Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

The Blue Business Plus stands out in the crowded business card market primarily because of its $0 annual fee. Many cards that offer access to premium transferable points require an annual payment ranging from $95 to $695. By removing this barrier, Amex allows small business owners to earn high-value rewards without the pressure of ‘earning back’ the fee each year.

For a business spending $50,000 annually, the card generates 100,000 Membership Rewards points. If valued at a conservative 1.5 cents per point through travel transfers, that is $1,500 in value for zero annual cost. This makes it an ideal ‘backup’ card for expenses that don’t fall into the high-multiplier categories of other premium business cards.

This card features a competitive variable APR ranging from 18.49% to 26.49%, depending on creditworthiness. While these rates are standard for business rewards cards, the real highlight is the introductory 0% APR on purchases for the first 12 months from the date of account opening. This is a significant advantage for new businesses needing to finance equipment, inventory, or startup costs without incurring interest.

It is important to remember that as a business card, the Blue Business Plus offers ‘Expanded Buying Power.’ This means you can spend beyond your credit limit to handle large purchases. However, the portion of the balance above your limit must be paid in full each month, and the 0% intro APR only applies to the purchases within your designated credit limit.

The current welcome offer provides 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the card within the first 3 months of card membership. While this may seem smaller than the bonuses on ‘Pro’ or ‘Platinum’ level cards, it is a very accessible threshold for most small businesses and represents a pure profit gain since there is no annual fee.

To maximize this bonus, cardholders should plan their larger business utility or inventory payments to coincide with the first 90 days of account opening. Because these points are part of the Membership Rewards program, they can be pooled with points from personal cards like the Amex Gold or Platinum, allowing for even faster accumulation of travel rewards.

The rewards structure is elegantly simple: you earn 2X Membership Rewards points on all eligible purchases for the first $50,000 spent per calendar year. Once that threshold is met, the rate drops to 1X for the remainder of the year. Unlike other cards that require you to track rotating categories or specific spending types like gas or office supplies, this card rewards every dollar spent equally.

The points earned are incredibly versatile. You can transfer them to major airline partners like Delta, British Airways, and Singapore Airlines, or hotel partners like Marriott and Hilton. When used for high-value business class international travel, these points can often reach values of 2.0 cents each or higher, effectively giving the card a 4% return on the first $50,000 of spend.