American Express Blue Business Plus Review

Find out why we name the American Express Blue Business Plus card one of the best credit cards available for small business owners.

WRITTEN & RESEARCHED BY
Jason Vissers
Expert Contributor

Last updated onUpdated May 19, 2025

REVIEWED BY

Editor & Senior Staff Writer

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Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express

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Total Rating	4.7
Rewards & Perks5.0
Rates & Fees4.9
Features4.7
Eligibility Requirements2.4
Customer Service4.5
User Reviews3.8

Annual Fee

Minimum Credit Score Requirements

Good to Excellent

Rewards Rate Range

1x - 2x

Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express At A Glance

2x points on your first $50K/year in business purchases
1x points on all purchases thereafter
15,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months

Intro APR of 0% for 12 months

No annual fee

Employee cards for no extra cost

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Pros

Introductory APR
Welcome bonus
Simple rewards program
No annual fee

Cons

Foreign transaction fee

Table of Contents

What Is American Express Blue Business Plus?
Amex Blue Business Plus: Quick Facts
Rewards & Perks
Rates & Fees
Card Features
Eligibility Requirements
Customer Service
Amex Blue Business Plus Reviews
How Does Amex Blue Business Plus Compare To The Alternatives?
Final Verdict: Is American Express Blue Business Plus Right For You?

What Is American Express Blue Business Plus?

The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express provides a simple way for small businesses to earn points and gain access to American Express’s Membership Rewards Program without worrying about fees or rewards tiers.

Amex Blue Business Plus offers 2x points per $1 spent on your first $50,000 per year in purchases, an intro APR of 0% for 12 months, and no annual fee — a potent combination that will appeal to a wide range of businesses. In addition, like most Amex credit cards, cardholders can spend above their credit limit with no penalty.

Keep reading to find out if Blue Business Plus deserves a place among the best business credit cards.

Amex Blue Business Plus: Quick Facts

Annual Fee	$0
Purchase APR	17.49% - 27.49% (variable)
Welcome Offer	15,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months
Intro Purchase APR	0% for 12 months
Intro Balance Transfer APR	N/A
Foreign Transaction Fee	2.7%
Rewards	2x points per $1 spent on all purchases, up to $50,000 per year 1x point per $1 spent on all purchases, after $50,000
Featured Benefit	Ability to spend above the credit limit with Expanded Buying Power. Note: The amount you can spend above your credit limit is not unlimited. It adjusts with your use of the card, your payment history, credit record, financial resources known, and other factors.

Rewards & Perks

Rewards & Perks5.0
Earning Rewards 5.0
Rewards Redemption 5.0

This Amex card has a solid rewards program that should fit a broad array of business types. It’s no mistake that we gave Blue Business Plus a perfect score in this category.

Early Spend Bonus

With Blue Business Plus, you’ll earn 15,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months.

2x Points On Up To $50K/Year In Spending

A rewards rate of 2x points per dollar spent is a great rewards rate for a business credit card — and it’s even better for a card that carries no annual fee.

However, Blue Business Plus’s high rewards rate does come with a caveat; you’ll only receive 2x points on your first $50,000 spent each calendar year.

After you break the $50,000 spending threshold within one year, you’ll start earning 1x point per dollar. This means that users who plan to spend more than $50,000 annually may find greener pastures with a different card that doesn’t impose spending caps.

You may also find better cards if you’re looking for rewards in specific categories — the Blue Business Plus will best suit those with a wide-ranging spending profile.

Redeeming Rewards

Many Amex cards shine when it comes to redeeming rewards, and Blue Business Plus is no different. Besides being redeemable for statement credits and gift cards, you can also spend your points at marketplaces like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. Points can also be used when you check out with a merchant that supports Amex Express Checkout or PayPal.

Despite not being a travel card, you can still use your Blue Business Plus points for travel. To do so, you’ll need to book your trip through American Express’s travel portal. Or, if you’d prefer a different service, points can be used at checkout when booking through Expedia.

Additionally, you can transfer your points to 20+ hotel and airline loyalty programs.

Note that depending on how you redeem your points, you may wind up receiving more or less than the standard $0.01 per point.

Rates & Fees

Rates & Fees4.9
Rates 5.0
Fees 4.8

Blue Business Plus earns a nearly perfect rating in this category due to having no annual fee and an introductory APR. It’s a combination you often see in business credit cards with less impressive rewards. It’s rarer to see it in a card like this.

