The offer mentioned below for the for The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express and The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card is no longer available. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
American Express announced a new welcome offers to two of their business credit cards, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express and The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card.
Each of these cards deliver great value for small business owners, regardless if you prefer earning cash back or Membership Rewards points.
In addition, both products come with a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 18.24% - 26.24% (see rates and fees for Blue Business Plus) and (see rates and fees for Blue Business Cash).
So if you are just starting your business journey, or are a seasoned business owner searching for a new credit card, these two cards may serve you well.
Amex business credit card welcome offers increased
Both the Blue Business Plus Credit Card and the Blue Business Cash Card did not have welcome offers prior to this. Even before the increased bonuses, they were still both respectable business credit cards with no annual fee; see rates and fees, see rates and fees.
On top of that, they both come with a long list of benefits, including:
- Expanded buying power: You are able to spend above your credit limit based on your credit record, payment history and other factors.
- Quickbooks integration: For business owners who use Quickbooks for their accounting, you can have your expenses automatically tagged with your expense categories.
- Rental car insurance: Instead of paying for rental car insurance through your rental car provider, American Express provides it for free. Simply decline their insurance, pay with your American Express credit card, and you will have secondary coverage in case something happens during your travels.
Blue Business Plus Credit Card
The Blue Business Plus Credit Card is a great card for earning Membership Rewards points with ease. As you spend on the card, you earn 2X points for every dollar spent on everyday business purchases, up to $50,000 per year. All purchases after that earn 1X point per dollar. This is convenient for many as they do not need to track multiple credit cards and figure out various bonus spending categories. In fact, this earning rate makes it one of the best card for non-bonused spend.
Now, the card comes with a solid welcome bonus: You can earn 15,000 points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the card within your first 3 months of card membership.
While 15,000 points may not sound like much, Membership Rewards are valuable as you can transfer them to a variety of airline and hotel loyalty programs. And if you pair this card with another American Express business credit card like The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, it makes for a great combo to earn heaps of Membership Rewards points.
Blue Business Cash Card
The Blue Business Cash Card is a close sibling to the Blue Business Plus Credit Card. Instead of earning points, you earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1% cash back after that.
The new welcome offer is also worth noting: You can earn a $250 statement credit after you make $3,000 in purchases on your card in your first 3 months.
How to apply for and pick a business credit card
Business credit cards are a bit different than a traditional consumer credit card. They offer different benefits and features than a regular credit card, and have a slightly different application process.
Applying for a business credit card
First, you must be a business owner to apply for a business credit card. While many of us may not consider ourselves business owners, you actually might be. If you make any sort of income outside of a traditional W-2 job, it may qualify you to be a business owner, such as: driving for a rideshare service, freelancing, babysitting, reselling items online or renting out your home and/or vehicle.
If you have a side hustle or small business, you will need an EIN (employer identification number) to apply for a business credit card. You can do that on the IRS website. An alternative to this is that you can also apply as a sole proprietor using your social security number.
Once you have that, you can apply for a business credit card.
Picking the right business credit card
The next step is to pick a business credit card that suits your business needs best. Similar to a consumer credit card, it is advantageous to 'reverse engineer' to find the best business credit card for you. To get started, ask yourself these questions:
- What categories do I spend the most money in? (i.e. Restaurants, travel, technology, shipping, etc.)
- Will my business benefit more from travel rewards or cash back?
- What benefits would my business utilize the most? (i.e. Travel insurance, concierge service, purchase protection, etc.)
- How much am I willing to spend on an annual fee? Remember, credit card annual fees can be a tax write-off on your business income.
- Will you be spending a significant amount of money? If yes, consider a charge card or credit card with a flexible credit line.
By answering these questions, you can start to narrow down your choices to a few of the best business credit cards for your needs.
Bottom line
If you are in the market for a business credit card, but want to avoid paying an annual fee, the two American Express business credit cards mentioned above are worth considering — especially now that each has a welcome offers. However, they are not the only no annual fee business credit cards available.
Like any financial decision, be sure to consider all your options as the right credit card can be a great tool for your business.
Read more
For rates and fees for the Blue Business Plus, click here
For rates and fees for the American Express Blue Business Cash, click here
