Our objective rating of the best business credit cards
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Business credit cards target the initial credit requirements and spending patterns of entrepreneurs and online business owners. Comparable to their consumer counterparts, they leverage business spending to earn significant money back, airline, or hotel rewards.
The ideal business card printing deliver additional credit, low fees, business-category reduction, and robust rewards programs. This list represents our top-rated cards across quite a few categories, all compelled by our rating methodology, broadly card database, and proprietary points valuation models.
Best Business Credit Cards
- Best Overall, Best for Travel Rewards: Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
- Best Business Hotel Card: Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card
- Best Business Airline Card: United Business Card
- Best for American Airlines: CitiBusiness / Advantage Platinum Select Mastercard
- Best No Annual Fee Business Card: WellsFargo Business Platinum Credit Card
- Best for Office Supply Purchases: Ink Business Cash Credit Card
- Best for Airport Lounge Access: The Business Platinum Card from American Express
- Best for Amazon Business / AWS Cloud Hosting: Amazon Business Prime American Express Card
Editorial Picks for Best Business Credit Cards
Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card
Best Overall, Best for Travel Rewards
Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card is our very best overall and the most beneficial business credit-based card for travel rewards due to its earning power and the need for its rewards. Businesses can earn 3x points on the initial $150,000 they invest in travel and choose categories each and every year, then your points can be used as purchasing, to book travel at 1.25 cents a spot, or transfer to hotel and airline partners for just a potentially higher value.
Marriott Bonvoy Business™American Express® Card
Best Business Hotel Card
Entrepreneurs looking for the very best business hotel card will love and enjoy the benefits of this Marriott card, which includes automatic Silver Elite status and an annual free night worth up to 35,000 points, plus the ability to earn a second free night based on your spending.
Read the full Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card Review.
United℠ Business Card
Best Business Airline Card
United Business Card offers valuable benefits for business travelers, for example priority boarding, free checked bags, as well as complimentary airport lounge passes every year. You'll also receive 5,000 bonus miles yearly when you renew the card.
Read the full United Business Card Review.
CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard
Best for American Airlines
Frequent fliers on American Airlines will manage to benefit for free checked bags, priority boarding, and 25% discount on in-flight purchases. Big spenders can earn a MQD waiver for elite status along with a Companion Certificate after they spend $30,000 each year.
Read the full CitiBusiness / Advantage Platinum Select Mastercard Review.
Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card
Best for Office Supply Purchases
Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card
Best for Office Supply Purchases
The very best credit card for office supply purchases is the Chase Ink Business Cash credit card. It earns 5% on the first $25,000 in combined purchases for office supplies, internet, cable, and phone services each year for a potential of $1,250 in cash back annually.
Read the full Ink Business Cash Credit Card Review.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Best for Airport Lounge Access
The very best business credit card for airport lounge access which is Amex Business Platinum. Between Amex Centurion Lounges and the complimentary Priority Pass membership, you'll surely have access to over 1,200 airport lounges around the world.
Read the full The Business Card from American Express Review.
Amazon Business Prime American Express Card
100% Best for Amazon Business / AWS Cloud Hosting
Private and individual business that spend regularly on Amazon or Whole Foods will have a very great advantage from this card's unlimited 5% rewards, which has no yearly fee and new cardholders receive a $100 Amazon gift card upon approval.
Read the full Amazon Business Prime American Express Card Review.
Types of Business Credit Cards
The credit cards for startup businesses are as varied in type as their consumer counterparts. In fact, consumer credit cards have a business-card sibling, typically with similar features and rewards.
With personal cards, choices in business cards run the gamut from no-frills/no-fee options to rewards cards with complex tiered rewards based on travel, airline, issuer, or hotel loyalty programs.
Here's a quick primer on the main card types available to small business owners:
The business airline credit cards: These cards gives rewards, usually in miles for constantly card spending, with bonus miles for purchases from their co-branded airline. Miles earned with the card are pooled with those earned by flying. The cards also have benefits such as early boarding, a free checked bag, or discounts on in-flight purchases.
Ability to earn airline-specific miles on a favored carrier
Bonus miles usually offered for airline purchases and other travel-focused categories, like dining or hotels
Often confers elite status in the airline's frequent-flyer program
Annual fees are often high
Limited options for redeeming or transferring miles.
