Amex Blue Business Card Welcome Offer: Not Huge, But That’s Besides The Point

In this post, I’d like to talk a bit about the welcome offer on The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, which I’d argue is one of Amex’s most lucrative and most approachable business cards, especially for those looking to accrue points, despite its lack of a splashy welcome offer.

I think there’s a lot of merit to picking up this card, even if the welcome offer isn’t going to get anyone excited. Let’s take a look, and also briefly recap The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, which is essentially the cash back version of the card.

Link: Learn more about The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

What is the current Amex Blue Business Plus welcome offer?

The Amex Blue Business Plus Card currently has a welcome offer of 15,000 bonus Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 within the first three months of card membership. Personally, I value Amex points at 1.7 cents each, meaning that to me, the 15,000 points are worth $255.

I’m not here to deceive anyone, so let me state the obvious — in an era where six-figure welcome offers are the norm, that’s not terribly exciting. If you want a welcome offer to get excited about, take a look at the offer on the American Express® Business Gold Card or the offer on the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, which could earn you a boatload of points.

However, as I’ll explain below, the reason you get the card isn’t because of the welcome offer, but because of the long term value that it offers. Let me also mention that we haven’t seen any materially better, publicly available welcome offers on this card in quite some time, so unless you’re targeted for some special offer, this is about as exciting as it gets.

There are lots of great uses for Amex points, as they can be transferred to all kinds of useful airline and hotel partners.

Who is eligible for the Amex Business Plus welcome offer?

In line with Amex’s “once in a lifetime” rule, the welcome offer on the Amex Blue Business Plus Card isn’t available to those who currently have the card, or those who have had the card (or previous versions of the card) in the past. On top of that, Amex’s general card restrictions apply.

There are a few additional things to note:

• You are eligible for the welcome offer on this card if you’ve had any other Amex card, so you can apply for this card even if you have another Amex business card
• Amex typically has a limit of letting someone have at most five Amex credit cards (including personal and business cards), and this card does count toward that limit, unlike some other Amex business cards
• If you’re worried about the Chase 5/24 limit, getting approved for the Amex Blue Business Plus shouldn’t count as a further card toward that limit
• Amex does sometimes have application pop-ups indicating that you may not be eligible for a welcome offer even though you meet the published requirements otherwise, and in those cases there’s not much you can do

Anecdotally, I find Amex business cards to generally be among the easiest to get approved for. I also want to emphasize that Amex business cards not counting toward the 5/24 limit really makes the opportunity cost of picking up this card pretty low, for those of us into maximizing our rewards.

Why the Amex Business Plus Card is a no-brainer

The first thing to love about the Amex Blue Business Plus Card is that it has no annual fee (Rates & Fees)… you can’t beat that!

But really what makes this card unrivaled within the Amex ecosystem is its return on spending, up to a certain limit. Specifically, the Amex Blue Business Plus offers 2x Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 spent every calendar year, and then 1x points. It’s that straightforward. So $50,000 in spending per year would earn you 100,000 Membership Rewards points.

This is the only no annual fee credit card on the market that earns 2x transferable points that can be moved to the full list of airline and hotel partners at the “premium” ratio. There’s literally not another card like that.

Speaking of the ability to move points to partners, I think that gets at the other thing that’s awesome about the Amex Blue Business Plus Card — in the event that you want to close other Amex cards (with annual fees) that accrue Membership Rewards points, this is a great card to have, so that you can maintain your points balance, given the ability to pool points.

So I view this as a very low risk card to apply for, especially with it not counting toward Chase’s 5/24 limit. The only reason I wouldn’t get this card is if I’m otherwise at the Amex five credit card limit.

Read a full review of the Amex Blue Business Plus Card here.

The Amex Blue Business Cash is the cash back equivalent

In the Blue Business portfolio, the Amex Blue Business Plus Card is the standout card for me. However, I should also mention the Amex Blue Business Cash Card, which is essentially the cash back equivalent:

• The card has a welcome offer of $250 cash back after spending $3,000 within the first three months; this card is considered independently from the Blue Business Plus in terms of eligibility and earning the welcome offer
• The card offers 2% cash back on the first $50,000 spent every calendar year, and then 1% cash back after that
• The card also has no annual fee (Rates & Fees), so there’s limited downside to holding onto it

Personally, I get more excited by the Amex Blue Business Plus Card than the Amex Blue Business Cash Card, simply because I value Amex points at well over one cent each. That’s why I’d rather earn 2x points rather than 2% cash back. Admittedly not everyone will feel the same, especially those who don’t actually want to put the effort into maximizing points.

Read a full review of the Amex Blue Business Cash Card here.

Amex Blue Business Card welcome offer FAQs

Bottom line

The Amex Blue Business Plus Card is a product that often flies under the radar. Yes, the welcome offer is for only 15,000 bonus Membership Rewards points. However, getting a no annual fee card that earns 2x transferable points (on the first $50,000 spent annually, then 1x points) that can be moved directly to airline and hotel partners at the most favorable ratio is something you won’t find on any other card. That’s why this card is in my wallet.

Meanwhile if you’re looking for the cash back equivalent, it’s at least worth mentioning the Amex Blue Business Cash Card, which has a welcome offer of $250 cash back. That no annual fee card earns 2% cash back (on the first $50,000 spent annually, then 1% cash back), also with no annual fee.

Admittedly these products don’t have the most exciting welcome offers, but I tend to think there’s limited downside to picking up these cards, and in particular, the Blue Business Plus is a great alternative to some other cards earning Membership Rewards points.

Anyone else love the Amex Blue Business Plus Card, and think it’s an underrated option in the Amex portfolio?

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), and The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card (Rates & Fees).