The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express review

Best for no annual fee

• Rewards rate: 2X points on up to $50,000 in purchases per year (unlimited 2X points on prepaid rental cars booked through AmexTravel.com), 1X points after that
• Welcome offer: None
• Annual fee: None
• Purchase intro APR: 0% APR for 12 months
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A
• Regular APR: 13.24% to 19.24% variable

The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express has no annual fee and a high rewards rate on up to $50,000 in purchases per year, which makes it ideal for small business owners. As for the credit requirement, your score will need to fall within the range of good to excellent to be approved. Browse the review below to learn more about its benefits and decide if it’s the right card for you.

Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express: Current welcome offer

This card does not currently offer a welcome offer.

Rewards

The Blue Business Plus by American Express falls within the flexible American Express Membership Rewards program, allowing you to earn points on all of your everyday purchases.

Earning rewards

You’ll get 2X points on up to $50,000 in purchases each year and 1X points after that. There are no spending categories, which makes it easy to rack up rewards without having to spend strategically. If you’re often behind the wheel of a rental card, you’ll also earn unlimited 2X points on prepaid rental cars booked through the American Express Travel portal.

Redeeming rewards

American Express has a variety of redemption options, including travel through its portal, merchandise and gift cards. You can also transfer your points to over a dozen hotel and airline partners or use your rewards to cover your card charges. Online shoppers can use Pay with Points at checkout with select merchants and prepaid rental cars booked through Amex Travel as well.

How much are points worth?

Depending on which redemption option you choose, each point is worth between 0.5 cents and two cents.

One of the best ways to maximize your points is to use them for travel, especially when you transfer to a partner airline or hotel. Redeeming them for merchandise, gift cards or statement credits will get you the least bang for your buck.

Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express: Benefits

In addition to rewards, this card has perks that can help you manage your business spending, including expanding your buying power and providing you with employee cards. Here’s a rundown of the main benefits you’ll get as a Blue Business Plus cardholder.

Fast application process

This card has a quick and easy online application process. In fact, you could get your American Express Blue Business Plus approval in as little as 30 seconds.

Expanded buying power

If you need to make a large purchase higher than your Amex Blue Business Plus credit limit, you can with expanded buying power. Based on your creditworthiness, American Express may allow you to go over your credit limit to cover business expenses like equipment and inventory.

Employee cards

The Blue Business Plus allows you to get additional cards for your employees and set custom limits on their spending.

Account manager

The account manager feature allows you to give a trusted assistant access so they can monitor your finances for you.

Purchase protection

This card also comes with purchase protection to protect your covered purchases from theft or accidental damage for up to 90 days from the date of purchase.

Travel benefits

If you travel, you’ll be happy to find out this card comes with car rental loss and damage insurance as well as a Global Assist® Hotline. The hotline can help you if you find a solution for emergencies such as a lost passport or missing luggage.

Rates and fees

The Amex Blue Business Plus has a 0 percent intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months from account opening, enabling you to finance large business expenses for one year without paying interest.

After the intro period is over, your regular APR will be between 13.24 percent and 19.24 percent depending on your creditworthiness. If your payment is returned or you make two or more late payments in one year, your APR will rise to 29.24 percent. This penalty APR lasts for at least 12 billing cycles and could cause you to rack up high-interest debt.

The Blue Business Plus Credit Card also has a $39 late and returned payment fee and a 2.7 percent fee on foreign transactions. But on the plus side, there’s no annual fee, which helps offset the cost of some of the other charges.

How the Blue Business Plus Credit Card compares with other business credit cards

The Capital One Spark Cash for Business offers unlimited 2 percent cash back and doesn’t have a rewards cap like the Blue Business Plus, so big spenders may earn more with the Spark Cash card. While it doesn’t have an annual fee for the first year, you will have to pay $95 per year in years following. That translates to $4,750 spent before you make up the cost of the $95 annual fee in rewards earnings.

If you like the perks of the Blue Business Plus card but want to earn cash back instead, check out the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card. You’ll earn 2 percent cash back on the first $50,000 in purchases per year, and 1 percent after that. Just like the Blue Business Plus, it has no annual fee, expanded buying power, a long interest-free period of 12 months on purchases and a reasonable variable APR of just 13.24 percent to 19.24 percent thereafter.

Compare the best business credit cards side by side.

Best cards to pair with the Blue Business Plus Credit Card

If you want to maximize your earnings, consider pairing the Blue Business Plus with a card that offers a higher rewards rate in certain spending categories, like the Capital One Spark Miles for Business card. It gives unlimited 2X miles back on every purchase, which will help you rack up rewards faster.

Since the Blue Business Plus card doesn’t offer 0 percent interest on balance transfers, those who want to pay down some business debt may want to consider getting the U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite™ Mastercard®, which comes with no annual fee. It has a 0 percent intro APR on both purchases and balance transfers (with a 3 percent or $5 transfer fee, whichever is greater) that lasts for 12 billing cycles, and a variable APR of 11.99 percent to 22.99 percent after that.

Bankrate’s take – is the Blue Business Plus Credit Card worth it?

If you’re a big spender, getting a Blue Business Plus Credit Card may not be the best card for you. You’ll only earn 2X points on the first $50,000 you spend each year (except for rental cars booked through Amex Travel), and your rewards rate will drop down to 1X points after that. Although you can switch to another card when you hit the rewards cap, you may not want the hassle of dealing with multiple credit cards.

But if you’re a small-business owner who wants to rack up rewards without worrying about categories, this is a great card to add to your arsenal. It has a long interest-free period, no annual fee and expanded buying power that will give you the capital you need to grow your business.

Pros

• No annual fee
• 0 percent intro APR on purchases for 12 months (variable APR of 13.24 percent -19.24 percent thereafter)
• Able to go over your credit limit

Cons

• Can only earn 2X points on first $50,000 in purchases
• No intro APR on balance transfers

For rates and fees of the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express Review, please click here.

The information about U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite™ Mastercard® has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.