We don’t write much about the Business Green card, and for good reason. It’s not terribly exciting. For a couple of years, Greg has predicted that Amex would finally refresh this forgotten stepchild of the Membership Rewards-earning portfolio. I hope he’s eventually proven right-it desperately needs it.
Current Welcome Offer
| Card Offer |
|---|
![](http://cdn.nextinsure.com/imaging/opt/57495ed9-6f4e-4919-9a83-ae2ec251f236.png?w=300" alt="Business Green Rewards Card from American Express" />) ⓘ $91 1st Yr Value EstimateClick to learn about first year value estimates 15K points ⓘAffiliateThis is an affiliate offer. Frequent Miler may earn a commission if you are approved for this offer 15K points after $3K spend within first 3 months of card membership. Terms & limitations apply. (Rates & Fees)$95 Annual Fee |
Amex Business Green Card Review
The Business Green card seems like something that Amex left in its sock drawer and forgot about. The card itself has almost zero appeal: no bonused spending categories (outside of AmexTravel), no perks…and it has a foreign transaction fee. It’s baffling that Amex charges an annual fee for it.
The one thing that the Business Green can be very useful for is as a downgrade option to avoid the high annual fee of the Business Platinum and Business Gold cards if you missed the cancellation window, or perhaps to capture a juicy referral offer when in 2-player mode. Outside of that, there’s not much here.
- Annual Fee: $95
- Authorized User Annual Fee: $0
- Foreign Transaction Fee: Yes
- What points are worth: The Amex Business Green earns Membership Rewards points. Our current Reasonable Redemption Values peg them at 1.5 cents each.
- Best Use for Points: Membership Rewards can be transferred to travel partners at a 1:1 ratio, and this will almost always yield the most value. There are three hotel partners (Choice, Hilton, Marriott), but their transfer ratios make them unappealing most of the time. On the other hand, airline partners are very good and include Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, ANA Mileage Club, and Avianca LifeMiles.
- Earning Categories:
- 2x on eligible purchases through AmexTravel.com
- 1x – everywhere else
- Travel Protections:
- Auto Rental Coverage: Secondary auto rental CDW (collision damage waiver). Provides reimbursement for theft and collision damage for rental cars in the U.S. and abroad.
- Lost Luggage Reimbursement: Up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage (aggregate maximum of $10,000 for all covered Persons per covered Trip).
- Who’s this card for? The Business Green can be useful for a welcome or referral offer, or possibly as a downgrade option from the Business Gold or Platinum cards (but only if you missed the 30-day window to cancel and get the fees refunded).
- Is the Amex Business Green a keeper? I can’t imagine why.
Business Green Card Pros and Cons
Pros
- Can be a cheap way to capture household referral options
- Offers a downgrade option from the Business Gold and Business Platinum cards
- Cardholders are sometimes targeted for very good upgrade or retention offers
Cons
- No real perks to speak of
- Spending categories are nonexistent
- Has a foreign transaction fee
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Another potential benefit to this charge card is not having to use an Amex CC slot to park your MR. Niche use case though.
Yes, true, but there are a couple no-fee cards that you can use to do the same thing. Why spend $95 when you can spend $0 for the same thing?
A fifth CC welcome bonus can be worth a lot more than $95.
I really wish they would refresh this card given it’s practically useless.
A refresh would be awful. Would just mean a higher fee and some hard to use perks from a random tech company. The use of this is that its low fee makes it work well as a downgrade option.
Small typo at beginning of article
“ I with that he’d been right…”
The word is that Chase is coming out with a business version of the CSR and Citi is coming out with a business version of (some) Strata card. Time for Amex to do something with the Business Green.
Disregard
Any information about how often the upgrade offers come up? I just downgraded my business plat to a green but now I’m thinking I should’ve straight canceled
Its name suggests that it might mimic the personal Green. It doesn’t and it’s worthless.
You get the $189 Clear credit, that’s the only reason i keep it
And, you’re profiting exactly how much with that strategy? (I think you need to recheck the benefits. The Clear benefit is on the personal Green, not the Business Green.)
Oops, I was thinking of the Personal Green – Business Green is garbage – carry on!
Had no idea Biz Green charged forex. Crazy.