Costs & Pricing

Metric	Blue Business Cash® Card	Blue Business℠ Plus Credit Card
Annual fee	$0 (no annual fee, ever)	$0 (CMA: Annual Fee None)
Employee card fee	$0 (up to 99 Employee Cards)	$0 (CMA: Annual Fee for Additional Cards: None)
Purchase APR	16.74%–28.49% variable (Prime + 9.99% to +21.74%; cap 29.99%)	Variable Prime + 9.99% to Prime + 21.74% (marketing 16.74%–28.49% as of late Aug 2026 at Prime 6.75%). Placement by creditworthiness and other factors at opening. Cap 29.99%. CMA formula wins over landing-page vintage ranges.
Intro APR (purchases)	0% for 12 months from account opening, then variable purchase APR	0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening, then the variable purchase APR
Foreign transaction fee	2.7% of each transaction after conversion to USD	2.7% of each transaction after conversion to U.S. dollars (via AE Exposure Management Ltd.)
Late payment fee	Up to $39 (cannot exceed Minimum Payment Due)	Up to $39; $39 if Minimum Payment Due is not received by due date, not to exceed the Minimum Payment Due

Rewards & Value

Metric	Blue Business Cash® Card	Blue Business℠ Plus Credit Card
Base earn rate	2% cash back on first $50,000 eligible purchases per calendar year; 1% thereafter	2 Membership Rewards points per $1 on the first $50,000 eligible purchases per calendar year, then 1X. Official copy: no category restrictions. Cap resets each calendar year, not cardmember anniversary.
Welcome bonus	$250 statement credit after $3,000 eligible purchases in first 3 months (standard public offer)	Standard public offer (Amex compare and partner pages, late Aug–early Sep 2026): 15,000 Membership Rewards points after $3,000 eligible purchases in the first 3 months. Historical typical public offer has sat at 15k/$3k/3 mo for years.
Redemption value	Automatic statement credit — 1¢ per 1% of eligible spend (2% = 2¢ per $1 under cap)	Issuer examples for 10,000 points: $60 toward eligible Card Charges (~0.6¢); $100 on AmexTravel.com flights (~1.0¢); $70 at Amazon.com (~0.7¢); up to $100 toward select gift cards. Transfer value is partner- and award-dependent. Disclose cash/statement at 0.6¢ and AmexTravel flights at 1.0¢; do not assume transfer uplift unless the user picks a partner.
Transfer partners	None — cash back only, not a points bank	Membership Rewards program (not card-unique; lists move). Commonly 16 airline + 3–4 hotel partners as of mid/late 2026. Secondary catalog compilations: most airlines 1:1; Aeromexico 1:1.6; Cathay 5:4; Emirates 5:4; JetBlue 250:200 or 1:0.8; Hilton 1:2; Marriott 1:1; Choice 1:1; Leading Hotels of the World reported 4:1 after July 2026. Etihad Guest transfers ended 30 June 2026. Re-check the logged-in MR transfer page. Typical minimum 1,000 points (JetBlue lower). Transfers generally no fee. Points do not expire while the Rewards Account remains open and in good standing.

Credit & Eligibility

Metric	Blue Business Cash® Card	Blue Business℠ Plus Credit Card
Personal guarantee	Required — joint and several liability of Basic Card Member and Company (CMA)	Yes. CMA: Joint and Several Liability — both the Basic Card Member and the Company are each individually responsible for the Account. We may seek payment from either or both.
Credit check	No personal-score impact to learn if approved; may impact personal credit if applicant accepts the card	Business credit may be impacted on submit; personal credit not impacted to receive a decision; personal credit may be impacted if the applicant accepts the card. Soft-then-hard pattern. Whose file: the applying Basic Card Member.
Employee cards	Up to 99 Employee Cards, $0 AF; spend limits and merchant-type alerts	$0. Benefits dashboard copy: add up to 99 Employee Blue Business Plus Cards. Owner earns MR on employee eligible spend; alerts and summary reports. Owner/Company remain liable. Spend controls via alerts/Account Manager — not a Ramp-style native policy engine.
Product type	Revolving business credit card with stated credit limit and Expanded Buying Power	Revolving business credit card with a stated Credit Limit plus Expanded Buying Power (excess due in full with the minimum payment). Not a charge card and not a fintech spend-management card.

Pros & Cons

Blue Business Cash® Card

Pros

• $0 annual fee on primary and up to 99 Employee Cards
• 2% automatic cash back on first $50,000 calendar-year eligible spend
• 12-month 0% intro APR on purchases
• Expanded Buying Power — no overlimit fee; rewards earn above limit if approved
• Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty included

Cons

• 2% earn ends at $50k; incremental spend drops to 1%
• 2.7% foreign transaction fee
• Joint-and-several personal liability of Basic Card Member
• Modest standard welcome bonus ($250 / $3k / 3 months) vs many competitors
• Over-limit balances due in full; missed Closing Date can trigger Penalty APR on entire balance

Blue Business℠ Plus Credit Card

Pros

• $0 annual fee and $0 employee-card fees
• 2X Membership Rewards on the first $50,000 eligible purchases each calendar year with no category tracking
• AmexTravel.com 2X that does not consume the $50k cap
• 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months
• Points sit in Membership Rewards and can transfer to airline/hotel partners; purchase protection and extended warranty listed on the official benefits block

Cons

• 2X layer caps at $50,000 per calendar year, then 1X
• 2.7% foreign transaction fee
• Public welcome bonus is modest versus premium Amex business cards (15k / $3k / 3 mo on compare pages)
• Joint-and-several personal liability
• No lounge, GE/TSA, trip-cancellation, or cell-phone benefits on the official list; post-intro APR band is high (16.74%–28.49% variable)

Verdict

Blue Business Cash® Card

The Blue Business Cash Card is Amex's no-fee workhorse for modest spenders — 2% automatic cash back up to $50k, then 1%, paired with a 12-month 0% intro APR and Expanded Buying Power. It beats uncapped 1.5% cards on the first $50k but loses incremental dollars to Spark Cash Plus or Ink Unlimited above that cap. Best for domestic sole props and small firms who won't chase category bonuses or transfer partners.

Blue Business℠ Plus Credit Card

This is the Membership Rewards twin of Blue Business Cash — same chassis, same $50k cap, same 0% intro, not cash back and not Business Gold. Confirm the live apply-flow welcome (15k standard vs targeted 25k–75k). Poor daily driver for uncapped high spend, foreign spend, or anyone who will revolve after the intro period.