The Plum Card® from American Express review

Imagine you’re a business owner with fluctuating expenses and a need for some flexibility in terms of when you pay your bill. However, you also want the potential to earn rewards — even if you can’t always take advantage of it. If this describes you, you may want to consider the Plum Card from American Express.

This card can work as a cash back card in certain circumstances, although the rewards you earn are rather limited. If you pay your bill early each month, you’ll earn a 1.5 percent discount off the amount you owe.

On the flip side, you can also take up to 60 days to pay your bill with no interest if you need a little time. If you choose this option, however, you won’t earn the discount.

No welcome bonus

The Plum Card from American Express doesn’t offer a welcome bonus, which is a huge negative if you hope to be rewarded right out of the gate. The lack of a welcome bonus also depletes this card’s annual earning potential, which is already questionable since rewards are offered as a discount off your bill.

Big annual fee 

You’ll have to pay a whopping $250 per year to hold the Plum card. While the annual fee could be worth it if you earn more than $250 in statement credits each year or you take advantage of the Plum card’s flexible payment terms frequently, such a high fee could prove risky for modest spenders. Many consumers may be better served with a business card that charges no annual fee, and there are plenty of options to choose from. The Capital One Spark Cash Select card, for example, not only offers the same 1.5 percent rewards rate on every purchase as the Plum card, but also charges no annual fee and comes with a sizeable welcome bonus.

Questionable rewards

This card isn’t marketed as a rewards card, but some may consider it a 1.5-percent cash back card since you can potentially earn a 1.5 percent discount each month with the card.

Unfortunately, the unlimited 1.5 percent discount is applied automatically, meaning you don’t get to decide how to spend it. Since it’s a rebate, you also can’t rack up a big stash of rewards to use for a specific redemption. Furthermore, you have to pay your bill within 10 days of statement closing to receive this discount on your next statement. If you forget to pay on time, you’re out of luck.

Also keep in mind that this card doesn’t offer travel rewards. You can’t transfer points to airline or hotel partners, and you can’t redeem points for specific travel purchases.

Great for business owners who need payment flexibility

While delaying your payment on the Plum card means that you have to forego the card’s 1.5-percent discount, the card’s 60-day window to pay your bill with no interest can be a huge benefit for any business. If you frequently suffer from cash flow problems and occasionally need time to build funds to pay your bill, this benefit can save you a significant amount of interest.

Note, the Plum card also comes with no preset spending limit, which means, it also gives you the flexibility to make a larger-than-usual purchase for your business without running up against a spending cap.

However, it’s important to note that the Plum Card from American Express is not a credit card — it’s a charge card. This means you can’t carry a balance from month-to-month other than when you take advantage of the 60-day no-payment provision.

If you are a business owner who needs to carry a balance for several months or even years, you should get a credit card instead.

Extra perks for business owners

The Plum Card from American Express does offer some interesting incentives for business owners who need help managing and tracking their expenses. This includes free employee cards, the ability to designate an account manager, expense tracking, integration with QuickBooks, account alerts, a year-end summary, online statements and a mobile app that lets you manage your account on the go.

Other cardholder perks include extra savings on eligible business purchases, no foreign transaction fees, the ability to choose your billing cycle, baggage insurance, travel accident insurance, car rental insurance, purchase protection, premium roadside assistance and extended warranties.

Why get the Plum Card from American Express?

• You are a business owner who needs the flexibility to delay payment on your card sometimes without accruing interest.
• You tend to pay your bill early and like the idea of a 1.5-percent discount off all your business purchases.
• You prefer a low-maintenance rewards card that gives you an automatic discount over a travel rewards card.
• You need a charge card and don’t want the ability to carry a balance for the long term

How to use the Plum Card from American Express:

• Charge all your business expenses and pay your bill early to earn a 1.5-percent discount.
• Get free employee cards and use your expense tracking tools to organize all your business purchases.

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.

For rates and fees of the Plum Card, please click here.

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