How To Apply For Amex Business Cards: Rules, Approval Tips, & Best Options

American Express has a great portfolio of small business cards, and the cards often have large welcome offers. For that matter, a lot of card issuers have been focused on small business cards over the past several years, and you’ll often find that they have better welcome bonuses and benefits than personal cards.

For those who may not be familiar with the process of applying for business cards, in this post I’d like to talk about Amex small business cards. What are the popular Amex business cards, what are the rules for getting approved, can you apply with a sole proprietorship, etc.?

Amex business card application rules & restrictions

Amex’s consistent rules regarding getting approved for business cards are as follows:

• Welcome offers are generally “once in a lifetime,” so you’re typically not eligible for the welcome offer on a card if you currently have it, or have received a welcome offer on that card in the past; some cards also have “family” restrictions, whereby you’re not eligible for a welcome offer if you have a card in the same family
• Amex typically limits cardmembers to having five credit cards at a given point, including personal and business cards; however, this only applies to traditional credit cards with preset spending limits, so cards like The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and The American Express® Business Gold Card don’t count toward that limit
• Amex typically approves cardmembers for at most two cards every 90 days, and that includes both personal and business cards; ; however, this only applies to traditional credit cards with preset spending limits
• Amex will sometimes decide that people aren’t eligible for welcome offers on cards despite otherwise following the rules, and in those cases, you should get a pop-up during the application process warning you of this

Are Amex business cards easy to get approved for?

There’s not really published data on how hard various cards are to get approved for. That being said, anecdotally speaking, I find Amex business cards to be among the easiest to get approved for. That’s true compared to other business cards, and even compared to many personal cards. That doesn’t just apply for people applying as corporations, but also for sole proprietorships.

To add to that, I find that the Amex business cards that aren’t credit cards, like The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and The American Express® Business Gold Card, are actually the easiest to get approved for.

Here’s what makes it even better, though. Not only are Amex business cards easy to get approved for, but they’re also among the lowest risk cards you can apply for.

Getting denied for a card isn’t a big deal, but it’s even less big of a deal with Amex. When you go to the application page for a business card, you should see a note stating “Know if you’re approved with no personal credit score impact.”

As you’ll see explained there, you’ll get a decision about your approval without any impact on your personal credit score. So in the event you’re not approved for the card, it has absolutely no impact on your personal credit score. This is as risk-free as card applications come.

However, do keep in mind that if you accept the offer, there could be an impact on your credit score. After all, it’s an inquiry on your personal credit, but of course that doesn’t have to be a big deal.

Can you earn Amex business card welcome offers more than once?

As mentioned above, Amex card welcome offers are generally “once in a lifetime,” meaning you can only earn the offer on a card once. However, there are a couple of caveats with that, as the reality is a bit nuanced.

First of all, there’s a debate as to how a “lifetime” is defined. Anecdotally, some people report being eligible for a welcome offer again roughly seven years after they’ve last had a particular card. This isn’t a published policy, but some people report success with that. Keep in mind that thanks to Amex’s pop-up warning about welcome offers, you’ll generally be warned if you’re not eligible for an offer.

Second of all, Amex frequently targets members for business card applications, even if they wouldn’t otherwise be eligible. These applications generally have “no lifetime language” in the terms, meaning there’s nothing in the terms stating you can’t qualify for a welcome offer again.

I’ve been targeted for many of these cards over the years, including for cards I already have, so clearly there are some exceptions. Let me emphasize this only applies if you’re targeted for a card, and if the terms don’t have any language around not earning a welcome offer if you have or have had a card.

Do Amex business cards count toward Chase’s 5/24 limit?

Chase has the 5/24 limit, whereby you might not get approved for select Chase cards if you’ve opened five or more new card accounts in the past 24 months, across issuers.

