Amex simplycash business card
From Travel Strategies
American Express Credit Cards
Amex Webpage
Business Card Only
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Annual Fee
No annual fee
Current Offer
$250 statement credit after spending $5,000 (in the first six months), and an additional $250 after spending an additional $10,000 (during the first year) using a referral link.Typical Signup Offer
None
Signup Bonus ChartBonus Categories
5% Office Supplies
5% Wireless Telephone Service
3% Category of Your Choice
1% Everywhere Else
2.7% Foreign Transaction Fee
The SimplyCash card is a great option for earning bonus rewards at office supply stores and on your cell phone bill. This card is no longer available for new signups.
Collecting the Signup Bonus
The SimplyCash Card doesn't normally have a signup bonus. You might be able to take advantage of an occasional promotional signup offer, but otherwise the card is only interesting for its excellent reward earning rates.
Other Notable Benefits
- Access to Amex Offers. Amex continuously provides discount offers to their cardholders. Most of the offers are in the form of "Spend $x, get $y back", but other offers are in the form of "x% off your entire order" or "Earn an extra Membership Reward point on your purchases". To take advantage of the offers, you need to go to the Amex website, find the ones you are interested in, and "add them" to your card. Each offer will then be automatically applied when you use your card to make the corresponding purchase. Amex Offers Website.
- Free ShopRunner membership. As with all Amex cards, you are entitled to a complimentary ShopRunner membership, which provides free two-day and return shipping from around 150 of the largest online retailers. ShopRunner Website
- Exclusive access to entertainment events. Amex sponsors cardmember-only events around the country and also provides early ticket access for some other shows.
Bonus Categories
- The Simply Cash card offers good rewards at Office Supply stores and on cell phone service. You'll earn 5% back, without having to pay an annual fee. The only cards that earn more are the Ink Preferred (on cell phone service), and the Ink Cash (at Office Supply stores). And, your ability to get either of those cards can be blocked by the Chase 5/24 rule.
- In addition, you can get 3% cash back on your choice from a set of other categories. These include airfare, hotels, car rentals, gas stations, restaurants, advertising, shipping, and computer-related purchases. Assuming that your expenses in some of these business-related categories don't warrant paying an annual fee for a card that earns higher bonus rewards, you could choose a category like computer-related purchases, where you are unlikely to earn bonus rewards from another card.
- Of the various business-related cards, the Simply Cash card probably makes the most sense for people who don't have a lot of actual business related expenses, and can't get the Ink Cash card. Most people can get at least some benefit from the Office Supply, Cell Phone, and Computer-related expenses categories, and there is no annual fee. For most of these people, the Ink Cash card would be an even better option, but it isn't always easy to get.
- You don't want to use this card for your everyday spending. You'll earn higher rewards from a good general-purpose reward card. Get a Great General Purpose Reward Card and Use It for All of Your Spending.