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Based on our review criteria, the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express scored 3.7 out of five. The card issuer scored best in the security and user experience categories because it safeguards your sensitive information and makes it easy to open and manage your account.
The company scored the worst in the rates and fees and customer service categories. While the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card doesn't have an annual fee, it does have a foreign transaction fee. Plus, while you can contact American Express® 24/7 through multiple channels, the company has received many complaints and poor ratings online.
The following sections help clarify the scores we gave in each review category.
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express has the following fee schedule:
Purchase APR: 17.49%-27.49%
Penalty APR: 29.99%
Balance Transfer Fee: the greater of $5 or 3% of the transferred amount
Foreign Transaction Fee: 2.7% of the transaction amount
Late or Returned Payment Fee: $39
Note: If you want to use this account for a balance transfer, you must complete the transfer within 60 days of account opening.
The penalty APR may apply for 12 or more consecutive billing cycles if you miss a payment due date. You must make timely payments during the penalty period to reinstate your purchase APR.
If you spend $3,000 or more on eligible purchases within three months of opening your account, you'll receive 15,000 Membership Rewards® points as a sign-up bonus. You can earn 2x points on all eligible purchases up to an annual spending cap of $50,000. Once you reach that threshold, you'll get 1x points on eligible purchases.
You can redeem your points in multiple ways, with points worth up to $0.01 each. For instance, when you exchange 10,000 points, you could get:
$100 in gift cards
$100 towards travel reservations
$100 to Pay with Points at checkout
However, when you redeem those points for a statement credit, you'll get just $60.
As a Blue Business® Plus cardholder, you have access to these travel-related perks:
Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance: Get up to $50,000 in coverage when you decline the car rental company's collision damage waiver and use your account to book your reservation.
Global Assist® Hotline: Get 24/7 assistance if you experience an emergency while you're more than 100 miles from home.
Your American Express® card also offers other benefits, including:
Expanded Buying Power: Go over your credit limit if you need to. (Criteria for eligibility and additional spending limit amount such as account usage, payment history, and creditworthiness apply.)
Bill.com Subscription: Get a free Basic plan to pay your vendors when you enroll your Blue Business® Plus account.
QuickBooks Connection: Connect your card to QuickBooks, and your expenses will get automatically categorized.
Purchase Protection: Get up to $1,000 per covered purchase (up to $50,000 per account per calendar year) if your item is accidentally damaged or stolen within 90 days of buying it.
Extended Warranty: Get up to an additional year of warranty coverage (if your original warranty is five years or less).
Amex Offers: Earn extra rewards or statement credits when you shop with your card at participating partners.
The company keeps your data safe as you use your Blue Business® Plus card by:
Monitoring your account for suspicious activity.
Sending alerts when unusual transactions are detected.
Making it easy to report fraud.
Using SafeKey to verify your identity when you shop online.
Plus, your account details aren't stored on your device when you add your card to your digital wallet.
The American Express® website has detailed information about each card the company offers, making it easy to research and compare accounts. However, the card issuer doesn't disclose qualification criteria online, and a customer service representative couldn't provide that information over the phone.
You can apply for the Blue Business® Plus card by completing a one-page form on the company's website. You can also apply for the account by calling 1-888-781-6736.
We called this line and got connected with a friendly representative within one minute. They were prepared to answer our questions and process our application.
Your personal credit score won't be impacted unless you're approved for and accept the Blue Business® Plus card. However, your business credit score may be affected when you submit your application.
Once you're a customer, you can manage your account via the American Express® mobile app, which is available for both Android and iOS devices. The app helps you:
See your account information, including your current balance, available credit, and payment due date.
Make a payment.
Track rewards.
Find special offers.
Request a replacement card or freeze your account.
Many cardholders like the app. Apple device users give it 4.9 out of five stars, and Android device users give it 3.9 out of five stars. Some reviewers said the app is easy to use, while others indicated that a recent update made it harder to navigate.
When you need help with your account, you can contact American Express® 24/7 through the following channels:
By phone – 1-800-492-3344
Online
Via the mobile app
You must log into your online account or mobile app to connect with a representative. I couldn't test these contact methods since I'm not an American Express® customer.
