The American Express Blue Business Cash^® Card vs. The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express [2026]

Compare Amex Blue Business Cash vs. Amex Blue Business Plus

	The American Express Blue Business Cash® Card 5.0 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express 5.0 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
Card type	Business/Cash back	Business/Travel
Annual fee	$0	$0
Welcome offer	Earn as high as a $500 Statement Credit after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership (apply and find out your welcome offer; welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer)	Earn as high as 50,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership (apply and find out your welcome offer; welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer)
Earning rate	2% cash back on all eligible purchases on the first $50,000 of purchases each calendar year, 1% thereafter	2X Membership Rewards points on everyday eligible business purchases up to $50,000 each year, and 1X points on eligible purchases after that
Redemption methods	Statement credit	Travel Transfer partners Statement credit Cover card charges Gift cards Pay With Points
Intro APR	0% intro APR for 12 months from date of account opening on purchases (then 16.99% - 28.74% Variable)	0% intro APR for 12 months from date of account opening on purchases (then 16.99% - 28.74% Variable)
Other benefits	Car rental loss and damage insurance1 <p>Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply.</p><p></p><ul><li>Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. </li><li>Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. </li><li>Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.</li></ul><p></p> Global Assist hotline2 <p>You can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility.</p><p></p><ul><li>Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. </li><li>Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. </li><li>Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.</li></ul><p></p> Extended warranty3 <p>When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase to an Eligible Card, Extended Warranty§ can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your Card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year.</p><p></p><ul><li>Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. </li><li>Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. </li><li>Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.</li></ul><p></p> Purchase protection4 <p>When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase with their Eligible Card, Purchase Protection can help protect their Covered Purchases for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date if it is stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year.</p><p></p><ul><li>Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. </li><li>Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.</li><li>Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.</li></ul><p></p>	Car rental loss and damage insurance1 <p>Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply.</p><p></p><ul><li>Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. </li><li>Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. </li><li>Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.</li></ul><p></p> Global Assist hotline2 <p>You can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility.</p><p></p><ul><li>Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. </li><li>Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. </li><li>Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.</li></ul><p></p> Extended warranty3 <p>When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase to an Eligible Card, Extended Warranty§ can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your Card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year.</p><p></p><ul><li>Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. </li><li>Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. </li><li>Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.</li></ul><p></p> Purchase protection4 <p>When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase with their Eligible Card, Purchase Protection can help protect their Covered Purchases for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date if it is stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year.</p><p></p><ul><li>Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. </li><li>Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.</li><li>Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.</li></ul><p></p>
Foreign transaction fee	2.70%	2.70%
Credit needed	Excellent, Good	Excellent, Good
	Read full review	Read full review

When you should choose Amex Blue Business Cash

• You want to earn automatic cash back
• You don't plan to spend more than $50,000 per year on this card
• You don't plan to use this card in other countries

The Amex Blue Business Cash offers 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on the first $50,000 of purchases each calendar year, 1% thereafter. You can also earn as high as a $500 Statement Credit after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership (apply and find out your welcome offer; welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer).

The only redemption option for the Amex Blue Business Cash is automatically receiving cash back as a statement credit. So you can't save up your cash and use it for a larger statement credit down the road — it's automatically redeemed as you earn. If you're a busy business owner who doesn't travel frequently, this could be the perfect card since you don't have to do anything to redeem what you earn.

For example, if you own a busy retail business or restaurant, your work hours can be long. You might want a card that doesn't add figuring out how to redeem your rewards to your already full plate.

If that's the case, I'd go with the Amex Blue Business Cash. It's essentially set it and forget it.

You'll also want to keep the spending cap in mind. If your business makes more than $50,000 in purchases per year, you'll either want to switch to a different card or consider getting a different card, since your earnings drop after that threshold.

The Amex Blue Business Cash doesn't make sense for travel purchases abroad because it has a 2.70% foreign transaction fee.

Read our full Amex Blue Business Cash Card review.

When you should choose Amex Blue Business Plus

• You prefer travel rewards
• You don't plan to spend more than $50,000 per year on this card
• You don't plan to use this card in other countries

The Amex Blue Business Plus offers 2X Membership Rewards points on everyday eligible business purchases up to $50,000 each year, and 1X points on eligible purchases after that. You can also earn as high as 50,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership (apply and find out your welcome offer; welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer).

With the Amex Blue Business Plus, you can choose from the following redemptions:

• Travel
• Transfer partners
• Statement credit
• Cover card charges
• Gift cards
• Pay With Points

If you like redeeming points for travel, this is the card to get. For example, if you have a sales team that travels frequently for trade shows or you're an on-site consultant for business, The Amex Blue Business Plus card could be a good fit, and you could use earnings to cover travel costs.

I recommend redeeming points through the Amex Travel portal or moving them to one of Amex's transfer partners to potentially get a higher value per point.

