Great Card If
- You and your employees travel frequently
- You will use the suite of tools available for small businesses
- You want a card that earns Membership Rewards points
Don’t Get If
- You want the option to spread out your monthly payments (with interest)
- You prefer to earn cash-back rewards
- You travel outside the U.S. regularly and will incur foreign transaction fees
Welcome Bonus, Earning Categories, and Points
The Amex Business Green card usually has a decent welcome bonus (see table above), and a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95
You’ll also earn 1x points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases.
Bottom Line: Earn 1x points for all purchases, but 2x when using the Amex Business Green card through the Amex Travel Portal. The card costs $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.
Benefits of the Amex Business Green Card
A nice feature of the card is that rather than having a set limit, you have a flexible spending limit.
Your limit will adjust based on your use of the card, payment history, and other factors to better meet the changing needs of your small business.
Membership Rewards points earned with the card can be redeemed for hundreds of rewards from airlines, hotels, restaurants, retailers, and other brands.
In fact, you can use Membership Rewards points to pay for part of a flight or hotel with American Express Travel through the Pay with Points program.
Bottom Line: There is no set credit limit on the Amex Business Green card; you have flexible spending power. You can also combine your points with other Membership Rewards cards to earn travel rewards!
Small Business Benefits
Small business owners will appreciate the fact that Amex Business Green card has a lower annual fee than other Amex business cards, and offers free employee cards.
The business credit card also comes with the many benefits offered by American Express to help run your business smoothly.
Take, for example, your account’s ability to connect to QuickBooks and ReceiptMatch, 2 tools that work together to help you manage your business expenses.
ReceiptMatch allows you to attach receipts, tags, and notes to your American Express card transactions, which can then be uploaded straight to QuickBooks.
Stay abreast of payment due dates, employee spending, and any suspicious activity on your card by setting up account alerts from your online account. You can always access your account through the online statements at the mobile and tablet apps.
If you don’t have time to review your statements and make payments, you can select a partner or employee to manage these tasks for you through the account manager feature.
Bottom Line: Small business owners will appreciate the many different Amex benefits that come from being a cardholder of the Amex Business Green card.
Perks With the Card
American Express has a reputation for offering some of the best credit card perks and insurances, from shopping and fraud protection to travel assistance.
For instance, with purchase protection, your purchases are protected against accidental damage and theft for up to 90 days from the date of purchase.
In addition, you can add up to 1 year to the original U.S. manufacturer’s warranty on items purchased with the card through the extended warranty feature.
Car rental loss and damage insurance can be invaluable if you and your team rent vehicles on a regular basis while traveling. This protects rental cars from theft or damage when you decline the collision damage waiver and pay with your card.
Speaking of traveling, the roadside assistance hotline can give you peace of mind when on the road. Just call the number on the back of your card to get help recharging a battery, changing a flat tire, or something else.
These are just some of the credit card insurances available when you use the card or other participating American Express credit cards.
Bottom Line: The Amex Business Green card comes with many different types of insurance and protections, including purchase protection, extended warranty, car rental insurance, and more!
Best Way to Maximize Amex Points
OK, so you can earn 2x points for booking through American Express Travel and 1x points for your other purchases. But how can you rack up as many points as possible with the Amex Business Green card?
Here are some tips to get you on your way:
Tip #1: Make your first purchase to get your bonus points. You have 3 months to do it and qualify for the welcome offer to receive the Membership Rewards points!
Tip #2: Get cards for your employees. The more people in your business earning points, the more points in your Membership Rewards. Plus, there’s no annual fee for the cards.
You’ll be happy to know you have control over employee spending limits. Set them online or by calling the number on the back of the card.
Tip #3: This is one of the American Express business credit cards that requires you to pay your balance in full each month.
Be sure to make your payment on time to ensure you don’t forfeit your Membership Rewards points and incur costly fees.
Tip #4: Do you have an American Express personal card that earns Membership Rewards? Link it to your business credit card and accumulate tons of Membership Rewards points!
