AmEx Blue Business Cash Review: A Great Cash-Back Card for New Businesses

The card offers an easy-to-understand flat rate on everything you buy, and it even does the redemption work for you.
Robin Saks Frankel
Kimberly Palmer
By Kimberly Palmer and  Robin Saks Frankel 
Edited by Ryan Lane

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Our Take

4.9

NerdWallet rating 
The bottom line:

The AmEx Blue Business Cash is a solid pick for business owners seeking simplicity. But big spenders or those who spend heavily in specific areas can get more value out of other cards.

Jump to: Full review
Best Small-Business Credit Card
 
 
Best Small-Business Credit Card
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
Annual fee
$0
Regular APR
18.49%-26.49% Variable APR
Intro APR
0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening
Rec. credit score
690-850 (Good - Excellent)
Apply now

on American Express' website

Rates & fees

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • No annual fee

  • High rewards rate

  • Intro APR period

  • Cash rewards

Cons

  • Spending caps on bonus rewards

  • Requires good/excellent credit

Alternate Pick: For Membership Rewards
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
NerdWallet rating 
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
Get points rather than cash

This card is a near twin of The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card except that you earn American Express Membership Rewards points rather than cash back. Specifically, you get 2 points per dollar spent on the first $50,000 in purchases each calendar year, and 1 point per dollar after that. Terms apply.

Read our review

Compare to Other Cards

NerdWallet rating 
NerdWallet rating 
Annual fee

$0

Annual fee

$95

Regular APR

18.49%-26.49% Variable APR

Rates & fees

Regular APR

21.24%-26.24% Variable APR

Intro APR

0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening

Intro APR

N/A

Recommended Credit Score
Recommended Credit Score
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Full Review

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card is an excellent business credit card, especially for new businesses, thanks to its combination of high cash-back rate, intro APR period and no annual fee.

You’ll get 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.49%-26.49% Variable APR. And it has one of the best cash-back rates available for a card without an annual fee: Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement. Terms Apply.

But businesses with large operating budgets, and those that spend a lot on things like shipping, office supplies and telecom expenses, can get all that and more with other cash-back business credit cards.

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card is best for small-business owners who:

  • Expect to spend less than $50,000 annually on their business credit card.

  • Need an intro APR period to finance startup costs or larger purchases.

  • Prefer the simplicity of a flat cash-back rate. 

  • Don’t want to pay an annual fee.

If you anticipate spending more than $50,000 on your card annually, opt for a card that gives top-rate rewards for all of your spending:

  • Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash℠ Card: Like the AmEx Blue Business Cash, this card has no annual fee and earns a flat 2% cash back. But Wells Fargo’s card has no caps or limits. It also has a more substantial welcome offer: Earn a $500 cash rewards bonus when you spend $5,000 in purchases in the first 3 months.

If your business spending is concentrated in areas like shipping, office supplies, gas or advertising, you could earn more rewards if you opt for a cash-back card with bonus categories:

  • U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®: Earn 3% cash back on eligible purchases at gas stations, office supply stores, cell phone service providers and restaurants. Earn 1% cash back on all other eligible net purchases. This card also offers one of the longest intro APR periods available with a business credit card (and it applies to balance transfers, too). Plus, there’s no annual fee and a solid welcome offer.

🤓Nerdy Tip

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card has a nearly identical twin: The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, which earns Membership Rewards points, rather than cash back. Membership Rewards points can be redeemed for travel, among other things.

Key features of The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

View rates and fees of The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card.

Card type: Small business.

Annual fee: $0.

Welcome offer: Earn a $250 statement credit after you make $3,000 in purchases on your Card in your first 3 months. Terms Apply.

Rewards: Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement. Terms Apply.

APR: 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.49%-26.49% Variable APR.

Foreign transaction fee: 2.7%.

Other benefits:

  • Flexibility to spend a limited amount above your credit limit with AmEx’s Extended Buying Power. Terms apply.

  • Can add up to 99 employee cards to your account for no additional fee. Limits for each employee card can be set online or by phone.

  • Secondary rental car coverage in the U.S. and abroad if you pay for the vehicle with your American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card and decline the collision damage waiver at the rental counter. Terms and exclusions apply.

Why you might want The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

Solid, straightforward rewards

There's no need to track categories or juggle multiple cards. Everything you buy with The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card will net you 2% cash back until you hit that $50,000 annual spending cap. Then, you'll earn an unlimited 1% cash back on spending. Terms apply. If you max out the spending cap, you'll net $1,000 back. Other cards may offer greater potential earnings — but not many with an annual fee of $0.

Credit limit flexibility

If your spending level varies significantly from month to month or you have a period of purchasing in which you need some wiggle room, The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card might be able to help. According to the card's terms, you can spend in excess of your credit limit. You’ll just need to pay the balance above your credit limit in full every month or you’ll face penalty fees.

0% intro APR offer

Business credit cards with 0% APR intro periods of a year or longer aren’t especially common. But The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card offers one:0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.49%-26.49% Variable APR. This can buy you time to pay down a big purchase.