Many people try to be strategic about the cards they apply for in light of that. That’s why it’s worth noting that applying for any Amex business card won’t count as another new product toward the Chase 5/24 limit. That’s because the cards as such generally won’t appear on your personal credit report, which is why they’re not added to the total. So absolutely knock yourself in terms of applying for Amex business cards, as it won’t impact your Chase card eligibility from a 5/24 perspective.

Applying for Amex business cards as a sole proprietor

You need some sort of a business to get approved for a business card, but not necessarily in the way that many people would assume. You don’t need to have a corporation to pick up a business credit card, but rather, a sole proprietorship qualifies as well.

A sole proprietorship is the most basic form of a business, where it’s owned and run by one person, and isn’t incorporated. The owner has unlimited liability, and the business has no legal existence, separate from the owner. The owner reports the business’ income on their personal tax return, and pays federal and state income tax on profits.

Now, I’m obviously not here to advise as to what kind of a business someone should set up (you should talk to a tax professional about that), but in most places there’s literally no barrier to having a sole proprietorship, as it doesn’t even require registering in any official capacity.

For many people, a side hustle could very well be considered a sole proprietorship, whether you have a property you rent out, you do consulting, you sell stuff online, you’re a freelance writer, you are a rideshare driver, etc. There’s value to being able to separate your business expenses from your personal expenses, and of course the very lucrative business cards that we see don’t hurt either.

How to fill out an Amex business card application

Those who already have business credit cards are probably familiar with the application process, but for those who aren’t, let’s talk about what you need to know.

It can be intimidating to apply for your first business card, though even if you’re a small business or sole proprietorship, you should be eligible. When applying for an Amex business card, you’ll be asked the following questions:

• Legal business name
• Business name on card
• Company DBA name
• Business address
• Business phone number
• Industry type
• Company structure
• Years in business
• Number of employees
• Annual business revenue
• Estimated monthly spend
• Federal tax ID
• Role in company

If you’re a sole proprietorship, how should you approach this? First of all, and most importantly, answer everything truthfully. I think the concern that a lot of people have is that they think they need an incorporated business, a separate office, etc., in order to be considered for a business card. That’s not the case:

• You can use your name as your legal business name
• The business address and phone number can be the same as your personal address and phone number
• You can select “other” as your industry type, if the options don’t otherwise describe your business
• If you’re a sole proprietorship, you can select that as your company structure
• In terms of years in business, there’s no shame in saying it has been less than a year, one to two years, etc.
• In terms of the number of employees, saying just one is perfectly fine
• For the federal tax ID you can put your social security number

Of course you’ll also have to provide your personal information, including your social security number, your total annual income (which includes all eligible income you can reasonably use to pay your bills, including income from a spouse), etc. There’s also a non-taxable annual income section, but that can be left blank.

While a lot of people are intimidated by applying for their first business card, I think most are pleasantly surprised at the results. Best of all, keep in mind that with Amex you’re generally warned if you won’t be approved for a card without an impact on your personal credit, so there really is limited downside.

What happens after you submit your Amex business card application?

Once you submit your Amex business card application, what’s next? In some cases, you may be approved for a card nearly instantly, often within a matter of seconds. If you’re approved, you’ll have the option of accepting the card and the welcome offer.

In other cases, you may get a “pending” decision, while Amex reviews your information. Note that this absolutely isn’t the same as a denial. In some cases an approval or denial will automatically come through, while in other cases they may require some more details. If more details are needed, make sure you complete all that information in the requested timeline.

Meanwhile in some cases you may find that your Amex application is denied. Amex will then provide a reason for the denial. This could of course be for a variety of reasons — maybe the details you provided on the application just weren’t correct, while in other cases, maybe Amex has just decided that they don’t want to approve you.

You can always contact Amex after the fact and request for your application to be reconsidered, though don’t necessarily expect the decision will be reversed. Otherwise, you can always still apply for a card in the future, especially if aspects of your creditworthiness have changed, like your credit score, income, etc.

