Amex Business Green Rewards Card review: Limited earning potential
Amex Business Green overview
The Business Green Rewards Card from American Express can offer value for some cardholders, but in general, its benefits are lackluster. If you’re looking to rack up travel rewards, you’ll be much better off with one of Amex’s other personal or business card offerings. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐
*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
In 2019, Amex refreshed its Business Green Rewards Card. When it first relaunched, the card’s saving grace was that it came with a potentially lucrative welcome offer. However, now that the offer has passed, the card is underwhelming.
It has a $95 annual fee and a recommended credit score of 670.
In my opinion, most business owners will get more from Amex’s other business cards.
The information for the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Amex Business Green pros and cons
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Amex Business Green welcome offer
The Amex Business Green is offering 25,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months.
This is an OK bonus worth $500, according to TPG valuations. Still, it’s lackluster compared to some of the high-value business credit card offers available right now.
Related: This month’s best welcome offers
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Amex Business Green benefits
Unfortunately, the Amex Business Green is also lacking when it comes to benefits and perks.
Where other Amex Membership Rewards cards are known for their annual statement credits and other travel benefits, the Business Green doesn’t offer anything along those lines.
The Amex Business Green does offer Amex’s standard portfolio of business tools that can help you manage your business finances. For instance, you can integrate your Amex account with Quickbooks for easy expense tracking and labeling. You can also designate an account manager to access your account and even pay bills through Amex’s Vendor Pay through Bill.com.
These benefits are valuable to any business owner but are standard for most Amex business cards.
Related: The best American Express credit cards
Earning points with the Amex Business Green
With the Amex Business Green, you’ll get 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar for eligible purchases made through amextravel.com, plus one point per dollar on all other purchases.
It’s a disappointing rewards structure, even for a card with a lower annual fee.
The reward structure is similar to most basic airline cobranded cards (though many of those have recently added new bonus categories outside of travel).
Because TPG values Amex points at 2 cents each, the return is a bit better than your typical airline card. But if you’re spending enough on travel to make this rewards structure worth it, you should probably consider a different Amex offering.
Related reading: The ultimate guide to Amex Membership Rewards
Redeeming points with the Amex Business Green
The one thing this card has going for it is earning Membership Rewards points. With Amex, you can redeem points for travel, gift cards, statement credits, Amazon purchases and several online retailer purchases. However, you only get the best value when redeeming for award travel.
You can redeem points through the Amex travel portal, but you won’t get the same Pay with Points rebate as you do with the Business Platinum.
Transferring points with the Amex Business Green
Amex has an extensive list of transfer partners, including top airline and hotel brands. You can transfer your Membership Rewards points instantly at a 1:1 value with any of these partners and Amex frequently runs transfer bonuses where you can transfer to some partners at even more attractive rates.
When redeeming for premium-class cabins, you can even be like TPG editor Emily Thompson and find sweet spots in the program.
Related: Redeeming Amex points for maximum value
Which cards compete with the Amex Business Green?
With Amex offering so many great business cards, most people are going to get more value out of Amex’s other business card options.
- If you want premium benefits: The Business Platinum Card® from American Express earns 5 points per dollar on airfare and prepaid hotel stays through amextravel.com. Better yet, you’ll also get access to multiple luxury travel benefits, including a 35% Pay with Points rebate on qualifying travel purchases booked through amextravel.com (up to 1,000,000 bonus points per calendar year), lounge access, elite status with Hilton and Marriott and much more. Enrollment required for select benefits. For more information, read our full review of the Amex Business Platinum.
- If you want to cover everyday expenses: The American Express® Business Gold Card earns 4 points per dollar on the two categories you spend most on each month (up to $150,000 in purchases each calendar year; then 1 point per dollar). With this card, you’ll earn points on far more than just travel. For more information, read our full review of the Amex Business Gold.
- If you don’t want an annual fee: The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (see rates and fees) earns a flat 2 points per dollar on the first $50,000 spent on the card each year (then 1 point per dollar). It’s a simple no-frills way to earn Membership Rewards points. For more information, read our full review of the Blue Business Plus.
For additional options, check out our full list of the best business credit cards.
Is the Amex Business Green worth it?
Even after its recent refresh, this card still falls short for most consumers. If you spend enough on travel to utilize this card, you’ll likely get even more value from one of Amex’s other cards.
Bottom line
The Business Green is caught in no-man’s land between Amex’s more valuable business credit cards and its simple no-annual-fee card offerings. If you’re not spending enough on travel to get your money’s worth with the Business Green, you’ll be better off with one of Amex’s other business card offerings.
Related: The best business and personal credit card combinations
For rates and fees of the Blue Business Plus card, click here.
