ToolsBlue Business Plus

Is the Amex Blue Business Plus worth getting?

MoneyRoom Card Score

9.6/ 10

Usable value10.0

Effort10.0

Earning8.7

It's the highest score we've published, and the reasons are boring in the best way: 2× points on every purchase at a real transferable-points valuation, zero fee, zero upkeep. The only fine print is a spending cap.

How we score cards

Data: MoneyRoom verified card catalog · scores recompute daily

Every so often the engine's three pillars all point the same direction. No fee and no credits take value and effort to their ceilings; the earning pillar reads 8.7 because 2× everywhere, denominated in Membership Rewards at our 1.3¢ midpoint, produces 2.6% effective — better than any cash flat-rater can reach, because the points themselves are worth more than cash at the midpoint.

That combination — flat-rate simplicity with transferable-points currency — is what the headline 9.6 is measuring, and nothing else in our published set has it without an annual fee attached. The honest caveats are two: the double rate runs up to an annual spending cap before dropping to base (our effective figure already blends the cap at basket scale), and points redeemed without a transfer partner in mind are worth less than the midpoint we quote.

The ledger

No fee — the ledger starts at zero.

Typical value applies our published realization factors: the discount for expiry windows, spending restrictions, enrollments, and reimbursement delays a real cardholder faces.

This card has no recurring statement credits. There's nothing to enroll in, track, or forfeit — the ledger is empty by design.

The fine print that matters

Why is typical value less than face value?

Two mechanics to hold onto. The cap: the 2× rate applies up to a yearly spending ceiling, then base — invisible at our reference-basket scale, decisive for a business running six figures of card volume, which should read the roundup's fee-card break-even logic instead. The currency: Membership Rewards only hit the 1.3¢ midpoint when redeemed well — transfers, mostly — and a business that will only ever take statement credits should mentally re-price this page's earning figure downward toward cash value.

Earning

What does everyday spending actually earn?

Rewards post as Amex Membership Rewards points, valued at 1.3¢ per point on our midpoint scale. On our published reference basket the effective rate is 2.6%.

Category	Rate	Effective after caps	Note
Dining	2×	2.00×	Base rate
Groceries	2×	2.00×	Base rate
Gas	2×	2.00×	Base rate
Flights booked direct	2×	2.00×	Base rate
Hotels booked direct	2×	2.00×	Base rate
Everything else	2×	2.00×

Honest gaps

What does the score leave out?

Transfer-partner upside beyond the midpoint. The 1.3¢ valuation is the honest middle, not the ceiling — award-savvy redemptions run higher, and that skill premium belongs to you.
Expanded buying power. Spend-above-your-limit flexibility is genuine working-capital value with no rewards price tag.
The welcome bonus. One-time points; the steady-state rule doesn't bend for the best card in the set.

Listed on the card, never priced:

Expanded Buying Power
Membership Rewards transfer partners

Your numbers, not the average

See if it pays for itself with your usage.

The score models a typical cardholder. The free Profit Calculator loads this card's real credits and fee and lets you set what you'd actually use — no account needed.

Run this card in the calculator Track your own cards free

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Questions

Asked before applying.

Why is this the highest score we've published?
9.6 out of 10 because nothing subtracts: no fee (value 10.0), no upkeep (effort 10.0), and 2.6% effective earning from 2× in a currency worth more than a cent at our midpoint.
What's the spending cap and does it matter?
The double rate applies up to an annual ceiling, then base. At our reference-basket scale it never binds — our effective figure already accounts for it — but a high-volume business will hit it and should plan a second card for the overflow.
Is it worth it if I'll never transfer points?
Still good, just less exceptional: without transfers, redemption value drifts toward plain cash and the honest comparison becomes the flat-rate business crowd. The card's crown depends on using the currency as currency.