My favorite Amex business cards

American Express has a variety of lucrative business cards. Some earn Membership Rewards points, while others are co-branded cards that can earn you valuable airline or hotel rewards.

If you’re looking to earn Membership Rewards points, consider one of these cards:

• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (learn more) — the card offers big perks that can make it worth holding onto
• The American Express® Business Gold Card (learn more) — the card offers excellent bonus categories and great perks
• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (learn more) — the card has a lucrative rewards structure

If you’re looking to earn cash back, consider:

• The American Express Blue Business Cash® Card (learn more) — this is the best Amex business cash back credit card with no annual fee (Rates & Fees)
• The Graphite™ Business Cash Unlimited Card (learn more) — a cash back business card with unlimited 2% cash back and 5% on Amex Travel bookings

If you’re looking to earn hotel rewards, consider one of these cards:

• The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (learn more) — the card offers elite status and other perks that can make it worthwhile
• The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (learn more) — the card offers an annual free night award, bonus elite nights, and more

If you’re looking to earn airline rewards, consider one of these cards:

• The Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card (learn more) — the card is for Delta super users who are loyal, and want to spend their way to status
• The Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum Business American Express Card (learn more) — the card is good for a relatively frequent Delta flyer, who values perks
• The Delta SkyMiles^® Gold Business American Express Card (learn more) — the card is best for the casual Delta flyer, who wants basic benefits

Overview of American Express’ core business cards

With the above basics out of the way, let’s talk a little more about each Amex business card, and why some consumers may want to consider them.

Amex Business Platinum Card overview

The American Express Platinum cards are some of the most well-known premium cards out there. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is the business version of the card, offering some outstanding perks, though the card also has a steep annual fee.

At the moment, the Amex Business Platinum has an incredible welcome offer where you can earn a bonus as high as 300,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $20,000 within the first three months. Apply and find out your welcome offer. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

Personally, I value Membership Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so to me those 300,000 points are worth $5,100.

The Amex Business Platinum has an annual fee of $895 (Rates & Fees). This is one of the highest annual fee cards out there. The card offers so many benefits just for being a cardmember, and some of the most valuable benefits are credits. The card potentially offers over $2,000 in credits annually, including:

• Up to $600 annual hotel credit (semi-annual, $300 in January through June, and $300 in July through December, on prepaid bookings through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection (2 night minimum required for The Hotel Collection))
• Up to $360 annual Indeed credit ($90 per quarter)
• Up to $250 annual Adobe statement credit (after spending $600 or more on U.S. purchases made directly with Adobe each calendar year)
• Up to $219 annual CLEAR+ credit
• Up to $200 annual Hilton credit ($50 per quarter)
• Up to $200 annual airline fee credit
• Up to $150 annual Dell statement credit (with an additional $1,000 statement credit after spending $5,000 or more on those purchases each calendar year)
• Up to $120 annual wireless credit ($10 per month)

The Amex Business Platinum offers 5x Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels and flights that are booked through Amex Travel, plus 2x Membership Rewards points for purchases at U.S. construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more, regardless of the category.

The card also offers one of the most comprehensive lounge access benefits of any card, including Amex Centurion Lounge access, Delta Sky Club® access, a Priority Pass™ membership, Escape Lounge access, and select Lufthansa Lounge access. Cardmembers also receive complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold status, Marriott Bonvoy® Gold status, Hertz President’s Circle elite status, and National Emerald Club Executive status. (Enrollment is required for select benefits)

Read a full review of the Amex Business Platinum Card.

Amex Business Gold Card overview

For businesses looking to earn Membership Rewards points, The American Express® Business Gold Card could prove to be the card for you, given that it earns up to 4x Membership Rewards points for spending in certain categories.

The card currently has a lucrative welcome offer as high as 200,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months. Apply and find out your welcome offer. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

Personally, I value Membership Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so to me those 200,000 points are worth $3,400.

