The American Express Blue Business Cash(TM) Card Review: 2% Cash Back on First $50k in Purchases, No Annual Fee

card_name is a small business rewards card that earns a solid cash back rate with no complicated categories. There is also generous welcome offer for new applicants, which is great for a “keeper” business card. Here the highlights:

• Earn a $250 statement credit after you make $3,000 in purchases on your Card in your first 3 months.
• Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement.
• 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 17.74% – 25.74%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors as determined at the time of account opening. APRs will not exceed 29.99%.
• No annual fee. (See Rates and Fees)
• Terms Apply.

This is a solid offer for small business owners who want a simple-yet-competitive rewards credit card. If your business purchases don’t exceed $50,000 within each calendar year, this card provides flat 2% cash back. In addition, your cash back is automatically credited to your statement as a statement credit, so you don’t have to remember to redeem anything.

My primary small business card for day-to-day spending is the sibling Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (my review), which offers 2X Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 in purchases each year and 1 point per dollar thereafter. I prefer earning the double Membership Rewards points per dollar over 2% cash back because I regularly redeem each MR point for more than 1 cent per point of value. I happen to enjoy the flexibility of having some Membership Rewards in my back pocket to convert to airlines miles and hotel points, and this card also helps keep them active.

If you don’t expect to get at least 1 cent per mile value by converting to airline miles or hotel points, then this card is better. Many people will prefer the simplicity of cash.

Business credit card eligibility. Many people aren’t aware that they can apply for business credit cards, even if they are not a corporation or LLC. Any individual can be a small business. Perhaps you sell items on eBay, Craiglist, or Etsy. Maybe you do some graphic design, web design, freelancing and/or consulting. If you received a 1099-MISC tax form and filled out a Schedule C, that means you have business income, you pay self-employment taxes, and you’re a sole proprietorship. This is the simplest business entity, but it is fully legit and recognized by the IRS. On a business credit card application, you should use your own legal name as the business name, and your Social Security Number as the Tax ID.

This card will require you to personally guarantee that you’ll pay them back what you charge on the card, which means they’ll check your personal credit score like any other consumer card. However, as the card is a business card, American Express won’t have it show up on your personal credit report, so it won’t change things like your credit limits, average account age, or credit utilization ratio.

Bottom line. card_name is a small business rewards card that earns a flat 2% cash back on purchases up to $50,000 per calendar year with no annual fee. This is a high cash back percentage, and your rewards are automatically credited on the next monthly statement, so you don’t have to remember to redeem anything. (See Rates and Fees)