The Blue Business Plus Credit Card Review

Link: Learn how to apply for The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (See Rates and Fees)

When people think about American Express business credit cards, they typically think about the incredible American Express Business Gold Card or the American Express Business Platinum Card. Comparatively, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is usually overlooked. The Amex Blue Business Plus Credit Card is an excellent product for day-to-day spending and opportunities to maximize rewards without breaking the bank on annual fees.

The Membership Rewards earned are terrific for their incredibly valuable transfer partners, no matter how you want to travel. From short domestic flights to grandma’s house to round-the-world adventures, the possibilities are… Nonstop.

The Blue Business Plus Credit Card by American Express Welcome Offer

Current Welcome Offer:

• There is currently no bonus points welcome offer

Do not let the lack of a welcome offer deter you from signing up for The Blue Business Plus Credit Card by American Express and earning a spot in your wallet. The potential Membership Rewards earned with this card can easily outweigh the upfront points you may earn from other cards.

The Blue Business Plus Credit Card by American Express Fees

Annual Fee:

• annual_fees (See Rates and Fees)

Foreign Transaction Fee:

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With no annual fee, there is no reason not to apply for the Blue Business Plus for your business. Despite not having an annual fee, it still is possible to earn more Membership Rewards points than many other business credit cards out there, making it an incredibly competitive product.

Remember that the Blue Business Plus is built to be an everyday credit card with no annual fee rather than a travel card. This means that there are foreign transaction fees. However, if you plan on doing a lot of business overseas, it may be worth looking at a different American Express business travel credit card.

Earning Membership Rewards

Earn Rate:

• 2x Membership Rewards on the first $50,000 in purchases each year
• 1x on purchases after that

My favorite thing about the Blue Business Plus Card is that earning is simple. You do not need to worry about the best time to use the card because it has a great earning rate on every purchase. Compared to many other cards that only offer 1x on everyday purchases, there is never a wrong time to use this card. Of course, the earnings rate decreases after reaching $50,000 per year, but this may not be an issue for many small business owners. 

While not the highest multiplier out there, it is undeniably simple, which many business owners will appreciate, allowing them to focus back on the business. 

Redeeming Membership Rewards

Membership Rewards Point Value:

Minimum: 1 cent per point towards travel from American Express

Nonstop Points Valuation: around 2.0 cents per point when transferring to select partners

Transfer Partners:

• AeroMexico Club Premier
• Aer Lingus
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France FlyingBlue
• ANA
• Avianca LifeMiles
• British Airways Executive Club Avios
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Choice Privileges
• Delta SkyMiles
• Emirates Skywards
• El Al
• Etihad Guest
• Iberia Avios
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Hilton Honors
• JetBlue
• Marriott Bonvoy
• Qantas
• Singapore Airlines Krisflyer
• Virgin Atlantic

Given that there is no bonus to redeem your extremely valuable Membership Rewards points for travel with American Express, I typically recommend transferring the points out to partners. This way, you can extract more value from the same number of points. This multiplies the benefit of your spending and any bones from this card.

For me, the best thing about Membership Rewards is the flexibility of some of American Express’s transfer partners that are available with any other card, such as ANA Mileage Club. On the one hand, you can transfer points to more commonly used airline loyalty programs in the U.S., such as Delta SkyMiles and Marriott Bonvoy. On the other hand, Amex has an incredible list of foreign transfer partners such as British Airways Avios or Air Canada Aeroplan.

One of my favorite redemptions was transferring 7,000 miles to British Airways and $5.60 in taxes and fees, thanks to a transfer bonus. I booked an American Airlines ticket that allowed me to fly down to Florida to visit my father on an otherwise $230.

I also redeemed 25,000 points transferred to Delta SkyMiles to book a ticket to Tahiti in French Polynesia on my way to Bora Bora. Rather than pay hundreds for the flight, I was able to get the ticket for $5.60.

Of course, if you are searching for luxury, you could transfer 88,000 miles to ANA to book a roundtrip United business class to Europe for under $90. This means you could fly on an otherwise multi-thousand-dollar ticket in the comfort of your lie-flat seats for a small fraction of the cost. 

The Last Point

I am very impressed by The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express due to its straightforward way to earn Membership Rewards points. Very few other cards earn points at the same rate on everyday spending, not to mention one without an annual fee. It may not have fancy perks, such as lounge access, but the simplicity is the beauty of this card.