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
Costs & Pricing
Annual fee (primary): $0 (no annual fee, ever)
Employee card fee: $0 (up to 99 Employee Cards)
Purchase APR: 16.74%–28.49% variable (Prime + 9.99% to +21.74%; cap 29.99%)
Intro APR (purchases): 0% for 12 months from account opening, then variable purchase APR
Intro APR (balance transfers): Not currently advertised on product page (purchases only)
Foreign transaction fee: 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to USD
Cash advance APR: Not offered (not in CMA 30 Jun 2026 fee table)
Late payment fee: Up to $39 (cannot exceed Minimum Payment Due)
Penalty APR: Prime + 25.99% variable (cap 29.99%); applies at least 12 billing periods until 12 consecutive timely payments
Other fees: No overlimit fee. Returned check at approved location $38. Balance transfers may not be available (2026 CMA silent on BT fee).
Rewards & Value
Transfer partners: None — cash back only, not a points bank
Credit, Limits & Spending
Credit limit: Stated credit limit plus Expanded Buying Power (approved spend above limit earns rewards but is due in full with minimum payment)
Personal guarantee: Required — joint and several liability of Basic Card Member and Company (CMA)
Credit check: No personal-score impact to learn if approved; may impact personal credit if applicant accepts the card
Recommended credit: Good/Excellent guidance (issuer does not publish cutoff)
Employee cards: Up to 99 Employee Cards, $0 AF; spend limits and merchant-type alerts
Virtual cards: Not disclosed as native BBC feature
Product type: Revolving business credit card with stated credit limit and Expanded Buying Power
Network: American Express
Benefits, Protections & Tools
Travel
- ✓ Global Assist Hotline when traveling >100 miles from home (coordination only; Card Member pays third parties)
- ✓ Auto rental LDW — secondary coverage (decline rental company CDW; not available Australia, Italy, New Zealand)
Purchase Protections
- ✓ Purchase Protection — 90 days, up to $1,000 per purchase, $50,000 per account per calendar year
- ✓ Extended Warranty — up to one extra year on U.S. manufacturer warranties of 5 years or less
- ✓ Standard Amex dispute and fraud assistance
Business Tools
- ✓ Connect to QuickBooks (enrollment required; daily employee txn + receipt sync)
- ✓ Year-End Summary (PDF/Excel download)
- ✓ Employee alerts, summary reports, Account Manager role
- ✓ Vendor Pay by BILL (optional enrolled AP; fees may apply)
- ✓ Check Spending Power tool in Amex App
- ✓ Amex Offers (issuer-level, targeted)
Eligibility & Application
Who can apply: U.S. small businesses via Amex OPEN path (sole props through C-corps historically accepted)
Business requirements: Entity type and EIN/SSN rules not enumerated on product page; no published revenue or time-in-business floors
Issuer rules: Amex once-per-lifetime/prior-product welcome-offer practice (commonly reported); informal Amex card-count caps commonly reported (not in CMA)
Application impact: Business credit may be hit on submit; personal credit not hit for pre-decision; may hit on accept. Instant decision advertised (as little as 30 seconds).
Best for: No annual fee 2% cash back 0% intro APR Under $50k spend Free employee cards Domestic spend
Pros & Cons
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
Strong Buy (sub-$50k domestic daily driver)
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.