Is the Amex Blue Business Plus card worth it?
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is worth it if you want to earn points on eligible business purchases without having to keep track of limited-time offers or multiple reward tiers.
It’s also worth it for business owners who need help staying on top of their expenses without getting bogged down in unnecessary details.
Pros and cons of the Amex Blue Business Plus card
Learn more about the Amex Blue Business Plus Card
Terms apply / Rates & fees
*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.
Amex Blue Business Plus rewards
The Blue Business Plus from American Express comes with a generous bonus, points on everyday purchases and multiple redemption methods, making it one of the best rewards credit cards specifically for business owners.
Welcome bonus
If you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases within your first three months of membership, you’ll earn 15,000 Membership Rewards points. The value of the Blue Business Plus welcome offer depends on the redemption method you choose.
Earn Blue Business Plus rewards
American Express makes it easy to earn rewards on your everyday spending. You’ll earn 2 points per dollar spent on your first $50,000 in eligible business expenses each calendar year. Once you reach $50,000 in charges, you’ll earn 1 point per dollar spent on any additional purchases.
Here’s how it works. Assume you charge $75,000 in eligible business expenses to your Amex BBP card. You’ll earn 1,000 points on the first $50,000 and 250 points on the remaining $25,000, giving you a total of 1,250 Membership Rewards Points.
Redeem Amex Blue Business Plus rewards
American Express gives you several ways to redeem your rewards:
Amex Blue Business Plus benefits
The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express offers a variety of benefits.
Business benefits
If you open an Amex Blue Business Plus card, make sure you use these benefits:
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American Express Business app. American Express offers a mobile app to give you more control over your spending. Use the app to make your minimum payment, check your balance, review spending reports and perform other account-management tasks.
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Designate an account manager. If you don’t have time to manage your account, you can add a trusted employee as an account manager. This makes it easier to keep track of your spending without having to dedicate so much time to logging in and downloading reports.
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Employee cards. American Express allows you to give your employees their own cards, making it easier to cover certain expenses. For example, if you have an employee who frequently takes clients out to dinner, you can give them a card to use for business meals. You earn Membership Rewards Points on whatever your employees spend.
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Expanded Buying Power. Expanded Buying Power allows you to spend more than your credit limit. American Express adds the additional amount to your minimum amount due. For example, if you spend $7,000 against a limit of $6,000, you must pay the $1,000 difference by the end of your billing cycle.
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Vendor pay through Bill.com. If you link your card to Bill.com, you can use it to pay vendors. This makes it easier to track your spending, as you won’t have to write checks or use multiple cards to pay your company’s bills.
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Connect to QuickBooks. If you link your Amex account to QuickBooks, you can take advantage of the auto-categorize feature, which automatically assigns charges to your QuickBooks categories.
Other benefits
American Express also offers these additional benefits to Blue Business Plus cardholders:
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Extended warranty coverage. American Express offers extended warranty coverage on eligible purchases. This benefit extends the original manufacturer warranty by one year. Note that extended warranty coverage only applies to items that have an original warranty of five years or less.
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Purchase protection. If you use your card to make an eligible purchase, you’ll qualify for purchase protection, which reimburses you for covered items if they’re accidentally damaged or stolen.
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Amex offers. From time to time, Amex extends special offers to cardholders. For example, you may receive an offer to get 20% back on a purchase from a particular brand or $5 back if you spend $10 on a specific item.
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24/7 Global Assist Hotline. The Global Assist Hotline gives you access to a trained agent who can help if a travel emergency occurs more than 100 miles from your home. Agents make legal referrals, arrange emergency transportation and provide other types of assistance.
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Car rental loss and damage insurance. Amex car rental loss and damage insurance protects you when you use your Blue Business Plus card to cover the full cost of a vehicle rental. If you experience a covered loss, such as the theft of your rental, the insurance provider will pay to repair or replace the vehicle. This benefit does have some restrictions, so check the terms outlined in your cardholder agreement.
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.
Amex Blue Business Plus fees, rates & limit
Before you apply for this card, familiarize yourself with its fees, rates and credit limit (see rates and fees).
Blue Business Plus card fees
American Express charges the following fees to use your Blue Business Plus card:
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Annual fee: $0
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Balance transfer fee: $5 or 3% of the amount transferred, whichever is greater
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Cash advance fee: N/A (No cash advances available)
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Foreign transaction fee: 2.7% of the transaction amount in U.S. dollars
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Late payment: Up to $39
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Returned payment: $39
Amex Blue Business Plus interest rates
Here’s what you need to know about the interest rates on the Blue Business Plus:
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Regular APR: 18.49% to 26.49% variable
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Purchase intro APR: 0% for the first 12 months following account opening
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Balance transfer intro APR: N/A
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Cash advance APR: N/A
Blue Business Plus card limit
The limit on your Blue Business Plus card depends on your income and credit history. For example, someone with an excellent credit score and a substantial amount of income is likely to qualify for a much higher credit limit than someone with a good score.
How the Amex Blue Business Plus card compares
Compared to other business credit cards, the Blue Business Plus has a much simpler rewards structure. All you have to do to earn rewards is use your card for eligible purchases. Because you don’t earn at different rates for different categories, it’s much easier to estimate your potential earnings.
American Express also offers a full suite of benefits to Blue Business Plus cardholders. Using this card responsibly makes it much easier to manage your business expenses and earn points based on your regular purchases.
Although the rewards structure is simple to understand, it’s also somewhat inflexible. You don’t have the opportunity to earn extra points on flights, hotel bookings or other common expenses.
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express vs. The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card and the Blue Business Plus card are very similar. Both cards allow you to earn rewards on ordinary business purchases, but the Blue Business Cash card gives you cash back instead of Membership Rewards Points.
Blue Business Plus is slightly better because it gives you multiple redemption options. You can use your points to book travel, buy gift cards, pay for online purchases, donate to charity or request cash back. In contrast, the only way to redeem your Blue Business Cash rewards is to use them as statement credits.
Read our full Amex Blue Business Cash card review
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express vs. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card gives you 3X points on the first $150,000 (per account anniversary year) in combined spending across four categories.
These categories are:
- Search engine and social media advertising expenses
- Travel
- Telecommunications services
- Shipping purchases
You earn 1X points on all other purchases. Therefore, the Ink Business Preferred card makes it easier to earn rewards. Note that the card does have an annual fee of $95 to account for the extra benefits.
Is the Blue Business Plus credit card from American Express right for me?
The Amex Blue Business Plus card is a great fit for any business owner who wants to earn rewards without having to keep track of multiple spending categories.
You may also benefit from the Blue Business Plus card if you’re looking to streamline your expense management process. Blue Business Plus gives you access to employee cards, spending alerts, expense summaries and more, making it easier to manage your business.
You may want to look for a different card if you want to earn rewards at a higher rate in certain spending categories.
Explore these additional Amex business cards to see if you find one that better matches your needs:
You can also learn more about Chase business cards or Capital One Spark business cards to see if these other issues offer a card that suits you better.
How do I apply for the Amex Blue Business Plus card?
You can learn more about the The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express and apply online.
American Express hasn’t revealed the minimum credit score required to qualify for the American Express Business Plus card. However, the card is reserved for business owners with good or excellent scores. Most credit-scoring models consider scores of 670 or higher as good, so we recommend waiting until you have at least this score before applying.
American Express also considers your income and the amount of debt you have when reviewing your application.
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