Best Business Credit Cards With No Annual Fees
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Looking for an easy, inexpensive spending solution for your business? Credit cards offer a variety of valuable rewards and perks, plus benefits to help your business run more smoothly — like expense tracking tools, year-end summaries, and account alerts so you're never left in the dark. And with no annual fee, you'll never have to worry about making sure your card is worth the cost.
By Brendan Harkness
Selection Criteria
Aside from having no annual fee, of course, here are some of the qualities we looked for to give you the very best of the best.
- Good reward rates: Why earn 1% cash back when you can earn 2%? Or 5%? We’ve winnowed out the low offers to show you the best rates available.
- Introductory bonuses: They won’t seem like much for large businesses, but small businesses and sole proprietors could get a lot of value from a credit card signup bonus.
- Introductory interest rates: A card with a 0% intro APR for purchases and/or balance transfers can help you pay off some large expenses, before the regular variable APR kicks in.
- Perks and benefits: Rewards are great, but some business cards deliver their primary value through perks, like statement credits and discounts for popular business services.
- Business management tools and services: They’re not as exciting as rewards and perks, but some decent expense tracking and management tools can be very handy, especially around tax season.
- Solid customer support: Bad credit card customer support can be a nightmare, and you don’t want that touching your business. With the occasional exception, the major credit card issuers will usually treat you well.
By Brendan Harkness
Is a No Annual Fee Business Card Right for You?
Small business credit cards without annual fees can be quite valuable, giving you an easy way to manage your spending and take advantage of rewards and benefits. There could be no cost to you at all, as long as you avoid interest and other fees.
Cards without annual fees are less likely to stress you out, or make you feel like you need to use them. If you don’t happen to use a no annual fee card for a while, it won’t burn a hole in your pocket. (It may actually help out your credit.)
But really, the annual fee shouldn’t usually be a huge factor — if you’ll get enough out of the card, a fee could easily be worth it. And, since cards with annual fees tend to have better features, you may benefit much more from a card with a fee compared to one without.
Consider your options — including other great business cards — to see which would provide the most value for your business, after any associated costs.
BEST PICK FOR
High Cash Back Rates
Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card
Details
The Ink Business Cash is an easy favorite, with an excellent 5% cash back rate on some common business expenses. If you frequent office supply shops and pay for internet/phone services, this card should be on your radar.
It’s made all the more appealing by the ability to transfer your rewards to other Chase Ultimate Rewards cards, like the Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. From there you could redeem for a better value, potentially getting a 10% return on your spending, or more!
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Take note that the spending limits are per account anniversary year, rather than annual.
- Extra reward opportunities: Earn more cash back via the Shop through Chase and Chase Offers programs.
- Shopping and Travel protections: Including Purchase Protection, Extended Warranty Protection, Travel and Emergency Assistance Services, and more.
- Purchase APR: 0% for 12 months, then 14.74% - 20.74% Variable
- Annual fee: $0
Bank of America® Business Advantage Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card
- 3% cash back in one category of your choice each month: Gas, Travel, Office supply stores, TV/telecom & wireless services, Computer services, Business consulting services
- 2% cash back at Restaurants
- $200 cash bonus for spending $500 in the first 60 days after account opening
- Spending limit: 3% and 2% rewards only up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1% back
- Purchase APR: 0% for 9 billing cycles, then 13.74% - 23.74% Variable APR on purchases
- Annual fee: $0.00
BEST PICK FOR
Flat-Rate Cash Back
securely on the issuer's website
Sometimes you just want a simple, hassle-free way to make business purchases and earn some rewards. No fancy redemptions, no time spent transferring points and looking for the best travel deals.
The American Express® Blue Business Cash Card might be just what you’re looking for. With 2% back on every purchase (up to $50K spent per year) and automatic cash back redemptions, you’ll hardly need to give it a second thought.
There are other 2% business cards, like the Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business, but they typically have annual fees.
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And that’s that. A pretty simple way to earn a decent rate on any purchase.
Just take note of the annual limit; if you’ll spend more than that you may want another credit card to help out, perhaps one with some bonus categories to cover your common expenses.
- Amex Offers: Earn extra cash back and find discounts with a changing selection of merchants.
- Shopping and Travel protections: Like Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance, Extended Warranty, and Purchase Protection
- Purchase and Balance Transfer APR: 0% for 12 months, then 14.74–20.74% Variable (Rates & Fees)
- Annual fee: No annual fee
Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card
- 5% cash back on Lyft rides (through March 2020)
- 1.5% cash back for every other purchase you make
- $500 cash bonus for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
- Purchase and Balance Transfer APR: 0% for 12 months, then 14.74% - 20.74% Variable
- Annual fee: $0
Capital One® Spark® Cash Select for Business
- 1.5% cash back for every purchase you make
- $200 cash bonus for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
- Purchase APR: 0% for 9 months, then 14.49% - 22.49% Variable
- No foreign transaction fees
- Annual fee: $0
Discover it® Business Card
- 1.5% cash back for every purchase you make
- Cashback Match: Earn double cash back in your first year.
- Purchase APR: 0% for 12 Months, then 14.49% - 22.49% Variable
- No foreign transaction fees
- Annual fee: $0
American Express is a Credit Card Insider advertiser.
BEST PICK FOR
Flexible Business Rewards
Bank of America® Business Advantage Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card
Details
securely on the issuer's website
Stocking up on office supplies this month? Gearing up to travel the next?
