Best American Express Business Credit Cards

The Amex Spend Manager is the old name for the American Express Business App. Cardholders who would like to manage their business cards through an app can download the new American Express Business App for iOS and Android devices.

The American Express Business App allows users to access their account and manage their cards in one place. They can freeze or unfreeze cards, pay their bills, monitor transactions, get real-time alerts, attach receipts, categorize transactions, and more.

Lastly, it is worth noting that American Express has migrated some of the features from the American Express Business App to the main Amex Mobile App, too. So, both consumers and business owners can use it for account management.

American Express corporate card benefits include baggage insurance, Hilton Honors status upgrades, the Global Assist Hotline, and access to the ExpenseIt® Pro feature from the Concur App. Some American Express corporate cards have additional benefits, like trip delay insurance, airline fee credits and concierge services.

The exact benefits depend on whether you have the American Express Corporate Green, Gold or Platinum card – the three corporate Amex cards that are easy to apply for. There are a few other corporate cards, too, but they don’t offer online applications and are only available to businesses that schedule a special call with Amex.

American Express Corporate Card Benefits

• Baggage insurance: Replaces damaged, lost or stolen baggage on trips paid for with the card. Available on the Amex Corporate Green, Gold and Platinum cards.
• Global Assist Hotline: Helps with various needs while traveling. Available on the Amex Corporate Green, Gold and Platinum cards.
• Hilton Honors status: Silver HH status with the Amex Corporate Green and Gold cards. Gold HH status with the Amex Corporate Platinum card.
• ExpenseIt® Pro: Helps with expense reporting by matching pictures of receipts to corporate card charges. Available on the Amex Corporate Green, Gold and Platinum cards with the Concur App.
• TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry fee credit: Reimburses the application fee for either program once every 4-4.5 years. Available on Amex Corporate Gold and Platinum cards.
• Annual airline fee credit: $100 for the Amex Corporate Gold card and $200 for Platinum.
• Concierge service: Available on Amex Corporate Gold and Platinum cards.
• Annual $100 LoungeBuddy credit: Available on the Amex Corporate Gold card.
• Trip delay insurance & trip cancellation insurance: Available on the Amex Corporate Platinum card.
• Access to American Express Global Lounge Collection: Gives free access to 7 different lounge brands. Available on the Amex Corporate Platinum card.
• Annual $179 statement credit for CLEAR: Pays for CLEAR membership, which gets you through airports faster. Available on the Amex Corporate Platinum card.
• Global Dining Collection: Special experiences at high-end restaurants. Available on the Amex Corporate Platinum card.
• Fine Hotels + Resorts Program: Special perks at select hotels. Available on the Amex Corporate Platinum card.

Keep in mind that the American Express corporate cards are only available to companies with millions of dollars in annual revenue. If you own a smaller business, you should check out the similar American Express business credit cards.

No, American Express business cards don’t normally report to the consumer credit bureaus. However, they may report your account information to TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax if your account reaches delinquent status.

Instead, your financial activity will be reported monthly to Dun & Bradstreet. If you have a small business card with Amex, they will also report to the Small Business Financial Exchange (SBFE).

When it comes to comparing the American Express® Business Gold Card vs. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, the biggest difference is between their annual fees: Amex Business Platinum costs $695 a year, and Amex Business Gold has a $295 fee. That’s $400 every year after. However, the American Express Business Platinum card offers some extra perks, including up to $200 annual airline fee credit at one qualifying airline, and 5 points / $1 spent on flights and hotels at the Amex travel site. Plus, you get 35% of your points back when you redeem them on Amex travel.

Here’s what to consider with Amex Business Platinum vs. Gold:

• Annual fee: $695 for the American Express Business Platinum card, $295 for the American Express Business Gold card.
• Initial bonus: Platinum offers 120,000 points for spending $15,000 in your first 3 months. With Gold, you earn 70,000 points for spending $10,000 in the first 3 months.
• Bonus category rewards earning: Platinum gives you 5 points per $1 spent on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com, 1.5 points per $1 on U.S. construction material and hardware, U.S. electronic goods, U.S. shipping as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more (up to $2 million of these purchases per year combined), and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. With Gold, you earn 4 points per $1 in the two select categories with the most spending (up to $150,000 per year combined) and 1 point on all other purchases.
• Redemption bonus: Platinum refunds 35% of your points when you redeem them for flights on the Amex Travel site. You get this benefit with one selected airline each year or any first-class or business-class flight, up to 1 million points per year, and you can only pick your airline once a year, in January. Gold does not offer this perk.
• Up to $200 airline fee credit: Platinum offers up to $200 in statement credits for incidental airline fees, like baggage charges. You can only get credits with one airline, and you can only change that airline every January. By the way, you have to pick the same airline for this and the 35% redemption bonus. Gold does not offer this type of credit.
• Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check credit: If you apply for one of the two airport security pre-screening programs, Amex Business Platinum will reimburse the application fee every four years. You’ll get an $85 statement credit for TSA PreCheck or a $100 credit for Global Entry (you can’t get both). Gold doesn’t have this perk.
• Airport lounge access: Platinum gives you access to over 1,400 lounges in 140 countries through membership in the Amex Global Lounge Collection. Gold does not.

In Amex Business Platinum vs. Gold, the $400 per year difference between their fees makes for a compelling argument in favor of the Gold Card. But if you’re a frequent traveler who will take full advantage of the Platinum card’s airline statement credit and lounge access, it might be the card for you.