Is the AmEx Blue Business Plus Credit Card Worth It?
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If you’re looking for a business travel rewards card with a $0 annual fee, you should consider The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express. This card packs in a lot of value, with an easy-to-understand rewards program that lets you earn American Express Membership Rewards points with every purchase. Terms apply.
Here are some things to consider when deciding whether The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express makes sense for your business.
Rewards and benefits for without an annual fee
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express rewards you with 2 points per dollar on all purchases up to $50,000 per year and 1 point per dollar thereafter. There's no cap or limit to how many Membership Rewards points you can earn.
The card comes with several useful benefits, including rental car insurance, extended warranty coverage and purchase protection. These are great benefits on a card with a $0 annual fee, but they fall short of what you get with more premium American Express business cards that do charge annual fees.
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express also comes with a suite of tools for business owners and managers, including options to manage and track employee spending and integrated bill management tools. Terms apply.
» Learn more: AmEx Membership Rewards: How to earn and use them
When it's worth it
It’s easy to get good value from the card if you pay off your balance in full every month to avoid interest charges. But some users will get more value than others. Here are some situations where The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express makes sense for you. Terms apply.
You want travel rewards: Every time you use this card, you’ll earn American Express Membership Rewards points. These points are good for flights, hotels and other travel booked through the AmEx portal. You can also transfer points to airline and hotel partners like Delta, British Airways, Hilton, Marriott and others.
You spend up to $50,000 per year on your business: You earn 2 points per dollar on up to $50,000 in annual purchases and then 1 point per dollar thereafter. If you spend much more than $50,000 per year, you may be better off with another card that doesn’t cap your rewards.
You want to control employee spending: AmEx business cards come with features that allow you to issue and manage employee cards.
You want basic travel and purchase benefits: Rental car insurance is a great benefit that can easily be worth hundreds of dollars per year if you travel for work.
» Learn more: The best AmEx transfer partners — and ones to avoid
When it isn’t worth it
You prefer cash-back rewards: Travel rewards are very useful if you take at least a flight or two per year. If you’re not into travel or don’t want travel rewards, you may be better off with a cash-back rewards card. The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card is a similar card with cash-back rewards.
You spend well over $50,000 per year: The 1-point-per-dollar award rate for purchases after you've spent $50,000 per year isn’t very impressive. If you spend a lot more than $50,000 per year, an average of $4,167 per month, find a card with better rewards for your spending. Higher spenders have an easier time justifying an annual fee.
You want luxury benefits: The benefits on this card are reasonable for its $0 annual fee. But higher-end American Express cards, like The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, feature a much wider range of benefits, including hotel status and airport lounge access.
Terms apply.
The bottom line
If you avoid interest and fees, you'll almost certainly come out ahead with The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express. However, there are other great cards for business owners to consider as well. AmEx, Chase, Capital One and others all make our list of the top small business cards. Terms apply.
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.
Insurance Benefit: Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance
Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply.
Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply.
Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024:
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card