10X Points at Restaurants With New AMEX Blue for Business Offer

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Starting now, you can earn more points with The Blue for Business® Credit Card from American Express.

In addition to the usual sign-up bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points after making your first purchase on the card within the first 3 months of card membership, you’ll earn a lot more bonus points at US restaurants!

And you’ll get 2X points on other purchases for your 1st year.  To qualify, complete the AMEX Blue for Business application by February 22, 2017.

AMEX Blue For Business Application
10X AMEX Membership Rewards Points at US Restaurants Can Be Worth a Lot.  But Some Folks Can Do Better With Other Cards

I’ll help you decide if the offer is worth it for you!

About the AMEX Blue for Business Card

Link:   The Blue for Business® Credit Card from American Express

When you sign-up for The Blue for Business® Credit Card from American Express, you’ll get 10,000 Membership Rewards points after making your first purchase on the card within the first 3 months of card membership.

And when you apply by February 22, 2017, you’ll also get:

  • 10X AMEX Membership Rewards points at US restaurants for the first 6 months, on up to $2,000 in purchases
  • 2X AMEX Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 in purchases for the first year, then 1X on all other purchases
  • 30% annual points bonus each anniversary year of having your card, based on the past year’s purchases
  • 2X AMEX Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on eligible purchases made when you book on the American Express Travel website
  • NO annual fee
  • Terms and Limitations Apply

Because this card has a ~3% foreign transaction fee, it’s NOT a good card for international travel.

Reason to Consider an AMEX Blue for Business Application

Getting 10X AMEX Membership Rewards points when you dine out sounds like a good deal.  But the limit is $2,000.  So the most you can earn is 20,000 extra AMEX Membership Rewards points.  Depending on how you redeem your points, that can be worth $120, $200, or more if you have an AMEX card that allows you to transfer points to travel partners.

And you’ll earn 2X AMEX Membership Rewards points on your first $50,000 in purchases the first year you have the card, which is double the usual amount.  You can earn a total of 100,000 bonus AMEX Membership Rewards points this way.  But you’d have to spend a LOT of money to earn them all!

You can use your points:

  • To book hotel stays and flights
  • For gift cards
  • For statement credits
  • To pay for merchandise at Amazon
  • For taxi rides
  • And many other options!

Depending on how you redeem your points, they’re worth between half a cent and 1 cent each.  

AMEX Blue For Business Application
Bad Deal Alert!  I Do NOT Recommend Redeeming 10,000 AMEX Membership Rewards Points for a $60 Statement Credit!

For example, you’ll get 1 cent per point toward travel booked through AMEX.  But they’re only worth .6 cents each when you redeem for a statement credit.  And even less when you choose certain gift cards.

It’s Better If You Have Other AMEX Cards, or Want Chase Cards

Keep in mind you can NOT transfer AMEX Membership Rewards points earned with the AMEX Blue for Business card to airline and hotel partners.

However, you can transfer these points if you have another card that does transfer to travel partners, like the AMEX EveryDay or Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express.  In that case, you can do well to earn 10X AMEX Membership Rewards points at US restaurants.  And double points on quite a bit of spending!

If you spend the maximum $2,000 on US restaurants, you’d earn 30,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points (10 X $2,000 + 10,000 points for your first purchase within the first 3 months of card membership).

And, 25,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points is enough for a round-trip domestic award flight in coach when you transfer to Delta.

That’s a great deal if you eat out a lot!  But only if you have another AMEX card to pair it with.

Keep in mind, other cards have category bonuses that are worth even more, and aren’t limited to one category.  And if you want to earn statement credits, you’re better off with a cash back card, like Citi Double Cash Card or the Fidelity Visa.

AMEX Blue For Business Application
This Deal May Be Worth It If You Have Other AMEX Cards Whose Points Transfer to Travel Partners, Like Delta.  Or If You Want to Get More Chase Cards!

But, AMEX small business cards won’t hurt your chances of getting more Chase cards because they don’t appear on your personal credit report.  So they won’t count against your Chase 5/24 status!  And, American Express small business cards are relatively easy to get approved for.

So run the numbers to see if this deal is worth it.  Consider the cards you currently have (and want to apply for!).  And how you usually redeem your points.

Note:   American Express charges an excise fee of 0.06 cents per point, up to a maximum of $99, when you transfer Membership Rewards points to US airlines.

Bottom Line

Through February 22, 2017, you can earn more AMEX Membership Rewards points when you sign-up for The Blue for Business® Credit Card from American Express.  You’ll earn 10X AMEX Membership Rewards points on up to $2,000 in spending at US restaurants in your first 6 months of card membership.

And 2X AMEX Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 you spend the first year.

That’s in addition to the 10,000 Membership Rewards points you get after making your first purchase on the card within the first 3 months of card membership.

Remember, these AMEX Membership Rewards points do NOT transfer to travel partners.

But this offer can be worthwhile if you have another AMEX card that DOES transfer to travel partners.  Or if you want to apply for more Chase cards in the near future.

But most folks can do better with category bonuses on other cards.  Or a cash back card, depending on what type of rewards you like to earn.

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

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