Blue Sky from American Express vs Corporate Card for Business Travel

Blue Sky from American Express is one of the credit cards I have to choose from to pay for travel expenses for my new job. Airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars and meals can be paid for either with a corporate credit card or with a personal American Express Blue Sky card.

Corporate Card

Travel for business is pretty infrequent according to my new boss but we’re taking our first trip next week so I need to figure out which credit card to apply for.  The benefit of using the American Express corporate card is that I wouldn’t have to mess around with being reimbursed for my expenses when I travel.  Of course the downside is that I wouldn’t earn any rewards for the money spent on the trip.

American Express Blue Sky

The upside to opening a Blue Sky from American Express card is that I’d earn rewards points while traveling for business. Apparently some divisions require that we use the corporate credit card but mine is more flexible and allows us to use a personal card instead.

Of course the downside is that I’d have to open the credit card in my name, plus hassle with submitting all my reciepts to get paid for my travel expenses.  Yet, at first glance, it seems to me to be worth the effort. I have a friend who travels pretty much full time for his job and and earns lots of free flights and hotel stays by charging everything on his American Express Starwood Preferred Guest card.

Since I won’t be traveling like he does the rewards I’ll earn will obviously be lower but the card doesn’t have an annual fee so it won’t cost me anything to use it.  Like the Blue Sky review covers, the rewards program is also free and with no blackout dates or travel restrictions the travel rewards are pretty versatile.

Benefit of Travel Rewards

Although I won’t be traveling that often, leaving the family for a day or two isn’t something I look foward to. I’d rather have a job where I don’t have to be away from home but if I’m going to need to go on business trips then I figure I mine as well get a little “travel pay” by earning points on a rewards card.  The Blue Cash card has worked out well for us so I figure I’ll give the Blue Sky card a try and see what kinds of rewards I can earn.

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