Best American Express business credit cards of January 2025
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- Best overall: The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- Best for business perks with no annual fee: The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
- Best for business startups: American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
- Best for custom bonus categories: American Express® Business Gold Card
- Best for Delta travelers: Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card
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Showing 5 results
on American Express's secure site
See Rates & Fees, Terms ApplyIntro offer
Earn 150,000 points
Rewards Rate
1X - 5X
Annual fee
$695
Regular APR
18.49% - 27.49% Variable
Why you'll like this: Its top-class welcome offer can offset the card’s large annual fee for several years.
Best for business perks with no annual fee
on American Express's secure site
See Rates & Fees, Terms ApplyIntro offer
15,000 Membership Rewards® points
Rewards Rate
2X
Annual fee
No annual fee
Regular APR
17.49% - 25.49% Variable
Why you'll like this: The card’s solid flat rate makes it easy to stack reward points for all your business-related purchases, without skimping on business perks.
Best for business startups
on American Express's secure site
See Rates & Fees, Terms ApplyIntro offer
$250 statement credit
Rewards Rate
1% - 2%
Annual fee
No annual fee
APR
17.49% - 25.49% Variable
Why you'll like this: The ability to earn low-fuss cash back rewards makes it easy to earn and redeem rewards while letting you focus on growing your business.
Best business card for custom bonus categories
on American Express's secure site
See Rates & Fees, Terms ApplyIntro offer
Earn 100,000 points
Rewards Rate
1X - 4X
Annual fee
$375
Regular APR
18.49% - 27.49% Variable
Why you'll like this: The ability to earn big rewards in two out of six eligible categories of your choosing gives this card terrific reward flexibility.
Best for Delta travelers
on American Express's secure site
See Rates & Fees, Terms ApplyIntro offer
Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles
Rewards Rate
1.5X
Annual fee
$350
Regular APR
19.99% - 28.99% Variable
Why you'll like this: You can enjoy Delta perks, generous ongoing rewards and a valuable annual companion pass for qualifying business purchases.
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Comparing the top American Express business credit cards
Card name | Best for | Rewards | Bankrate review score |
---|---|---|---|
|
Best overall |
5X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com 1.5X points per dollar spent (on up to $2,000,000 per calendar year) on both purchases of $5,000 or more and on select category purchases |
4.8 / 5 Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards.
Apply now
on American Express's secure site
See Rates & Fees
, Terms Apply
|
|
Best for no-annual-fee rewards |
2X points on up to $50,000 in purchases per year (unlimited 2X points on travel booked through AmexTravel.com), 1X points after that |
4.1 / 5 Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards.
Apply now
on American Express's secure site
See Rates & Fees
, Terms Apply
|
|
Best for business startups |
2 percent cash back on all eligible purchases (up to $50,000 per year, then 1 percent) |
4.3 / 5 Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards.
Apply now
on American Express's secure site
See Rates & Fees
, Terms Apply
|
|
Best for custom bonus categories |
4X Membership Rewards® points on the top two eligible categories where your business spends the most each month from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap. 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card.* |
5.0 / 5 Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards.
Apply now
on American Express's secure site
See Rates & Fees
, Terms Apply
|
|
Best for Delta travelers |
Earn 1.5X miles* on eligible transit and U.S. shipping purchases, plus single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more. Terms and miles cap apply. |
5.0 / 5 Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards.
Apply now
on American Express's secure site
See Rates & Fees
, Terms Apply
|
What are American Express business credit cards?
American Express business credit cards offer lucrative rewards, expense tracking and premium travel perks. American Express is one of the largest credit card issuers and constantly ranks as one of the best in the world when accounting for perks and accessibility. It also holds the top ranking in J.D. Power’s 2024 credit card satisfaction study.
Whether it’s a general rewards Amex card, luxury travel card or co-branded card, established business owners, new entrepreneurs and startup owners can find a card that meets their business needs.
Pros and cons of American Express business credit cards
Pros
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More accessible: It could be easier to qualify for a business credit card than a line of credit or a bank loan.
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Credit limits: Amex business credit cards usually provide higher credit limits than consumer credit cards or charge cards with no preset limit, which can be helpful when funding large purchases.
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Excellent rewards and perks: American Express business cards cover many rewards categories and offer numerous perks to provide extra value.
Cons
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High annual fees: Some of Amex’s top-tier cards carry steep annual fees that may be hard to justify if you can’t make the most of a card’s rewards and perks.
