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Business Credit and Charge Cards

Discover how business credit and business charge cards may be utilized to manage cash flow, track business expenses and support a range of business reward incentives including earning points redeemable for dining, shopping, entertainment, travel, or to reinvest in your business, as well as automatic savings opportunities.



Why Business Credit Card?

A business credit card is a product that can help facilitate business spending on a routine basis at an annual percentage rate (APR) when making payments over time.

Why Business Charge Card?

A business charge card is a product that can help facilitate business spending on a monthly basis without applicable finance charges when paid in full each month.

A charge card has no preset spending limit. No pre-set spending limit does not mean unlimited spending. Purchasing power adjusts with your use of the card, your payment history, credit record, financial resources known to the charge card provider, and other factors.

A unique feature of the charge card is that it offers purchasing power that can adjust as your business evolves. A powerful benefit of the charge card is that it can help you to increase control over your expenses without incurring longer term debt.

Where to Begin

To apply for an American Express Business Card and receive benefits of membership, call 1-888-586-6736.

10 Great Reasons to Utilize a Business Charge Card

One of the most important tasks for succeeding in business is managing cash flow. Business credit and charge cards, when used wisely, offer a range of features and benefits to support this critical function. Your business card may give you the opportunity to:

  1. Earn rewards for what you may already spend for your business
  2. Help make business expenses less expensive through special savings programs
  3. Monitor your finances and improve your cash flow
  4. Receive additional services and protection
  5. Expand your resources through online communities for business owners and other tools
  6. Secure trade terms on virtually every purchase with certain products, such as the Plum CardŽ from American Express OPEN
  7. Align common expense purchases with business savings or cash back
  8. Monitor employee spending activities with online reporting and timely alert services
  9. Take advantage of purchase discounts on supplies and services; travel and dining; and business building tools
  10. Access exclusive events, how to's, expert advice and more through OPEN Forum

Earn Rewards on Routine Business Expenses

All businesses spend money. Get something in return by using a business charge card that offers a reward program. While you may be using cash or checks to pay for routine business expenses and not getting anything in return, using certain business charge cards may help you earn rewards that can be redeemed for additional business benefits and services. You may:

  • Earn one point for virtually every dollar you spend
  • Enjoy no limit to the number of points you can earn, and points have no expiration date
  • Ensure points have no expiration date
  • Redeem points for a wide variety of dining, shopping, entertainment, and travel rewards, or to reinvest in your business
  • Earn points faster with periodic bonus point opportunities

Reward points add up each time you use your card to purchase supplies, raw material, and other large purchases.

Save on Routine Business Expenses

All businesses spend money in certain areas. Be sure to review the type and scope of purchase savings and automatic savings opportunities offered to your business when choosing a business charge card. If your business is already spending in any of the following areas, you may be surprised to learn how much you can automatically save on:

  • Transportation
  • Finance
  • Flights
  • Gifts
  • Lodging
  • Marketing
  • Professional Services
  • Shipping



Secure Trade Terms on Business Purchases

One approach for improving cash flow management and freeing up working capital is to secure a Plum Card® which offers flexible trade terms, such as the option to:

  1. Pay your balance in full within 10 days of the statement closing date and get a 1.5% discount on eligible purchases made that month. The discount will appear as a credit on the following billing statement.
    OR,
  2. Pay as little as 10% and take up to 2 months to pay the balance without interest or finance charges

For businesses that experience high materials costs and variable cash flow, such as construction, retail, wholesale, IT/Solution providers, the auto-care after market and others, this can be a powerful and cost-effective cash management tool.

Access Office Space "On Demand" Globally

As a Business Platinum Card member, you may take advantage of a variety of small business office space and service benefits including;

  • Complementary access to 1,000 Internet-equipped business lounges in 450 major cities worldwide
  • Preferred pricing on full-service office space available by day, month or year
  • Exclusive rates on office services including call answering and mail forwarding
  • Visit The World is Your Office to learn more

Expand Support Networks

Use OPEN Forum an online community full of tools that can help businesses connect and collaborate.

Business credit Terminology

Familiarize yourself with business credit and charge card terminologies to further support informed purchasing decisions.

Note: Terms and Conditions apply. Please refer to specific product pages for more details.

About Your Educational Champion

AmericanExpress Open "American Express OPEN is dedicated exclusively to the success of small business owners and their companies by offering tailored business credit and charge card products and services. American Express OPEN Cardmembers leverage an enhanced set of products, tools, services and savings, including charge and credit cards, robust online account management capabilities and savings on business services from an expanded lineup of partners. To obtain more information about American Express OPEN, visit www.OPEN.com. Terms and conditions apply.
American Express Company is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850."

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Note: This information has been compiled by Knowledge Institute for educational purposes only in order to convey a general overview of the options and related services available to small businesses in the subject areas introduced. Content is provided on an "as is" basis and is not intended to be an exhaustive representation, nor does it provide advice or create a customer relationship between Knowledge Institute, buzgate.org, its affiliates and any other organization named herein, and any reader.
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