American Express® / Business Extra® Corporate Card review

As you’re growing your business, having the right credit card can make a world of difference. And for companies with large travel expenses, the potential savings are even greater.

The American Express® / Business Extra® Corporate Card is one of many corporate credit cards offered by American Express. What sets this card apart is that it’s specifically designed for companies that use American Airlines for their travel, and it perfectly complements the AAdvantage program that American Airlines offers.

If your business frequently travels with American Airlines, you might be wondering if this corporate credit card is right for you. Keep reading to learn about this credit card’s rewards and see if it’s the right choice for you.

At a glance:

• Annual fee: Up to $75 per cardmember

• Regular APR: Not applicable

• 1 Business Extra point per $5 spent on base airfare of eligible American Airlines flights

• 1 Business Extra point per $20 spent on other eligible spending

• 6% in rebates on the first $1,500,000 spent on American Airlines airfares each year

• $50 AA flight discount for every $5,000 of eligible charges

Pros and cons

Pros:  No interest charges if paid on time Earn up to 6% rebate on the first $1.5 million spent on eligible American Airlines airfares Flight discount for cardmembers Earn Business Extra points on spending

Cons: $75 annual fee per cardmember Employee flight discounts limited to $1,000 per year Foreign transaction fee Can’t carry a balance — must pay in full monthly

Business Extra program

Before we talk about the Business Extra Corporate Card, we should first talk about the Business Extra program. Business Extra is a travel loyalty program offered to companies with at least two employees who travel with American Airlines or their partners: British Airways, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Finnair, and Qantas.

Companies don’t actually need the Business Extra Corporate Card to take advantage of the Business Extra program. All Business Extra members can earn one Business Extra point per $5 they spend on the base airfare of eligible American Airlines flights.

But where you get the most value is when you combine the American Express Business Extra Corporate Card with your Business Extra membership. You’ll still get the same one Business Extra point per $5 spent on airfare, but with additional rewards that we’ll discuss in the next section.

Earning rewards

American Express Business Extra Corporate Card members have a few different ways to earn rewards. First, just like other Business Extra members, the company will earn one Business Extra point per $5 spent on the base airfare of eligible American Airlines flights. Additionally, the company will earn one point for every $20 spent on other eligible spending.

Companies that use the Business Extra Corporate cards can also earn up to 6% in rebates on the first $1,500,000 spent on flown eligible American airlines airfares each year. The rebate will only be 4% if, during the relevant quarter, the company didn’t use a corporate or agency negotiated fare discount program. But if they did meet that requirement, they’ll earn the extra 2%. It’s important to note that to receive your rebate, you’ll have to complete a rebate fulfillment form.

Finally, cardmembers can earn a $50 AA flight discount for every $5,000 of eligible charges on their card. There’s a cap of $1,000 in flight discounts. Unlike the other rewards this card offers, the flight discounts are awarded to the employee, not to the company.

Redeeming rewards

Business Extra points can be redeemed for a variety of travel rewards for both companies and employees. You’ll only need 150 points to start redeeming, and here are some of the ways you can redeem your Business Extra points:

• Flight awards: You can either redeem your points for a flight certificate to use at a later time or redeem your points for travel by booking your flight through Business Extra.

• Upgrade awards: When you book an American Airlines flight, you can use your Business Extra points for upgrades like U.S. domestic one-segment upgrades, international one-way upgrades on full fare, or international one-way upgrades on discounted fare.

• Club and status awards: You can redeem your Business Extra points for Admirals Club access, either for a one-day pass or a one-year membership. You can also upgrade to AAdvantage Gold or Platinum status.

• Carbon offset awards: Environmentally-conscious companies may choose to use their Business Extra points to purchase carbon offsets, which offset the carbon emissions of your business travel. You can purchase carbon offset award certificates in amounts of 300 Business Extra points.

• AAdvantage miles: Finally, you can turn your Business Extra points into AAdvantage miles to be transferred to individual travelers. Those miles can be used toward flights, upgrades, hotels, rental cars, vacations, and more.

Who this card is for

This American Express card is well-suited to companies that spend a lot of money on travel and who primarily travel with American Airlines. The card offers rewards to benefit both the company and the employee, meaning everyone wins. And while there’s a $75 fee per cardholder, it pales in comparison to the potential rewards you can earn — and even the annual fees charged on many other business credit cards.

This card may also be a good fit for companies who want to reward their employees as much as themselves. Not only does the company collect the Business Extra points, but the employee earns flight discounts and can continue earning AAdvantage miles on flights booked with Business Extra points.

It’s important to note that the sign-up process for this card is a bit different from other corporate credit cards you may have encountered. Rather than completing an online application, you’ll fill out a short form and share your contact information. Then, a corporate program specialist will call you to determine if this card is right for you.

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