SOME CARD INFO MAY BE OUTDATED
This page includes information about these cards, currently unavailable on NerdWallet. The information has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been provided or reviewed by the card issuer.
There's no easiest American Express business card to get by default. You'll likely need good personal credit to qualify for any of them.
But commenters in online forums like Reddit have their favorites. They often highlight two AmEx business cards as easier to get than others:
- The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card.
- The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express.
These recommendations make sense to our editorial team. Both cards have $0 annual fees and lack over-the-top rewards. They also have preset spending limits. Many other AmEx business cards don't. Put all that together, and these cards feel like easy-to-get, entry-level options.
Consider the American Express Blue for Business Plus if you value AmEx Membership Rewards. The American Express® Blue Business Cash Card is better for cash back. Otherwise, the cards are largely the same.
How the cards compare
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
Rewards
1%-2%
cashback
1x-2x
points
Regular APR
16.74%-28.49% Variable APR
16.74%-28.49% Variable APR
Intro APR
0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening
0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening
Still not sure?
Terms apply.
Terms apply.
Are American Express business cards easy to get?
If you have good credit, you can get many of the best business credit cards. That includes premium cards, like The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.
Based on our conversations and observations, AmEx business cards have a reputation as easy to get. But whether they're easier to get them than options from other issuers is card specific. Here's a breakdown:
American Express vs. Bank of America
Most AmEx cards are easier to get. You'll need excellent personal credit for many Bank of America business cards. That's a FICO score of at least 720.
The exception? The Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® Secured credit card. That may available to those with FICO scores below 630.
It's our pick for the best business secured credit card. AmEx does not have cards for business owners with poor or thin credit.
American Express vs. Capital One
American Express and Capital One both have business cards with no preset spending limit. That means the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment, and credit history
Based on credit score, AmEx's options are easier to get.
The Capital One Spark Cash Plus and Capital One Venture X Business require excellent credit. That's true for most of the issuer's other cash-back and business travel cards.
But Capital One has a business card for fair credit, the Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business. AmEx doesn't have options for entrepreneurs with FICO scores from 630 to 689.
American Express vs. Chase
Chase has similar criteria to AmEx. It's Ink suite of cards is available to those with good personal credit. Like AmEx, Chase doesn't offer business cards for bad credit.
Of note, Chase does impose a so-called "5/24 rule." This means you can't get a new credit card if you have five or more approvals within the last 24 months. You'll need to be under that number to get a Chase business credit card.
We're not aware of a similar policy for AmEx.
Annual Fee
$0 What do you need to get an American Express business card?
The biggest requirement for an American Express business card is good personal credit. You'll also need a Social Security number or similar personal identification. AmEx lets foreign nationals living in the U.S. apply with an individual taxpayer identification number, for instance.
Expect to provide the following on your application:
Business details
- Business name and DBA name (if applicable).
- Business address and phone number.
- Industry type.
- Company structure: corporation, partnership or sole proprietor.
- Years in business.
- Number of employees.
- Annual business revenue and estimated monthly spend.
- Employer identification number (EIN). Sole proprietors can use their Social Security number if they don’t have an EIN.
Personal details
- Name, home address and phone number (home and cell phone).
- Social Security number.
- Date of birth.
- Total annual income, including any investments.
- Non-taxable income, such as Social Security or disability, if applicable.
While AmEx asks for information like business revenue, there aren't distinct approval cutoffs. You can get a business card with no revenue, for instance.
Can startups get AmEx business credit cards?
Yes, AmEx may approve new businesses for a business credit card. You can qualify with good personal credit and some level of personal income or assets.
Factors like established revenue or business credit history aren't approval requirements. But these financials may affect your new business's initial credit limit.
You also don't need to be a registered business like an LLC to qualify. Sole proprietors, freelancers and others who earn self-employed income are potentially eligible.
Are American Express business cards fast to get?
It doesn’t take long to find out if you can get an AmEx business card. The issuer says it can make application decisions in under a minute.
As of this writing, American Express also lets you apply via a "soft credit pull." This is rare among business cards.
Soft pulls check your eligibility without affecting your personal credit. AmEx says it may affect your business credit score. But this perk is valuable if you're not sure if you'll qualify for a card or not.
Which AmEx business credit card should you get?
No one AmEx business card is easier or harder to get than another. So instead of approval odds, choose an AmEx business card based on three things:
- Where your business spends the most (flights, hotels, advertising, restaurants, shipping, office supplies, etc.).
- What type of rewards you want — cash back or AmEx Membership Rewards points.
- How much of an annual fee you can stomach. Annual fees for AmEx business cards range from $0 to $895.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
The annual fee on your business credit card is tax deductible if you use the card solely for business expenses. Top AmEx business credit cards
Here are our editorial team's top-rated American Express business cards. But AmEx has many other excellent cards to choose from. See our full list of the best American Express business cards.
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
Our pick for: AmEx business cash-back card
Annual Fee
$0 The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card boasts one of the better introductory APR offers among business credit cards. Beyond that, you earn a solid cash-back rate (at least for a while — the rate drops after you hit a spending threshold). There's also a $0 annual fee. Terms apply. Learn more and apply.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Our pick for: AmEx business travel card
Annual Fee
$895 The Business Platinum Card® from American Express comes with a big annual fee. But business travelers who prefer to go in style will find plenty that appeals to them: high rewards on certain travel purchases, bonus rewards on larger nontravel purchases, a superb newcomer welcome offer, extensive airport lounge access, elite hotel status, hundreds of dollars a year in available credits and a list of perks as long as your arm. It's not cheap, but luxury never is. Terms apply. Learn more and apply.
» MORE: Best business travel cards
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card
Our pick for: AmEx airline business card
Annual Fee
$150 There are splashier Delta AmEx cards, with annual fees to match. But the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card delivers a welcome balance of perks vs. fees. You’ll earn bonus miles on restaurants, as well as Delta flights. Ditto for U.S. shipping and advertising providers (up to $50,000 of purchases per category, per year). There’s also a $200 annual Delta flight credit when you spend at least $10,000 in a calendar year. And the card has a $0 annual fee in the first year. After that, the $150 annual fee kicks in. Terms apply. Learn more and apply.
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
Our pick for: AmEx hotel business card
Annual Fee
$125 The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card can pay for itself just with its Free Night Award every year. Add in the included elite status, generous rewards, a dandy welcome offer and more, and it's hard to go wrong. Terms apply. Learn more and apply.
» MORE: Best hotel business cards
Notes from card issuers
To view rates and fees of The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® 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 Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business credit card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.
