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Compare American Express business cards
The right business card can help you save money in the long run.
American Express offers one of the largest varieties of business credit cards in the industry. Use our table to compare your options. Choose Show filters to narrow your search to products that fit your credit score range and have features that will serve your business spending needs best.
Overview of American Express business credit cards
American Express cards fall into several categories, each with benefits and potential drawbacks to consider. To pick an American Express business card, consider the amount of points or cashback earned per dollar spent, the annual fee and APR.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- Get this card if: You want travel rewards.
Small to midsize business owners who want to enjoy the ultimate luxury benefits while traveling could find The Business Platinum Card® from American Express to be a great choice. With a $695 annual fee, this is one of the most expensive Amex business cards to own.
To justify the annual fee, this card offers generous rewards. For example, you earn a welcome offer worth up to in redemption value based on Finder’s calculations, and you earn 5x membership points on flights and prepaid hotels through American Express Travel. For a single eligible purchase of $5,000 or more, you earn 1.5 points per dollar spent. For all other eligible purchases, you earn 1x membership points.
Other perks include access to more than 1,100 airport lounges across 120 countries; a $200 airline fee credit each year to use toward incidental airline fees after you enroll, and a 35% airline bonus when you pay for first or business class flights with membership rewards points; a Gold Status at Starwood and Hilton hotels and resorts without meeting any stay requirements, and so much more. (Terms apply, see rates & fees).
American Express® Business Gold Card
- Get this card if: You want rewards flexibility.
Accelerated points categories include purchases made at U.S. gas stations, U.S. restaurants, airfare purchased directly from airlines, U.S. purchases in advertising media, purchases on U.S. shipping and U.S. computer hardware, software and cloud computing from select providers. This versatility combined with 4x points is rare within the business credit card industry.
But to enjoy the rewards and perks offered by this card, expect to pay a $295 annual fee. (Terms apply, see rates & fees).
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card
- Get this card if: You’re looking for airline rewards.
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card is made for those who travel on Delta Air Lines but don’t spend more than $25,000 a year. You’ll still enjoy frequent flyer benefits, such as checking your first bag free, priority boarding and earning Delta miles, but it’ll cost you less to own the card.
The card’s welcome offer is solid too: Earn 70,000 bonus miles once you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months your account is open. Also, your Delta purchases earn 2x miles, at restaurant and on advertising purchases for select U.S. media and U.S. shipping earn 2x miles, and 1x miles on all other eligible purchases. Redeem miles for flights, seat upgrades, gift cards, shopping and more. (Terms apply, see rates & fees).
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
- Get this card if: You frequently fly with Delta.
In addition to earning 3x miles on Delta purchases — which you can redeem for flights, seat upgrades, gift cards, shopping and more — you get a domestic, first class Delta Comfort+® or main cabin roundtrip companion certificate every year you renew your card. Taxes and fees of up to $80 aren’t covered by the certificate. All these perks should be more than enough to cover for the card’s $550 annual fee. (Terms apply, see rates & fees).
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
- Get this card if: You want hotel rewards.
Business owners who frequently stay at Marriott Bonvoy properties would find this card to be of great value. The card’s welcome offer is easy to earn, plus you’ll earn points you may redeem at participating hotels. The rewards structure changed in August 2018, when SPG®, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® merged into one loyalty program, which allows you to earn even more points for every purchase you make.
But Marriott Bonvoy hotel purchases aren’t the only category that’s highly rewarding. You also earn 4x points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services from U.S. providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping, and you earn 2x points on all other eligible purchases.
Other perks that make this card valuable include the option to transfer points to a frequent flyer program or book a flight using them; complimentary Silver Elite status; free night award every year on your card anniversary and more. (Terms apply, see rates & fees).
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
- Get this card if: You frequently stay at Hilton hotels and resorts.
But the valuable features don’t stop there. You also get complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status, one weekend night in a standard room with double occupancy when you spend $15,000, you get 10 Priority Pass visits each year after you enroll and more. All this is more than enough to justify the card’s $95 annual fee. (Terms apply, see rates & fees).
American Express Blue Business Cashâ„¢ Card
- Get this card if: You’re interested in cashback rewards.
For small businesses that usually spend up to $50,000 a year, you’ll find this card’s flat cash back rate (paid out as a statement credit) a great value for your business. In addition, you get a great introductory APR on purchases where you can make a large purchase for your business and pay it off without interest for a limited period. As a bonus, you don’t have to pay an annual fee to own this card.
Another feature that could help out with your business expenses is the ability to buy over your credit limit. However, the amount you can spend above your credit limit adjusts based on your card use, payment history and other factors determined by American Express. (Terms apply, see rates & fees).
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
- Get this card if: You want an intro APR on purchases.
If you get a low credit line, don’t worry — the card allows you to make purchases above your credit limit. Plus, for every eligible dollar spent on up to $50,000 per year, you earn 2x membership rewards points. Once you reach the cap, you earn 1x membership rewards points.
This makes it similar to the American Express Blue Business Cashâ„¢ Card, except instead of cash back you earn reward points. (Terms apply, see rates & fees).
The Plum Card® from American Express
- Get this card if: You want flexible payment options.
Business Green Rewards Card from American Express
- Get this card if: You’re looking for a travel card with a low annual fee.
As for the welcome offer, it’s not as generous as some other cards’ offer, but it’s not bad either. All you have to do is spend $3,000 in your first 3 months when you open your account and you’ll earn an additional 15,000 bonus points.
Amazon Business Prime American Express Card
- Get this card if: You often use Amazon services.
