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Running a small business can be a real challenge, especially when dealing with credit card headaches and lackluster rewards. Let’s take a closer look at the Amex Blue Business Plus to see if it’s the boost your business needs or if there are better options out there.
This article will include:
- All the ins and outs of the Amex Blue Business Plus.
- The pros and cons of getting this card.
- A breakdown of how the Amex Blue Business Plus works.
Read more:
Our Verdict
4.8
American Express Blue Business Plus Credit Card: PoF Score
| Annual Fee | annual_fees | 5/5 |
| APR | reg_apr,reg_apr_type | 5/5 |
| Intro Offer | bonus_miles_full | 2/5 |
| Maximum Rewards | 2x points | 3/5 |
| Everyday Rewards | 1x points | 4/5 |
| On FIRE Score | 3.8/5 |
What Is the Amex Blue Business Plus Credit Card?
The American Express Blue Business Plus is an underrated, catch-all card for small business owners. It combines a solid rewards program with no annual fee and the flexibility to use your points how you want.
The card offers a flat rate of 2x Membership Rewards points–up to $50,000 in business purchases each year. Despite the spending cap, that’s a decent return on your purchases.
How Does the Amex Blue Business Plus Card Work?
This card is all about earning rewards, and it does that well. You’ll get 2x Membership Rewards points for every dollar spent on business expenses, which is applicable as long as your annual spending stays under $50,000. You’ll also get 1x points on other eligible purchases after you spend your first $50,000 on the card.
You can use the card for a variety of business expenses, like office supplies, advertising, or travel. Each point is worth around 0.5 to 2 cents each, which you can redeem for travel, gift cards, and statement credits.
The business card also has no annual fees, so you can enjoy all the benefits without shelling out money just to own the card. Plus, for the first twelve months, you get a 0% APR on purchases—a handy cost-saver for bigger office expenses like bulk orders or equipment upgrades.
Amex Blue Business Plus Credit Card: Fees
| Details | Metric |
| Annual fee | annual_fees |
| Regular APR | reg_apr,reg_apr_type |
| Intro APR | intro_apr_rate,intro_apr_duration |
| Penalty APR | 29.99% |
| Balance transfer fees | balance_transfer_fees |
| Foreign transaction fee | foreign_transaction_fee |
| Returned payment fee | $39 |
| Late fee | late_payment_fee |
Amex Blue Business Plus Credit Card: Pros and Cons
Does this card have the potential to boost your business? Here are the American Express Business Plus benefits and drawbacks to help you decide–
Pros
- No annual fee.
- 0% intro APR for the first 12 months.
- Flexible rewards with flat-rate membership points.
- Amex can expand your credit limit.
- Employee cards and expense management tools.
- Extended warranty and purchase protection.
Cons
- Foreign transaction fee of 2.7%.
- Limited travel benefits for international business.
- You’ll need a good to excellent credit score.
- Spending cap of $50,000 to get maximum rewards.
Why I like it
No annual fee
Compared to other Amex cards, this one comes as a breath of fresh air with no annual fee. Small businesses can enjoy the benefits and rewards of the card without worrying about an extra yearly expense.
0% intro APR
Another cost-saver is the 0% intro APR, which lets you make purchases and carry a balance without paying interest for the first 12 months. This can help take some pressure off when you need to finance business expenses or manage cash flow.
Flexible rewards
You can earn 2x Membership Rewards points for everyday business purchases and 1x points for other eligible purchases (after spending your first $50,000).
Once you rake up enough points, you can redeem them for travel, gift cards, Amazon purchases, or even cash back.
And how can you redeem your Membership Rewards? Here are a few options:
- Use the “Pay with Points” program with participating brands to redeem points at the checkout.
- Shop for products on MembershipRewards.com.
- Redeem points toward your next flight, cruise, or prepaid hotel at AmexTravel.com.
- Convert points into a deposit with an American Express® Rewards checking account or business checking account.
Looking for better rewards? Check out the best cash-back credit cards.
Amex can expand your credit limit
The Amex Blue Business Plus credit limit varies but can start from $2,000 up to $35,000–with many receiving around $10,000. To boost this, the card offers “Expanded Buying Power”, a tool that lets you extend your credit limit.
But this doesn’t mean unlimited spending.
Amex will adjust the amount based on your payment history and credit record. So, if it’s not up to scratch, don’t get your expectations up.
