BILL vs. AmEx Blue Business Plus Credit Card Review 2024

BILL and AmEx Blue Business Plus both offer enticing rewards for making purchases with the card, but the rewards scheme for each card is a little different. With BILL, how many points you get depends on the category of goods that you are purchasing and your payoff frequency and can range from 1x to 7x points. However, these rewards do not kick in until after the first year of use. AmEx Blue Business Plus Credit Card, meanwhile, offers 2x reward points on the first $50,000 in purchases each calendar year and 1x reward points after that amount is reached.

Unlike the AmEx Blue Business Plus Credit Card, BILL Divvy Corporate Card isn’t technically a credit card. Instead, it’s what is known as a “charge card.” This means that you can’t carry a balance on a BILL Divvy Corporate Card and are required to pay off the balance at least every month. Meanwhile, the AmEx Blue Business Plus Credit Card is a standard credit card that lets you carry a balance. You won’t pay any interest on this balance for the first twelve months of owning the card. After that, though, you’ll have to pay between 16.24%–24.24% APR on any balance that is not paid in full by the end of your billing cycle.

With an AmEx Blue Business Plus Credit Card, you’ll be able to track and manage your startup’s expenses in the highly-rated American Express app. With BILL, though, you can look forward to a bit more advanced expense management features, including automatic expense reporting features and real-time insights into spending by department, team, project, or employee.

Both AmEx Blue Business Plus and BILL charge $0 in annual fees. While an annual fee is sometimes worth paying for a premium credit card with plenty of high-end perks, it’s also nice to save money wherever you can as a startup owner. So long as you make your payments on time and avoid using the cards overseas, you’ll be able to use both BILL and AmEx Blue Business Plus without paying any fees.

As a startup owner, you might provide your employees with corporate credit cards so they can make business purchases without having to spend their own money. Many of the best credit cards for startups provide these additional cards for free. This is true for both BILL and AmEx Blue Business Plus. BILL offers unlimited free physical and virtual cards for employees, while AmEx Blue Business Plus Credit Card offers up to 99 free cards for employees.

BILL and AmEx Blue Business Plus Credit Card share a lot of benefits, but they share a few drawbacks as well. One such drawback is that neither card is exactly ideal for overseas spending. BILL charges a foreign transaction fee between 0.2% to 0.9% in addition to a currency conversion fee of 0.2%, and AmEx Blue Business Plus Credit Card charges a 2.7% fee on all foreign transactions. It’s also worth mentioning that American Express cards are not as widely accepted all over the globe as other credit cards.

With excellent expense management features, a generous rewards scheme, and limited fees, there is a lot to like about the BILL Divvy Corporate Card. Unfortunately, as a charge card, you won’t be able to carry a balance with this card; however, carrying a balance is not ideal in most circumstances, given the high interest rates that credit card companies charge.

Foreign transaction fees and late payment fees are the only fees that you will have to worry about with BILL. For late payments, BILL charges a fee of 2.99%. For foreign transactions, you will have to pay fees of up to 1.1% of the purchase total.

To qualify for a BILL Divvy Corporate Card, you need at least $20,000 in your business bank account and a good or very good personal credit score. Corporations, LLCs, and sole proprietors are eligible to apply, and BILL does not require a personal guarantee.

Features and Rewards:

• Up to 7x points on purchases
• No annual fees or setup fees
• Accounting automation and expense management features
• Hundreds of partner perks

Fees and Interest Rates:

• No setup fee
• No annual fee
• 2.99% late payment fee
• 0.2%–0.9% cross-border fee for foreign transactions
• 0.2% currency conversion fee

The AmEx Blue Business Plus Credit Card is an excellent credit card for small businesses looking for generous flat-rate rewards and an introductory 0% APR. Getting 2x rewards points on all purchases makes it easy to rack up rewards without worrying about rotating rewards categories. The card’s 0% APR for the first 12 months, meanwhile, is a great offer for business owners looking for the equivalent of a zero-interest short-term loan.

AmEx Blue Business Plus Credit Card lacks some of the reporting and expense management features you get with BILL, but it will still be more than adequate for most small-to-medium-sized businesses.

Features and Rewards:

• 2x membership points on the first $50,000 in purchases each year 
• 12-month 0% introductory APR
• 15,000 points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases within your first three months of membership 
• Expanded Buying Power provides the option to go over your credit limit

Fees and Interest Rates:

• 0% APR for the first 12 months, then 16.24%–24.24% APR
• No setup fee
• No annual fee
• 2.7% foreign transaction fee
• A late payment fee of up to $39

Whether BILL or AmEx Blue Business Plus is the best choice for your startup ultimately depends on what you are looking for in a corporate credit card. If you are looking for a more traditional credit card that will allow you to carry a balance, then the AmEx Blue Business Plus Credit Card is a great option to consider. If you are planning to pay your balance off each month anyway, though, then charge cards such as BILL Divvy Corporate Card can be advantageous.

Aside from this one key difference, AmEx Blue Business Plus Credit Card and BILL share a lot of similarities, including limited fees, generous rewards, and plenty of helpful tools and features.