American Express Business Credit Cards and Charge Cards
John Ganotis
Updated Jul 05, 2018
American Express offers a wide variety of small business cards for people with excellent credit. If you’re interested in consumer cards from American Express, read this page.
Some are business credit cards, while others are charge cards. Chances are there’s an American Express business card that will work to earn rewards on the money your business is already spending, whether you want to earn travel rewards or cash back.
Many of these cards earn Membership Rewards points, which can be transferred to partner loyalty programs as airline miles or hotel points. These points can also be redeemed for gift cards or statement credit, but you’ll usually get less value from them that way.
Most of these American Express cards have a sign-up bonus, so you can earn bonus points for spending a certain amount within the first few months of card membership.
You can also get free employee cards to earn more rewards and manage employee spending.
Business Charge Cards
There are four Amex business charge cards for small business owners. They’re designed for business travel booked through American Express Travel and earn Membership Rewards points, except for the Plum Card. The Business Green Rewards card is the only one with a foreign transaction fee. Since they have no pre-set spending limit, you can use these to earn rewards on big business expenses.
| Card | Annual Fee | Points Per Dollar |
|---|---|---|
| Business Platinum Card (Review) | $450 |
|
| Plum Card (Review) | $250, $0 first year |
|
| Business Gold Rewards Card (Review) | $175, $0 first year |
|
| Business Green Rewards Card (Review) | $95, $0 first year |
|
Business Credit Cards
Amex offers two business credit cards, and the main difference is their rewards programs. Neither has an annual fee, but both have a 2.7% foreign transaction fee.
- The Blue Business Plus Card (Review) earns Membership Rewards points
- The SimplyCash Plus (Review) earns cash back
For Earning Membership Rewards Points
Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express
For People with
Excellent Credit
- Annual Fee: $0
- Interest Rate: 12.49%, 16.49% or 20.49% Variable
Quick Card Facts
- No annual fee for each additional Employee Blue Business Plus Credit Card
- 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months
- 2x Membership Rewards points on every purchase, up to $50,000 in spending
- More deals and discounts through Amex Offers
- Expense management tools and business-specific benefits
- Shopping and travel protections
- Terms & Restrictions Apply
For Earning Cash Back
SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card from American Express
For People with
Excellent Credit
- Annual Fee: $0
- Interest Rate: 13.49%, 18.49% or 20.49% Variable
Quick Card Facts
- No annual fee
- 0% intro APR for 9 months
- 5% cash back at U.S. office supply stores and on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers
- 3% cash back on the category of your choice from a list of select categories and 1% cash back on other purchases
- American Express OPEN Business benefits
- Terms and limitations apply
Co-Branded Credit Cards
American Express offers several co-branded cards in partnership with other brands, including Delta, Hilton hotels, Starwood (including Marriott) hotels, and Lowe’s home improvement stores.
Delta
American Express and Delta offer a wide variety of cards at different annual fees. None has a foreign transaction fee. At the highest end, the Delta Reserve comes with airport lounge access and several other extra benefits. Otherwise, the main difference are how the cards earn rewards and how many bonus miles you can get when you spend on the card within the first few months of card membership.
| Card | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| Delta Reserve for Business | $450 |
| Platinum Delta SkyMiles Business (Review) | $195 |
| Gold Delta SkyMiles Business | $95, $0 first year |
Hilton Hotels
If you stay at Hilton hotels frequently, this card makes it easy to rack up Hilton Honors points as well as some other perks at Hilton hotels.
Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
For People with
Excellent Credit
- Annual Fee: $95
- Interest Rate: 16.99%–25.99% Variable
Quick Card Facts
- 12X points per dollar at participating Hilton Portfolio hotels and resorts
- 6X points per dollar at U.S. restaurants, supermarkets, and gas stations
- 3X points per dollar on all other eligible purchases
- 75,000 bonus points for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
- 25,000 additional bonus points for spending an additional $1,000 in the first 6 months
- Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status and other benefits
- No foreign transaction fee
- $95 annual fee
- 16.99%–25.99% Variable APR for purchases and balance transfers
Starwood & Marriott Hotels
If you frequently spend and stay at Starwood or Marriott hotels, this card can be quite valuable for earning Starpoints. If you stay exclusively at Marriott hotels, consider the Marriott Rewards Premier Business Card from Chase instead.
Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express
For People with
Excellent Credit
- Annual Fee: $95 (waived the first year)
- Interest Rate: 16.24%, 18.24% or 20.24% Variable
Quick Card Facts
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 25,000 bonus Starpoints® after you use your Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
- Receive free in-room, premium internet access. Booking requirements apply.
- Enjoy complimentary, unlimited Boingo Wi-Fi at more than 1,000,000 Boingo hotspots worldwide. Enrollment required.
- Earn free nights at over 1,200 hotels and resorts in nearly 100 countries with no blackout dates.
- Some hotels and resorts have mandatory service charges.
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- Terms and limitations apply.
Lowe’s Home Improvement Stores
If your business spends at Lowe’s frequently, this no annual fee card could save you lots of money (5% off at Lowe’s) and earn you rewards.
Lowe's Business Rewards Card
For People with
Fair Credit
- Annual Fee: $0
- Interest Rate: 13.24%, 15.24%, or 18.24% (Variable)
Quick Card Facts
- Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on restaurants, office supply stores, and wireless telephone services in the U.S.
- Earn 2 points for every $1 spent at Lowe's
- Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases
- There is no limit to the amount of points you can earn
Amex Business Card Features
Benefits
American Express business cards have access to a suite of Amex OPEN business benefits, which include:
- Free employee cards: to help manage spending and maximize rewards
- Account Manager: Designate a trusted account manager to handle your business card account
- Spend Manager: For help managing your card expenses and tracking receipts
- Connect to Quickbooks: Transfer data from your Amex statement directly into Quickbooks
- Year-end Summary: See a complete summary of all your spending for the year, broken down into categories
- Amex OPEN Forum: Talk with other cardmembers about business and using your cards
- 24/7 Business Customer Support: Call to speak with a business specialist, trained to help with your business needs
Compare Business Credit Cards
Browse business credit cards on our partner’s site below.
Business Credit Cards
- Bring your Business finances to the next level with a Business rewards card.
- Bonus offer – new card holders may be eligible for welcome bonuses of up to 100,000 points.
- Earn rewards points on your everyday business expenses.
- Rewards can be redeemed for business expenses like airfare, gas, or hotel rooms.
- Credit cards and charge cards are available.
- Terms vary by partner offer. Please see each bank’s application for terms and conditions.
- Clicking Apply Now will take you to CreditCards.com to compare Business cards from participating partners.
