American Express has quietly doubled down on two of its most underrated small business cards, and for anyone who collects points for flights and hotels, the timing is worth paying attention to.
The Blue Business Plus Card is currently offering up to 50,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $5,000 in the first three months. That is a big jump from the standard public offer of 15,000 points, and at a typical valuation of around 1.7 cents per point, the bonus works out at roughly $850 in potential travel value. Better again, the card carries no annual fee.
The real case for the card goes beyond the sign-up bonus. It earns 2x Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 of spending each calendar year (1x after that), and it is the only no-annual-fee card on the market earning transferable points at that rate, movable to Amex's full roster of airline and hotel partners. It also doubles as a useful parking spot for your points balance if you ever close a fee-charging Amex card, since Membership Rewards points can be pooled across accounts.
Eligibility follows Amex's usual "once in a lifetime" rule: the bonus is off the table if you currently hold the card or have held it or a previous version before. You can still qualify if you have other Amex cards, though note the card counts towards Amex's typical five-credit-card limit. On the plus side, approval should not add to your Chase 5/24 count, and Amex business cards are generally among the easier approvals going. One caveat: Amex sometimes serves pop-ups flagging that you are not eligible for a bonus even when you appear to meet the published terms, and there is little workaround in that scenario.
Prefer straight cash back? The American Express Blue Business Cash Card has also seen its welcome offer improved, to as much as a $500 statement credit after the same $5,000 minimum spend — double the previous $250 offer. It earns 2% cash back on the first $50,000 spent per year (1% thereafter), also with no annual fee. Eligibility is assessed separately from the Blue Business Plus, so you can pick up both bonuses if you want.
For points enthusiasts, the Plus card is the clear pick, since 2x transferable points will usually beat 2% cash back by a comfortable margin. But if you have no interest in navigating airline partner charts, the cash back version is a perfectly respectable no-fuss alternative. Either way, these are cards worth keeping open long after the bonus lands, which is exactly what you want from a no-annual-fee product. If you have been on the fence, this improved window is a sensible moment to apply — with the usual reminder that offers can vary and welcome bonuses are not guaranteed for every applicant.
