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The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is one of the most important credit cards for miles and points fans. One of the more rewarding cards you will find for spending in non-bonused categories is this one.

The Blue Business Plus® Credit Card from American Express

In brief

It costs nothing to hold and it offers a better return on spending in a wide range of categories than most other points/cash back cards.

In detail

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card is from American Express.

The fee every year is annual.

  • $0 (zero) – (rates & fees)

The cost of cards for employees.

  • $0 (zero) – (rates & fees)

The welcome bonus is currently current.

  • Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards Points after a new cardholder spends $3,000 in the first 3 months of card membership (terms apply).

It's earnings

  • 2 Membership Rewards Points/dollar on all spending up to a limit of $50,000/year* (terms apply).

Spending over $50,000 will earn a point.

The other key benefits can be applied.

  • Transfer points to a variety of airline and hotel loyalty programs (more details here)
  • Set spending limits on employee cards
  • Access to Amex Offers

Why this is a great card

The answer to the question of why I like this card so much is simple, it offers a better than average rate of return in many spending categories where most other cards offer a poor rate of return. One of the best credit cards you can have is this.

I will show you what I mean by using my own valuations of Amex Membership Reward Points, Chase Ultimate Reward Points, and Citi ThankYou Points. All of them are based on what I know I can get out of each one.

  • Amex Membership Rewards Points = 1.5 cents/point
  • Chase Ultimate Rewards Points = 1.5 cents/point
  • Citi ThankYou Points = 1.5 cents/point

It is likely that those values are at the lower end of a lot of people's valuations.

With an earning rate of 2 points/dollar and a valuation of 1.5 cents/point, the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express has an effective rebate of 3 cents/dollar.

If a person is spending on airfare, general travel, dining, or grocery stores, there are better cards than the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card that they can use.

Spending at...

  • Drugstores
  • Department stores
  • Clothes stores
  • Hardware stores
  • Electrical supply stores
  • Home improvement stores
  • Car valeting centers
  • Wine merchants
  • Movie theatres
  • Sports events
  • Music events

Most Amex/Chase/Citi points-earning credit cards will only offer 1 point or a 1.5% effective rebate. The Blue Business Plus Credit Card has double that offer.

The Membership rewards points that the Amex Blue Business Plus Credit Card earns can be transferred over to a variety of loyalty programs.

  • Aeroplan
  • Flying Blue
  • British Airways Executive Club
  • Delta SkyMiles
  • Singapore KrisFlyer
  • Hilton Honors
  • Marriott Bonvoy

The Blue Business® Plus credit card will likely return more than 3% if you transfer points to these programs.

The card currently comes with a welcome offer of 15,000 points after $3,000 of spending in the first 3 months of card membership, and my valuation of MR points is based on the value that I know I can get out of them. The Blue Business® Plus credit card doesn't have an annual fee, that's fantastic

Bottom Line

Most people do a lot of their spending in categories where the majority of cards don't offer a bonus, which is why the cards that usually get the most publicity are the ones that offer great returns on spending in high-profile categories. The Blue Business Plus Credit Card is simple to use.

If you have all your bases covered, you are never in a position where you have to use a card that only earns you 1 point/dollar, or an effective rebate of no more than 1.5%. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is an important tool that you should have in your wallet. Every time I use this card, I know that I would have left points on the table if I hadn't used it.

To learn how to apply, click here.