AMEX Graphite Business Cash Unlimited has officially launched. The card structure is simple: earn 5% cash back on flights and hotels booked through AMEX Travel, and 2% cash back on all other purchases. The welcome bonus is worth up to $1,500, but the required spending is also substantial. For readers who need to put a large amount of spend on a card, this one is worth a look, though the $295 annual fee should be part of the equation as well.

AMEX Graphite Business Cash Unlimited page

AMEX Graphite Business Business Credit Card

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

Apply now

Full review

AMEX Graphite Business Business Credit Card

Huge welcome bonus, plus an easy 2% cash back on everyday spending!

  • Welcome bonus: $1,500 (spend $50,000 in six months)
  • Rewards: 5% on flights and hotels booked through AMEX Travel; 2% on everything else
  • Redemption: Redeem directly for cash
  • Annual fee: $295
  • Apply now>>

Benefits

  • High-spend bonus: After spending $250,000 in a calendar year, you can receive $2,400 in AMEX AP statement credits the following year. This appears to be AP's own payment platform.

AMEX card perks

  • AMEX Offer: Amazon spend 20, get 20 back; Walmart 15-5; pay your phone bill, 75-10. Generous AMEX often sends cardholders valuable Offers that let you earn cash back while spending. See also: Recent good AMEX Offers, Roundup of past good AMEX Offers, and AMEX Offer guide.
  • [Business-card exclusive] More and better AMEX Offers: As a business credit card, it may receive more strong offers, such as Staples, Office Depot Offers, Sam's Club, and similar 20% off deals that can sometimes be used to buy gift cards. These exclusive offers generally do not get sent to consumer cards.
  • Small Business Day: AMEX credit cards can participate every year in Small Business Day promotions, which offer extra rewards at eligible merchants. See: Introduction to the Small Business Day promotion
  • High credit limits: AMEX is very generous with many customers and often approves much higher credit limits than other banks.
  • 3x credit limit increase: Starting on day 61 of cardmembership, you may be able to request a credit limit increase to three times your original limit through the AMEX website.
  • Extended warranty: Items purchased in full with an AMEX card get the manufacturer warranty automatically extended by one year.
  • Free report: Cardholders can check their EX credit bureau score for free. See: Comparison of free credit scores

My take:

This card is very simple. Outside of the limited 5% cash back on flights and hotels through AMEX Travel, everything else earns 2% cash back. The welcome bonus is also as high as $1,500, which makes it particularly appealing for large purchases, such as paying taxes. However, the spending requirement for that bonus is also very high. If you break it down, the bonus is effectively an extra 3% back, and combined with the base 2% cash back, that is not bad.

The easiest thing to criticize is the $295 annual fee. For a card that does not offer many reimbursement or statement-credit-style perks, that is a surprisingly high annual fee. When the extra ongoing value is basically just 2% cash back, it is hard to make a strong case for it.

Of course, for business owners with very high spending, using a personal card such as Double Cash 2% may not be enough. AMEX business cards usually come with relatively high credit limits, so they may be better suited for large business expenses.

How to apply:

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

  • 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