AmEx Business Green Rewards Review: When Green Means No

Simply put, there's no real point to the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express. Unlike the consumer version of the card, it underwhelms with a piddling rewards rate and a tiny welcome offer. And despite its lousy value, it charges an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $95 (This offer is no longer valid on our site.).

Whether you own a small business or have a side hustle, you can get much better rewards and terms with competing cards, including from American Express itself.

Business Green Rewards Card from American Express: Basics

Card type: Small business and rewards.

Annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $95 (This offer is no longer valid on our site.).

Welcome offer: Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases with the Business Green Rewards Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply. (This offer is no longer valid on our site)

Rewards:

• 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at amextravel.com.

• 1 point per dollar on all other spending.

• Terms apply.

Membership Rewards points can be worth 0.5 cent to 1 cent apiece depending on how they're redeemed. Travel and gift card redemptions are generally the most valuable. Points can also be transferred to several other airline and hotel loyalty programs. Potentially, they can be worth even more if redeemed strategically after being transferred.

Foreign transaction fees: 2.7% of each transaction.

Interest rate: Purchases made with the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express are classified as either "Pay Over Time" or "Pay In Full":

• Pay Over Time: This is an optional feature that allows you to carry a balance from one month to the next. If you have this option activated, purchases of $100 or more are automatically classified as Pay Over Time. None. Although the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express does not have a preset spending limit, it does impose a limit on your Pay Over Time balance; any purchases above that limit become Pay In Full. Terms apply.

• Pay In Full: These purchases must be paid off completely each month, so they do not incur interest. All purchases of less than $100 are Pay In Full, as are any purchases over your Pay Over Time balance limit. If you choose not to use Pay Over Time, then all purchases are Pay In Full. Terms apply.

One helpful benefit of this card is that it has no preset spending limit. That doesn't mean you have "unlimited" spending power, but it does mean you have more flexibility, and the amount you can put on the card can grow over time. American Express explains in the terms and conditions: "Purchasing power adjusts with your use of the Card, your payment history, credit record and financial resources known to us, and other factors."

Business Green Rewards Card from American Express: Why you're better off passing

High annual fee, Few rewards

The Business Green Rewards Card from American Express comes with an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $95 (This offer is no longer valid on our site.). But its rewards would be lackluster even for a no-annual-fee card.

Consider The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, which earns 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar on the first $50,000 in spending each year and 1 point per dollar after that for an annual fee of $0. You also get an introductory 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.24%-26.24% Variable APR. Terms apply (To view rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, see this page.).

Foreign transaction fees

Even though the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express earns points that are most valuable when redeemed for travel, it's not exactly traveler-friendly. For starters, it charges foreign transaction fees, while most travel cards don't. If you plan to travel abroad, you're better off with one of the many cards that don't charge these.

Try the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, which doesn't charge foreign transaction fees. It also has an annual fee of $95. That fee isn't waived in the first year — but if you have large business expenses, you could claim a sign-up bonus that's considerably more valuable than the welcome offer on the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express. The bonus: Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $15,000 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 Ultimate Rewards®.. The card earns 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 in spending on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. Points are worth 1.25 cents apiece when redeemed for travel booked through Chase. As with the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express, points on this card can also be transferred to several other airline and hotel loyalty programs.

Lack of travel Perks

/m Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles – equal to $500 in travel – once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

Aside from offering transferrable points, the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express offers little in the way of travel perks, even when compared with the consumer version of the card, the American Express® Green Card, which has an annual fee of $150 (see rates and fees).

In addition to offering richer rewards and a superior welcome offer, the American Express® Green Card also comes with trip delay insurance: If a round trip is paid entirely with your card and a covered reason delays your trip for more than 12 hours, you can get reimbursed for up to $300 per trip in certain additional expenses for up to two claims a year. Terms apply. The Business Green Rewards Card from American Express lacks such coverage.

The American Express® Green Card also comes with potentially valuable travel credits. Each year, you'll get a $189 credit to cover the cost of a Clear membership, which can help you skip long lines at security checkpoints in airports and stadiums. You'll also get a $100 LoungeBuddy credit, which can be used to cover one-time passes to several airport lounges worldwide. Terms apply. The Business Green Rewards Card from American Express doesn't offer any credits like these.

Should you get the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express?

Probably not. American Express offers plenty of top-notch small-business cards, but this one is a miss. You could, and should, do so much better.