Get a credit card with flexible bonus categories to meet your needs as they change throughout the year, like the Bank of America® Business Advantage Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card. You’ll be able to choose the eligible purchases to earn 3% back on each month, out of six popular business-related categories. And eligible Preferred Rewards for Business Platinum members can even get a 75% boost on all rewards.
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The 3% category will be set to gas stations by default.
- Bank of America Preferred Rewards for Business: Get a 25%–75% bonus on all rewards if you have eligible BofA or Merrill Lynch bank accounts.
- Purchase APR: 0% for 9 billing cycles, then 13.74% - 23.74% Variable APR on purchases
- Annual fee: $0.00
BEST PICK FOR
Travel Rewards
securely on the issuer's website
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is handy if you have a variety of spending, or tend to make purchases outside of typical credit card bonus categories. And the redemption options could be perfect for the avid traveler.
The Blue Business Plus is our top pick thanks to Amex’s expansive selection of airline and hotel partners, which includes names like Delta, JetBlue, Hilton, and Marriott Bonvoy. And there’s a pretty lengthy 0% introductory APR (for a business card), giving small business owners some time to pay off upfront expenses.
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2X points per dollar is good when it comes to non-category purchases, but it’s not too exciting. Thankfully you can kick things up a notch by transferring your points to airline and hotel partners, where they could be worth 2 cents each or more.
That’d give you a cash back equivalent of at least 4% on everything you buy at the 2X rate — and that’s quite the lucrative deal when it comes to credit cards.
- Amex Offers: Earn extra points and find discounts with a changing selection of merchants.
- Point transfer: To a variety of hotel and airline partners.
- Purchase and Balance Transfer APR: 0% for 12 months, then 14.74–20.74% Variable (Rates & Fees)
- Annual fee: No annual fee
Capital One® Spark® Miles Select for Business
- 5X miles per dollar for:
- Hotels booked through Capital One Travel
- Rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 1.5X miles per dollar for all other purchases
- 20,000 bonus miles for spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
- Purchase APR: 0% for 9 months, then 14.49% - 22.49% Variable
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $0
Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card
- 3X points on travel booked through the Bank of America Travel Center
- 1.5X points on all other purchases
- 25,000 bonus points for spending $1,000 in the first 60 days after account opening
- Purchase APR: 0% for 9 billing cycles, then 12.74% - 22.74% Variable APR on purchases
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $0.00
American Express is a Credit Card Insider advertiser.
BEST PICK FOR
Fair Credit
Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business
Details
Credit scores not quite where you’d like them to be? Don’t worry, you may still be able to qualify for some decent cards even if your credit history isn’t the best.
Consider the Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business, designed for business owners with fair credit. It’s not too fancy, as you’d expect, but cardholders can earn some cash back rewards, distribute employee cards, and take advantage of some shopping and travel benefits.
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- Shopping and Travel protections: Including Purchase Security, Extended Warranty, and Auto Rental Collision Damage Waivers
- Quarterly and year-end summaries
- Free employee cards
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $0
BEST PICK FOR
No Personal Guarantee
Brex Corporate Card
Details
securely on the issuer's website
Most business credit cards require a personal guarantee — meaning they use your personal credit, just like any other credit card, and you’ll be liable for the debt (you “personally guarantee” it).
But a few cards don’t require a personal guarantee, and instead rely on your business’ credit profile. These cards usually provide big services for big businesses, like multimillion-dollar credit limits and payment reconciliation systems.
A hot contender is the Brex Corporate Card, with a solid rewards program and a massive selection of cost-saving perks. Those include statement credits and discounts to a variety of products like Amazon Web Services, Google Ads, ZenDesk, Twilio, SendGrid, and more.
Take note that all of the Brex cards are designed for large corporations, with professional investors and a lot of money in a business bank account. Consumers, sole proprietors, and unregistered businesses are ineligible for Brex cards.
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- Perks: Thousands of dollars in statement credits, plus discounts and more, for services like Amazon Web Services, WeWork, Google Ads, SendGrid, and Twilio (explained here)
- Point transfer: At a 1:1 rate to select airline loyalty programs
- Employee cards: First 5 cards for free; $5 fee per card after that
- Virtual cards: After you’re approved, Brex gives you immediate access to virtual cards, which you can use for online or phone purchases.
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $0
- Not available to sole proprietors
Brex Ecommerce Card
- Choose net 30 or net 60 day terms to pay
- 1X point per dollar if you choose net 30 days
- Same benefits as other Brex cards, like discounts, point transfers, and statement credits
- Annual fee: $0
- Not available to sole proprietors
Brex Life Sciences Card
- 7X points per dollar on Conference tickets
- 4X points per dollar on Brex Travel
- 3X points per dollar on Lab supplies
- 1X point per dollar on all other purchases
- Same benefits as other Brex cards, like discounts, point transfers, and statement credits
- Annual fee: $0
- Not available to sole proprietors
American Express® Corporate Platinum Card
- 1X Membership Rewards point per dollar for all purchases
- Perks: $200 airline fee credit, Global Lounge Collection, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, Hilton Honors Gold status
- Annual fee: $395 ($550 after 3/6/2020)
Stripe Corporate Card
- 2% cash back in your top two spending categories each month, out of several options
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
- $50,000 in free payment processing for spending $5,000
- Perks: $5,000 in Amazon Web Services credits, three months of Basic Shopify for free, $436 in Zendesk credits per month for the first year, 40% off Hubspot for the first year, 50% off Expensify for six months, and more
- Annual fee: None
- Available by invite only (you can request an invite)
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