Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.Small businesses are some of the hardest hit during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic due to state-required closures and social distancing. As a result, many small business owners are struggling to make ends meet and are looking for resources to help them through these uncertain times.
While some business owners were able to receive small business loans from the $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program, it ran out within weeks, leaving many in limbo. Whether you received a loan or not, you can still consider the forbearance programs provided by credit card lenders that may include waived late fees, credit limit increases and the ability to pause payments.
Yet these programs mostly offer temporary monetary support. There's little guidance and very few resources to assist business owners who are looking to reduce expenses or manage remote employees.
That's where the new coalition, "Stand for Small," from American Express and over 40 partner companies, including Amazon, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Verizon and IBM, comes in. Stand for Small aims to provide small business owners support through various offers, tools and expertise, as they navigate the effects of the coronavirus.
Below, Select reviews how Stand for Small can help your business and shares the benefits of having a small business credit card.
Resources provided by Stand for Small
Any small business owner can access the Stand for Small site for free and explore dozens of resources among five categories:
- Make my expenses more manageable
- Get my shipping and deliveries back on track
- Help my team succeed
- Make my business stronger online
- Get advice and tools for adapting my business
Some of the offers are only available for first time customers, while others are available to any small business owner during coronavirus, whether you have an Amex card or not.
For example, Adobe is offering free Adobe Acrobat web-based PDF services and an extended 90-day free trial to Adobe Sign. Plus you can receive a two-month free trial of the design app Adobe Spark.
Additionally, Dell has gathered expert guidance and tips on enabling remote workforces and staying productive. The company is also offering additional discounts on select PCs, servers, electronics and accessories. (Keep in mind, terms apply to all offers.)
During the coming weeks, the Stand for Small coalition will continue to add more partners, experiences and services throughout the year, making it a go-to resource for small businesses.
How a small business credit card can provide benefits
During a time of economic uncertainty, having a small business credit card with Amex or another card issuer can help mitigate cash flow pinches and generate savings on your everyday expenses. Small business owners can enjoy additional benefits meant to streamline accounting and track employee spending. And just like personal credit cards, lots of business cards also come with rewards, special financing offers, travel insurance and purchase protections.
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express ranks as our pick for the best Amex credit card for small business owners. With the Blue Business Plus card, you can benefit from no annual fee and take advantage of an introductory interest-free period for 12 months on purchases from the date of account opening (after 18.49% - 26.49% variable APR; APRs will not exceed 29.99%). See rates and fees. During this time, you can pay off business equipment without incurring interest charges. Terms apply.
You'll also be able to earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on everyday business purchases up to $50,000 per year, then 1X point per dollar. So if your business spends $50,000 annually, that can be worth up to $1,000 in rewards.
The Blue Business Plus card requires excellent credit, so if you have fair credit you may want to consider the Capital One Spark Classic for Business*. This card also has no annual fee, but lacks the top-of-the-line benefits that come with the Blue Business Plus card. However, you can still earn rewards at a rate of 1% cash back on every purchase. While this is lower than many other business cards, it can still add up to a decent amount of money.
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For rates and fees of the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.
*Information about the Capital One Spark Classic for Business has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the cards prior to publication.