No Annual Fee

The Amex Blue Business Plus’s lack of an annual fee means that your rewards will immediately start saving you money — you won’t have to worry about recouping a set fee first.

Introductory APR

With this card, you’ll get introductory APR of 0% for 12 months. This is especially handy for those who plan to carry a balance for the first year they have the card in their wallet.

A Competitive Ongoing APR

After your first year, your rate for purchases will range from 17.49% - 27.49% (variable). The lower end of this range is lower than the average for a business credit card, while the upper end is a bit higher.

A Foreign Transaction Fee

This card does sport a 2.7% foreign transaction fee. It’s not ideal for international travelers, but it is slightly lower than the 3% international fee commonly charged by other credit cards.

Of course, frequent travelers may prefer to check out travel-specific business credit cards instead.

Other Fees

Besides the foreign transaction fee, you’ll be charged either $5 or 3% of the amount of each balance transfer (whichever is higher).

There’s also a late payment fee that runs up to $39 and a returned payment fee of $39.

Card Features

Features4.7
Business Perks 4.5
Extra Benefits 5.0

Amex offers a plethora of extra benefits with its cards, and Blue Business Plus is no exception. This card earns excellent marks in the Features category — let’s go through the reasons why.

Expanded Buying Power

Amex likes to market that the Blue Business card line has something deemed “Expanded Buying Power.” This means you’ll be able to spend above your designated credit limit.

Of course, the amount you can spend above your credit limit isn’t unlimited. Instead, that second limit adjusts based on how you use the card, your payment history and credit record, any of your financial resources Amex knows about, and other factors.

Free Employee Cards

If you need to dole out employee cards, Amex won’t charge an annual fee for each card you hand out. You’ll be rewarded for purchases made on employee cards. Plus, you’ll have the option of setting spending limits for each employee card.

Large companies need to keep in mind that you’re limited to 100 employee cards, however.

Extended Warranty & Purchase Protection

With Blue Business Plus, when you make a purchase, the terms of the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty can be extended up to one additional year. Additionally, when you charge a Covered Purchase to your card, your purchase is protected for up to 90 days if it is accidentally damaged or stolen (up to $1,000 per occurrence).

Card Management Tools

American Express provides several benefits to help manage your card. These include:

The ability to set another individual as an “account manager”
Access to the American Express Business App and the American Express App for iOS and Google Play
Account alerts, online statements, and year-end summaries
The option to pay bills for free with Bill.com

Additional Features

Beyond the above benefits, a Blue Business Plus card grants you car rental loss and damage insurance after you reserve and pay for a rental car with your card. Note that you will need to decline any collision damage waiver from the rental car company, and Amex’s coverage is not available in Australia, Italy, or New Zealand.

You’ll also receive access to Amex Offers, which can save money on purchases. This service shares offers for brands, shopping, travel, and more via Amex’s website or its mobile app.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility Requirements2.4
Credit Score 3.0
Requirement Disclosure 0.0

You’ll need to be at least 18 years of age and a US resident to apply for Amex Blue Business Plus.

When it comes to your credit history, Amex does not specify a credit score requirement. However, the consensus among reviewers is that applicants should have good to excellent credit before applying. Credit scores of good or excellent often sit above 640.

Maverick Tip: Unsure of your credit score? Don’t pay to find out! Check out one of these free credit score services instead.

Customer Service

Customer Service4.5
Support Options 5.0
Support Quality 4.0

Amex offers a range of customer service benefits with this card, including 24/7 customer support, a global assist hotline that provides access to medical, legal, financial, and other services, and dispute resolution in case you notice a fraudulent or incorrect charge on your statement.

For Blue Business Plus, it all adds up to a strong score in this category.

Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express Customer Service	Availability
Phone Support
Email Support
Support Tickets
Live Chat
Dedicated Support Representative
Knowledge Base or Help Center
Videos & Tutorials
Company Blog
Social Media

Amex Blue Business Plus Reviews

User Reviews3.8
User Feedback 4.0
Review Sites 3.7

Amex’s Blue Business Plus is well-reviewed by both professional reviewers and cardholders. The card receives an average user score of 3.8/5 at WalletHub (based on 420+ reviews) and an average score of 3.6/5 at Credit Karma (25+ reviews). These scores aren’t eye-popping per se, but they compare favorably with the scores other business credit cards receive.

