American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card Review 2019

The American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card is best for businesses that want 0% interest for the first 12 months and spend less than $50,000 per year. Once the introductory APR period ends, this American Express business credit card will have ongoing interest rates between 14.74% – 20.74%.

In comparison, some of the best small business credit cards offer up 5x rewards and introductory rewards up to 50,000 points. However, this American Express business credit cards’ no-interest period and ongoing APR is among the best compared to others. Additionally, it offers a number of additional features and ongoing rewards with no category restrictions. We rate this card 4.5 of 5 stars.

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How We Evaluated the American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card

We evaluated the American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card and in doing so, we found it has no annual fee and a 0% introductory APR period for 12 months. These features rank the best among other no-interest business credit cards. It also offers 2x points with no category restrictions on your first $50,000 in purchases, but it has no introductory offer.

Based on business owners’ wants and needs, we considered the following criteria:

• Ongoing rewards: The points you’ll earn by using the American Express Blue card. This card earns 2x points on your first $50,000 in purchases and 1x points thereafter.
• Introductory rewards: The points you’ll earn by reaching minimum spending requirements over the first few months of card ownership. The American Express Blue card doesn’t offer any introductory points rewards.
• Annual fee: How much you’ll pay each year to own the card. The American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card has no annual fee.
• Additional benefits: Whether the card comes with free perks that may increase its value. This American Express business credit card offers valuable perks like purchase protection, premium roadside assistance, and extended warranty protection.
• Intro APR: Whether the card offers a period of no-interest financing on purchases or balance transfers. The American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card offers an introductory 0% APR period for 12 months on both purchases and balance transfers.
• Ongoing APR: How much it will cost to finance purchases on the card. This card charges an ongoing APR between 14.74% and 20.74%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors.

The American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card offers small business owners excellent opportunity, with a no-interest period for 12 months and an ongoing APR starting at 14.74%. Additionally, you can earn rewards for just about any of your business-related purchases.

How We Evaluate Low-interest Business Credit Cards

When grading a low-interest credit card like the American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card, we weight the introductory and ongoing APR as the most important criteria. However, we also consider the card’s additional features, ongoing rewards, and introductory rewards. With this credit card, it scores perfectly in both APR criteria.

We graded the American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card using the following methodology:

Based on our 5-star rating system, where 20 points equals one star, the American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card fell short of the next half-star by 5 points. In cases where cards receive perfect scores in most categories, we may award bonus points to boost the card’s rating.

Compared to other low-interest or 0% APR business credit cards, the American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card ranks as the best overall. It offers an introductory no-interest period for 12 months and low ongoing interest starting at 14.74%.

Who the American Express Blue Business® Plus Is Right For

The American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card is best for business owners who spend less than $50,000 per year and want to earn rewards on just about all their purchases. It’s also an excellent option if you think you’ll need to carry a balance, as it offers a 0% APR introductory period for the first 12 months. Plus, additional perks like baggage insurance and purchase protection help you travel and shop with more confidence.

American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card Costs

The American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card offers 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 months. Once this promotional period ends, the ongoing APR ranges between 14.74% and 20.74%. With no annual fee, a no-interest period, and a low APR, the American Express Blue card is an inexpensive option for most small business owners.

Financing costs and fees on this American Express Blue card include:

• Introductory APR: 0% for the first 12 months
• Ongoing APR: 14.74% to 20.74%, which adjusts with the prime rate
• Annual fee: None
• Balance transfer fee: $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
• Foreign transaction fee: 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to U.S. dollars
• Cash advance fee: Cash advances are not allowed
• Late payment fee: Up to $39
• Returned payment fee: $39
• Penalty APR: 29.99%, will be applied for a minimum of 12 months in a row and will continue until after you have made timely payments for 12 consecutive months

This is a relatively inexpensive business credit card option specifically because of its low APR and annual fee. These costs are much more affordable than the Chase Ink Business Preferred℠, which has an annual fee of $95 and interest rates between 17.49% and 22.49%. Also, the Chase card also doesn’t have the perk of a no-interest period.

How to Avoid Paying Interest on the American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card

To avoid interest with the American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card, you’ll need to pay your entire balance by the due date. The due dates for this card are set at least 25 days after the close of each billing period (when you receive your bill). These rules are the same for the Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard®, but the Chase Ink Business Preferred℠ requires you to pay no more than 20 days after your billing period closes.