Businesses who have an Amazon Prime membership and use Amazon Business, Amazon.com and Amazon Web Services (AWS), which includes cloud services, database storage and content delivery, should definitely consider the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card. On the aforementioned services, you earn 5% cash back on up to $120,000 annually, reverting to 1% back after (paid out as a statement credit on your account). Or you can extend your payments with these services to up to 90 days without interest. You’ll also earn 2% back at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. wireless telephone services and 1% back on other purchases
As a welcome offer, you get a $125 Amazon gift card as soon as your credit card is approved.
Lowe's Business Rewards Card from American Express
- Get this card if: You often shop at Lowe’s.
The Lowe's Business Rewards Card from American Express can be a solid card for businesses that often shop at Lowe’s. Every time you use your card at the store, you get a 5% discount on eligible purchases. Lowe’s purchases also earn 2x points, while purchases at U.S. restaurants and U.S. office supply stores and on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers earn 3x points.
Other perks include a $100 welcome offer when you’re approved for the card, a 0% intro APR period on purchases for 6 months (17.99% to 26.99% variable after that) and Lowe’s ProServices.
How to choose an American Express business credit card
To help you choose the right Amex business card, you’ll want to ask yourself a few questions:
- What do you spend most money on? For businesses that require frequent and varied purchases of for their business, the American Express Blue Business Cashâ„¢ Card, which comes with a strong cashback rate on all purchases up to a cap, could be a great choice.
- Does your company need an intro APR period? If you want an intro period to pay off purchases, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express comes with an introductory APR on purchases.
- How often do you travel? The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is the ultimate travel rewards card, but if you don’t travel as much, then you won’t get to use any of its perks and you’ll pay the annual fee of $695 for nothing.
- How often do you fly? Suppose you fly occasionally with Delta Air Lines but you don’t visit Delta Sky Clubs® every time you travel. In that case, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card will be worth more to you than the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card. On the other hand, if you travel every month and want to enjoy luxury and comfort, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card may be the superior choice.
- Do you often stay at Starwood and Marriott hotels? If that’s the case, the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card would help you earn free nights and complimentary benefits every time you visit one of their 1,500 locations worldwide. Plus, you can use Starpoints to pay for flights.
- Does your company have more than 50 employees? American Express offers tailored credit card programs for large businesses to help you make the most of your card. One of the best Amex business cards that can help you manage your expenses is the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express.
Typical benefits of an American Express business credit card
- Rewards. Choose from cashback rewards in the form of statement credit or membership rewards, which you can redeem for travel, gift cards, merchandise or shopping. You can also earn partner rewards from Delta Air Lines, Starwood hotels and Lowe’s stores.
- Expense and management tools. Small business cards from American Express come with a set of tools that help you track and manage your expenses. Also, you can send transactions directly to your QuickBooks account.
- Payment flexibility. Get deferred no-interest payment of up to 60 days when you pay at least 10% of your balance — ideal for companies that have cashflow issues.
- Employee cards. Earn more rewards and cash back with additional employee cards — depending on the card you choose, you can get additional cards for free. Set up spending limits for your employees and track their spending.
- Travel protection. Get travel insurance in case of accidental death and dismemberment, car rental insurance against damage or theft and baggage insurance up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage.
- Roadside and global assistance. Every time you need assistance on the road, whether it’s for a tire change or towing, call the roadside assistance hotline and they’ll send help. When traveling more than 100 miles from home, you get 24/7 access to medical, legal and other emergency services you may need.
- Amex® app. Download the Amex app and manage your American Express business account online.
Some of these features aren’t available to all American Express business cardholders.
What are American Express OPEN cards?
American Express OPEN was the name of Amex’s suite of financial products for small businesses. Although now rebranded as American Express Small Business, Amex still offers the same business-focused products and services as it did with OPEN. With the Amex business cards, you can get cashback rewards, payment flexibility with a grace period of up to 60 days, membership rewards and rewards from Amex travel partners.
How can my business save money with an Amex business card?
Amex offers business cards with a variety of earning categories tailored for businesses. Depending on where your business spends, you can earn a lot back over the course of a year. Here’s an example based on small business spending with The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express. (20 employees, three trips, three days in length)
| Spending category | Amount spent | Points earned |
|---|---|---|
| Office supplies | $12,720 | 25,440 |
| Business travel | $1,410 | 2,820 |
| Travel Dining | $435 | 870 |
| Office space | $30,000 (44,565) | 60,000 |
| Outsourced IT | $12,000 | 12,000 |
| Outsourced IT | $12,000 | 12,000 |
| Total | $56,565 | 101,130 |
Bottom line
American Express offers a variety of business cards to fulfill your needs. Among them, you’ll find a decent no-annual-fee cashback card, one with a 60-day grace period to help you pay your balance when cash flow is an issue, and a number of travel rewards cards.
Aside from the specific card perks, with every Amex small business card you get travel insurance, car rental insurance and baggage coverage. You also get expense and management tools to help you track your employee spending and set spending limits.
But if none of these cards seem like the right choice for your business, compare other credit card options until you find the one that suits your needs.
Frequently asked questions
- Which American Express small business cards have no annual fee?
- American Express Blue Business Cashâ„¢ Card
- The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
- Lowe's Business Rewards Card from American Express
- Which American Express small business cards earn membership rewards points?
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- American Express® Business Gold Card
- Business Green Rewards Card from American Express
- The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
- Does American Express report business card activities to credit bureaus?
American Express doesn’t report your business card’s activity to any credit bureaus. However, if you haven’t paid your balance in six months, American Express will notify the credit bureaus.
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