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Key takeaways
- Both the Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card and The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card offer cash back on eligible purchases, no annual fee, an intro APR offer on purchases and other card benefits
- The Bank of America Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards would be a better option for consumers looking for flexible cash back categories and a welcome offer
- The Amex Blue Business Cash would be a better option for consumers looking for a simple, flat-rate cash back card
Both the Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card* and The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card are great choices for small businesses or startups looking to earn cash back rewards.
While these two business credit cards are similar — both cards feature an intro APR offer on new purchases without charging an annual fee — they do have key differences in their rewards structures. It’s important to compare each card’s offerings before applying to determine which one of these cash back business credit cards is better suited to your business needs.
Main details
| Cards | The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card | Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus | Earn a $250 statement credit after you make $3,000 in purchases on your card in your first 3 months. | $300 online statement credit after you make $3,000 in purchases on your card within the first 90 days of account opening |
| Rewards rate | 2% cash back on all eligible purchases (up to $50,000 per year, then 1% back) | 3% cash back in one of the following categories: gas stations (including EV charging stations), office supply stores, travel, TV/telecom and wireless services, computer services or business consulting services; 2% cash back on dining; 1% cash back on all other purchases; $50,000 annual spending cap for combined 3% and 2% category purchases, then 1% back |
| Intro APR | 0% on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening (17.74% – 25.74% Variable APR after) | 0% Intro APR for 9 billing cycles for purchases (17.99% – 27.99% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers APR after) |
| Annual fee | $0 | $0 |
Bank of America Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards vs. Amex Blue Business Cash highlights
Welcome bonus winner
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The Bank of America Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards has a decent welcome bonus that outpaces the value of offers on competing cards. For this card, you’ll need to spend $3,000 within the first 90 days to earn a $300 online statement credit.
The Amex Blue Business Cash card has a comparable welcome offer, but it’s worth $50 less for the same spending requirement. If you’re hoping to come out strong with plenty of value in your first few months, the Bank of America Business Advantage Customized Cash will reward you with more for the same amount of spending.
Rewards rate winner
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With the Amex Blue Business Cash, you’ll earn a flat rate of 2 percent cash back on all purchases, on up to $50,000 in spending per year. After you hit the spending cap, you’ll start earning 1 percent back. This is a great rate, especially for businesses that keep their annual expenses under $50,000 annually. But if you plan on spending more than that, you may want to compare the earnings you’ll receive using another card with no spending limits.
For instance, the Bank of America Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards offers more options for earning rewards. You’ll earn 3 percent cash back in one eligible category of your choice, selected each calendar month, plus 2 percent cash back on dining purchases. For all other purchases, you’ll receive 1 percent back.
Like the Amex Blue Business Cash, there’s a combined annual spending limit of $50,000, which applies to choice category and dining purchases. After the limit is met, you’ll earn 1 percent back on all purchases. Again, this could be limiting for big spenders. However, for business owners with spending that aligns with the given categories and who plan on keeping expenses under the limit, with a little planning each month, this card could easily prove valuable.
Annual fee winner
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Potential cardholders will be pleased to know that neither one of these business cards charges an annual fee.
Foreign transaction fee winner
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For businesses that make frequent purchases abroad, it’s important to consider any foreign transaction fees associated with a card before applying. The Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards card charges a 3 percent foreign transaction fee, which is the average fee associated with most cards.
On the other hand, the Amex Blue Business Cash has a lower-than-average foreign transaction fee of 2.7 percent — so those frequently traveling or purchasing products in other currencies may find this card more valuable in the long run.
Which card earns the most?
With the Amex Blue Business card, you’ll earn 2 percent cash back on all purchases (or 2 cents per dollar spent) up to $50,000 spent (then 1 percent). In other words, if you hit the $50,000 limit, you’ll have earned $1,000 cash back. However, after you hit this spending threshold, your rewards rate will drop to 1 cent per dollar on further purchases, and spending another $50,000 after this limit will net you an extra $500. That’s a total of $1,500 in cash back earnings for spending $100,000.
With the Bank of America Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards card, you’ll earn 3 percent cash back on purchases made in one eligible choice category, 2 percent cash back on dining purchases and 1 percent cash back on everything else. Unfortunately, the card also has a $50,000 cap on the 3 and 2 percent categories. If you stay below that threshold, you’ll earn 3 cents per dollar on each purchase in the category of your choice, helping you maximize rewards where you spend the most.
Once you meet the $50,000 spending threshold, your rewards rate will drop to 1 percent back (or 1 cent per dollar). So if you spend $25,000 equally in both the 3 and 2 percent categories for the year, that’s a total of $1,250 in earnings. If you spend another $50,000 on top of that, that’s an additional $500 earned, for a total of $1,750 in cash back earnings.
Why should you get the Amex Blue Business Cash?
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The Amex Blue Business Cash has additional benefits that bring value to cardholders, which can make this card worth it. The card offers a 0 percent introductory APR on new purchases for 12 months, followed by a variable APR between 17.99 percent to 25.99 percent. This is a great way for cardholders to avoid high interest rates while paying off balances for a year.
Furthermore, you’ll be able to enjoy purchase protection, extended warranty coverage and car rental loss and damage insurance.
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You’ll only be able to redeem cash back for statement credits with the Amex Blue Business Cash. This can help limit the number of distractions you have when measuring the value of your rewards. Instead of weighing redemption options, you’ll rely on a simplified rewards structure where you know what you’ll get every time.
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Before applying for the Amex Blue Business Cash Card, it’s recommended that you have a FICO credit score within the good to excellent range to qualify. In other words, your score will need to fall between 670 and 850.
Why should you get the Bank of America Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards?
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The Bank of America Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards card offers a 0 percent introductory APR on purchases for the first nine billing cycles (followed by a variable APR between 17.99 percent to 27.99 percent). While this offer is shorter than the Amex Blue Business Cash’s offer, cardholders will still have some breathing room to pay off purchases while avoiding interest.
With this card, you’ll also have access to perks like travel accident insurance, auto rental insurance, emergency ticket replacement, lost luggage assistance and legal and medical referrals when you’re away from home.
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With this card, you can redeem your rewards for a deposit into an eligible Bank of America account, a statement credit or a mailed check.
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To qualify for the Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards card, you’ll need an excellent FICO credit score (between 740 and 850).
The bottom line
With both the Bank of America Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards and American Express Blue Business Cash, you’ll be able to earn valuable cash back rewards while avoiding an annual fee. Not only this, but both cards also come with introductory APR offers on new purchases and purchase protections.
However, since both cards have spending caps of $50,000 (terms apply), either option is better suited for businesses keeping their expenses below that amount. Should your business spend well above that amount, you may want to consider other options from our list of the best small-business credit cards.
The information about the Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card has been collected independently by Bankrate. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.
The information about the Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card was last updated on Oct. 16, 2023.
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