, members can also redeem points for a credit on your company’s card statement and earn points that do not have an expiry date.

On top of that, members can earn up to 1.25 Membership Rewards points for every dollar charged to their Amex corporate card for business expenses such as travel accommodations and utility bills. Plus, they can earn 2 Membership Rewards points for each dollar spent on foreign currency transactions, Grab transactions, computer hardware, software and cloud services and online advertising. Interested business owners and employees can enroll by logging into American Express @Work or by contacting your Amex representative.

Applying for an American Express business credit card is nearly the same as applying for a personal Amex credit card. However, it can be tricky to navigate a few additional steps if it's your first time applying. Existing Amex cardmembers can sign into their account to expedite the process, but new customers will begin by filling out some personal information and details about your business.

• Legal business name: Generally, a sole proprietor should use their name as the business name. However, if you have set up a legal structure (LLC, etc.) or registered a name for your business, then you’ll put that name here.
• Business name on card: The business name that will appear on your credit card just below the cardholder or authorized user’s name. You can put your legal business name here, but sometimes it won’t fit in the provided box.
• Business address: This can be a separate business address or the same as your home address if you do business from home.
• Company structure: In many cases, your company structure will be considered a sole proprietorship. But, if you have a partner, select partnership. Choose a corporation if you have established a legal business structure, such as an LLC or S-Corp.
• Number of employees: This includes all current employees, including yourself, so you’ll always select at least one.
• Annual business revenue: The total amount of money your business earns in a year before taxes or other expenses are factored in. If you’re just starting out, it’s fine to put zero.
• Estimated monthly spend: This number should include all anticipated expenses you plan to put on the card each month.
• Federal tax ID: Sole proprietors that haven’t registered for a Federal tax ID can use their Social Security number here.
• Company role: You will likely select owner, but choose the title that best fits your role with the business.

After completing these steps, you’ll be directed to fill out some basic personal information including your billing address and total annual income, which includes any income you can use to pay your bills and any profits you’ve taken from your business thus far. You can also opt to include your non-taxable annual income, which is optional but may be helpful if you receive any income exempt from federal income tax, like Social Security and disability benefits.

If you’re a current or prospective user of The Business Platinum Card from American Express, you can look forward to an impressive list of travel-related benefits to help make up for the steep annual fee. One of the standout perks offered is the annual airline fee credit, which allows frequent travelers to save money on certain expenses when flying with a designated airline. 

Holly D. Johnson explains the airline selection process, what the credit is eligible to cover and the best ways to use the annual credit to maximize your travel.

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