Full review on American Express Blue Business Cash

Benefits explained

• 2% rewards: This card makes it easy, with 2% rewards on your first $ 50,000 in purchases each year, then 1%. Some competing cards in the market offer higher rewards, but usually only in certain categories. For example, the Chase Ink Business Cash card pays 5% cash back, but only on office supplies and telecom charges.
• Flexible credit limit: This card offers the possibility of spending above your credit limit without penalty or having to register in advance. This is a useful feature if your spending varies from month to month or if an unexpected occasional purchase forces you to exceed the credit limit on the card. However, with overspending comes a few caveats. As with your spending limit, Amex will assess how much you are allowed to spend in excess based on your payment history, credit history, financial resources, and other factors. And you can’t carry the overpayment for a long time on your card; the portion that exceeds your credit limit is due in full each month as part of your minimum payment. But as long as you pay off your balance in full by the due date, you won’t have any interest charges.
• 0% APR launch period: It is not unusual for a business card to provide a 0% APR introductory period, and 12 months is a fairly typical length of time for this type of offer. Yet it is a welcome and remarkable feature. The introductory period is available for new purchases made with the card in the first year.

Against explained

• Restrictive redemption options: The simple and generous rewards structure of this card comes at a small price: you can only receive rewards as an automatic statement credit to your card account. While you can use these funds to cover other purchases on the card, there is no way to turn your rewards into cash to cover obligations that you cannot charge on a card. This may be suitable if you or your business want to pool points earned from multiple Amex cards, for example. If not, you might find that a card that rewards you in cash back is a better solution.

With its generous rewards and ability to exceed your credit limit, American Express Blue Business Cash is best suited for small business owners whose card spending varies across many categories and sometimes increases in certain months. It’s also for those who prefer to receive rewards in the form of Amex Points, perhaps so that they can be combined with those earned with other Amex cards.

Also, the Amex Blue Business Cash is the most lucrative for business owners who won’t charge more than $ 50,000 per year on the card as that is the spending limit for its rewards of 2%, after which the rate drops by half to 1%. If you hit the annual spending limit of $ 50,000, those 2% cash rewards will earn you $ 1,000 in statement credits, which is a good return, especially for a card with no annual fee.

It’s also a map for those with little time to navigate and optimize complex rewards programs.

There is a unique rewards rate and redemption option, which virtually eliminates the need to make decisions to get the most out of the card.

Reward Details

Cardholders receive 2% cash back on all eligible purchases up to a maximum of $ 50,000 per calendar year. All other purchases after that are worth 1%. This means that you will earn $ 2 for every $ 100 you spend on this card up to the spending limit. The rewards are in the form of an automatic statement credit.

If you do not pay the minimum amount due by the due date or if your account is closed before the credit is issued, you will not receive statement credit for your rewards.

Reward redemption details

The simple redemption process for this card can be a big advantage for business owners who don’t want to worry or don’t have the time to find exchange programs.

As long as you maintain your account in good standing, any Cash Back you’ve earned will take the form of an automatic statement credit to your account during the second billing cycle after your purchase. You don’t need to browse through the rewards redemption options or even log into an account to receive your winnings.

How to Maximize Your Rewards

With its generous 2% reward on qualifying purchases, it makes sense to get the most out of Amex Blue Business Cash by using it for all of your business expenses, including travel, hotels, offices, marketing. , insurance, etc.

The closer you get to the card’s annual spending cap of $ 50,000 on that 2% income, the more you’ll earn, naturally. If you actually hit this spend total, you will earn $ 1000 in rewards. You can then continue to use the card for other expenses, although you may want to switch to another card in your wallet that earns more, given the paltry 1% you earn on purchases over 50,000. $ per year.

Additionally, if you have employees, consider opening additional card accounts for them. Since there are no fees for the additional accounts, they offer a quick and easy way to increase the proportion of spending that goes to the card account – and therefore your annual rewards.

Average case

Suppose you are a business owner who uses this card for a range of expenses totaling $ 2,000 per month. These monthly costs can include web development, gasoline for vehicles, office supplies, marketing expenses, and insurance premiums. In a calendar year, you would earn $ 480 in automatic statement credits on this card.

Aspiration case

Taking advantage of the free additional employee cards to earn more rewards on travel and entertainment expenses can increase the rewards exponentially on this card.

Let’s say you have three employees and you and they together spend $ 3,500 per month on the expenses mentioned above, as well as on other expenses such as staff training and professional development. Plus, you and your employees travel quarterly, spending $ 364 for each round-trip domestic flight, the average established by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Then add an additional $ 1,000 per quarter in entertainment spending. In total, you would earn over $ 1,000 per year on this card, or $ 1,152.96 in total.

Exceptional Benefits of American Express Blue Business Cash

• Ability to spend beyond your credit limit
• Designation of account manager, to manage the card account
• Additional employee cards with no annual fee

Standard benefits

• Rental Car Collision Insurance (secondary to your own policy)
• Travel and emergency hotline
• Extended warranties
• Buy protection against accidental damage or theft

Cardholder experience

In the 2020 JD Power U.S. Small Business Credit Card Satisfaction Study, American Express ranked second and scored well above average.

Cardholders can reach a customer service agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by phone at 800-528-4800. Customers can also log into their account and chat live with a representative. Questions and comments can be tweeted at @AskAmex on Twitter.

Security functions

The security features of American Express cards meet industry standards. Cards come with features like pre-purchase verification, account monitoring, and alerts for irregular activity. It also offers free next day delivery for lost or stolen cards.

Fees to watch out for

Those who travel internationally on business frequently should be aware of this card’s overseas transaction fees, which represent 2.7% of every transaction made outside of the United States. The other charges for this card are in line with industry standards.

Our verdict

Excellent flat rate rewards make American Express Blue Business Cash a great card for small businesses with varying fees looking for a simple payment solution.

However, the Amex points you earn with the card can only be used to offset the cost of the card. If you’re looking for the flexibility to redeem rewards and want to stick with American Express, consider the Amex Blue Business Plus credit card. It’s almost identical to the Blue Business Cash card, including providing 2 points per dollar spent on business purchases up to $ 50,000 per year, but its rewards can be redeemed in a number of ways, including cash back.

If you’re willing to redeem some simplicity to boost your income, you can pair American Express Blue Business Cash with another card that offers higher points in the categories you spend the most in. Two Chase cards come to mind. The Chase Ink Business Cash Card pays 5% cash back on office supplies and telecommunications expenses, and the Chase Ink Business Preferred Card offers 3 points per dollar spent on travel, shipping, telecommunications and advertising on social media sites and search engines. (Chase Points are rated comparable to Amex in many reviews.)

By spreading the fee between two or more cards, such a pairing would also help larger small businesses continue to spend on American Express Blue Business Cash below the card’s $ 50,000 annual limit to earn rewards of $ 2. %.

Alternatively, larger businesses could simply opt for a card that offers a lower cash back rate with no spending cap. Capital One’s Spark Cash Select card, for example, pays unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases.

Conversely, if you are a solo entrepreneur looking for a card that will help you separate business expenses, you might reap more value from a consumer rewards card.

To view the rates and fees for the American Express® Blue Business Cash Card, please visit the following link: Tariffs and fees