My friend Chris Hutchins mentioned recently on his podcast All The Hacks that the American Express Business Checking account can not be opened again once closed. Irrespective of any sort of bonus, his experience was that Amex would not allow him to open a business checking account using the same EIN given that he’d previously had an account.
Readers in the comments here confirm this as well. Regardless, you should be able to open a Amex business checking account using a separate EIN. I assume you can then get a signup bonus as well since it’s a different EIN.
I’ve used the Amex Business Checking account in the past as a way of redeeming Membership Rewards points at 1 cent per point when holding a Business Platinum card. Many others prefer using points to transfer to travel partners, but I don’t travel a ton and usually prefer cashing points out.
Every few months, Amex emails that my account has gone inactive, and I make a $.01 ACH in order to bring it back active. A reader wrote in that after just a few weeks from that ‘Inactive’ email their account got closed out, so keep that in mind. (This is especially relevant if the Amex business checking if your only AmEx account which is keeping your Membership Rewards account alive.)
I’d always wondered about closing down a dormant business checking since that could potentially facilitate a future signup bonus. Given that it’s not possible to open an account again, then obviously the bonus question is moot.