Employee cards and expense management tools
The rewards and lack of an annual fee are designed to cater to small business owners. It doesn’t stop there—you’ll get more useful benefits thrown in, such as:
- Employee Cards: Add up to 99 Employee Cards to your account and earn Membership Rewards points on their purchases at no additional annual fee.
- Account management: Allow trusted individuals to access and manage your Business Card account for the times when you’re unavailable (aka. sipping mojitos on vacation).
- Access to QuickBooks: Save time with auto-expense categorization as your card transactions are automatically tagged with your QuickBooks categories.
- Year-end summary: Access a year-end summary of charges so you can review your annual spending. You’ll get an overview of your expenditure, organized into categories, which you can download or print.
- Account alerts: Set account alerts to help avoid late payments, spot irregular spending, and monitor your Employee Cards.
- Online statements: View your purchase history, prepare reports, and budget your expenses.
- Vendor Pay by Bill.com: Use your card to pay bills with Vendor Pay by Bill.com. With the basic plan, there is no monthly fee for the first user and no fee for a second user for six months. After six months, the second user will have a fee of $15 per month.
Extended warranty and purchase protection
If your business spends a lot on electronics and technology, there’s also an extended warranty and purchase protection to give you some extra peace of mind.
Purchase protection goes up to 90 days from the date of the purchase in cases of theft or accidental damage. The protection is capped at $1,000 per incident and up to $50,000 per account within a calendar year.
And here’s a breakdown of the terms surrounding the extended warranty policy–
| Extended warranty time period | Original Manufacturer Warranty time period | Per item | Per year |
| Up to 1 additional year | On original manufacturer’s warranties of 5 years or less | Up to $10,000 per covered purchase | Up to $50,000 per card |
Why you may want a different card
Foreign transaction fee
One of the downsides of Amex Blue Business Plus is that it comes with a foreign transaction fee of 2.7%.
If you do a lot of international business and want to avoid those extra fees, consider the card_name. In addition to no foreign transaction fees, the card also gives you a maximum of 3x points, worth 25% more when you redeem for travel.
Limited travel benefits
This isn’t designed to be a travel card, so you won’t find the extensive travel perks that other premium cards like card_name offer.
If you’re a frequent jet setter or business traveler, check out the top travel cards with cash back instead.
A good credit score is needed
To qualify for the card, you generally need a good to excellent credit score, usually in the FICO range of 690 or higher.
Amex also looks at other factors in the application process, including income, age, employment type, and an existing relationship with Amex. But if your credit score isn’t up to the mark, it could be a huge entry barrier.
Spending cap
The card has an annual spending cap of $50,000 if you want to earn the 2x rewards. Once you hit that limit, you’ll earn a lower rate on your spending.
For businesses with very high expenses or those looking to expand, this cap could be a dealbreaker. If that’s the case, check out the card_name—it has no spending cap and offers 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
Amex Blue Business Plus Credit Card: Additional Things to Know
Our Verdict
4.8
How to get the Amex Blue Business Plus?
The Blue Business Plus is only available for commercial or business purposes, so if you don’t have the credentials to back that up, you’ll have a hard time securing the card. But if you’re a legit business, the approval process is pretty straightforward.
You can apply through the American Express website or by calling their customer service. To increase your chances of approval, make sure you have a good credit score of around 690 or higher, and a steady income to support your credit line.
You’ll also need to provide the following information in the application:
- Legal business name
- Business address and phone number
- Industry type and company structure
- Years in business and number of employees
- Business revenue and tax ID
- Personal details
What’s the Amex Blue Business Plus credit limit?
The Amex Blue Business Plus credit limit can range from as little as $2,000 up to $35,000–with many cardholders landing around the $10,000 mark.
Amex doesn’t specify an exact credit limit–it can vary depending on your creditworthiness and financial situation. They can also look into other factors when making a decision, like your credit history and income.
And remember that your credit limit can change over time as your financial circumstances evolve. You may see it going up or down with your payment history and credit records. So, it’s probably best to avoid any outlandish purchases until you reach your desired credit limit.
Which is better: Amex Blue Business Plus vs. Business Platinum?
The Blue Business Plus is ideal for small business owners as there’s no annual fee and 2x points for all business purchases. There are also a bunch of business benefits to help manage expenses, track employee spending, and organize finances.
On the flip side, the Amex Business Platinum card is essentially a premium travel card with business benefits and a hefty annual fee of $695. Alongside the expense management tools, the card comes with plenty of travel perks, like airport lounge access and statement credits for travel expenses.