American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card Rewards

The American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card offers a points rewards program, which allows you to earn 2x points on all purchases up to $50,000 per year. For all purchases of $50,000 or more, you will earn 1x membership points. However, this American Express business credit card doesn’t offer any introductory rewards. Business owners who want to earn introductory rewards should consider the Chase Ink Business Preferred℠.

Introductory Rewards

The American Express Blue card doesn’t offer any introductory point-based rewards. There are other travel credit cards that offer substantial introductory rewards, such as the Chase Ink Business Preferred℠. The Chase Ink Business Preferred℠ offers 80,000 points if you spend $5,000 in the first three months.

Ongoing Rewards

You will earn the following ongoing rewards when using your American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card:

• 2x points: Earn 2x Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 in purchases each year
• 1x points: Earn 1x points on purchases thereafter

This American Express business credit card may not provide the highest rewards possible, but it gives cardholders the benefit of earning rewards on just about any of their purchases. Conversely, the U.S. Bank Business Select Rewards Card offers three points per dollar in one of three categories that you choose, such as day-to-day expenses, automotive, travel, and entertainment.

Rewards Restrictions

The American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card won’t reward bonus points for the following purchases:

• Fees or interest charges
• Purchases of travelers checks
• Purchases or reloading of prepaid cards
• Cash advances and balance transfers
• Purchases paid with points
• Fees for Card Member services you enroll in
• Purchases of gift cards
• Purchases of other cash equivalents
• Person-to-person payments
• Non-prepaid hotels
• Car reservations
• Ticketing services

Rewards restrictions here are common among most small business credit cards. For example, both the Chase Ink Business Preferred℠ and U.S. Bank Business Select Rewards Card have similar reward restrictions.

How You Can Redeem Your Rewards

There are seven primary ways to redeem your American Express Blue Business® Plus points:

• For your charges: Use your points for your eligible charges on your current statement. You must have at least 1,000 available points in your account.
• Travel: Use points to book travel on American Express Travel; minimum redemption is 5,000 points.
• Gift cards: Purchase American Express gift cards through www.amexgiftcard.com.
• Amazon.com: To use points at Amazon, you must first load your card into your Amazon account and use your card at least once.
• Ticketmaster: You can redeem your points on Ticketmaster to purchase event tickets. The minimum redemption is 2,000 points.
• AXS: You can redeem your points on AXS to purchase event tickets. The minimum redemption is 2,000 points.
• Taxi Fares: Redeem your points for fares (including tips) in certain taxis in New York City.

American Express gives you the option to use points to pay your bill if you’re a consumer or business card member, none of your related credit card accounts is overdue, and you have at least 1,000 points available. Conversely, the U.S. Bank Business Select Rewards Card gives its cardholders the option for a cash deposit into their U.S. Bank business account.

American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card Features

Similar to other American Express business credit cards, the American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card has a handful of perks and features available to its cardholders. These features include roadside assistance, purchase protection, extended warranty, and travel-related insurance packages.

The features the American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card offers are:

American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card Roadside Assistance

When you use the American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card, American Express provides a 24-hour roadside assistance hotline that can send tow trucks or locksmiths to help in an emergency situation. Although the hotline has no additional charge, cardholders will be charged for any services or goods provided. Roadside services include towing, winching, jump starts, tire changes, gas needs, and lockout services.

Roadside assistance can provide the following services for a fee:

• Winching
• Jump starts
• Flat tire change if there is a workable spare
• Lockout service when key is in vehicle
• Delivery of up to two gallons of fuel

The roadside assistance hotline doesn’t cover vehicles such as rental vehicles, taxis, unlicensed vehicles, and tractors and trucks that weigh over 10,000 pounds. Card members will be charged for the costs of any services or goods needed beyond the covered services listed above. Other American Express business credit cards, such as the American Express Business Platinum Card, provide these services at no additional cost.

American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card Purchase Protection

When cardholders use the American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card, American Express will protect your purchased items that are damaged or stolen and will reimburse you for the amount charged to your eligible card. It provides protection for 120 days from the date of your purchase and 90 days for New York residents. The purchase protection coverage is limited up to $1,000 per claim and can’t exceed $50,000 per card member, per year.

Purchase protection does not cover the following types of purchases:

• Items lost by the card member
• Losses due to normal wear and year
• Consumable and perishable items
• Motorized vehicles and their parts or accessories
• Travelers checks, tickets of any kind, and gift cards and certificates
• Items rented, leased, or borrowed
• Hospital, medical, and dental equipment and devices
• Permanent household fixtures and business fixtures
• Animals or living plants

The Chase Ink Business Preferred℠ purchase protection program provides a little more than what American Express provides their cardholders. Although it offers the same 120-day window, it offers coverage up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per year.

