• If you own a business and want more rewards you can redeem for free and discounted travel, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is a great choice.
  • With no annual fee and 2x points everywhere you spend on up to $50,000 per year (then 1x), you’ll get a good value from this card, particularly if you pay it off in full and avoid fee-bearing activity.
  • If you want more travel benefits, it could be worth paying an annual fee for the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card or the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.
  • See Business Insider’s list of the best small business credit cards.

If you want a card that pays you back in valuable American Express Membership Rewards points with no annual fee, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is a great choice. The card earns 2 points per dollar on all purchases up to $50,000 per year and 1x point from there on. Even more, this card has benefits often reserved for just the elite tiers of travel rewards credit cards with high annual fees.

While the rewards and benefits don’t stand up to the $595-per-year The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, the rewards and benefits are quite compelling for a card with no annual fee. Follow along to learn more about how this card works, what it costs, and if it makes sense for your business.

Blue Business Plus card details

Annual fee: $0

Welcome bonus: None

Points earning: 2x points on the first $50,000 spent each year, then 1x point on everything

Foreign transaction fee: 2.7%

Points earning on the Blue Business Plus card

The primary rewards from The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express are Membership Rewards points. Cardholders earn 2 points per dollar on every purchase up to $50,000 per year, then 1 point per dollar. If you hit the $50,000 per year mark, that's 100,000 Membership Rewards points per year.

Unlike many other business rewards credit cards, the The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express doesn't offer a welcome bonus. Getting a welcome bonus of points after meeting a minimum spending requirement is the fastest way to earn credit card rewards, but considering that this card lets you earn valuable Amex points with no annual fee, it could be worth the trade-off.

Using Amex Membership Rewards points

Amex Membership Rewards points are worth about 2 cents each, so 100,000 points per year is worth about $2,000 toward travel depending on how you book. Membership Rewards points are redeemable for travel directly through the American Express travel portal, or you can transfer to some airline and hotel partners at a 1:1 ratio for even better redemption value in some cases.

Points can also be redeemed for a statement credit (that works like cash back) and some purchases, but the best value typically comes from using your points for travel rewards.

Amex Blue Business Plus card benefits

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express comes with a suite of benefits most common for cards with a $100+ annual fee. Those include valuable travel and purchase protections that can come in handy in a wide range of scenarios.

Purchase protection

For standard purchases, the The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express includes an automatic extended warranty where applicable and purchase protection for up to 120 days. I've used purchase protection to get reimbursed for an item I bought that broke just after the return date. As long as you use the card, most new purchases are covered.

Travel coverage

When traveling, this card offers rental car insurance (which is secondary to any car insurance you already have), baggage insurance, and travel accident insurance.

It also has a free roadside assistance feature that works like AAA, but you are responsible for the costs of third-party services rendered.

Small business benefits

The The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express features the following benefits tailored to small business users:

  • Access to the American Express business app, which can help you scan and organize receipts and export expense reports.
  • Employee cards with spending limits that you can set up online or by calling American Express
  • Expanded buying power, which lets you spend beyond your credit limit when you pay the minimum due each month (including any amount that goes over your credit limit.

The card also offers a range of discounts through Amex Offers.

Blue Business Plus card costs and fees

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express charges no annual fee, but there are some costs depending on how you use the card. Those come in the form of interest (after a 0% introductory period), balance transfer and foreign transactions fees, and late or returned payment fees.

New cardholders get 12 months at 0% APR for purchases and balance transfers. After that, a variable rate APR of 13.24% to 19.24% variable APR applies based on your credit history and market interest rates. Just pay off your card in full every month before the due date to avoid interest costs. Late and returned payments trigger a higher 29.24% variable penalty APR.

If you currently carry a balance on another credit card, you may be able to take advantage of the 0% introductory period to pay off your debt for good. If you get a lower APR at American Express than your other cards charge, a balance transfer may make sense.

Balance transfers cost 3% of the transaction value ($5 minimum) and foreign transactions charge a 2.7% fee. Late and returned payments cost up to $39 per occurrence.

Is the Blue Business Plus card the best option for you?

While The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express doesn't offer a welcome bonus - unlike other American Express business cards like Amex Business Platinum Card - the Blue Business Plus offers a very competitive 2 points per dollar easily worth as much as 4% cash back when you use your points well. The card has few downsides, particularly as it has no annual fee. If you want Amex benefits and reward points with no annual fee, this is one of the best ways to do it.

If you own a business and want more rewards you can redeem for free and discounted travel, the Blue Business Plus is a great choice. With no annual fee and 2x points everywhere you spend (up to $50,000 per year, that is, then 1x), you'll get a good value from this card, particularly if you pay it off in full and avoid fee-bearing activity.

Some similar cards for business travel rewards include the Amex Business Platinum Card, Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, and Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card. However, the Amex Business Platinum and Chase Ink Business Preferred both charge annual fees of $595 and $95, respectively. They also offer bonus rewards for spending in certain categories - and in the case of the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, you have lots of travel benefits including airport lounge access and annual statement credits toward airline incidental fees. Depending on how you spend, this could still end up as a better deal.

If you're looking for something with low costs, no hassles, and great travel rewards, the The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is an excellent card for your small business needs.

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

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