How do you find the best American Express (Amex) business credit card when there are so many options? No problem. We’ve whittled the list down to 5.
We’ll look at 5 of the top options. Moreover, we’ll consider factors such as annual percentage rate (APR), annual fees, rewards and benefits. We’ll evaluate the strengths of each card and identify who each one is best for.
Qualifying for an American Express Business Credit Card
You’ll stand the best chance to qualify for an American Express small business credit card if you have a credit rating of good or better. For personal credit scores, credit data analytics provider FICO defines a good credit score as 670 or higher on their scale, which has a base score of 300 to 850. If you’ve been in business a while, credit providers may place more weight on your business credit score.
You can improve your personal credit score by taking steps such as paying bills on time and keeping balances low. Paying vendors on time will help maintain your business credit score. Credit providers also may consider factors such as your personal income or business revenue when deciding whether to extend your credit.
Online approval for American Express cards takes as little as 30 seconds.
1. Blue Business Cash Card
The American Express Blue Business Cash Card combines a low introductory APR) with cash-back rewards.
It features:
- 0% introductory APR for the first 12 months, followed by 13.24%-19.24% based on creditworthiness and other factors reviewed at the time the account is opened
- 2% cash back on all eligible purchases up to $50,000 annually, and 1% back for additional purchases that year
- Expanded buying power to spend beyond your limit within limits set by periodic credit reviews
- No annual fee
- Car rental loss and damage insurance benefits for eligible rentals
- Global Assist Hotline 24/7 emergency assistance eligibility when traveling more than 100 miles from home
In Addition
This card includes other benefits generally common to American Express business cards:
- American Express Business App for simplifying management of business card receipts
- Year-end summary reports to help organize expense tracking
- Ability to add cards for employees for no annual fees, with spending limits, alerts and reports for expense management
- Syncing of categories with categories for the QuickBooks accounting app
- Benefits for vendor payments through the Bill.com invoice payment app
- Option to assign account managers to handle tasks such as making payments and reviewing transactions
- Account alerts for avoiding late payments and monitoring security issues
- American Express App access for tracking spending and rewards, making payments and receiving alerts
- Online statements
- Amex offers to earn rewards on qualifying purchases
- Assistance with dispute resolution
- Extended warranties to add 1 year to warranties of 5 years or less on covered purchases
- Purchase protection for eligible stolen or damaged purchases
- 24/7 support
As an incentive for signing up, new cardmembers can receive a $500 statement credit. This divides into $250 after spending $5,000 in qualified purchases within the 6 months of signing up and another $250 after spending an additional $10,000 within the first year.
This is the best Amex small business credit card with no annual fee for companies that prefer cash back to rewards for everyday expenses.
2. Blue Business Plus Credit Card
The American Express Blue Business Plus Credit Card has general benefits similar to the Blue Business Cash Card but uses a rewards structure rather than cash back.
Card highlights include:
- 0% introductory APR for the first 12 months, followed by 13.24%-19.24%
- No annual fee
- 2 times rewards points for the first $50,000 in annual purchases and 1 times for additional purchases that year
- Expanded buying power to spend beyond your limit within limits set by periodic credit reviews
As an incentive, new cardmembers can earn 15,000 rewards points after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months after signing up. This card is a good option with no annual fee for companies that prefer reward to cash back for everyday expenses.
3. Business Gold Card
The American Express Business Gold Card differs from the previous types of American Express cards in that it costs an annual fee. It offers rewards for businesses that spend money on select expense categories.
