Is the AmEx Blue Business Plus Credit Card Worth It?

This credit card can earn business owners a good chunk of travel rewards.
Eric Rosenberg
By Eric Rosenberg 
Published
Edited by June Casagrande

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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.

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. Extended warranty coverage adds one year to eligible manufacturer warranties of five years or less. Purchase protection covers new purchases for up to $1,000 for the first 90 days for damage or theft (not loss).

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 for 2020. 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.


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 2024, including those best for:

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