The Plum Card from Amex: For small businesses with short-term cash flow

The Capital One Spark Cash for Business and Capital One Spark Cash Select for Business are no longer available to new applicants; however, Capital One has launched 3 new business cards for small business owners. Click here to learn more.

If you operate a small business of any size — whether it's dog walking on your own, managing a small cafe employing 10 people or supervising a manufacturing facility employing nearly 100 people — cash flow is likely a concern.

With The Plum Card® from American Express, you can defer paying a portion of your business' monthly bills with no interest charged. If your month-to-month cash flow fluctuates, this may be the perfect credit card for your business needs.

Most small business credit cards don't require you to run a formal business to qualify, so anyone from an entrepreneur to a side hustler can apply, leaving out the need to rely solely on your personal credit card. With The Plum Card, that can mean extending the time you have to pay bills while you focus on more urgent expenses.

Below, Select breaks down the rewards, benefits and fees associated with The Plum Card from American Express to help you decide if it's the right card for your business needs.

• Rewards
• Additional benefits
• Fees
• Bottom line

If your business relies on an inconsistent or infrequent cash flow, you can use The Plum Card to help plan out your quarterly spending. While most business credit cards charge interest for outstanding balances past your grace period, you can prolong this period of time to pay your business charges with The Plum Card from American Express.

It works like this: Cardmembers can take up to 60 days to pay without interest when they pay the minimum due by the payment due date. While paying your balance in full every month is ideal, some businesses operate on a different calendar. The Plum Card's Pay It Later deferral program gives these business owners some welcome leeway as long as they pay the previous month's deferral amount and least 10% of the card's new charges in the current month.

The remaining new charges from the current month are then shifted to be paid off during the next billing cycle at 0% interest.

This is a standout perk for businesses that often carry credit card balances because of unsteady cash flows. You can keep a balance on your credit card without having to pay interest in the near term, which comes in handy during periods of heavy upfront costs, like hiring new talent, increasing inventory or marketing in order to gain new freelance contracts.

And when business is thriving again, there are incentives for paying your balance early. With the Early Pay Discount, cardholders earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back on the portion of their balance that they pay within 10 days of their statement closing date. The cash back is applied as a statement credit toward your next monthly bill.

It's a bit unique from a cash back card in that you must pay your balances before the billing cycle is complete, but automating your payments has never been more worth it.

Even though The Plum Card doesn't have spending rewards, like the Capital One Spark Classic for Business that offers unlimited 1% cash back on every purchase, paying early can mean saving your business big bucks over the long-term.

With The Plum Card from American Express, business owners have extra benefits that can allow them peace-of-mind. They range from management tools that help with tracking business and employee spending, to exclusive low-rate guarantees while booking hotels for business trips. 

Here are some helpful perks and protections, which may apply to both primary and additional cardholders:

• Expense management tools: Keep track and organize your expenses with features like the American Express® Business App, Vendor Pay by Bill.com and account alerts to monitor employees' spending.

• No preset spending limit: This doesn't mean unlimited spending (users' payment history and credit record are also taken into account), but cardholders have more power over how much they can charge onto their card.

• Global Assist® Hotline: Receive 24/7 emergency assistance for things like lost luggage, visa/passport help, cash wires access and medical and legal referrals.

• Car rental loss and collision damage insurance: Consider yourself covered if your rental vehicle is damaged or stolen while on a work trip.

• Lowest hotel rates guarantee: For those work travelers who book hotel stays on amextravel.com and afterward find the same booking at a lower price online, American Express refunds the difference.

• Return Protection: Return eligible items to American Express up to 90 days from the date of purchase, if you made the purchase with your Amex card.

• Entertainment access: Receive access to exclusive entertainment events, presales and preferred seating for concerts, sporting events and more in select cities. (Or check out the best credit cards for entertainment spending.)

• By Invitation Only® events: Enjoy exclusive events from sporting and fashion to fine dining, art and performances.

• Amex Offers: Receive exclusive shopping discounts at select retailers through Amex Offers. These offers typically give you a set dollar amount of cash back, credited to your account within 90 days after you meet the requirements.

Terms apply for all benefits.

The Plum Card has a $250 annual fee (see rates and fees). This is higher than some other small business credit cards, such as the Capital One Spark Cash Select for Business, which has no annual fee and offers 1.5% cash back on every purchase. There is no fee for additional Employee Plum Cards issued on the account.

With no foreign transaction fees, you can make international purchases for your business without worrying about an additional cost.

When it comes to choosing the right credit card for your business, there are many benefits to consider, whether it means finding increased savings for your company or an easier way to manage everyday expenses.

Though the 1.5% Early Pay Discount is a central perk of The Plum Card® from American Express, this credit card really stands out because of the flexibility it gives business owners with extra days to cover their costs through the Pay It Later deferral program.

If your business has a more predictable cash flow, consider other small business credit cards that offer better rewards at lower annual costs. The Capital One Spark Cash for Business offers a straightforward unlimited 2% cash back at no annual fee for the first year, $95 after that.

Information about the Capital One Spark Cash for Business, Capital One Spark Cash Select for Business, and Capital One Spark Classic for Business has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.

For rates and fees of the The Plum Card® from American Express, click here.