Card features include:
- APR of 14.24%-22.24%
- Flexibility to pay over time with interest or pay balance in full for eligible purchases, an option designed to help businesses manage cash flow
- Annual fee of $295
- Membership rewards points
- 4 times membership rewards points on the 2 categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle, applicable to first $150,000 in combined purchases, plus 1 times rewards on other categories and additional purchases
- Membership rewards categories selected from: airfare purchases directly from airlines, advertising online and on TV and radio, computer hardware and software and cloud services from select providers, gas stations, restaurants and shipping
- 25% points back for airline purchases with American Express Travel using membership rewards Pay with Points
- No foreign transaction fees for companies doing global business
- Eligibility for Book the Hotel Collection hotel credits and room upgrades at participating establishments
- Global Assist Hotline 24/7 emergency assistance eligibility when traveling more than 100 miles from home
- Baggage insurance when you purchase entire fare for a common carrier vehicle ticket
- Car rental loss and damage insurance for eligible rentals
- Trip delay insurance for eligible trips delayed over 12 hours
As an incentive for signing up, new cardmembers can receive tens of thousands of membership rewards points after spending $10,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of opening an account. The exact number of points varies by offer.
This card can be useful for businesses that have significant expenses in categories eligible for rewards, particularly travel.
4. Business Platinum Card
The American Express Business Platinum Card represents a step up from the Gold Card for luxury travel perks. Highlights include:
- Zero-percent introductory APR for the first 12 months, after which APR increases to 14.24%-24.24%
- Flexibility to pay over time with interest or pay balance in full for eligible purchases
- $595 annual fee
- 5 times rewards points on eligible flights and prepaid hotels, 1.5 times points on business categories and purchases of $5,000 or more and 1 times on other purchases
- Credit on eligible purchases from select partners such as Dell, Indeed, Adobe and from wireless purchases
- Complimentary airport lounge options at over 1,300 lounges at more than 500 airports around the world
- $200 airline fee credit
- 35% points back on eligible airline expenses
- $179 credit on CLEAR biometrics touchless identification
- Fine hotel and resorts benefits such as room upgrades, breakfast and guaranteed late checkout
- Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck expedited airport screening
- No foreign transaction fees
- Hotel benefits at Marriott and Hilton
- Premium private jet program
- Premium car rental
- Travel counseling services
- Trip delay insurance for trips delayed over 6 hours
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance for eligible round-trip purchases
As an incentive for signing up, new cardmembers may receive 100,000 or more rewards points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months.
This is the best American Express business card for companies that engage in extensive travel with luxury accommodations.
5. Amazon Business Prime Card
American Express offers a couple of different cards with benefits for businesses that purchase frequently from Amazon.com. The premium version is the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card.
Card highlights include:
- APR of 14.24% to 22.24%
- No annual fee
- 5% back or 90-day terms on U.S. purchases at Amazon Business, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market, with 5% back applicable to the first $120,000 in annual purchases with eligible Prime Membership and 1% for additional purchases that year
- 2% back on U.S. purchases at gas stations and restaurants and for wireless phone services purchased directly from providers
- 1% back on all other eligible purchases
- Rewards points that can be applied during checkout at Amazon.com and Amazon Business or toward purchases on statements
- Enhanced data views for insights into purchases
As an incentive for signing up, new cardmembers can receive a $125 Amazon.com gift card upon approval.
This card is ideal for businesses that purchase regularly from Amazon and have an Amazon Prime membership. For businesses without Prime membership, an Amazon Business American Express Card is available. It offers 3% back or 60-day terms on Amazon purchases.
Pick the Best American Express Business Credit Card for Your Needs
Each of the American Express cards reviewed above has its own strengths designed to benefit specific types of cardholders. Among cards with no annual fee, the Blue Business Cash Card provides cash back on purchases of everyday business expenses, while the Blue Business Plus Credit Card offers rewards.
For an annual fee, the Business Gold Card offers rewards for select business categories, while the Business Platinum Card offers greater travel rewards for a higher fee. The Amazon Business Prime Card offers cash back on Amazon purchases and other select purchases for cardholders with Amazon Prime memberships, while the Amazon Business Card offers lower cash back rates for cardholders without Prime.
These are some of the best American Express cards for the most common needs of business owners. American Express also offers other business credit cards geared toward specialized needs, such as business owners who fly with Delta, stay at Hilton or Marriott or shop at Lowe’s. Choose the card that’s right for you.