Negative Amex Blue Business Plus Reviews

Some users get low credit limits
Not all users with good credit are accepted
Balance transfer fee

Positive Amex Blue Business Plus Reviews

No annual fee
Good customer service
Great points structure

How Does Amex Blue Business Plus Compare To The Alternatives?

Amex Blue Business Plus is a top-notch business credit card, but let’s explore the circumstances that might lead you to prefer another option to finance your business purchases.

Amex Blue Business Cash VS Amex Blue Business Plus

If you’d rather have a pure cash back card and you have no interest in sorting through various reward redemption options, Amex’s Blue Business Cash may be a better fit for you than Blue Business Plus.

As we noted in our Amex Blue Business Cash review, this card shares a number of traits with Blue Business Plus — it has no annual fee, introductory APR, and the same APR range. It also mirrors Blue Business Plus’s rewards scheme.

However, with Blue Business Cash, your rewards are automatically redeemed in the form of statement credits each monthly account period. Therefore, if you have no interest in redeeming your rewards for gift cards, travel, etc, and would prefer straightforward cash back — which offers more consistent value than rewards points (whose value depends on the redemption method and may be worth less than the assumed 1 cent per point standard in some instances) — go with Blue Business Cash instead.

Chase Ink Business Unlimited VS Amex Blue Business Plus

Chase’s Ink Business Unlimited is another well-regarded business credit card with no annual fee. It offers unlimited rewards of 1.5% cash back with no caps.

Assuming a point value of $0.01, this means that Blue Business Plus will see you earning $1,000 in rewards once you hit your annual $50K spending cap for 2x rewards. Subsequently, you’ll earn rewards at a 1x rate until your next yearly billing period.

With Ink Business Unlimited, it will take you $66,666.67 in annual spending to reach $1,000 in cash back, but all subsequent purchases that account year will earn you 1.5x rewards, not 1x. Therefore, businesses intending to charge more than $66,666.67 in annual purchases stand to get more rewards value with Ink Business Unlimited than Blue Business Plus.

Ink Business Preferred also offers a better welcome bonus than Blue Business Cash.

Our Chase Ink Business Unlimited review contains more details and fee information.

Final Verdict: Is American Express Blue Business Plus Right For You?

Blue Business Plus from American Express is an outstanding business credit card for business owners who want to take advantage of Amex’s Membership Rewards points system. With a strong universal rewards-earning rate and lucrative redemption options (particularly for travel), this card deserves to be considered alongside the best options in the business credit card field.

If, on the other hand, you run a large business and you a) want more expense management features than a normal business card provides, b) want to avoid personal liability for your card debt, and/or c) your business fundamentals are strong, but your personal credit score isn’t good, check out the best corporate credit cards instead.

You might want to apply if…

You want a simple rewards structure
You want a generous introductory 0% APR period
You plan on putting less than $50,000 worth of charges on your credit card

You might want to look for a different card if…

You plan on putting more than $50,000 worth of charges on your credit card
You simply want to earn cash back, not points
You want a travel card or one that offers better rewards for select categories

Content Featuring Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express

Credit Card Review Methodology

We spend hours researching and evaluating each credit card that we review at Merchant Maverick, placing special emphasis on key characteristics to generate our ratings.

Weighted Rating Breakdown

Rewards & Perks 40%

Rates & Fees 30%

Features 15%

Eligibility Requirements 5%

Customer Service 5%

User Reviews 5%

When rating credit cards and credit card issuers, we use an 18-point rubric that looks at rewards and perks, rates and fees, features, eligibility requirements, customer service, and user reviews. We weigh each section differently to calculate the total star rating.

Rewards & Perks: 40% of the total star rating
Rates & Fees: 30% of the total star rating
Features: 15% of the total star rating
Eligibility Requirements: 5% of the total star rating
Customer Service: 5% of the total star rating
User Reviews: 5% of the total star rating

Each section is further broken down into granular, weighted subsections, in which we examine specific attributes like APR, introductory offers, cash back and travel rewards, credit score requirements and disclosures, foreign transaction fees, and the availability of employee cards.

Read more about how we rate business credit cards.

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Jason Vissers

Expert Contributor at Merchant Maverick

Jason has been writing about small business software platforms, services, and financing since 2015. Jason’s expertise has been featured in Yahoo Finance, Time/NextAdvisor, Home Business Magazine, CreditCards.com, GoBankingRates, TheLadders.com, and other publications. He has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from San Diego State University.