The Graphite™ Business Cash Unlimited Card is a good option if you want straightforward rewards, as it gives 2% back on purchases except for flights and prepaid hotel bookings made through American Express Travel® Online, which yield 5% back. It’s worth the $295 annual fee if you spend $5,900 to $14,750 per year and avoid interest charges, according to WalletHub’s calculations. And it’s even better if you can earn the initial bonus without overspending. 

What I Like About the Amex Graphite Card

$1,500 Cash Back initial bonus offer

You can earn $1,500 cash back for spending $50,000 in purchases in the first 6 months (received in the form of Reward Dollars which can be redeemed as statement credits and at Amazon.com checkout). The bonus amount is probably making you salivate, but that spending requirement might seem a bit daunting. 

If your business is going to spend that much by the deadline anyway, though, it’s a great deal. It’s several times higher than the average cash back bonus, according to our research. 
 

2 - 5% cash back back on purchases

This card’s rewards are quite simple: You earn at roughly five times the average reward rate when you book airfare and prepaid hotel reservations through the American Express Travel portal, and you earn about double the market average on all other eligible purchases. 

Specifically, you can earn 5% cash back on flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel® Online, and 2% cash back on all other eligible purchases (cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout).

So, you’ll earn at a high rate on purchases, which is good for businesses with varied expenses or business owners who don’t feel like juggling multiple credit cards with different bonus categories. 
 

Statement credits for American Express One AP®

If you charge $250,000 in eligible purchases to the card this calendar year, you can get up to $2,400 in statement credits for American Express One AP® monthly fees the following calendar year. American Express One AP is an automated accounts payable service. 

This could be a big help for some cardholders, but it figures to be completely irrelevant for others. 
 

Plastic cards for employees for no annual fee

If you want to add employees to your account as authorized users, you won’t have to pay an extra annual fee as long as you’re fine giving them plastic cards. Your card will still be metal, though, of course. 

What I Don’t Like About the Amex Graphite Card

Limited redemption options

You can redeem the cash back for a statement credit or use your rewards to pay for an Amazon purchase at checkout. That’s it. 

This isn’t too big of a deal, since a statement credit can apply to any type of purchase, but some cards give more of a selection.  
 

Expensive metal cards for employees

If you want your employee authorized users to represent the company in style, it’s going to cost you. You can get the first five cards for a single $95 annual fee, but each card after that will cost $95 per year. 
 

Requires good credit

This credit requirement is to be expected, as it’s the norm for top-shelf business rewards cards. But it’s still a negative for people with lower scores. 

If you don’t know what your credit score is, you can check it for free right here on WalletHub. Yes, it’s your personal credit that really matters, even though this is a business card.