American Express Blue BUSINESS Plus Review
Updated May 24, 2021.
The Facts
The Math
Amex Blue Business Plus vs. old Amex Blue Business: the annual fees are kept the same as zero. The new card (Blue Business Plus) is obviously better for most consumers: 2x MR points (up to $50K spent each year) vs. 1.3x MR points (unlimited), and you no longer needs another premium MR card to allow points to be transferred to frequent traveler miles/points.
Amex Blue Business Plus (BBP) vs. Amex Blue Business Cash (BBC): while two non-fee cards have very similar rewards structure, the differences are in how you redeem your rewards. Amex BBC offers a straight 2% cashback, while Amex BBP offers 2x Membership Rewards (MR) points. You will only get 0.6 cent per point when redeeming MR points for cash statement credit, and 1 cent per point when redeeming for flights purchased through Amex. However, you might get a higher value if you transfer MR points to miles of partner airlines. Bottom line: if you know how to leverage MR points transfer feature's value (our current valuation is 1.5 cents per point but you are most likely an advanced player), you would be better off with Amex BBP; otherwise, stay with Amex BBC which most likely makes more sense for most business owners.
Amex Blue Business Plus is the first card ever that returns 2x points for general spending while allowing frequent traveler miles/points transfer. Previously, the best cards of this type (earning SPG, MR, UR, TY, etc.) "only" return 1.5x points: Freedom Unlimited (no annual fee) returns 1.5x UR points but requires another premium UR card to allow miles/points transfer; Amex EveryDay Preferred ($95 annual fee) returns 1.5x MR points with a requirement of at least 30 transactions per month. Based on our current valuation of MR points at 1.5 cents a piece, the Blue Business Plus returns an impressive 3% travel rewards for general spending; the only downside is that the 2x applies to the first $50,000 spent each year.
The Conclusion
Amex Blue Business Plus is an incredible card for general spending, and we will even call it the "King of Business Rewards Card".
The Facts
- Annual Fee: none
- Signup Bonus: none. Historical Best Bonus: 20,000 points for a couple of months after introduced in 2017.
- Rewards: 2x on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, and 1x thereafter.
- The Best Use of Membership Rewards (MR) points: Normally, Amex Membership Rewards points can be redeemed at up to 1 cent per point (cpp) for the following categories: statement credit (0.6 cpp), gift cards (0.7~1 cpp), flights (1 cpp), other travel (0.7 cpp), shopping with partners at checkout (0.7 cpp), merchandise through Amex shopping portal (0.5 cpp), etc. However, Amex Blue Business Plus, with other certain Amex cards, is eligible for the transfer feature that allows points to be transferred to frequent flyer miles or frequent guest points. Please see our featured review for the major programs that have the transfer feature - Marriott vs. MR. vs. UR vs. TY vs. C1 vs. CR. Amex Blue Business Plus is the only business Amex card to enjoy this feature without an annual fee.
- Other Benefits: automatic discounts with Amex OPEN Savings.
- History: Amex Blue Business Plus was introduced in May 2017 to replace Amex Blue Business. Not only did Amex keep the annual fee zero, but it enhanced the earning rate to 2x (up to $50K spent) and allowed points to be transferred to frequent traveler miles/points.
The Math
Amex Blue Business Plus vs. old Amex Blue Business: the annual fees are kept the same as zero. The new card (Blue Business Plus) is obviously better for most consumers: 2x MR points (up to $50K spent each year) vs. 1.3x MR points (unlimited), and you no longer needs another premium MR card to allow points to be transferred to frequent traveler miles/points.
Amex Blue Business Plus (BBP) vs. Amex Blue Business Cash (BBC): while two non-fee cards have very similar rewards structure, the differences are in how you redeem your rewards. Amex BBC offers a straight 2% cashback, while Amex BBP offers 2x Membership Rewards (MR) points. You will only get 0.6 cent per point when redeeming MR points for cash statement credit, and 1 cent per point when redeeming for flights purchased through Amex. However, you might get a higher value if you transfer MR points to miles of partner airlines. Bottom line: if you know how to leverage MR points transfer feature's value (our current valuation is 1.5 cents per point but you are most likely an advanced player), you would be better off with Amex BBP; otherwise, stay with Amex BBC which most likely makes more sense for most business owners.
Amex Blue Business Plus is the first card ever that returns 2x points for general spending while allowing frequent traveler miles/points transfer. Previously, the best cards of this type (earning SPG, MR, UR, TY, etc.) "only" return 1.5x points: Freedom Unlimited (no annual fee) returns 1.5x UR points but requires another premium UR card to allow miles/points transfer; Amex EveryDay Preferred ($95 annual fee) returns 1.5x MR points with a requirement of at least 30 transactions per month. Based on our current valuation of MR points at 1.5 cents a piece, the Blue Business Plus returns an impressive 3% travel rewards for general spending; the only downside is that the 2x applies to the first $50,000 spent each year.
The Conclusion
Amex Blue Business Plus is an incredible card for general spending, and we will even call it the "King of Business Rewards Card".