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Amex business credit card welcome offers increased
Both the Blue Business Plus Credit Card and the Blue Business Cash Card did not have welcome offers prior to this. Even before the increased bonuses, they were still both respectable business credit cards with no annual fee.
On top of that, they both come with a long list of benefits, including:
- Expanded buying power: You are able to spend above your credit limit based on your credit record, payment history and other factors.
- Quickbooks integration: For business owners who use Quickbooks for their accounting, you can have your expenses automatically tagged with your expense categories.
- Rental car insurance: Instead of paying for rental car insurance through your rental car provider, American Express provides it for free. Simply decline their insurance, pay with your American Express credit card, and you will have secondary coverage in case something happens during your travels.
Blue Business Plus Credit Card
The Blue Business Plus Credit Card is a great card for earning Membership Rewards points with ease. As you spend on the card, you earn 2X points for every dollar spent on purchases, up to $50,000 per year. All purchases after that earn 1X point per dollar. This is convenient for many as they do not need to track multiple credit cards and figure out various bonus spending categories. In fact, this earning rate makes it one of the best card for non-bonused spend.
Now, the card comes with a solid welcome bonus: You can earn 15,000 points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the card within your first 3 months of card membership.
While 15,000 points may not sound like much, Membership Rewards are valuable as you can transfer them to a variety of airline and hotel loyalty programs. And if you pair this card with another American Express business credit card like The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, it makes for a great combo to earn heaps of Membership Rewards points.
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
On the American Express secure site
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Rewards
Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on everyday business purchases up to $50,000 per year, then 1X point per dollar
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Welcome bonus
Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the card within your first 3 months of card membership.
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
0% for the first 12 months on purchases
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Regular APR
13.24% to 19.24% variable
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Balance transfer fee
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
Pros
- No annual fee
- Free employee cards
- Straightforward rewards program
Cons
- 2.7% foreign transaction fee
Blue Business Cash Card
The Blue Business Cash Card is a close sibling to the Blue Business Plus Credit Card. Instead of earning points, you earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1% cash back after that.
The new welcome offer is also worth noting: You can earn a $250 statement credit after you make $3,000 in purchases on your card in your first 3 months.
Blue Business Cash™ Card from American Express
On the American Express secure site
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Rewards
Earn 2% cash back in the form of a credit statement on all eligible purchases (up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%)
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Welcome bonus
Earn a $250 statement credit after you make $3,000 in purchases on your Card in your first 3 months.
-
Annual fee
-
Intro APR
0% for the first 12 months on purchases
-
Regular APR
13.24% to 19.24% variable
-
Balance transfer fee
-
Foreign transaction fee
-
Credit needed
Pros
- No annual fee
- Free employee cards
- Straightforward rewards program
- Spend beyond your credit limit with Expanded Buying Power
Cons
- 2.7% foreign transaction fee
How to apply for and pick a business credit card
Business credit cards are a bit different than a traditional consumer credit card. They offer different benefits and features than a regular credit card, and have a slightly different application process.
Applying for a business credit card
First, you must be a business owner to apply for a business credit card. While many of us may not consider ourselves business owners, you actually might be. If you make any sort of income outside of a traditional W-2 job, it may qualify you to be a business owner, such as: driving for a rideshare service, freelancing, babysitting, reselling items online or renting out your home and/or vehicle.
If you have a side hustle or small business, you will need an EIN (employer identification number) to apply for a business credit card. You can do that on the IRS website. An alternative to this is that you can also apply as a sole proprietor using your social security number.
Once you have that, you can apply for a business credit card.
Picking the right business credit card
The next step is to pick a business credit card that suits your business needs best. Similar to a consumer credit card, it is advantageous to ‘reverse engineer’ to find the best business credit card for you. To get started, ask yourself these questions:
- What categories do I spend the most money in? (i.e. Restaurants, travel, technology, shipping, etc.)
- Will my business benefit more from travel rewards or cash back?
- What benefits would my business utilize the most? (i.e. Travel insurance, concierge service, purchase protection, etc.)
- How much am I willing to spend on an annual fee? Remember, credit card annual fees can be a tax write-off on your business income.
- Will you be spending a significant amount of money? If yes, consider a charge card or credit card with a flexible credit line.
By answering these questions, you can start to narrow down your choices to a few of the best business credit cards for your needs.
Bottom line
If you are in the market for a business credit card, but want to avoid paying an annual fee, the two American Express business credit cards mentioned above are worth considering — especially now that each has a welcome bonus. However, they are not the only no annual fee business credit cards available.
Like any financial decision, be sure to consider all your options as the right credit card can be a great tool for your business.
For rates and fees for the Blue Business Plus, click here
For rates and fees for the American Express Blue Business Cash, click here
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.