Compare the Features and Benefits of CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® and
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

The right business credit card for you will greatly depend on your company’s expenditures and travel goals. However, the CitiBusiness/AAdvantage card is a great option for those who live near an American Airlines hub. With a $0 introductory annual fee (then $99 after the first year), it’s an affordable option if you have a small business and want to maximize the rewards earning potential for your expenditures.

With this card, you’ll earn both redeemable AAdvantage® miles for award flights and Loyalty Points to qualify for AAdvantage® elite status. For starters, you’ll earn 2x miles on cable and satellite providers, eligible American Airlines purchases, gas stations, select telecommunications merchants, and car rental merchants; and 1x miles on all other purchases (excluding cash equivalents).

Loyalty Points are much simpler: you’ll earn 1x Loyalty Point per dollar spent, no matter the purchase. Theoretically, a business owner who can spend $200,000 or more on this business credit card can earn top-tier AAdvantage® Executive Platinum elite status — even without flying!

Loyalty Points replaced American Airlines’ old AAdvantage® system of elite qualification via Elite Qualifying Miles. While those required flying, the new tier status system combines both flight miles and spending, including on AAdvantage® credit cards like this one.

The more you spend, the more perks you earn. By hitting $30,000+ in spend in a card membership year, you can earn a companion certificate that’s valid for domestic American Airlines flights. You’ll just have to pay $99 plus government taxes and fees, but this perk can help you save hundreds of dollars and get you “buy one, get one” flights.

From takeoff to touchdown, there are a few important benefits that will elevate your travel experience with American Airlines. You and up to four guests on the same American Airlines booking will get a first checked bag free (on domestic itineraries) and Group 5 preferred boarding. Not only that, but you’ll get a 25% discount that applies to inflight purchases, including food, drink and inflight wifi purchases.

With no foreign transaction fees to worry about, the CitiBusiness/AAdvantage credit card is a reliable option when you’re traveling domestically or internationally. Thanks to the card’s strong welcome bonus and solid earning rates on select business categories, you’ll be on your way to award flights in no time.

Business credit cards like the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® also help you organize your personal and business expenses. There are various online tracking tools to keep tabs on your finances in your credit card account. If you’d like to add employee cards to the account, there’s no additional fee to pay — and any spending on those cards will accrue miles to the primary cardholder account.

Ultimately, when picking a business card, you’ll have to decide between earning cash rewards, airline miles, or another form of loyalty currency.

If award flights are your goal and American Airlines is your favorite carrier, there’s no better business credit card than the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®.

💳 This card earns American Express Membership Rewards points. American Express often runs transfer bonuses where you can get even more points when you transfer to airline or hotel partners at designated times. Transfer bonuses are awesome. Get 20%, 30%, 40% or more bonus miles when you transfer points at the right times. But they are easy to miss!

You can see all past Transfer Bonuses from American Express Membership Rewards here.

Even better? Get notified when a new transfer bonus comes out and again before it ends (either or both, your choice). Sign up for free alerts right here. 🔔

With the Blue Business Plus, small businesses can maximize their everyday business purchases, whether it’s shopping for office supplies to paying for client dinners to restocking inventory. There’s no annual fee and a nice welcome bonus to boot.

You can earn valuable Membership Rewards points at a terrific rewards rate: 2x bonus points per dollar spent on all eligible purchases, up to the first $50,000 spent per year; 1X thereafter. This makes the Blue Business Plus a great fit for businesses who don’t want to keep up with confusing bonus categories and spend less than this $50,000 limit every year. Above all, American Express Membership Rewards points are acclaimed for flexibility, as you can redeem them for travel, gift cards, charges on your statement credits, and more.

While you’ll be assigned a credit limit upon account opening, you’ll have access to Amex’s unique expanded buying power tool. This gives you the flexibility to pay for expenses potentially above your credit limit, which is important for business owners who likely have thousands of dollars of expenses every year. You’ll also get access to a 0% introductory APR rate on purchases in the first 12 months of account opening.

There are also important business expense management tools that can help you keep track of your business’s annual revenue and expenditures. With complimentary access to QuickBooks and Vendor Pay by Bill.com, the Amex Blue Business Plus is a fantastic starter card whether you own a new business or have a side hustle.

Rates and Fees for the the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card