Redeeming these points for statement credit only offers 0.6 cents per point, so it takes 1,000 points to receive a $6 statement credit, so I typically avoid this option.

You'll also want to keep in mind the $50,000 threshold. Which is a feature this card shares with the Amex Blue Business Cash.

While the Amex Blue Business Plus is a travel card, it's not a great option to use while you're traveling internationally. It charges a 2.70% foreign transaction fee on purchases made abroad or from foreign merchants.

Read our full Amex Blue Business Plus Credit Card review.

What both business cards excel at

• Annual fee: The Amex Blue Business Cash has a $0 annual fee and the Amex Blue Business Plus also has a $0 annual fee.
• Welcome offers: You can earn a generous welcome offer with either card. When I qualified for the Amex Blue Business Plus, I was able to quickly meet the welcome offer requirements since they were simple enough.
• Earning rates: Both cards have simple reward rates without additional spending categories to worry about. The elevated base earning rate on business spending up to $50,000 a year is better than the base 1% or 1x point or mile per dollar you get on many other cards.
• Intro APR offers: Both cards come with intro APR offers on purchases. I took advantage of this benefit on the Amex Blue Business Plus to fund some large business purchases that came my way soon after opening the card.
• Purchase protection: Both cards provide extended warranty coverage³ <p>When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase to an Eligible Card, Extended Warranty§ can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your Card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year.</p><p></p><ul><li>Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. </li><li>Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. </li><li>Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.</li></ul><p></p> and purchase protection⁴ <p>When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase with their Eligible Card, Purchase Protection can help protect their Covered Purchases for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date if it is stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year.</p><p></p><ul><li>Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. </li><li>Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.</li><li>Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.</li></ul><p></p> , which can help you protect various qualified items you buy for your business.
  
• Travel benefits: You can access a Global Assist hotline² <p>You can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility.</p><p></p><ul><li>Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. </li><li>Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. </li><li>Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.</li></ul><p></p> and car rental loss and damage insurance¹ <p>Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply.</p><p></p><ul><li>Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. </li><li>Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. </li><li>Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.</li></ul><p></p> with either card.

What factors to consider before choosing

When determining how to choose an Amex business credit card, consider these factors:

• Type of rewards: In general, rewards cards are divided into cash back cards and travel cards. The main difference between these cards is that you'll earn cash back, points, or miles, depending on the card. American Express business cards offer a good mix of both cash back and travel cards.
• Annual fee: Cards with annual fees tend to have better benefits, but you have to determine whether those benefits are worth the annual cost. In many cases, cards with no annual fees can still provide plenty of value with their rewards and benefits.
• Redemption options: Cash back cards tend to have cashback-related redemptions, while travel cards have travel-related redemptions. In some cases, certain travel cards have both cashback- and travel-related redemptions.
• Perks and benefits: The best benefits for you depend on your preferences. Many cards provide benefits like extended warranty coverage or purchase protection. But if you want travel insurance benefits or airport lounge access, you would need to consider travel cards.
• Personal or business: It makes sense to use a business card for business expenses because it helps you separate them from your personal expenses. However, you can use personal cards for any type of expense, so it's worth it to compare credit cards and see if any consumer cards could also make sense for you.

If you're looking to combine cashback rewards with excellent benefits for your business, check out our list of the best cash back business credit cards.

FAQs

Bottom line

The Amex Blue Business Cash is the better option for earning cash back in the form of statement credits, while the Amex Blue Business Plus makes more sense for earning travel rewards. Given the similarities between these cards, it makes sense to go with the one that aligns most closely to your business needs.

If these cards don't seem like the right fit for you, check out our list of the best business credit cards for our top recommendations.

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The American Express Blue Business Cash^® Card

5.0

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

The American Express Blue Business Cash^® Card

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See rates and fees | Terms Apply

Current Offer

Earn as high as a $500 Statement Credit after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership (apply and find out your welcome offer; welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer)

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

2% cash back on all eligible purchases on the first $50,000 of purchases each calendar year, 1% thereafter

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• $0 annual fee
• 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on the first $50,000 of purchases each calendar year, 1% thereafter
• Flexible spending limit

Drawbacks

• Cash back drops after you hit annual spending limit
• 2.70% foreign transaction fee

Card Details

• As High As a $500 Statement Credit after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Apply and find out your welcome offer. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
• 0.0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 16.99% – 28.74%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors as determined at the time of account opening. APRs will not exceed 29.99%
• Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on the first $50,000 of purchases each calendar year, 1% thereafter. 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 above your credit limit* with Expanded Buying Power.
• * The amount you can spend above your credit limit is flexible, so it adapts with your use of the Card, your payment history, credit record, financial resources known to us, and other factors. Just remember, the amount you can spend with Expanded Buying Power is not unlimited.
• Apply to know if you’re approved with no personal or business credit score impact. If you are approved and choose to accept the Card, your personal and business credit scores may be impacted
• No Annual Fee. Terms Apply. Learn More.