The Amex Business Gold Card has an annual fee of $375 (Rates & Fees). Each billing cycle you earn 4x Membership Rewards points in the two categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle. There are a total of six eligible categories to choose from. Note that you earn 4x points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year, and then 1x points thereafter. Categories eligible for 4x points include:

• Purchases at U.S. media providers for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
• U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
• U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
• U.S. purchases at gas stations
• Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
• Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.

Based on my valuation of Membership Rewards points, that’s the equivalent of a 6.8% return on spending in those categories, which is incredible.

To help offset the annual fee, the Amex Business Gold Card offers up to $240 back annually for eligible U.S. purchases with Grubhub, office supply stores, and UPS.com shipments. This comes in the form of up to $20 per month in statement credits toward eligible purchases. The card also offers a $12.95 monthly credit toward a Walmart+ membership, plus access to The Hotel Collection, where you can receive a $100 hotel credit and a room upgrade if available for stays of two or more nights.

Read a full review of the Amex Business Gold Card.

Amex Blue Business Plus Card overview

The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express is almost too good to be true, given that the card has no annual fee (Rates & Fees), earns 2x on the first $50,000 of eligible purchases per calendar year and then 1x, and gives you access to some other useful perks as well.

The Amex Blue Business Plus Credit Card currently has a welcome offer where you can 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.

Personally I value Membership Rewards points at 1.7 cents each. To me, that’s the equivalent of a 3.4% return on everyday business spending, which is phenomenal.

The Amex Blue Business Plus also offers 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable rate (currently in the range of 16.99% - 28.74%) (Rates & Fees). I wouldn’t recommend using the Amex Blue Business Plus for purchases outside the United States, as the card does carry foreign transaction fees of 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars. (Rates & Fees).

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

Amex Blue Business Cash Card overview

The American Express Blue Business Cash® Card is a credit card that has no annual fee (Rates & Fees) and that offers a solid cash back rewards structure. For someone looking for a cash back Amex business card, this is as good as it gets.

The Amex Blue Business Cash has a welcome offer where you can 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 Amex Blue Business Cash offers 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on the first $50,000 of purchases each calendar year, 1% thereafter. The cash back you earn is automatically credited to your statement with every billing cycle.

The Amex Blue Business Cash offers 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months. After that, your APR will be a variable rate (currently in the range of 16.99% - 28.74%) (Rates & Fees). I wouldn’t recommend using the Amex Blue Business Cash for purchases outside of the United States, as the card does carry foreign transaction fees of 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars. (Rates & Fees).

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

Amex Graphite Business Cash Card overview

The Graphite™ Business Cash Unlimited Card is pretty straightforward:

• The card has a $295 annual fee (Rates & Fees), and authorized users cost $95 each, though you can also get a no annual fee Employee Business Expense Card
• The card has a welcome offer of $1,500 cash back (earned as statement credits) after spending $50,000 within the first six months
• The card offers unlimited 2% cash back on all eligible purchases, plus 5% cash back on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel Online, all with no foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees)
• The card is a hybrid product, meaning it has no preset spending limit — your spending limit is flexible and may adapt based on purchase, payment, and credit history
• The card offers up to $2,400 in American Express One AP statement credits, after spending $250,000 on eligible purchases on the card in a calendar year; statement credits will be applied to the monthly bill charged to the card for Amex’s accounts payable solution, One AP

Read a full review of the Amex Graphite Business Card.

Amex business card application FAQs

Bottom line

American Express business cards can be very beneficial additions to your wallet, so hopefully this is useful for anyone who hasn’t yet applied for an Amex business card. Even if you’re not someone who has applied for Amex business cards in the past, you may be pleasantly surprised by the results.

At the moment there are some particularly good offers on Amex business cards, so this is a great time to take advantage of one of these offers. In particular, you can’t go wrong with a card like The Business Platinum Card® from American Express or The American Express® Business Gold Card.

What has your experience been applying for Amex business cards?

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