Name: Blue Business Cash™ Card from American Express
Brand: American Express

If you're a business owner with low to moderate spending who is looking for a starter business card, the Blue Business Cash™ Card from American Express could be a good choice. It has a competitive cash back rate and a 0% APR intro offer on purchases -- two features that can be extremely valuable for the right cardholder. There are, however, some popular perks that this card lacks. To see whether it's right for you, explore its pros and cons in this Blue Business Cash™ Card from American Express review.

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Blue Business Cash™ Card from American Express

Rating image, 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Bottom Line

With generous cash back rewards, an intro APR offer, and free employee cards, this no annual fee card is great for businesses that don't spend too much every year.

Credit Rating Requirement: Good/Excellent

Rewards

Earn 2% back on every purchase, up to $50,000 of spending per calendar year, then 1%.

Annual Fee

$0

Intro APR

Purchases: 0%, 12 months

Balance Transfers: N/A

Ongoing APR

13.24% - 19.24%, variable

Welcome Bonus

N/A

Highlights

Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement.
From workflow to inventory to floor plans, your business is constantly changing. That’s why you’ve got the power to spend beyond your credit limit with Expanded Buying Power.
Just remember, 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 to us and other factors.
0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 13.24% - 19.24%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors as determined at the time of account opening.
No Annual Fee
Terms Apply

Card Details [+-]

Full Amex Blue Business Cash review

Top perks

Earn up to 2% back: You'll earn 2% back on every purchase, up to a spending cap of $50,000 per calendar year. After you reach that cap, you'll earn 1% back. For a no-annual-fee card, 2% back is an excellent cash back rate. Unfortunately, the $50,000 yearly limit could be a problem if your business spends more than $4,000 to $5,000 per month.

No annual fee: You won't need to pay an annual fee to carry this card. Additional employee cards are also free of charge.

Spending limits on employee cards: One useful and under-appreciated perk of American Express cards is the option to set spending limits for authorized users. When you have an American Express business card, that means you can put spending limits on employee cards. Many other card issuers don't offer this feature. It's a helpful way to add more security to your account.

0% intro APR: The Blue Business Cash™ Card from American Express offers a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months. If you have any major business expenses, such as opening a new location, you could use your card to finance the costs interest free for a year.

Expanded buying power: American Express lets you exceed your credit limit to make purchases without paying an over-the-limit fee. The amount you can spend beyond your credit limit depends on a variety of factors, including your use of the card and payment history. With most credit cards, you either can't exceed your credit limit or will be charged a fee if you do.

If you do go over your limit, you'll have to pay that extra money back in full along with your minimum payment at the end of your billing cycle. Otherwise, the penalty APR will apply to your entire balance. While expanded buying power can be helpful, you should be cautious about how you use it to avoid costly interest charges.

Consumer and travel protections: This card offers the following protections and coverages:

Car rental loss and damage insurance
Purchase protection
Extended warranty coverage

Automatic redemptions: You don't have to spend any time redeeming your cash back as it will be automatically applied as a statement credit each month.

What could be improved

Welcome offer: You won't get any bonus cash back after opening the Blue Business Cash™ Card from American Express. This is the main area where the card is lacking: lots of other cards offer large sign-up bonuses that boost their upfront value.

Balance transfer offer: The 0% intro APR on purchases does not apply to balance transfers, so you wouldn't want to use this card to refinance credit card debt.

Foreign transaction fee: This card charges a foreign transaction fee of 2.7% of the transaction amount in U.S. dollars. If you or your employees will be traveling and need to make purchases abroad, you're better off picking a card without this type of fee.

Suggested credit score

You should have a good credit score or better, which means a FICO® Score of at least 670, to apply for the Blue Business Cash™ Card from American Express. There's more to a credit card application than your credit score -- but a higher score will give you much better approval odds.

Since this is a business credit card, it's intended for business owners. Card issuers aren't too strict about who's eligible for a business credit card, though. You can get one based on your personal credit score and income even if your business isn't yet making money or is just a small side gig.

Alternatives to consider

If you want to earn an unlimited 2% back: The Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business earns 2% on every purchase with no spending cap. It does charge a $95 annual fee that's waived the first year, but the unlimited cash back could be a better deal for big spenders. Capital One's card will provide more value if your business spends over $59,500 per year, which is just under $5,000 per month.
If you want a big sign-up bonus: Check out the Chase Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card which is currently offering a $500 bonus when you spend $3,000 in the first three months. This no-annual-fee card can also get you lots of cash back on your regular business expenses, as it earns up to 5% back in select bonus categories.

As of Jan. 05, 2021


Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business	Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
Rating image, 4.0 out of 5 stars. 4.0 stars	Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars. 4.5 stars
Read Review	Apply Now On Chase's Secure Website.
	Read Full Review

Credit Rating Requirement: Good/Excellent	Credit Rating Requirement: Good/Excellent

Welcome Bonus: $500 after spending $4,500 within the 3 months	Welcome Bonus: $750 after spending $7,500 within 3 months

Rewards Program: Unlimited 2% cash back	Rewards Program: 5% back at office supply stores and internet, cable and phone services (on $25,000 spent each year), 2% back at gas stations and restaurants (on $25,000 spent each year), 1% on all else

Intro APR: Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A	Intro APR: Purchases: 0%, 12 months Balance Transfers: N/A, N/A

Regular APR: 20.99%, variable	Regular APR: 13.24% - 19.24% Variable

Annual Fee: $0 intro for first year; $95 after that	Annual Fee: $0

Highlights: Earn a one-time $500 cash bonus once you spend $4,500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening Earn unlimited 2% cash back for your business on every purchase, everywhere, no limits or category restrictions $0 annual fee for the first year; $95 after that Free employee cards, which also earn unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases $0 Fraud Liability if your card is lost or stolen Rewards won't expire for the life of the account, and you can redeem your cash back for any amount No foreign transaction fees	Highlights: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year Earn 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases Employee cards at no additional cost No Annual Fee
	Apply Now On Chase's Secure Website.
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Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business is temporarily unavailable on The Ascent. All information was collected independently from the issuer. Some items may be out of date.

This card is right for you if:

The Blue Business Cash™ Card from American Express is worth a look if you want a simple, no-fuss business credit card and your business spends $50,000 per year or less.

This card's 2% cash back rate is excellent. Since you earn that on every purchase, your rewards won't depend on spending lots of money in specific bonus categories. American Express handles cash back redemptions automatically to make them more convenient, and the 12-month 0% intro APR on purchases can be a money-saver if you need to finance big expenses.

If your business spends more than $5,000 per month, the Blue Business Cash™ Card from American Express likely isn't a match. With that type of spending, you could earn more from business credit cards with bonus categories or an unlimited flat-rate cash back.

Amex Blue Business Cash Review: A Basic, No-Annual-Fee Business Card