American Express Adds Welcome Offer on One of Its Best No-Annual-Fee Business Cards.

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I’ll never get tired of saying that The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is one of our favorite cards. This $0 annual fee card (Rates & Fees) that earns 2X on all purchases up to $50,000 a year (1x thereafter) should be in each business owner’s wallet. 

Quite a few people who are eligible for small-business cards don’t realize that they have a legitimate business and can, in fact, quality for one. You should definitely check how you can qualify for business cards, even if you don’t think you can. 

Not sure if you qualify? Simply send us an email and we’ll walk through your situation. I’m not kidding when I say that nine times out of 10 when people tell me they’re ineligible for business cards, they actually are and don’t realize it. Being able to open business cards opens up a whole new world of possibilities for you in points and miles, and can truly accelerate your points and miles earning.

Welcome Bonus

If you don’t have this card yet, we’ve got great news for you. Today American Express bumped up the public welcome offer to 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months (terms apply). For a card that has long offered no welcome offer, this is a welcome update!

But be advised – there’s also a targeted offer out there for the Blue Business Plus. If you’re lucky enough to be targeted for it, you’ll earn 50,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 in eligible purchases on the Card in the first 12 months of Card Membership (terms apply). You can check here on American Express to login and see if you’re targeted.

Or if you have a friend with an American Express card, you may be able to get referral offers for 20,000 Membership Rewards points, or possibly higher. But if none of the above are an option, the 15,000-point offer is much better than no welcome offer that the Blue Business Plus has recently offered.

Card Details

The Blue Business Plus card earns 2X points per $1 on all purchases up to the first $50,000 in spend in a calendar year, and 1X after that. The simple earning structure is perfect for anyone who doesn’t like worrying about bonus spending categories and switching out the cards in their wallets all the time.

But if you are a person who likes to maximize every bonus category, you can use this card on all non-bonused spend. 

If you have any large expenses coming up, this could be a perfect fit. The Blue Business Plus card has a generous introductory APR period (Rates & Fees). We usually strongly discourage carrying a balance because of interest charges, but in this case you can pay for your large purchase over time without incurring any interest. After the introductory period, the APR will be a variable rate based on your creditworthiness and other factors as determined at the time of account opening.

And just to reiterate, the card has no annual fee (Rates & Fees). 

Why You Would Love This Card 

We love this card, and we think you’d love it too because it has a simple earning structure.  This card never leaves my wallet and I use it on most purchases that don’t earn bonus points with my other cards. For example, you can use the Blue Business Plus to pay your utility bills (if your utility company allows credit card payments) and earn 2X points per $1. It’s tough to earn any bonus points on things like gas and electric bills, but you can earn 2X with the Amex Blue Business Plus card. 

The Blue Business Plus card won’t count towards 5/24, so it’s even more reason to consider adding it to your wallet if you haven’t already.

If you are in between the more expensive Amex cards but don’t know what to do with your Membership Rewards yet, you can easily keep points alive just by being a Blue Business Plus cardholder. 

And what’s even more amazing, you can still transfer Membership Rewards points to Amex travel partners. This is pretty unique to Amex, as many other issuers usually require you to carry one of their premium cards to keep your points as a transferable “currency” and not pure cash back. So even if you don’t plan on having any premium Amex cards, and this is going to be your only Amex card, you’ll still be able to book award tickets via transfer partners.

You can easily accumulate a good stash of Membership Rewards points by using this card for your everyday expenses. You’ll earn 21,000 points just after meeting minimum spending requirements – 15,000 bonus points plus 6,000 points earned by spending $3,000.

Thanks to their versatility, Membership Rewards points are one of our favorite transferable “currencies”. You can fly anywhere in the U.S. or in the world by transferring Membership Rewards points to one of Amex’s partner airlines. 

Amex or one of its partners often run transfer bonuses, so your points might be worth even more than you think. For example, right now you can transfer Membership Rewards to Air France/KLM Flying Blue with a 30% bonus. 

If you aren’t sure what to do with your Membership Rewards points stash, here are a couple of ideas: 

• Book round-the-world ticket by transferring Membership Rewards to ANA
• Book a one-way in business class to Europe by transferring Membership Rewards points to Air France/KLM Flying Blue for 53,000 Flying Blue miles
• Book the LifeMiles sweet spot award – New York City (JFK) to Lisbon, Portugal, one-way in business class for 35,000 miles 

So how about a trip to Paris? Spend $3,000, earn 21,000 Membership Rewards points, transfer them to Air France and you’ve got enough points for a one-way economy ticket to the City of Lights. 

Final Thoughts

This is a great welcome offer for such low spending requirements on this no annual fee card. The 2X earning rate on all purchases makes it an “always keep in your wallet” card. If you can max it out every year, you’ll earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points.

Because the Blue Business Plus card is a business card, it won’t count toward Chase’s 5/24 rule. Keep in mind that If you already have Amex’s limit of five credit cards, you probably won’t be approved for the Blue Business Plus because of Amex’s five-credit-card limit. However, this compelling offer calls for freeing up an Amex slot if you have a card that you don’t use regularly.