The business hotel credit cards: Akin to their airline counterparts, these cards gives rewards occasionally in points for constant card spending, together with bonus miles for purchases from their co-branded hotel chain. Points earned with the card are pooled with those earned through hotel or resort stays.
Ability to gain bonus points at preferred hotel chain on hotel nights and other spending
Frequently confers elite status in the hotel's loyalty program
Yearly fees can be high
Limited options for redeeming or transferring points
Business general travel credit cards: The branded to card issuers, rather than airlines or hotels, these rewards cards give points or miles from the issuer that can be redeemed for travel through the issuer's rewards portal. Some provide automatic statement credits for travel-related purchases.
Certain cards gives exceptional advantage, like airline lounge access, priority boarding, and primary rental-car insurance.
A considerable number of cards offer bonus miles or points for spending in categories such as airfare, restaurants, and gas.
A certain number of cards gives additional incentives, such as bonus points multipliers, for booking travel through the issuer's reservation portal.
Annual fees are common.
No automatic elite status in an airline or hotel loyalty program, unlike with many cards that are co-branded with carriers or chains.
Business cash back credit cards: These gives a fixed percentage of cash back on all purchases, or in certain groups like restaurants, travel, and office supplies. Or often both.
Rewards are in the major usable of currencies cash
No hassle of redeeming points or miles
Rewards value is clear and transparent
Very few or no redemption options apart from cash
It may provide small rewards value than certain points and miles programs
Business non-rewards credit cards: As with the simplest consumer credit cards, few business cards have small or no rewards, discounts, or benefits. Such cards provide entrepreneurs with basic credit card functionality, generally for no annual fee.
Business secured credit cards: Like their consumer counterparts, these cards require a security deposit that the issuer holds in order to extend a credit line of equal value, and can often be upgraded to a non-secured card after a history of on-time payments. Very small amount of national card issuers gives secured business cards aimed at those with no credit history or who are seeking to repair damaged credit.
Business General Travel Credit Cards vs. Business Airline Credit Cards and Hotel Credit Cards
Deciding between a general travel rewards credit card or one allied to a specific airline or hotel chain is a common dilemma for small businesses. While some small business owners have preferred airlines and hotel chains, others have no particular brand loyalty, and instead seek out the lowest ticket and room prices on every trip.
Business Travel Credit Cards vs. Business Cash Back Credit Cards
The main difference between business travel credit cards and business cash back credit cards is the type of “money” they earn.
The business travel cards gain miles or points that can be used to redeem for free travel through certain card issuer reward platforms or, in the case of co-branded cards, with specific airlines or hotels.
By contrast, business cash back cards earn a percentage rebate on purchases, paid in the form of statement credits, gift cards, or a check directed to the small business owner. (Some supposed cash back cards actually earn “points” that are then converted to statement credits, gift cards, or checks on a penny per point basis.
The types also differ in their yearly monetary payment. As a rule, business travel cards (whether general travel, airline, or hotel) has a monetary payment, and most business cash back cards do not. One exercise help to choose between a travel card with an yearly fees and a no-fee cash back card is to calculate whether your annual spending will generate enough value to fully offset the travel card's annual fee.
In the event the rewards are adequate, as well as card's extras gives additional value for yourself, the travel card may be the better choice. Nevertheless, you might favor a no-fee cash-back card if you're not confident with spending money on a card. That is principally so if your fee for any card is on the more expensive side and it is advantages aren't especially that will work with your travel preferences and style.
How to Compare Business Travel Credit Cards
Assessing consumer travel cards against the other person, it can be complex to compare the rewards and aid of competing business travel credit cards. Here, to create the task simple and easy , hassle-free, is often a rundown of the major attributes that you ought to size-up when deciding between business travel cards:
Annual membership fees: Several business travel credit cards charge lesser yearly fee, these are the exception as opposed to the rule. Taking a look at a card by using a fee, it's helpful, in case the rewards you be ready to earn over a card more than a year will fully counterbalance the expense. When it won't, consider how valuable or when it comes to convenience and comfort the card's extras are going to you. To paraphrase, a yearly fee shouldn't necessarily certainly be a deterrent to picking a particular card. It will, however, certainly be a primary factor in the choice.
Rewards earning structure: Do the mathematics based upon your company spending patterns to see what you likely earn on a yearly basis compared to other cards from the category. Take into account, though, that this best-laid spending plans sometimes crash, and there's a risk a card won't generate the rewards value you expected in a given period of year.
One-time bonus: Using an airline or hotel card, evaluate which the bonus may be valued at, in dollars or even in free award flights or nights. You could possibly should also keep that value in your mind the fact that the card's annual fee, since generous bonuses can certainly help offset that cost, sometimes for some time to come.
Foreign transaction fees: Most business travel rewards cards waive foreign transaction fees, which usually are 3% on the transaction value. Some don't, this might actually be considered a major decision factor if your organization travel often goes away from the country.
Global acceptance: Visa, Mastercard, and Discover are extremely taken in merchants globally, American Express lags behind in the global footprint, however, the acceptance off networks varies by country. If you're a constant traveler to a particular destinations, consult the acceptance maps to the networks' websites to make sure that you'll have the ability to easily use the charge card for the places you visit.
Travel-related insurance: While business travel rewards cards can eliminate the necessity for employees to pay for to insure various elements of their trips. Important and useful insurance protections that numerous cards offer on a cost-free basis include coverage for trip cancellation/interruption, lost luggage or flight delays, and travel accidents. Also provide rental-car coverage, and choose premium travel cards even offer coverage that's primary as opposed to secondary. (That is, it covers the price tag on all harm to your car in an accident, as opposed to only expenses your own personal vehicle insurance won't reimburse.)
How to Choose the Best Business Travel Rewards Credit Card
Ask the next questions before deciding which travel rewards card is best suited for your goals and spending:
- Can the spending requirements for that card's one-time bonuses be realistically met with expected business-related purchases?
- Do you think you're loyal to particular plastic card issuer (like Chase, Citi, Capital One, Bank of America, or Wells Fargo) because associated with an existing financial relationship, say for example a savings, checking, or loan account, whether business or personal?
- Do you think you're loyal to particular airline or hotel, and belong with their loyalty program? Maybe you have an amazing volume of points or miles in the account?
- Will it be important that you keep spending to be able to reach or maintain elite status in the airline or hotel loyalty program?
- Are you planning or expect to journey to international destinations?
- How important are certain special benefits like airport lounge access or primary rental-car insurance?
- What's the absolute maximum annual fee you're comfortable paying?
What Are Business Charge Cards?
The business charge cards are select cards from providers just like American Express (which offers business credit cards) that never let balances to get carried from month to month. Instead, each month's charges have to be paid 100 % on or prior to statement due date. Business charge cards also not have the preset spending limits of bank cards, their APRs (since no balances are carried), and extra fees (although fees can continue to ensue if an account balance remains unpaid).
What Are Business Credit Cards?
Business credit cards are prepared for the requirements small companies organized as sole proprietorships, partnerships, or LLCs. They permit business spending to become leveraged to earn valuable rewards available as money back, points, or miles. Other business-friendly features include providing a different personal credit line to assist fund business operations and tools to simply segregate business expenses from personal ones.
How Do Small Businesses Use Business Credit Cards?
Our research from the organization community implies that small business owners use business bank cards primarily to aid manage cash flow. They mostly depend on the card at times when they've incurred charges in goods and services but you're yet to get compensated by clients. In addition they appreciate, and also trust, leveraging business spending to earn card rewards.
Equally important is the products customer service, particularly, how good issuers resolve complaints—since card fraud is usually a frequent headache for entrepreneurs.
Lacking in priority, say many companies, would be the card's apr, whether during introductory promotions or across the long term, mostly, because companies are less inclined than consumers to handle balances from month to month. Business card clients, we observe, may also be less sensitive than regular customers to cards' yearly fees and approximately meeting the spending necessity for the card's one-time bonus.
Who Qualifies for Small Business Credit Cards?
All the entrepreneurs with an authorized business (e.g., sole proprietorship partnership, corporation or LLC) or perhaps a side gig may make an application for your small business credit card. However you'll make application for a business credit-based card together with your individual Social Security number as being a sole proprietor or even an Employer Identification Number (EIN) should you have an official business structure.
Every bank has their own different qualifications, and how long you need to be operating prior to being allowed be approved. Although some people might banks require a couple of years operating, others will consider through the beginning. Having a place of work, store, or some other dedicated headquarters is not essential, nor you have have employees besides yourself.
Until your organization reaches some a higher level success, most banks will request a personal guarantee for repayment of the charges, and they will analyze both business's credit and financials, and your personal credit ratings, debt levels, and income when reviewing your application.
What Should You Consider Before Applying for a Business Credit Card?
Before diving into the rich varieties of choices trading a credit card, take stock of some attributes of your enterprise and how good they align with the features and primary advantages of cards around the market. Listed below are some key considerations:
Credit Score: Most issuers of economic a credit card evaluate an enterprise's creditworthiness in the same way they actually for many who make application for consumer cards. If your small business is no less than quite a while old, expect its business income and expenses being evaluated included in the issuer's approval process.
Nevertheless, a vital data point for a fresh enterprise may very well be the private credit score of the primary owner. While standards vary through the card and issuer, approval for an organization charge card generally demands good to excellent credit.
Rather than merely taking your chances with a card, it will be better to apply research on your present credit ratings or to undergo a card-matching or pre-approval process. That exercise will give a preliminary handle your chance of approval before you'll risk submitting a complete application, which can aid in eliminating your credit ranking, albeit only slightly.
Business-Related Spending Patterns: The higher you learn what you'll buy with your business credit card, and where, the more effective it is possible to tailor the handcrafted card you may your spending. Some business cards provide extra points, miles, or cash rebates for many groups of spending, for example phone bills, shipping, or office supplies. Others offer discounts on purchases from specific business-focused retailers, for example Staples.
If the spending ranges too widely geared to a card that emphasizes specific categories or retailers, it is possible to make a choice that can offer a pair amount of cash rebates or quantity of points or miles on all spending.
Ancillary Card Features and Benefits: Since businesses present a bigger risk to lenders, rates of interest on business card printing are generally a lttle bit greater than for normal consumer cards. With that being said, rates do change among business cards. If you expect carrying an account balance, look for a card with a lesser APR or a preliminary period when purchases may be carried without interest. For anyone who is already carrying business debt on another card, look for cards with offers that enable balances to get moved to the brand new card and carried at 0% APR for just a period.
Some of the best travel business credit cards printing offer advantages like; airport lounge access and concierge services. These credit cards, though, generally have steep annual fees. Assess carefully if these card's extras merit the extra expense you'll likely pay for it. Unless you're an honest road warrior, a card with few or no travel benefits and a smaller or no annual fee could be a more sensible choice for ones business.
What Are the Types of Business Credit Scores?
Two kinds of business credit scoring ought to be monitored if you are planning to obtain business loans later on: Experian's Intelliscore Plus score and Dun & Bradstreet's Paydex score. Have score ranges of 0 to 100.
Intelliscore Plus: A lot of 76 and up are believed good to excellent.2
Paydex: A lot of 80 and up are believed good to excellent.
How Do You Build Business Credit?
When starting a small business, you should depend on your own credit score to obtain a business credit-based card or another form of credit to your venture. As time passes, the company will build its credit score and business credit history while using the rating agencies that track business credit. You will help facilitate this procedure with the next steps:
- Select a short form of economic entity (sole proprietorship, partnership, or LLC)
- Submit an application for a company identification number (EIN) for IRS purposes
- Have a Dun & Bradstreet (D-U-N-S) Number so as to register with all the business credit agencies
- Open a business-specific checking/savings account that has a bank or credit union
- Submit an application for, and responsibly use, your small business credit card—including always making on-time payments
- Avoid making personal expenditures start business debit card
How Do You Apply for a Business Credit Card?
Once you've selected the appropriate card for your company, it is time to apply for your credit card. Every bank's application is a touch different, but they often ask for information. Possessing this information easily obtainable while applying can make the method go smoothly and quickly:
- Business name
- SSN (sole proprietor) or EIN (formal business entity)
- Business owner(s) names, titles, and SSNs
- Personal information for each owner: date of birth, mother's maiden name, address, income
- Business address and phone number
- Annual revenues
- Number of employees
- Business established date
- Industry that the business operates in
- Estimated monthly spend on your new card
Expect to pay 10 to 20 minutes completing the organization bank card application, for the way much important information to provide.
Based on the application details, you might receive immediate approval for ones new customers credit card. The applying may start a pending status for your manual review. And if you do not experience an automatic approval, you'll get mail within 1 to 2 weeks.
Before looking for your company bank card, consider these questions:
- How much do you spend each month?
- Are you able to pay the balance in full or will you carry a balance?
- What types of stores do you spend at the most?
- Are you willing to pay an annual fee?
- Do you want to earn rewards? If so, do you prefer cash back, airline miles, hotel points, or flexible bank points?
- What credit card benefits appeal to you?
- Is a 0% APR promotion on purchases or balance transfers important?
- Will you add employees to the card?
Knowing your responses in order to those questions will let you define your options to select the best business plastic card for you.
How Do You Optimize Business Credit Card Rewards?
Whether you have a business bank card or even an individual personal card for your company expenses, you'll maximize rewards by purchasing a card that's well-matched for a anticipated spending. If you're an Uber driver, for instance, consider first a card that provides bonus rewards for gasoline and various driving expenses for instance tolls. Alternatively, if you're mostly office-bound, locate a card that can offer discounts or bonus rewards on the leading business expenses shipping or office supplies online, for instance.
Another strategy to create the best from cards is to buy several of them, each rewarding different categories of economic spending using richest rewards. This way, you'll optimize your rewards on any kind of purchase you make. Some that happen to be skilled at this plan even affix a label to each and every reward card that lists its premium spending categories.
With all that is connected with starting a company, the price you will make from cards probably won't become your first concern. But they must receive many of your attention. As time passes, the price of card rewards and perks can produce a nice bonus yourself, as well as to reinvest back into the business. Credit card use can also help develop a credit profile for ones venture. Supposing that the event record is positive, it may help you secure even-better business cards in addition to further sorts of credit, just like organization loans.
How do Business and Consumer Credit Cards Differ?
While business and consumer cards often look and work in similar ways, you'll find distinct differences between your two. Here's a rundown:
Small Business Credit Cards:
- Require business-related usage
- Will often have higher credit limits than consumer cards
- Report activity to business credit bureaus rather instead of consumer ones
- Bonus rewards rates, if offered, will often be for business-related spending categories, like office furniture and supplies, shipping, and digital advertising
- Sometimes provide 30-day trade terms
- May well not share the same protections as consumer cards
Consumer Credit Cards:
- Can be used either personal or business-related expenses
- Report activity to consumer credit bureaus
- Don't improve a credit standing for your online business
- Ordinarily have lower credit limits than business card printing
- Focus their very best rewards on consumer expenditures, like paying for groceries or gas
Can a Personal Credit Card Be Used for a Business?
While a good number of small businesses start off applying their personal charge cards for business expenses, it is best to acquire separate cards with regards to your personal and business expenses. The IRS considers segregation of business expenses to your private card vital that you validating that purchases claimed as business expenses are simply that, rather compared to personal use. As early as you are allowed get approved for a company credit-based card, you will get one to build the separation between your small business and private life.
Can Business Cards Be Used for Personal Expenses?
While card conditions and terms vary, they normally stipulate that only legitimate business expenses can pay to business credit cards. Additionally, it's really a best practice to help keep your personal and business charges separate to create accounting easier and to help keep liability protections of your organization structure.
With that said, given that your card is required responsibly and stays in good standing, most banks will not likely audit your spending to determine which are personal versus business charges.
Methodology
We continuosly monitor charge card offers from card-issuer websites and openly available sources for top level business cards for readers. Every single charge credit card is evaluated depending on its fees, rewards, welcome bonuses, introductory offers, features, and benefits so that any of us can determine a victor for every category. Card issuers update their cards regularly and, when you do, we update our card listings, reviews, and recommendations so our readers hold the most efficient information and advice.