AMEX Business Green Card Review "2021.1 Update: 25,000 Welcome Bonus, First Year Annual Fee Waived"

【2021.1 Update】The welcome bonus on this card has dropped to 25,000. I really can’t figure out why AMEX still keeps this card around: it has no real highlights, yet still charges a $95 annual fee. Does AMEX think the Green Card is some kind of status symbol? That said, with AMEX’s once-per-lifetime welcome bonus policy, applying for one more card still means one more 25,000-point bonus. Another hidden use for this card is waiting for an upgrade offer to Business Platinum, which often comes with a 50,000-point upgrade bonus. Since the first year annual fee is waived anyway, upgrading in year two for an upgrade bonus is not a bad play.

About the AMEX Business Green Card

【Note】If this is your first time applying for a business credit card, please first read “Introduction to Business Credit Cards” carefully.

Built-in AMEX Benefits

• AMEX Offer: Amazon spend 20, get 20 back; Walmart 15-5; pay your phone bill 75-10. Generous AMEX often sends cardholders good Offers that let you earn cash back while spending. See also: Best Recent AMEX Offers, Best Past AMEX Offers Summary, AMEX OFFER Guide
• Small Business Day: Every year, AMEX credit cards can participate in Small Business Day promotions, with extra rewards for spending at eligible merchants. For details, see: Introduction to the Small Business Day Promotion
• Free ShopRunner membership: Enjoy free 2-day shipping at many online stores. For details, see: official link
• Extended warranty: Items purchased in full with an AMEX card get the manufacturer’s warranty extended by one additional year automatically.
• Free credit report: Cardholders can check their EX credit score for free. For details, see: Comparison of Free Credit Scores

Cons

• This is a charge card, so you need to pay the statement balance in full after the bill closes, otherwise the interest is extremely high; all spending only earns 1x, and it still charges an annual fee, so it is absolutely not worth holding long term.

Points Program Overview

• Points Value: The average value is 1.5c/p, so 100 MR = $1.5 (Points Value & Analysis)
• Direct Redemption: Redeem travel through amextravel.com at 1c/p (without a premium card); redeem eligible flights through amextravel.com at 1.54c/p (with Business Platinum); redeem for cash in an investment account at 1.1c/p (with Schwab Platinum).
• Points Transfers: Transfer 1:1 to ANA miles (good for round-trip US-China flights and round-the-world tickets); transfer 1:1 to British Airways miles (good for China-Japan routes and short-haul domestic US redemptions); transfer 1:1 to Air Canada miles (good for US-China business class awards and infant tickets); transfer 1:1 to Delta (good for business class, and can also redeem any Delta flight at 1c/p).
• Points Features: All MR points earned by one person are pooled into a single account and can be used directly. As long as you still have at least one MR-earning card open, all MR points will remain valid; be sure to use them up before closing all of your cards. Nearly all MR-earning cards allow you to transfer MR points to airline miles or hotel points. MR points can be transferred to airline or hotel accounts in an authorized user's name.
• My Take: The most common use of MR is transferring to airline miles, mainly ANA, Air Canada, Delta, and British Airways. Delta can help cover SkyTeam options; ANA and AC can selectively cover Star Alliance options; BA can be used for some oneworld awards. Among these, ANA is especially valuable for US-China economy, business, and first class awards. AC and Delta are also good for covering domestic US flights, while BA is best for nonstop domestic US flights. Hotel transfers are a weak spot for MR, and none are really worth transferring to. As for booking hotels or flights directly through AMEX Travel, you usually only get 1 cent per point in value, so I generally do not recommend it. Cash back and gift cards also max out at only 1 cent per point. Therefore, the final valuation is 1.7c, mainly considering the broad airline partner coverage, mostly instant transfer times (ANA takes 2-3 days; others are instant), and the value of these airline miles. The weaknesses are that MR is not very useful for hotel redemptions, and direct airfare bookings do not provide strong value either.
• Detailed Analysis: Membership Rewards Guide >>

My Take

The welcome bonus on this card has changed somewhat, adding 3x on dining, airfare, and hotels in the first 3 months, capped at $50,000. I think that does add some value. However, if you already have cards like Citi Prestige, AMEX Platinum, or AMEX Gold, you probably already have access to this kind of 3x earning, so it doesn’t mean much. Long term, this card still has little reason to keep: all purchases earn only 1x, which any AMEX MR card can do, yet it still charges a $95 annual fee, making it completely not worth it.

That said, this card does have some potential value. Because it is the entry-level version among AMEX charge cards, it may later be upgraded to the AMEX Business Rewards Gold Card or the AMEX Business Platinum Card. Generally speaking, upgrade offers may come with a 25,000-60,000-point bonus, and for people who have already received those original welcome bonuses, upgrade bonuses can still be earned again. In addition, AMEX sometimes offers 10,000 points for enrolling in Pay Over Time (targeted offer), so while holding this card, you should keep an eye out for both upgrade offers and targeted Pay Over Time offers.

Application

【Note】If this is your first time applying for a business credit card, please first read “Introduction to Business Credit Cards” carefully.

This card is relatively easy to get approved for; in general, about a year of credit history is often enough for instant approval. This card is a charge card.

• AMEX official application status check link
• For the same AMEX credit card, the public welcome bonus is generally available only once (once-per-lifetime restriction)
• You can call the reconsideration line (800-528-4800, 877-399-3083, 866-314-0237) to speed up credit card approval or request a review of a denied application.
• AMEX limits you to 4 credit cards and 10 charge cards total.
• You can apply for a total of two AMEX credit cards every 90 days, excluding charge cards.
• After you submit your application, a pop-up may appear telling you that you are not eligible for the welcome bonus. In that case, it is usually best not to continue with the application (detailed analysis)
• More about applying for AMEX credit cards

Application Link: