A long-term keeper: Why the Blue Business Plus remains firmly in my wallet

20.02.2024 - 20:19 / thepointsguy.com / Long

I've been collecting points and miles on travel credit cards for nearly two decades, and I hear a common refrain when talking with friends and family members about the topic. "Why would I ever pay an annual fee on a credit card?"

Longtime readers know the answer to this question, but I still find that so many just can't get past the idea of paying for a credit card.

Thankfully, there are plenty of great no-annual-fee cards out there — and for small-business owners, there's one that stands above the rest: The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (see rates and fees).

Here's why this card remains firmly in my wallet.

Many card issuers allow you to pool your points when you have multiple cards in their respective ecosystems. However, this usually means that your no-annual-fee options require higher-end cards to maximize their value. Case in point:

You're limited to cash-back redemption options if you don't have a higher-tier card.

That is not true for the Blue Business Plus.

Even if it's the only American Express card you have in your wallet, you're earning 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent (on up to $50,000 in spending each year, then 1 point per dollar). And these are fully flexible Membership Rewards points. You can use them for flights, hotels and rental cars via American Express Travel, but my favorite redemption option is transferring them to Amex's 21 airline and hotel partners.

The top options for me include:

I've even topped up my Delta Air Lines SkyMiles account when I was just a bit shy of a specific redemption, though this did incur Amex's frustrating fee to offset federal excise taxes on the transfer (0.06 cents per point, up to a maximum of $99).

For more suggestions, check out our guide to maximizing Amex Membership Rewards points.

Related: 7 reasons why the Amex Blue Business Plus Card should be in everyone's wallet

As mentioned before, the Blue Business Plus incurs no annual fee (see rates and fees). This means there's no cost to your small business every year. With 2 points per dollar spent, you're getting the equivalent of 4% back on all purchases (based on TPG's most recent valuations) — that's a fantastic rate of return.

Note that the card does impose foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees) when used outside the U.S. As a result, this isn't a good option when traveling abroad.

Read more: 7 reasons you should get (and keep) a no-annual-fee credit card

And the fact that this card doesn't have an annual fee makes this next perk even more noteworthy.

I am a huge proponent of regularly checking your credit card accounts for discounts and bonus offers that must be activated before making a purchase. And the Amex Offers platform is among the most