Here’s a quick comparison—
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Bonus Intro Rewardsbonus_miles_full |
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If you’re a frequent business traveler and can take full advantage of Platinum’s benefits, it might be worth the annual fee. But for most small business owners, Blue Business Plus is the more cost-effective choice.
Take a look at the best business credit cards for more options.
Is the Amex Blue Business Plus card worth it?
Small business owners can get a lot out of this card without having to shell out for high annual fees and interest rates in the first year. As long as you stay below the annual spending cap, you’ll get a rewarding 2x points on all business purchases—which is great value for any credit card.
But with the serious lack of travel benefits, you’re better off looking elsewhere if international travel is a key part of your business. Or you could get the best of both worlds by combining this card with other travel cards, such as the Amex Platinum.
Before committing, assess your business’s financial situation and spending patterns to make sure you’ll get full use out of the points systems and benefits the card offers.
How to Maximize Points With the Amex Blue Business Plus Card
The Amex Blue Business isn’t a travel card, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use the Membership Rewards Points to your advantage. Transferring points to airlines rather than utilizing them for direct cash payments can yield a higher value depending on the airline loyalty program.
According to Bankrate, when converted to airline miles, 50,000 points can be estimated to have a value of approximately $950. Amex lets you transfer points to various airlines, with the majority offering a one-to-one ratio, meaning that each point equals roughly one mile.
Among these options, the most favorable conversion rate is provided by Marriott Bonvoy, with a two-to-three ratio. This means 50,000 Membership Rewards points can be exchanged for 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, offering a value-boosting redemption opportunity.
You can then transfer your Marriot Bonvoy Points into the loyalty programs of over 35 different airlines.
Here’s a breakdown of the Amex airline partners and their respective transfer ratios—
| Airline | Membership Reward Points (MRP) | Airline points/miles | Minimum transfer amount |
| Asia Miles | 1 MRP | 1 Asia Miles | 1000 points |
| British Airways | 1 MRP | 1 Avios | 1000 points |
| Delta SkyMiles® | 1000 MRP | 1000 SkyMiles® | 1000 points |
| Emirates Skywards | 1 MRP | 1 Skywards mile | 1000 points |
| Etihad Guest | 1 MRP | 1 Etihad Guest mile | 1000 points |
| Finnair Plus | 1 MRP | 1 Finnair Plus point | 1000 points |
| Flying Blue | 1 MRP | 1 Flying Blue mile | 500 points |
| Iberia Plus | 1 MRP | 1 Avios | 1000 points |
| Marriot Bonvoy | 2 MRP | 3 Marriot Points | 400 points |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1 MRP | 1 Qantas Point | 500 points |
| SAS Eurobonus | 1 MRP | 1 EuroBonus Point | 1000 points |
| Singapore KrisFlyer | 3 MRP | 2 KrisFlyer mile | 900 points |
| Virgin Atlantic Real Time UK | 1 MRP | 1 Virgin Point | 1000 points |
Various airline and hotel partnerships also offer special bonuses and upgrades throughout the year, so keep an eye out for any updates to get the best value for your points.
You can also use the Amex rewards calculator to see what you get with your points.
Plus, discover how to use your Amex points to boost your Prime Day Amazon purchases.
Best Cards to Pair With the Amex Platinum Credit Card
Another way to maximize points is by combining your Blue Business Plus with other Amex cards, especially if you have the lifestyle and spending power to make good use of the rewards.
Here are some options if you want to score a winning trifecta:
- card_name: With 4x points on groceries and dining, this is a great choice for all the foodies or those with big families and even bigger grocery bills.
- card_name: This card can take your wanderlust to another level with 5x points on flights and hotels, as well as a bunch of other travel features and perks.
And if you want to branch out, try combining your Amex Business card with the card_name for great dining travel rewards. The card offers 5x points on travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 2x on other travel purchases, and 3x points on dining and online grocery purchases.
But don’t start applying to everything all at once. Consider the sign-up bonuses of each card, then focus on meeting the minimum spending requirement for the welcome offers and hold off on applying for a second card for at least 90 days.
Alternatives to the Amex Blue Business Plus Credit Card
Here are some more options to boost your business—
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Score: 4.4
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Score: 4.2
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Score: 4.6
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Intro APRintro_apr_rate,intro_apr_duration |
Regular APRreg_apr,reg_apr_type |
Regular APRreg_apr,reg_apr_type |
Regular APRreg_apr,reg_apr_type |
Recommended creditcredit_score_needed |
Recommended creditcredit_score_needed |
Recommended creditcredit_score_needed |
Bonus Intro Rewardsbonus_miles_full |
Bonus Intro Rewardsbonus_miles_full |
Bonus Intro Rewardsbonus_miles_full |
Amex Blue Business Plus Credit Card: Useful Links
- Apply for Amex Blue Business Plus.
- Find out more on the Amex Blue Business Plus website.
- Amex Blue Business Plus customer service number.
- Learn more on the Amex FAQ page.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s website.
Amex Blue Business Plus Credit Card Customer Reviews
Don’t just take it from us, here’s what cardholders and potential customers have to say—
One happy customer commented, “This card is close to perfect—a catch-all card to use on purchases that don’t fit into the Platinum and Gold Card bonus categories, no annual fee, and a card that shares rewards points. The only “downside” to this card is if you spend over $50,000, then you’ll only get 1x back on all purchases rather than 2x points.”
One cardholder praised the approval process, “I have a credit score of 635 and got a $2,000 credit limit, which I’m happy with because all I could previously get was secured cards. Before applying, try to get all your business information tight, like your phone, address, etc.—I think that’s what helped me get approved.”
Another shared some cautionary advice, “Your banking information for your business needs to be at least three months old, so if you’re trying to get this card make sure your business is functioning for more than three months through a bank.”
One cardholder had a glowing customer service review, “They have been very good at helping me stop payments to a company that was charging me recurring payments that couldn’t be canceled any other way. It is also easy to file a claim and get your money back if you get charged for something that wasn’t delivered and the seller refuses to give a refund or replacement.”
Is the Amex Blue Business Plus Credit Card Good for Me?
Firstly, the Amex Blue Business Plus is designed with small business owners in mind and has the rewards and features to prove it. It goes without saying that if you don’t own a business, this card isn’t the one for you.
As the card earns you 2x Membership Rewards points on all your business purchases, it’s a great choice if you want to maximize value without a complicated rewards structure. The 0% intro APR can also be a cost-saver and will give you some breathing room in that first year.
But if you’re looking to expand your business, think twice about those 2x rewards, as that’s only applicable if you don’t go over the $50,000 spending cap. Plus, if you’re branching out with international travel, this card is better combined with a travel card or left out of your wallet altogether.
If you think the Amex Blue Business Plus can boost your business apply here.
FAQ
What income do you need for Amex Blue?
American Express doesn’t specify any income requirements for the Blue Business Plus card. However, it’s generally designed for small business owners. So, having a steady income that lets you manage the credit line and match your business spending needs will help you stay afloat.
Want to boost your salary? Check out the top seven streams of income.
Is the Amex Blue Business Plus a charge card?
No, the Amex Blue Business Plus is a traditional credit credit, not a charge card. The main difference between the two is that with a credit card, you can carry a balance and pay it off over time. On the other hand, a charge card typically requires you to pay your balance in full each month.
Is the Amex Blue Business Plus metal?
No, the Amex Blue Business Plus card is not metal. It’s a plastic credit card and weighs around five grams.
If you’re looking for a metal card (and bragging rights), the Amex Platinum and Amex Gold cards can deliver—just expect a higher annual fee to come with that extra weight.
What credit score do you need for Blue Business Plus?
To have a good shot at being approved for the Amex Blue Business Plus, I recommend a credit score in the range of 690 or higher. Keep in mind that your credit score is just one part of the approval process—your income, credit history, and other factors also play a role.
Our Methodology
Our credit card reviews aim to provide a comprehensive assessment of both quantitative and qualitative factors. The quantitative analysis focuses on the financial costs and benefits associated with each card, including interest rates, fees, rewards programs, cash back offers, and other monetary perks. However, we also consider qualitative aspects that impact the everyday use and value of the card. These include the simplicity of the application process, the structure of the rewards program, the likelihood of utilizing certain card features, and the suitability of the card for frequent or infrequent use. Our On FIRE rating system allows for quick comparisons between cards within a particular category. When choosing a new credit card, consumers should weigh the quantitative dollar amounts along with qualitative ease-of-use factors to select the best overall option for their needs.
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Physician on FIRE has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Physician on FIRE and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. POF does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Credit Card Providers determine the underwriting criteria necessary for approval, you should review each Provider's terms and conditions to determine which card works for you and your personal financial situation.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
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