American Express has two nearly identically named business cards, and choosing between them comes down to one habit: whether you're willing to play the points game. The Blue Business Cash earns flat cash back, while the Blue Business Plus earns transferable Membership Rewards points — both with no annual fee and the same $50,000 annual spending cap on the top earn rate.
The Blue Business Cash pays 2% back on all eligible purchases for the first $50,000 each calendar year, then 1% after that. Rewards show up automatically as statement credits every billing cycle, so there's no tracking of points balances or transfer partners. Cap out the 2% tier and that's $1,000 back a year on spending you'd have done anyway. New cardholders get a $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 in the first three months, plus 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months before a variable rate of roughly 17–29% kicks in.
There are a few catches worth knowing. The card charges a 2.7% foreign transaction fee, so it's a poor choice for spending abroad — that fee will swallow your cash back entirely. And once you're past the $50K cap, the 1% return is uncompetitive for heavier spenders. On the plus side, cardholders get access to Amex Offers (targeted retailer discounts), purchase protection, extended warranty, secondary car rental coverage, expanded buying power for larger purchases, and up to 99 free authorized users.
The comparison card is where it gets interesting for travellers. The Blue Business Plus earns 2x Membership Rewards points on the same first $50,000, which one reviewer values at an effective 3.4% return if the points are transferred to airline and hotel partners — versus the 2% flat cash here. But that advantage only exists if you actually use transfer partners. If you'd redeem points at fixed cash-like rates instead, the Blue Business Cash earns you more in practice. The decision really is that simple: points-savvy travellers should lean Plus; everyone who wants zero effort cash should pick Cash.
Approval is relatively easy, and Amex eligibility rules are worth noting: maximum two Amex credit card approvals per 90 days, five Amex credit cards at once, and a once-per-lifetime welcome offer rule (with a pop-up warning if you're ineligible). Handy for churners: Amex business card applications don't count toward Chase's 5/24 limit.
For click.holiday readers, the relevance is straightforward — this isn't a travel rewards card, and that's the point. It's the fallback for freelancers and small-business owners who'd rather bank guaranteed cash than manage points, or who want a no-fee card to sit alongside a travel-earning setup. Just keep it in your wallet at home: with that foreign transaction fee, it's strictly a US-spending card.