However, we spoke with a current Blue Business® Plus cardholder to get some insight into the company's customer service. Casey TeVault, owner of Casey Buys Houses, had a positive experience speaking with an American Express® representative.
"There was a charge I didn't recognize, and they quickly helped me figure out what had happened. They were patient and had a 'problem-solving' attitude, which was nice. It was good to feel that they were on my team," said TeVault.
TeVault has been an account holder for two years and has a lot of praise for the card. He said, "I've been really happy with the rewards. I buy a lot of materials for my flip projects, and this is one of the cards I cycle through and use. This is the first one I use, and then I alternate to a different one once I hit $50,000 because the rewards seem to be front-loaded to that amount."
TeVault is also pleased that he can add employees to his account for free. "Instead of reimbursing [them] for purchases, they now just use my card," he said.
Dan Fugardi, CEO of InStyler Brands, picked up the Blue Business® Plus card last year based on a friend's recommendation. He likes that the card has no annual fee and a simple rewards structure. He said, "I went with this [card] partly because my other cards have a lot of categories to pay attention to, whereas this is more of a no-frills card with a good incentive for the first $50,000 of spending."
We also checked Reddit for trends in cardholder perception. Forum users like the lack of annual fees, the introductory APR, and the rewards they can earn. In general, they say it's a card you should hang onto long-term. However, there were some complaints about the foreign transaction fee.
While many users report having a positive experience with the card issuer, American Express® doesn't have a good online reputation. We found these issues as we did our research:
1.4 out of 5 stars across 4,600 Trustpilot reviews, with 79% of raters giving the company one star
No accreditation, an F rating, and just 1.1 out of 5 stars from the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
A court order to pay more than $108 million in civil penalties for alleged deceptive marketing practices (as of January 16, 2025)
Please note: As of this writing, we have contacted the company's public relations department regarding these issues and are awaiting their comments.
Blue Business Plus® | Blue Business Cash™ | |
Annual fee | $0 | $0 |
Base rewards | 2x points on eligible purchases up to $50,000 yearly spend (1x points after the threshold is met) | 2% cash back on eligible purchases up to $50,000 yearly spend (1% cash back after the threshold is met) |
| Intro APR | 0% on purchases for the first 12 months | 0% on purchases for the first 12 months |
APR | 17.49%-27.49% variable | 17.49%-27.49% variable |
Sign-up bonus | 15,000 Membership Rewards® points if you spend at least $3,000 on eligible purchases within three months of account opening | $250 statement credit if you spend at least $3,000 on eligible purchases within three months of account opening |
The two Blue cards are very similar. However, the Business Plus® card is a better fit if you want to earn Membership Rewards® points and have various redemption options. If you want to earn statement credits, the Business Cash™ card could work for you.
We gather and analyze a lot of data about each card before writing our review. Here are some of the criteria we consider:
Rates and Fees: How much will you pay to use your card? Do the benefits outweigh the cost?
Features and Benefits: How much can you earn in rewards? What cardholder perks are available?
Security: Does the card issuer protect your personal and financial data? Does the company make it easy to detect and report fraud?
User Experience: How easy is it to get and use the card? Can you manage your account via a mobile app?
Customer Service: Are card issuer representatives available to help 24/7? How do other cardholders rate their experience with the company?
We give the card a one to five rating in each of the above categories, with one being the worst and five being the best. Then, we take the average of the five ratings to determine the Editor's Score.
"This would [be] a great card for someone that doesn't mind using another card once they hit a certain limit for the year. If you don't like to worry about what you spent for the year or care to have another card, then I would look elsewhere," said TeVault.
Fugardi recommends the card due to its rewards structure. However, he noted, "There are still better benefits in some categories on other cards, but considering you have room for another card, this is a good option, especially if you travel a lot, as the [American Express®] rewards transfer across all hotel and flight partners."
You can use the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express anywhere American Express® is accepted.
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card sends your account activity to your business credit report while your account is in good standing. If your account falls out of good standing, your account activity gets sent to your personal credit report.
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express charges a 2.7% foreign transaction fee when using your card abroad.
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express doesn't charge an annual fee for employee cards. You can have up to 99 employee cards.