American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card Extended Warranty Protection

The American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card provides cardholders with an extended warranty if the original manufacturer provides warranties less than five years. If the original warranty is less than two years, they will match the original warranty length. If the original warranty is between two and five years, they will provide an additional two years. For example, if the original warranty is one year, then American Express would provide an additional one year.

The following purchases aren’t covered by extended warranty protection:

• Items with physical damage or damage as a result of natural disaster
• Software
• Motorized devices and vehicles and their parts

This coverage is limited to $10,000 per claim and can’t exceed $50,000 per card member account per year. You’ll find that this extended warranty is the same across most American Express business credit cards. It’s also more beneficial than other rewards cards. For example, the U.S. Bank Business Select Rewards Card only offers to match warranties that are less than three years long with a maximum additional one year.

American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card Travel Accident Insurance

American Express provides accident coverage up to $100,000 when the entire travel fare has been charged to your American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card. These instances include if you die or lose a limb, sight, speech, or hearing. However American Express will only provide coverage on trips that were paid entirely on your active card.

The following aren’t included in American Express travel accident insurance:

• Losses as a result of war or acts of war
• Self-inflicted injury or threat
• Injuries that occur while driving, riding as a passenger in, boarding, or exiting from a rental or personal vehicle
• Injury received during or as a result of commuting
• Stroke or cerebrovascular accident, cardiovascular accident, myocardial infarction, heart attack, coronary thrombosis, aneurysm, or deep vein thrombosis
• Sickness, physical or mental infirmity, or pregnancy

This travel accident insurance is similar to most American Express business credit cards. However, there are a few American Express cards that offer better coverage. For instance, the American Express Delta Reserve® for Business Credit Card provides up to $500,000 in coverage.

American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card Baggage Insurance Plan

American Express includes coverage up to $1,250 for the replacement cost of baggage while in direct transit from a terminal or for a carry-on item, and up to $500 for each covered person’s checked baggage. They will also cover up to $250 for high-risk items. However, your trip must be entirely paid for on your American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card.

The following items are not covered by the baggage insurance plan:

• Cash or its equivalent
• Credit cards and other travel documents
• Securities
• Tickets and documents
• Living plants and animals
• Food, consumable, and perishable items
• Eyeglasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses
• Hearing aids, artificial teeth and limbs, prescription or non-prescription drugs
• Property shipped as freight

In comparison, Chase Ink Business Preferred℠ provides coverage up to $3,000 per trip for its cardholders on baggage damaged or lost (including theft) that happens during a covered trip on a common carrier such as airline, bus, cruise ship, or train. They also provide an additional coverage of $500 per trip for jewelry, watches, and electronics.

American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance

By using the American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card, American Express provides car rental loss and damage insurance for the first 30 days of a vehicle rental and when rented from a car rental company. The insurance plan covers up to $50,000 per rental agreement.

The following losses are not covered by the car rental loss and damage insurance:

• Intentional damage by an authorized driver
• Damage that occurred before the rental period
• Manufacturing defects
• Confiscation by authority
• Wear and tear
• Damage due to freezing
• Theft or damage to rental vehicles that are unlocked or not secured
• Theft of or damage to tires

The major benefit of the American Express car rental loss and damage insurance is that because they offer primary coverage, you avoid having to file a claim with your personal insurance company. Some business credit cards, like the U.S. Bank Business Select Rewards Card, require that you file with your insurance company, making the process more challenging.

American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card Account Management Tools

The American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card has three account management tools for both account holders and individual cardholders. These tools include desktop programs that give account holders the ability to manage their account, mobile apps for expense reporting purposes and to help control employee expenses, and the ability to connect to your QuickBooks account to transfer transaction data.

The American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card account management tools are:

• The American Express® Business App: The American Express® Business App, formerly ReceiptMatch, allows account holders to manage their employee spending, view employee transactions, set spending limits, and flag any unexpected or unusual charges.
• The American Express® Business mobile app: The mobile app makes it easy for account holders to manager their employee cards on the fly from their phone. It’s also a great way for all cardholders, including employees, to take photos of receipts and upload them for expense reporting.
• Connect to QuickBooks: You must enroll for Connect to QuickBooks through your American Express account. Connect to QuickBooks works with QuickBooks Online and automatically transfers your transactions to your QuickBooks account.