Automatic redemptions

As long as your account is in good standing, you'll get an automatic statement credit for your rewards without any effort on your end. This may count as a drawback for those who want to save up their rewards for specific redemptions. But for time-strapped business owners, there's no need to wait until you've accumulated a certain amount and no remembering to log in to get your rewards. This card takes care of that for you.

No annual fee

For budget-conscious small-business owners, avoiding an annual fee is a plus, especially if your spending doesn't justify the rewards that can come from cards that charge annual fees.

Why you might want a different card

Annual spending cap

Businesses that spend much more than $50,000 each year would likely be better off with a cash-back business card that offers unlimited rewards. The Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash℠ Card, for example, earns 2% back on all purchases, with no limit on how much you can earn and no annual fee. It also offers a better sign-up bonus and matches the Blue Business Cash’s intro APR period.

The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card from Chase is another solid alternative. It has a slightly lower cash-back rate (1.5% cash back on all spending), but you’ll come out ahead compared to The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card if you spend more than $100,000 annually on it. The welcome offer is a big selling point, too: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

No bonus categories

If your spending easily falls into common business categories, a card with bonus categories like the U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard® may make sense. This no-annual-fee option offers the following rewards: Earn 3% cash back on eligible purchases at gas stations, office supply stores, cell phone service providers and restaurants. Earn 1% cash back on all other eligible net purchases.

Foreign transaction fee and no travel rewards

If your business purchases inventory overseas or employees regularly travel abroad, opt for a business card with no foreign transaction fees.

The Capital One Spark Cash Select for Excellent Credit is one of the few cash-back cards to also offer no foreign transaction fees. It has no annual fee, a great welcome offer and flat-rate rewards: Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back for your business on every purchase, everywhere — with no limits or category restrictions. Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. (See rates and fees.)

You can also opt for a business travel card to avoid foreign transaction fees. The Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card is a solid no-annual-fee option that earns 1.5 points per $1.

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offers even better rewards (1x-3x per $1) with spending in travel, shipping, advertising and telecom netting the highest rates. As with most travel cards, there is an annual fee ($95) but there’s also a huge welcome offer: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠.. And Chase Ultimate Rewards® points can be redeemed for cash — 1 point is worth 1 cent — but they are worth even more when redeemed for travel via the Chase Travel℠ portal.

» MORE: See our picks for best business travel credit cards

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card vs. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is another card to consider if you're interested in domestic travel. This card is identical in every way to The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card (including the foreign transaction fee) except for one crucial detail: the kind of rewards they earn.

If you're looking for straight-cash back and you're OK with it as a statement credit, The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card is the clear winner for its simple rewards structure and automatic redemptions. Earning 2% cash back on the card on up to $50,000 annually means you'll earn 2 cents for every dollar spent. Even when you hit that spending cap and the earning rate drops to 1% cash back, that's still worth 1 cent for every dollar.

With The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (see rates and fees), depending on how you redeem your Membership Rewards points, you can typically get a value between half a cent to one cent per point (and potentially two cents or more for some travel-related redemptions). Redeeming Membership Rewards points for a statement credit is an option, but points are worth only 0.6 cents each when redeemed this way.

Gift cards and merchandise are also options for using your points stash, but their value also tends to be less than a penny per point.

Should you get The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card?

If your business expenses are varied and less than $50,000 a year, The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card is a straightforward way to earn solid cash back. The card gets an easy-to-understand flat rate on all purchases, and it does the redemption work for you.

Someone who spends heavily in specific categories, like gas or office supplies, may find more benefit from a card that offers elevated earnings in those areas. Or someone who wants greater flexibility with their rewards might find that a card with multiple redemption options is a better fit.

To view rates and fees of The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, see this page.

The information related to the Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash℠ Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.

To view rates and fees of Capital One Spark Cash Select for Excellent Credit, see this page.
Apply now

on American Express' website

Methodology

NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.
Frequently asked questions

You earn 2% cash back on the first $50,000 in eligible purchases per calendar year. All other purchases earn 1%. Terms apply.

The 2% cash back rate is capped at $50,000 in spending each year, but you still earn 1% cash back after that (terms apply), so there is not a cap on total rewards.

The expanded buying power benefit on The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card allows you to exceed your credit limit up to a certain amount. Your expanded buying power is determined by your spending habits, payment history, credit record and other factors. The portion in excess of your credit limit is required to be paid in full every billing cycle, and it's included in your minimum payment. If you don’t pay the total minimum payment due, you’re charged interest and a penalty rate for the entire balance.

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card lets you carry a balance like a typical credit card. Keep in mind, though, that if you use the card’s expanded buying power benefit — an option that allows you to exceed your credit limit up to a certain amount — you will have to pay off the balance above your credit limit in full at the end of each billing cycle.

It's fine for domestic travel, but The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card isn't ideal for taking abroad. As an American Express card, it isn’t as widely accepted by international merchants as Visa and Mastercard. Perhaps more important, it charges a 2.7% foreign transaction fee. Terms apply.

The key difference is the rewards they earn. The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card is a cash-back card, while The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express earns Membership Rewards points. Other features are mostly comparable. So the decision comes down to whether you prefer cash back (which, since it's cash, has a set value) or points (whose value depends on how you redeem them — travel, gift cards, statement credit, point transfers and so on).