Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
The The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express currently offers a 15,000 point Membership Rewards® welcome bonus to new cardmembers after spending $3,000 on the card within 3 months.
While this welcome bonus isn’t the most compelling Membership Rewards welcome bonus available, the Blue Business Plus should be in your wallet if you’re collecting Membership Rewards, since it earns 2x on the first $50,000 of eligible purchases each year.
Here’s what you need to know about the welcome bonus on The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express.
Best bonus: 15k points after $3,000 spent in 3 months
card_name welcome bonus:
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(See Rates and Fees)
Click here to learn more and apply.
Our take on the welcome bonus: This welcome bonus isn’t terribly exciting when compared against headline offers on high annual fee cards, but that doesn’t mean the card’s not worth getting. If you’re into the Membership Rewards program, this card will increase what you earn on everyday spending.
The link above is our affiliate link. We always show you the best offer, and this is the best offer we know about on this card.
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express at a glance:
Annual fee: $0
Rewards: 2x Membership Rewards® on the first $50,000 in purchases each year, 1x thereafter.
Benefits: Extended warranty. Purchase protection. Secondary car rental loss and damage insurance.
About The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express has a simple value proposition: Excellent rewards on everyday spending, paired with decent purchase protection and extended warranty benefits. The card has no annual fee. (See Rates and Fees)
The card earns 2x Membership Rewards® points on everyday eligible business purchases, on up to $50,000 of spending per year. Thereafter, you’ll earn 1x points on eligible purchases.
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card is a good choice for business purchases of equipment and durable goods, thanks to its extended warranty and purchase protection benefits. You’ll also be protected with Amex’s car rental loss and damage insurance when you rent a car with the card, but the benefit provides secondary coverage.
My take on the welcome bonus
Frankly, this isn’t a welcome bonus that I get excited about, but one I would absolutely get if you haven’t had this card yet. Here’s why.
Generally, you can only earn a welcome bonus on an American Express card once per lifetime. And you’ll probably get this card at some point in the future if you’re invested in the Amex Membership Rewards® ecosystem. And if you get this card by downgrading another card, you can never get a welcome bonus on this card.
This card is an attractive downgrade option for high-fee small business Membership Rewards® cards. You need to have at least one Membership Rewards® card open to keep your points alive. If you’re finding that your Business Platinum Card® isn’t providing enough value, Amex likely will offer you the option to downgrade to this card. Once you’ve downgraded, you’ve “had the card in the past” and can never get the welcome bonus again.
If you can meet the minimum spending, there’s little downside to getting this card. It has no annual fee and as a small business card, it won’t add to your 5/24 count.
The best ways to use Amex Membership Rewards®
With the welcome bonus on The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, you’ll earn Membership Rewards® points. Membership Rewards is a transferrable point currency that can provide incredible value if you transfer them to Amex’s airline transfer partners. Here are a few pointers on using Membership Rewards.
Great for point transfers to partners. Transferring Membership Rewards® points to airline partners provides by far the most opportunity to get the best value out of your points. You’ll usually bet the most value from your points by using them for flights in premium cabins. We’ve found Aeroplan, Flying Blue, ANA Mileage Club, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club, Delta SkyMiles, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to be the must useful transfer partners.
Bad for cash rewards. Membership Rewards typically aren’t great if you want cash back rewards. Unless you hold specific variants of the Platinum card or have a business checking account with Amex, you’ll get at most 0.6 cents per point from statement credits. Consider a card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards® or Citi ThankYou® Points instead.
Most other uses of Membership Rewards offer fairly mediocre value, between 0.5 and 1 cent per point of value.
Amex disclosures
For rates and fees of the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
Amex Extended Warranty benefit disclosure: When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase to an Eligible Card, Extended Warranty§ can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your Card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
Amex Basic Purchase Protection benefit disclosure: When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase with their Eligible Card, Purchase Protection can help protect their Covered Purchases for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date if it is stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited to up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
Amex Basic Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance disclosure: Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
