Amex Blue for Business Offering New Cardholders 10x at Restaurants in the First 6 Months & More
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Update 2/2/17: This offer has now been extended until February 22, 2017.
Update 10/27/16: This post has been adjusted to clarify how the 30% points bonus works. If you spent $50,000 in the first year, you'd earn an additional 15,000 points; the bonus is based on spend rather than on the total number of points earned over the year.
The Blue for Business Credit Card from American Express is currently offering new cardholders the opportunity to earn a ton of bonus Membership Rewards points. Now until February 22, 2017, you can earn 10x points at US restaurants for the first six months (on up to $2,000 in purchases), plus 2x points on all qualifying purchases on the first $50,000 in the first year. Additionally, you'll get 0% introductory APR on purchases for 12 months.
In addition to those perks, you can still earn the sign-up bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points after you make your first purchase on the card in the first three months, and you'll still get an annual 30% points bonus based on the past year's purchases on your Blue for Business Card.
Is It Worth It?
If you were to max out the 10x bonus on up to $2,000 at US restaurants, you'd earn 20,000 Membership Rewards points — worth $380 based on TPG's latest valuations. But since you'd normally earn 1 point per dollar, we'll subtract 2,000 points and $38 of value. Add in the value of the 10,000 points you'll get just from making a purchase with the Blue for Business Card in the first three months from account opening, and you're looking at $532 in value. That's not bad at all for a card with no annual fee — and things get even more rewarding when you factor in the 2x points you'll earn on the first $50,000 spent in eligible purchases in the first year. If you maxed out that category, you'd take home an additional 50,000 points (over the base 1x earnings) and bump up your bonus earnings to 78,000 points, worth an impressive $1,482. Factor in the 30% points bonus (more on that later) and you're at 93,000 bonus points, worth $1,767.
This offer is especially compelling when you compare it to the standard earning rates of the Blue for Business Card. Usually, cardholders get just 1 point per dollar on all purchases, with 2 points per dollar offered for eligible purchases made through the Amex Travel website. So you'll be earning 100% more points on non-bonus spending for the first $50,000 in your first account year, in addition to earning 10x on up to $2,000 spent at US restaurants, where you'd otherwise earn just 1x points with this card.
If you need some time to pay down debt, the 0% APR for the first 12 months could also come in handy. Usually, the Blue for Business Card offers 0% APR for the first 9 months, so this gives you a little extra time to pay things off without incurring interest.
Clearly, now is an ideal time to sign up for the Blue for Business Card, since you can earn significantly more rewards than you would with the standard offer. However, is this card an ideal pick for you? As always, it depends on your award-travel priorities and spending habits. This card technically earns points in the Membership Rewards program, although these points can only be transferred to Amex's 20 airline and hotel transfer partners if you have another MR-earning Amex card.
Once the 10x offer for spending at US restaurants expires, you'll earn a maximum of 2x points (a 3.8% return) on purchases in the first year, which is definitely solid for a no-fee card. (That's assuming you got in on the current offer — otherwise you'd be looking at a 1.9% return for all non-Amex Travel purchases.) 3.8% is better than the 3.15% return you'll get on all purchases with the Chase Freedom Unlimited, and that's not even factoring in the 30% points bonus you'll get each year with Blue for Business.
If you sign up for this card before February 22, 2017 and spend $50,000 on it in the first year, you'll earn 110,000 points, including the first-purchase bonus (assuming none of your purchases counted toward the 10x restaurant bonus). Thanks to the 30% points bonus, you'll get an extra 15,000 points — worth $285 — posted to your account within 30 days of your cardholder anniversary.
Bottom Line
Thanks to this limited-time sign-up offer, the Blue for Business Card is worth a closer look. The ability to earn 10x points at US restaurants on the first $2,000 spent in the first six months, plus 2x on the first $50,000 in purchases in your first year, makes it a compelling option, especially for a no-fee card. Around the same time last year, Amex came out with an elevated sign-up bonus of 20,000 points for this card — but this year's offer is significantly more lucrative. If you're looking to earn a bunch of extra Membership Rewards points, you might want to consider signing up.
Will you be taking advantage of this sign-up offer?
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.