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Liability: Business owners may be personally liable for unpaid debt on their business credit cards.
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Higher interest: American Express cards can be expensive, often carrying relatively high average interest rates and fees.
Our data: Approval for popular Amex business cards
According to Bankrate’s data, American Express approved a majority of business card applications in 2023 (with about 58 percent of Bankrate applicants being approved overall). And though the data showed the odds of approval were better for applicants with excellent credit, plenty of applicants with good, fair and even bad credit were approved for Amex business cards.
For example, the American Express® Business Gold Card is popular among users with excellent credit scores, but users with good credit, fair credit and even bad credit also got approved. Although applicants with good credit and lower credit scores were less likely to be approved, their scores didn’t always disqualify them, with over 40 percent of the card’s approvals going to applications submitted by people with fair or bad credit.
Bankrate’s data also indicates that March and August had the lowest Amex business card approval rates in 2023, with approval rates hovering around 40 percent. If you’re wary of Amex denying your application, our data suggests your approval odds could be better if you apply between April and June or in November, when approval rates hovered close to 60 percent. However, there’s no way to be sure how much of an impact applying at different times makes in getting approved.
Choosing the best Amex business card
American Express has some of the best business cards on the market. However, its cards may not be the best fit for everyone. The right Amex business card for you depends on the type of business you have, your spending habits and your creditworthiness. Here are some tips for choosing the right card for your business:
Still unsure if a travel credit card is right for you? Check out our Credit Card Spender Type Tool where you can get personalized credit card recommendations based on your credit score, spending habits and daily needs.
Expert advice on American Express business cards
If you want your Amex card to be a worthwhile part of your business card stack, you need to be strategic with how you use the card. Bankrate writer Ryan Flanigan shared his experience with American Express business cards and how he combines cards that earn in different categories:
"American Express business cards have been a great way for me to earn a lot of Membership Rewards points while covering most bonus categories. I also get so much value from all the perks and credits, especially when traveling. No other issuer comes close to offering what Amex does. The Amex business trifecta of the Blue Business Plus, Business Gold and Business Platinum beats any other combination of cards."
— Ryan Flanigan, Writer, Credit Cards
Holding a trifecta of cards like Flanigan recommends can help maximize your rewards. Combinations like the Amex trifecta, the Chase trifecta and the Citi trifecta offer maximum value for personal and business expenses by taking advantage of the range of benefits each issuer offers.
Maximizing American Express business cards
American Express business cards carry several exclusive features that can help you maximize rewards, manage debt and plan travel. Here are a few tips to help you maximize your Amex business card:
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Use your Membership Rewards® wisely
American Express has one of the highest credit card point values on the market. Bankrate currently values American Express Membership Rewards at 1 cent per point when booking through the issuer and around 2.0 cents per point when you transfer to one of Amex’s transfer partners. Other redemption methods have lesser value, worth only 0.5 to 0.7 cents, a downside for business owners who don’t travel often. Businesses can also take advantage of Corporate Membership Rewards tos redeem points for business trips, gift cards, office supplies and more.
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Use Pay Over Time for large purchases
While we don’t recommend carrying a balance, sometimes it's necessary. With Pay Over Time, you have time to pay off eligible purchases over a set period with interest, instead of paying the entire balance. On the surface, the feature may not have much appeal but when you’re in a tight spot with an unexpected expense, it can be a useful tool.
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Make the most of travel perks
Some American Express business cards offer travel credits and perks that that can benefit most travelers. Perks on various cards include a CLEAR® Plus membership credit, airline and hotel credits, airport lounge access and a Pay With Points rebate when you pay for certain airfare with points. If your business requires you to travel frequently, you might consider choosing an Amex card with valuable travel perks that can add convenience to your airport experience and help soften the blow to your travel budget.
Frequently asked questions about Amex business credit cards
How we assess the best Amex business credit cards
When evaluating the best business cards, we consider a mix of factors, including how cards score in our proprietary card rating system and whether cards offer features that fit the priorities of a diverse group of small-business owners, from earning rewards in popular business spending categories to getting payment flexibility or high-value perks. Whenever possible, we also feature cards that are available at various credit levels and price points.
We analyzed over 50 of the most popular business credit cards and scored each based on its rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more to determine whether it belonged in this month’s roundup.
Here are some of the key factors that we considered: