Blue Business Cash® Card
No-annual-fee 2% cash back capped at $50,000 calendar-year spend (then 1%), with 12-month 0% purchase APR and Expanded Buying Power
Brex Card
No-personal-guarantee startup/corporate charge card with category points, virtual cards, and expense ops; pay in full daily or monthly
Costs & Pricing
| Metric | Blue Business Cash® Card | Brex Card |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $0 (no annual fee, ever) | $0 published for the card. Software is separate: Essentials $0/user/mo; Premium $12/user/mo; Enterprise/Smart Card custom. Do not treat Premium as a card AF unless the company elects that plan. |
| Employee card fee | $0 (up to 99 Employee Cards) | $0; unlimited physical + virtual cards advertised |
| Purchase APR | 16.74%–28.49% variable (Prime + 9.99% to +21.74%; cap 29.99%) | N/A — charge card, pay in full. Marketing “0%” is charge-card float (daily ~1 business day after clear, or ~30-day monthly statement), not an intro APR. |
| Intro APR (purchases) | 0% for 12 months from account opening, then variable purchase APR | Not offered |
| Foreign transaction fee | 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to USD | Marketing: no FTF. Official: FX rate markup of up to 3% on conversions (Mastercard wholesale, adjusted daily). Local-currency cards can avoid conversion on local spend. |
| Late payment fee | Up to $39 (cannot exceed Minimum Payment Due) | 2.99% of delinquent balance or $38, whichever is higher, assessed once per statement that is 30 days past due (Card Program Terms, Apr 7, 2026) |
Rewards & Value
| Metric | Blue Business Cash® Card | Brex Card |
|---|---|---|
| Base earn rate | 2% cash back on first $50,000 eligible purchases per calendar year; 1% thereafter | 1x on everything else under Exclusive (1 point per $1 USD spend with a U.S.-based merchant). All customers enrolled in Exclusive unless the contract says otherwise. No published category caps. Non-Exclusive / second-card path may be flat 1x — source conflict with 2026 reviews; confirm on the live contract. |
| Welcome bonus | $250 statement credit after $3,000 eligible purchases in first 3 months (standard public offer) | $1,000 USD statement credit after ≥$4,000 Qualifying Spend within 30 days of activation. Apply, be approved, and activate (first purchase) Sep 1–30, 2026 (legal offer revised Aug 10, 2026). Re-check Oct 1. Review sites still print 10,000 points after $3,000 in 3 months — not found as a current dated legal page. |
| Redemption value | Automatic statement credit — 1¢ per 1% of eligible spend (2% = 2¢ per $1 under cap) | Brex Travel portal: 1 point = 1¢. Cash to Brex business account or statement credit: 1 point = 0.6¢ (admin must claim). Headline 7x rideshare is 4.2% cash only if Exclusive + cash path. Do not use 1¢ for cash. |
| Transfer partners | None — cash back only, not a points bank | Emirates Skywards, Avianca LifeMiles, Singapore KrisFlyer, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Aeromexico Club Premier, Cathay Asia Miles, Qantas Frequent Flyer at ~1,500:1,000. Crypto (BTC/ETH) appeared in older guides at 0.6¢ — not on the current official redeem page. |
Credit & Eligibility
| Metric | Blue Business Cash® Card | Brex Card |
|---|---|---|
| Personal guarantee | Required — joint and several liability of Basic Card Member and Company (CMA) | Not required in Brex marketing. Card Program Terms assign liability to the Company. Confirm the live issuer agreement at approval (Emigrant vs Fifth Third vs other). |
| Credit check | No personal-score impact to learn if approved; may impact personal credit if applicant accepts the card | Brex states SSN is for identity verification and is not used to underwrite or pull personal credit. No advertised personal hard pull. |
| Employee cards | Up to 99 Employee Cards, $0 AF; spend limits and merchant-type alerts | One employee card (physical or virtual) per user plus unlimited purchasing/virtual cards. Spend limits, merchant locks, policies, Apple/Google/Samsung Pay. Company liable. Auto-reissue on expiry. |
| Product type | Revolving business credit card with stated credit limit and Expanded Buying Power | Corporate / commercial charge card plus spend-management platform (pay-in-full daily or monthly; not revolving; no published purchase APR) |
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
Brex Card
Pros
- No personal guarantee and no advertised personal credit pull; company is the obligor
- $0 card annual fee and unlimited employee/virtual cards on Essentials
- Exclusive category points with no published earn cap; Brex Travel portal at 1¢/pt
- Native expense controls, virtual/vendor cards, and accounting integrations
- Local-currency cards in 50+ countries (plan-dependent); business-bureau reporting without personal-credit reporting (per Brex)
Cons
- Charge card: no revolving APR, no 0% working-capital window; late fee 2.99% or $38 after 30 days past due, plus possible 10% workout fee
- Sole props ineligible; funded startups commonly ~$50k cash; commercial revenue floors are messy
- “No FTF” marketing vs up to 3% FX markup
- Cash redemption 0.6¢/pt; airline transfers 1,500:1,000; Exclusive/contract multipliers are easy to misread
- Dynamic limits can fall with cash; Capital One ownership may change terms
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.
Brex Card
Brex is a charge-card ops platform owned by Capital One as of April 7, 2026 — not Spark, not Ramp’s Visa SKU, and not a revolving bank card. Pick it for no-PG underwriting and policy tooling. Do not assume 1¢ cash, a guaranteed 7x, or true $0 FX. Sole props, revolvers, and simple 1.5–2% cash shoppers should use a traditional PG card or Ramp if the cash bar fits. The Sep 2026 $1,000 / $4,000 / 30-day credit expires Sep 30 — re-check Oct 1.