How Do I Know the AmEx Blue Business Plus Is Right for Me?

Amanda JohnsonFebruary 23, 2021
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With so many credit cards out there, it can be difficult to compare benefits to get the right card for your spending habits and needs. If you have been considering The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, here are a few questions to ask yourself.

Do I run a small business?

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is ideal for small businesses just dipping their toes into the business credit card pool. With an annual fee of $0 and 2 Membership Rewards points per $1 on up to $50,000 in purchases each year, this is a great card for businesses with lower spend in a wide variety of categories. Terms apply.

No category restrictions means you’ll earn 2 Membership Rewards points per $1, whether you’re spending on shipping or restaurants or travel or office supplies. Your rewards aren’t limited to narrow bands of merchant codes. After the first $50,000, you’ll still earn 1 Membership Rewards point per dollar spent. Terms apply.

» Learn more: Full review of the AmEx Blue Business Plus

Will my employees need credit cards?

With The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, you can have up to 99 employee cards, enabling your trusted employees to earn rewards for you on their business purchases. Furthermore, you can easily add employee card spending limits to help monitor and control employee spending. You can even designate a trusted employee as an account manager to help oversee your card account. Terms apply.

The American Express® Business App lets you add receipts and notes to each transaction to help manage your business card expenses, and an interface with QuickBooks makes it easy to see your card transactions in the QuickBooks Banking page. Terms apply.

Just remember, as with all employee cards, you are responsible for the purchases made on your account, whether or not you personally authorized the purchase.

» Learn more: NerdWallet's best small business credit cards

Do I like cash back or flexible rewards?

A factor to consider when looking at any credit card — personal or business — is how you will use the rewards you get. Are you looking to funnel those rewards straight back into your statement with cash back? Are you looking for great redemption benefits for travel? Do you prefer the flexibility to spend rewards in a variety of ways — even if that might mean a lesser value?

With The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, your reward redemption is flexible. For travel, Membership Rewards points can be transferred to the reward programs of travel partners or can be used to book or upgrade travel with American Express Travel. If travel isn’t in your future, spend your Membership Rewards points at check out at a number of popular retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Dell, Expedia, Grubhub, and Staples. And, there’s the option to use the Membership Rewards points to purchase gift cards. Terms apply.

For a straight cash-back redemption model, you’ll want to look into the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card.

To view rates and fees of the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, see this page.

How to Maximize Your Rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2021, including those best for:

Planning a trip? Check out these articles for more inspiration and advice: Find the best travel credit card for you The cool way one small business uses credit card rewards Earn more points and miles with these 6 strategies

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