Amex Blue Business Plus Credit Card Review: Earn Membership Rewards Points While Paying No Annual Fee

Membership Rewards points are some of the best transferable rewards, but most business credit cards that earn points charge an annual fee. Most -- but not all. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is the only no annual fee business credit card that earns valuable Membership Rewards points. Best of all, you won't need to track bonus categories to earn bonus points on many of your purchases. Check out the full Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express review to see how it works.

This credit card is a good fit for: Business owners who want to earn Membership Rewards points without tracking categories or paying an annual fee.

Top perks

Earning rewards points is just one of multiple perks to this card.

Up to 2x points per dollar

The marquee feature of the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is its purchase rewards. You'll earn 2x Membership Rewards points per dollar on the first $50,000 in purchases each year. This means there are no categories to track or activate; just 2x rewards for the first $50,000 you put on your card. After that, you'll get 1x points per dollar.

Membership Rewards are hugely popular -- and for good reason. You can get a great per-point value when you transfer your points to one of dozens of hotel and airline partner programs. Even though the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express isn't specifically a travel rewards credit card, you can still earn your way to free flights and hotel stays.

Welcome offer

Speaking of Membership Rewards points, the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express also has an easy way to earn a bundle of them: the welcome offer. New cardholders can earn 15,000 Membership Rewards points just for spending $3,000 on their card in the first three months.

One thing to note here is that American Express welcome offers can vary depending on where you get your offer. Even using incognito or private browsing may change the offer. If you're not seeing the best welcome offer, try changing your browsing options or checking for a referral offer from another site.

Introductory 0% APR offer on purchases

Another excellent offer for new cardholders is the intro 0% APR deal. You can get 0% APR on new purchases for the first 12 months after opening your account. That's an entire year of no interest fees on qualifying purchases.

Remember you need to make at least the minimum monthly payment on time even during the intro offer. Your purchase APR will revert to the go-to APR after the introductory period ends.

No annual card fee

A high flat-rate rewards rate could be worth paying an annual fee. But thankfully, you don't have to make that choice with this card. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express has absolutely no annual fee.

This means even during slow months when you're not making many purchases, you're not paying extra just to keep your credit card on standby. It's also helpful if you want to add in another business credit card, perhaps one with bonus category rewards, to help maximize your overall rewards potential.

Read more: Best No Annual Fee Credit Cards

What could be improved

There are a few places this card falls short compared to some competitors.

Foreign transaction fee

The most notable con of the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is that it comes with a 2.7% foreign transaction fee. These fees are charged when:

• You make a purchase in a foreign currency
• You make a purchase that routes through a foreign bank

In today's digital world, it's easier than ever to make a foreign transaction, even if you never leave the country. That great deal on supplies from an overseas company will likely route through its bank -- hitting you with a foreign transaction fee. Although 2.7% isn't super high for a few smaller transactions, it can really add up on large purchases.

No balance transfer intro offer

The fact that the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express comes with an intro 0% APR offer on new purchases is a nice pro. But if you've already made the purchases you need to save on, it's a lot less helpful. Since the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express's intro APR offer doesn't extend to balance transfers, you're out of luck if you really need that deal on a balance you already have with another credit card.

Personal guarantee required

The personal guarantee is a downside shared by most small business credit cards, including the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express. When you apply, you're agreeing to accept liability for your credit card debt -- both jointly with your business, and separately on your own. In other words, if your business goes under, you are still personally responsible for paying off your credit card balance. If you don't, your personal credit will be affected and debt collectors will likely come, too.

Read more: Best Business Credit Cards

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is best for business owners who have good to excellent personal credit. In general, that means a personal credit score of 670 or higher, though Amex will look at your entire credit profile, not just your scores.

And yes, that's your personal credit history, not just your business credit. Due to the personal guarantee, American Express will evaluate your personal credit history as well as any applicable business credit history when considering your application.

Read more: Best Credit Cards

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is a good option for small business owners who don't want to track bonus categories. It may also be a good fit for companies with expenses that simply don't fit into popular categories. The card's $0 annual fee and welcome bonus both add to the appeal. Keep in mind the foreign transaction fees mean you'll pay extra for purchases abroad or from foreign suppliers. You can check our list of credit card reviews for other options if you need a card without foreign transaction fees.

Keep reading: Best Rewards Credit Cards

Our credit card methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.