Best Way To Redeem Amex Points
When it comes to redeeming Amex points, there are plenty of options, ranging in value from $0.006 per point to more than $0.02 per point.
Option #1: Statement Credit
Pay your Amex Business Green card statement balance with Membership Rewards points. Points are valued at $0.006 each when redeemed for a statement credit.
Gift Cards
Choose from a wide selection of Membership Rewards gift cards in a wide range of categories like dining, entertainment, and much more. The points value will vary depending on the gift card, but ranges between $0.006 and $0.01 per point.
Merchandise
Use points to pay for all of your purchase, or combine them with cash when you shop through the American Express Membership Rewards portal.
You’ll find hundreds of technology, office, beauty, and other products in the online mall. You can even redeem for events. Redemptions in the shopping portal are valued at $0.005 per point.
Amazon.com and BestBuy.com
Want to pay for your Amazon.com and BestBuy.com shopping cart with Membership Rewards points? Points are valued at $0.007 per point when used directly with these 2 online retailers.
Option #3: Event Tickets
Tickets through Ticketmaster, Telecharge, and AXS
If you’re looking for tickets to an upcoming concert or event through Telecharge.com, Ticketmaster, or AXS, you can pay with Membership Rewards points. These points are valued at $0.005 each.
Option #4: Donate to Charity
For those who want to give back, donating to charity using Membership Rewards points can be a terrific opportunity. The first 500,000 points donated each calendar year are valued at $0.01 each. Make a donation starting at 1,000 points.
Option #5: Travel
Transfer to a Loyalty Program Partner
When you have an Amex card that can transfer points to partners, you open up the most valuable way to use your points.
Many hotel and airline loyalty programs currently participate. Transfer your points to most partners at a 1:1 ratio and redeem for as much as $0.02 per point!
You will have to pay a transfer fee of $0.0006 per point (up to $99), but when you consider the potential of piggybacking on the loyalty program redemption rate, it can the most valuable redemption option.
Redeem Points Through American Express Travel
Use your points to pay for all or part of your rewards travel, starting with 5,000 Membership Rewards points. Points for flights are valued at $0.01 per point, and other options are valued between $0.007-$0.005 per point.
There are no blackout dates, and you get a flexible seat selection!
Car Rentals and Amtrak
Redeem points toward rental cars and Amtrak starting at 5,000 points.
Drawbacks of the Amex Business Green Card
As with any credit card offer, there are a couple of drawbacks to the Amex Business Green card.
First, you must make your payments in full every month.
Another caveat is the lack of bonus earnings categories. Basically, you earn 1 point per $1 spent with the card with no extra points for purchases at office supply stores, restaurants, or other select categories.
Fees are another drawback of the card. There is a 2.7% foreign transaction fee on any purchases made while abroad.
Bottom Line: You must make payments in full each month with the Amex Business Green card, and unlike other business cards there aren’t any special bonus categories. It also has a 2.7% foreign transaction fee.
Alternatives to the Amex Business Green Card
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
The Amex Blue Business Plus card allows you to spread payments over time (with interest).
The card also now earns 2x points on all purchases on the first $50,000 each year, after which it will earn 1x points.
American Express® Business Gold Card
If you would like to earn more for your spending in certain categories, you may prefer the Amex Business Gold card.
The Amex Business Gold card offers 5 bonus categories related to business spending: airfare, select U.S. advertising, U.S. gas stations, U.S. shipping, and select U.S. computer services. Earn 3x points for the category you choose and 2x points for the rest.
The Plum Card® from American Express
If you and your employees regularly travel outside the country, you may find more value in a credit card without foreign transaction fees, such as the Amex Plum card.
Not only does it free you from foreign transaction fees, but this card also gives you a 1.5% discount when you pay your bill early. However, the annual fee is $250 after the first year.
See below for some of our card comparisons with the Amex Business Green card:
The information regarding the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Plum Card® from American Express, click here.
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