Points, Miles & Credit Cards

Review: The Blue Business® Plus Card from American Express

March 21, 2024

6 min read

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Table of Contents

Who is The Blue Business® Plus Card from American Express for?

The combination of charging no annual fee with the ability to earn 2X points (on the first $50,000 spent annually) makes holding this American Express card a no-brainer for business owners, sole proprietors, or even gig workers.

Amex Blue Business® Plus Card Quick Facts

Here’s what you need to know about the Amex Blue Business Plus Card:

Annual fee: annual_fees(See Rates and Fees)

Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee

Earning rate:

Earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. Terms and limitations apply.

Welcome offer: bonus_miles_full

Pros and cons

Pros:

No annual fee
Earns points in a very valuable transferable points currency
Access to Amex transfer partners, including Delta, Air Canada, and British Airways

Cons:

2X points earning caps at $50,000 annually, so this may not be the most rewarding for higher-spending businesses
Cards that come with annual fees have higher welcome offers

Our take

The ability to earn 2X Amex points per $1 (on your first $50,000 in purchases each calendar year) with no annual fee makes this card a valuable addition to any entrepreneurs’ wallet.

The Blue Business® Plus Card from American Express Review

There are flashier options for business credit cards, but don’t count out the Amex Blue Business Card. If you’re a business owner, freelancer, or entrepreneur who wants to earn more Amex points, card_name is a near-perfect card.

Why? It has annual_fees (See Rates and Fees) and you can earn 2X points on your first $50,000 spent on the card each calendar year. The ability to earn 2X transferable travel points on a no-annual-fee card is almost unheard of.

This card also comes with access to Amex Offers, a range of travel, shopping, and business-related time-limited perks you can add to your card. With an Amex Offer, you might receive statement credit or even additional Membership Rewards points. Terms apply, so you’ll want to make sure you meet the criteria for each Offer.

Earning points with The Blue Business® Plus Card from American Express

Earning points with this card is simple. You’ll earn:

Earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners.
2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. Terms and limitations apply.

Because of its enhanced earning rate on general spending, this card could pair well with card_name and the card_name. When used in collaboration, this so-called Amex Trifecta allows you maximize your points-earning potential.

Want to earn more Amex points? Try stacking your purchases by using Rakuten. Read our guide for how to link Amex and Rakuten accounts.

Redeeming points with The Blue Business® Plus Card from American Express

The best way to use your points is by transferring them to American Express's network of airline partners. Redeeming your points with Amex transfer partners will allow you to get maximum value.

If you use this card strategically, the points earned from this card can help you top up the amount you may need to redeem for your next flight.

Welcome offer on The Blue Business® Plus Card from American Express

The current welcome offer on card_name is: bonus_miles_full.

To be candid, that alone is not going to get you a free flight. But for a no annual fee card, that welcome offer is not too shabby.

The best way to use this welcome offer would be to round out the Amex points you might need to redeem for a free flight.

Alternatives to The Blue Business® Plus Card from American Express

How the cards compare
card_name	card_name

card_name	card_name
Annual fee
annual_fees	annual_fees (See Rates and Fees)
Foreign transaction fees
foreign_transaction_fee	foreign_transaction_fee
Earning rate
Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases	Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement. Terms apply.
Welcome offer
bonus_miles_full	bonus_miles_full
Our take
If you want to earn travel rewards on business purchases, this card is a great option.	A great cash back card for businesses.

Ink Business Preferred Card vs. The Blue Business® Plus Card from American Express

If you’d rather earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points on your business expenses, the card_name may be worth looking at. It does carry an annual fee of annual_fees, but it earns 3X points per $1 on travel and certain business categories (shipping, ads on social media and search, and telecom services like phone and internet) on the first $150,000 spent combined each year.

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card vs. The Blue Business® Plus Card from American Express

Although the similar-sounding names may make things confusing, card_name is a business cash-back card. It also charges annual_fees (See Rates and Fees), but instead of earning 2X Membership Rewards points, The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card allows you to earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement.

Complementary cards to The Blue Business® Plus Card from American Express

The following are other Amex business cards. You could hold these cards along with the Amex Blue Business Plus Card and earn even more points:

card_name: bonus_miles_full
card_name: bonus_miles_full

The Business Platinum Card comes with a bevy of perks and statement credit, plus earns 5X points on flights. The American Express Business Gold Card has a bit of an unusual earning structure, but it allows you to earn 4X points on the two of six spending categories where your business spent the most in the past billing cycle.

Both cards have higher welcome offers, but both also carry annual fees. The card_name annual fee is annual_fees (See Rates and Fees). card_name annual fee is annual_fees (See Rates and Fees).

Credit card type	Annual fee	Welcome offer	Earning rate
card_name card_name	annual_fees (See Rates and Fees)	bonus_miles_full	Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement. Terms apply.
card_name card_name	annual_fees (See Rates and Fees)	bonus_miles_full	Earn 4X Membership Rewards(R) points on the top two eligible categories where your business spends the most each month from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap.* Earn 3X Membership Rewards(R) points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card.* *Terms apply.
card_name card_name	annual_fees (See Rates and Fees)	bonus_miles_full	5X Membership Rewards(R) points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com, and 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases. Earn 1.5X points (that's an extra half point per dollar) on each eligible purchase at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more, on up to $2 million per Card Account per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus.