Business Green Rewards Card from American Express review

With an instantly recognizable mint green exterior and a classic gladiator logo on the cover, the American Express Business Green Rewards Card beams with nostalgia. American Express’ classic line of Green, Gold and Platinum cards have offered generations of cardholders a potent combination of prestige, flexible credit and world-class customer service.

But compared to other cards in its class, the Business Green Rewards Card struggles to compete. Despite a hefty annual fee that’s comparable to what many higher end travel cards charge, the Green card’s rewards program is surprisingly stingy, offering relatively few benefits for such an expensive card.

American Express is renowned for its exceptional customer service, however, winning over customers who might otherwise be tempted by other cards. If you want to work with American Express, you may get more value from an American Express Gold or Platinum card. Though both cards are considerably more expensive, you should get more for your money and will still be able to enjoy the benefits of owning an American Express business card.

If you don’t want to invest that much money in an annual fee, though, the Business Green Rewards Card does have some perks. Here’s what you should know about it:

Small introductory bonus

The Business Green Rewards Card is also pretty spare for a card that charges nearly $100 a year. Cardholders earn just 15,000 points — worth around $150 — after spending $3,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months.

Many cards with comparable fees, by contrast, offer introductory bonuses big enough to buy a round-trip airfare or book a free night in a high-end hotel. Even cards without annual fees typically offer larger sign-up bonuses.

Modest point rewards

The rewards program on the Business Green Rewards program is relatively straightforward, but it’s restrictive. You get two points for every dollar you spend on travel. However, you have to purchase that bonus-earning travel on amextravel.com. Once the introductory bonus period ends, you’ll earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Anemic earnings

Unless you spend huge sums of money on travel, the Business Green rewards system isn’t going to get you very far – even with American Express’ more generous point rewards system. American Express Membership Rewards points tend to be more valuable than the average card rewards point. For example, a Membership Rewards point is generally worth slightly more than a penny each, while the average card rewards point is worth just one cent each – a difference in value that can add up if you use your card regularly.

However, if you only net one point for every dollar you spend on the majority of your purchases, you’re not going to earn much overall. For example, $3,000 in spending on regular purchases will net you just $36 in rewards. At two points for every dollar spent, even travel purchases don’t net that much either. A $1,000 business trip, for example, will gain you just $24 in new rewards.

Costly to own

For a card with so few benefits, the Business Green Rewards Card is pricey. While the annual fee is waived for the first year, after that it charges business cardholders a $95 fee – which is around the same amount that many higher end business cards charge. However, the Green Rewards card is considerably cheaper than American Express’ other cards. For example, the American Express® Business Gold Card charges $375 and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express charges $695. But you also get way more value for your money with the Gold and Platinum cards.

For example, the Business Gold card allows you to earn 4 points per dollar on the two categories your business spends the most in each month from six eligible categories, on the first $150,000 in purchases each year then 1 point per dollar thereafter. The top two categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap.

No preset spending limit

The biggest selling point for the Green Rewards card is its lack of a preset spending limit, which can be a huge convenience for cash-strapped businesses. The Business Green Rewards card doesn’t limit cardholders to a hard credit limit the way traditional credit cards do. That doesn’t necessarily mean you can go wild and charge $100,000 out of nowhere. You’ll still get a soft limit, based on your credit history, card usage and other factors. But overall, you’ll likely have more spending power with this card than you would with traditional credit.

You can get this perk with the American Express Gold and Platinum cards, too, but since the fees are higher, you’ll have to pay more for it. If you don’t really care about rewards and just want to gain access to a more flexible spending tool with as little investment as possible, then the Business Green Rewards Card may be your best choice.

Some business-friendly benefits

Many business cards these days offer a variety of business-friendly benefits, including upgraded travel benefits, such as baggage insurance, and business-friendly discounts. The American Express Business Green Rewards Card is no exception. It offers free employee cards that you can use to track and manage your employees’ spending and pool your card rewards.

It also allows you to set customized spending limits for your employees so you don’t have to worry about overspending. In addition, it offers convenient expense management tools, such as the American Express® Business App, which let you annotate your transactions with notes and receipt records. That said, it doesn’t offer the kind of perks you’ll often see on other premium cards, such as free checked bags or priority boarding.

Why get the American Express Business Green Rewards Card?

• You spend a lot on travel and dining and can take advantage of the triple-point introductory offer.
• You want a flexible spending limit, but don’t want to pay more than $95 a year.
• You want a business card from American Express.

How to use the American Express Business Green Rewards Card:

• To maximize your rewards earnings, use this card for all or most of your travel purchases.
• Go to Amextravel.com to book any trips you pay for with your card.
• Use this card for expenses that may be too large for a credit card with a harder credit limit.

Is the American Express Business Green Rewards card worth it?

If you’re in the market for a business card but want to avoid the expense of other American Express cards, the Business Green Rewards Card may be worth a look. The card’s annual fee is relatively high, but its flexible spending limit and introductory bonus may make up for the limitations of its rewards program and low rewards rate on most purchases.

For rates and fees of the Business Green Rewards Card, please click here.

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Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.