It’s common to find different 0% interest credit cards with all kinds of expense reporting and account management tools. For example, the U.S. Bank Business Select Rewards Card Employee provides similar tools and an extra tool, which is their Visa Liability Waiver. The Visa Liability Waiver covers eligible transactions billed or made 75 days prior to or up to 14 days after you terminate an employee.

American Express Expert Customer Service

By using the American Express Blue Business credit card, you will have access to American Express Relationship Care Service. This world-class customer support team is trained to understand the needs of business owners and can give you savvy business help related to your American Express business credit card. This service is provided across all American Express business credit cards and you can reach them by calling the number on the back of your card.

Adding American Express Blue Business® Plus Employee Cards

You can issue up to 99 additional American Express Blue Business® Plus cards at no additional cost. There are some cards, however, that charge for additional employee cards, such as the American Express Business Platinum Card. Employee cards are beneficial because you can set spending limits either online through your account or by calling the number on the back of your card.

What the American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card Is Missing

The American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card is missing a points-based introductory reward. Although the no-interest period is extremely beneficial for carrying balances, it doesn’t have an incentive to earn a large sum of bonus points. In comparison, both the Chase Ink Business Preferred℠ (80,000 points) and Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® (25,000 points) have substantial introductory rewards.

American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card Reviews

Online reviews for the American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card are generally positive. Cardholders like that they can earn rewards on just about any of their purchases, but also comment on the fact that the 2x rewards are limited after their first $50,000 in purchases. One complaint users have relates to the 2.7% foreign transaction fee because there are cards with no foreign transaction fees, such as the Chase Ink Business Preferred℠.

How to Apply for the American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card

You can get a business credit card by filling out a basic application containing both business and personal information, and you could be approved instantly. Once you’re approved, you’ll receive your card in the mail within seven to 10 days. If you’re not approved right away, check your application status with American Express online.

How to Login in to Your American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card Account

Log in to your American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card account online by providing your user ID and password. You can also contact customer service for American Express business cards through the American Express website or call 800-492-3344.

Other American Express Business Credit Cards

American Express offers a number of small business credit cards designed for different kinds of spending needs, including travel rewards and cash-back cards. They have various introductory offers and annual fees, which are sometimes waived over the first year.

The other American Express business credit cards are:

• American Express Business Platinum Card®: Best for businesses that travel frequently and want access to American Express travel coverages. Cardholders can also earn 5x rewards on flights and prepaid hotels purchased through American Express.
• American Express® Business Gold Card: Best for businesses that want to maximize their rewards by earning points for the two spending categories in which they spend the most money every month.
• The Plum Card® from American Express: Best for businesses that want a charge card and can handle paying their bill in full every month. With this card, you will have access to pay early discounts with no cap when it comes to your monthly credit card bill.
• Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: Best for business owners who frequently stay at Hilton hotels and resorts. You will have access to Hilton Honors points and Gold Status membership.
• Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card: Best for business owners who want to earn Marriott Bonvoy rewards and primarily stay at Marriott Bonvoy hotels. New cardholders can also earn a substantial introductory Marriott Bonvoy points reward.
• American Express Delta Reserve® for Business Credit Card: Best for businesses that are current Delta Airline customers and want to have access to airport Delta Sky Clubs. Additionally, cardholders will have access to premium American Express travel features.
• American Express Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card: Another good card option for frequent Delta Airline customers who are looking to earn Delta SkyMiles on their Delta-related purchases.
• American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card: Another Delta Airline card option that’s best for frequent Delta customers who are looking to earn rewards and tap into American Express travel features.
• Amazon Business Prime American Express Card: Best for business owners with Amazon Prime memberships who want to earn points rewards for their Amazon-related purchases.
• Amazon Business American Express Card: Best for business owners who are not Amazon Prime members, but want to earn rewards for their purchases at Amazon-owned businesses.
• American Express Business Green Rewards Card: Best for businesses that generally have a low annual spend amount. You can earn points rewards on American Express travel and have access to American Express travel coverages.
• American Express Lowe’s Business Credit Card: Best for businesses that primarily shop at Lowe’s hardware stores. You can earn points rewards for Lowe’s-related purchases and in-store discounts.

Alternatives to the American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card

Some small business credit cards may offer bonus category rewards better suited to your business than what’s offered with the American Express Blue Business® Plus credit card. If your business has more predictable spending needs across one or more spending categories, you may want to consider a different rewards credit card.

3 Alternatives to the American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card

For rates and fees on the American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card, please click here.