AmEx SimplyCash Business Card: You Can Do Better

Considering the AmEx SimplyCash Business Card? You’re close – but you can do better. The SimplyCash is a good small business credit card, sure. But is it the best? Sorry, no. We’ll take you through the benefits and show you a couple cards you might want to consider instead.

Rewards!

Generally, we like to start by taking a look at the signing bonus. Unfortunately, the SimplyCash has no sign-up bonus to examine, which makes us very sad nerds. The ongoing rewards, however, do cheer us up a bit. You earn cash back at a 5% rate on office supplies and wireless services, 3% on gas and 1% on all other purchases. It’s not a bad program, especially since your rewards manifest in the form of cash. And considering the SimplyCash doesn’t require an annual fee, everything you earn is instant profit. Transactions with FedEx, Hertz and OfficeMax are eligible for 3-10% discounts for business expenses. You’ll also get a 0% intro purchase APR for 12 months for a year of interest-free spending.

Think Ink

Chase offers a series of “Ink” business cards, which consists of the Ink Cash Business, the Ink Bold and the Ink Classic. The SimplyCash is most comparable to the Ink Cash Business. They’re nearly identical, but the Ink Cash offers a few additional incentives that may be worth your attention. For starters, it offers a $250 cash sign-up bonus when you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months. The ongoing rewards are very similar to those of the SimplyCash, raking in points at 5% on office supplies and phone and cable services, 2% on gas and dining and 1% back on everything else. Notice the SimplyCash offers 3% on gas whereas the Ink Cash only offers 2%, but the Ink’s 2% category also includes dining. It’s a bit of a tradeoff. The Ink Cash supplements its perks with a 0% intro APR for 6 months on purchases and transfer to help businesses that need to make a couple quick investments or pay down debts. Considering the sign-up bonus, the 2% rewards on dining and the intro APR on both purchases and transfers, we’d rank the Ink Cash a smidge above the SimplyCash.

SimplyCash® Business Card from American Express OPEN	Ink Cash℠ Business
Signing Promo
None	$250 Cash Bonus after spending $5,000 - $100 after first purchase; another $150 when you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months*
Intro APR Promo
Purchase: 0% on purchases for 6, 9, or 12 months Bal Trans: N/A*	Purchase: 0% for 12 mos Bal Trans: 0% for 12 mos
Annual fee
$0	$0
Details
Get 5% cash back on wireless services and office supply purchases* Get 3% cash back on automobile gasoline* Get 1% cash back on other purchases* No limit to the amount of cash back you can earn Cash back on purchases is automatically credited to your statement each month Save 3% to 10% automatically on business expenses from FedEx, Hertz(R), OfficeMax(R), and more with OPEN Savings(R)* No annual membership fee	Up to $250 cash back bonus - $100 cash back bonus after your first purchase, plus an additional $150 after you spend $5,000 within 3 months! 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent annually at office supply stores, and on cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent annually at gas stations and restaurants 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn Cash back rewards do not expire 0% Introductory APR for 12 months No Annual Fee

There is little variation between the Ink Cash and Ink Classic. The main difference is the Classic pays out rewards in Ultimate Rewards Points rather than cash (we value that Chase’s rewards points equal to cash, since they’re straightforward and easy to redeem). The Classic also earns 5% on fuel and lodging rather than fuel and dining, meaning it’s tailored more for travel than its counterpart. Also, for some reason, the Classic offers the same intro APR on purchases but not transfers.

Then there’s the Ink Bold. The Bold is the perfect card for two types: the bonus hit-and-runs and the big spenders. The Bold has an awesome signup bonus of 50,000 Ultimate Rewards Points – exciting enough, but it gets better. In an offer available only to Ink Bold and Chase Sapphire Preferred customers, your points are worth 25% more if you redeem them for travel through the Ultimate Rewards booking tool. That’s a value of $625! And since the $95 annual fee is waived the first year, you can get the card, spend the $5,000 necessary to snag the killer signup bonus, and skedaddle before you have to pay the annual fee.

The other constituency that would benefit from the Bold are those who spend well over $50,000 a year. It charges a $95 annual fee and follows a rewards program similar to its no-fee siblings. In fact, the Bold’s 5-2-1% tiered rewards are identical to the Classic—the only difference is after you spend $50,000 in a year, your base rate is bumped up to 1.45%. The signing bonus is also twice as large at 50,000 points. Unlike the other Inks, the Bold is a charge card—not a credit card. That means you have no preset spending limits or interest rates, but you are required to pay off your balance in full at the end of each billing period. Also, the Bold has no credit card foreign transaction fee, which is essential if you’re traveling overseas.  The other Ink cards charge 3% on every overseas transaction, and the AmEx SimplyCash charges 2.7%.

Quick business card guide

Go with the Ink Classic if you’ll be traveling to destinations requiring overnight accommodations.

Go with the Ink Cash if you’re more interested in dining rewards than hotel stays.

Go with the Ink Bold if you spend over $50,000 a year and travel overseas.

Go with the AmEx SimplyCash if you don’t care about dining or hotel rewards but could use cash back on gas and FedEx/OfficeMax discounts.