Best Business Credit Cards
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Small business credit cards are designed for business owners who want to separate their business and personal finances, earn rewards, and use credit cards as powerful tools in growing their businesses. A small business credit card, along with other tools, can even help build your business credit profile.
Our Selection Criteria Is a Business Card Right for You?Credit Card Insider receives compensation from advertisers whose products may be mentioned on this page. Advertiser relationships do not affect card evaluations. Advertising partners do not edit or endorse our editorial content. Content is accurate to the best of our knowledge when it's published. Learn more in our Editorial Guidelines.
The information related to The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business, Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card, American Express® Business Gold Card, Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business, Capital One Spark Cash Select for Business, Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business, Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, and American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card have been collected by Credit Card Insider and have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of these products.
Our Selection Criteria
- Good value for an annual fee: If a card is going to come with an annual fee, make sure the rewards and benefits will provide enough value to make it worth the cost.
- Rewards for your business expenses: The best rewards credit cards for you will offer points or cash back rewards for your everyday business expenses.
- A big introductory bonus: Businesses spend more than typical consumers, so the welcome offer for a good business card can also be pretty high.
- Extra benefits: Pretty much every card comes with some basic shopping and travel protections, but exceptional cards have more interesting and valuable benefits.
- Travel perks: Higher-end cards offer additional services to make traveling easier and more enjoyable, like travel credits, room upgrades, complimentary amenities, and elite membership status with airlines and hotels.
- Introductory APR: A long 0% intro APR period can help you float some expenses until you can pay for them, giving your business some room to breathe.
- Good customer support: Dealing with bad customer service can be a headache, but it would be even worse if it affects your business too.
- Foreign transaction fees: If your business travels outside of the country or buys anything in a foreign currency, look for a business card with no foreign transaction fees to eliminate those costs.
Is a Business Card Right for You?
Business credit cards are very similar to personal credit cards, but they’re designed to help fund and provide services for small to mid-size businesses. Just like personal credit cards, business cards require self-discipline and the ability to budget funds appropriately.
All of the same fundamentals of using credit responsibly apply. Make sure that you understand the terms inside and out: Where you earn the most rewards, what benefits and services are available to you, what your interest rates are, and when your bills are due.
Advantages of business cards:
- Make it easier to separate personal and business expenses (handy for startups).
- The ability to manage your cash flow, giving you 20–30 days to pay off your business expenses without interest (in most cases).
- A higher credit limit than a personal consumer card, so no need to worry about the approval and disbursement of funds associated with a loan.
- Presenting a professional, credible image.
- Earning rewards like points or cash back on business expenses — the more expenses you have, the more rewards you can earn.
- Distributing employee cards, making it easier to track business purchases as well as set credit limits and control spending. This can simplify spending reviews and budgeting while providing more ways to earn rewards.
- Great perks like travel credits, elite member status with airlines and hotels, free night stays, and other complimentary services, along with handy protections and insurances.
- Some cards report activity to business credit bureaus, helping to improve your business credit.
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How Can You Get a Business Credit Card?
Best Pick For...
- Min. Credit Level Excellent
- Annual Fee $0 intro for first year; $95 after that
- Regular APR 18.49% Variable
Some people just want to earn cash back without bothering with bonus reward categories and complicated redemption options. If that sounds like you, you could do a lot worse than the Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business (Review).
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Unlike other cards, which reward you more for certain types of purchases, the Spark Cash offers a flat rate for everything you buy. This can be good for businesses that spend a lot on a variety of purchases, rather than particular spending categories. And there’s no limit to the cash back you can earn, unlike many other rewards cards.
This means that it’s a great option to pair with other rewards cards that do have bonus categories, like any of the others on our list.
You can use that other card for its bonus categories, earning cash back or points at a high rate. Then use the Spark Cash for every other expense, where you would typically only earn 1% back (or 1X point per dollar).
- Free employee cards
- Shopping protections: Purchase Security, Extended Warranty Protection, Price Protection, Cell Phone Protection
- Travel protections: MasterRental Insurance Coverage, Roadside Dispatch, Lost Luggage Reimbursement, Travel Accident Insurance
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $0 intro for first year; $95 after that
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% intro on purchases for 9 months, then 14.49% - 22.49% Variable
- Balance Transfer APR: 14.49% - 22.49% Variable
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $0
Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business
- 5X miles per dollar for:
- Hotels booked through Capital One Travel
- Rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar for all other purchases
- 50,000 bonus miles for spending $4,500 in the first 3 months
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: Once every four years
- Point transfer: To a variety of airline loyalty programs
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $0 intro for first year; $95 after that
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 miles for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
- Point transfer: To a variety of airline loyalty programs
- Purchase APR: 0% intro on purchases for 9 months, then 14.49% - 22.49% Variable
- Balance Transfer APR: 14.49% - 22.49% Variable
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $0
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
- 2X Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on the first $50,000 in purchases each year (then 1X)
- Point transfer: To a variety of airline and hotel partners
- Purchase APR: 0% on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening, then 13.24% - 19.24% Variable (Rates & Fees)
- Annual fee: No annual fee
American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
- 2% cash back on the first $50,000 in purchases each year (then 1%)
- Purchase APR: 0% on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening, then 13.24% - 19.24% Variable (Rates & Fees)
- Annual fee: No annual fee
The information related to Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (Review) is a premium travel rewards card, intended for small business owners who’ll travel and use the benefits enough to make it worth the annual fee.
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This card is a great way to earn Membership Rewards, and can provide a wealth of points through welcome bonuses.
You’ll have quite a few redemption options, including flights and gift cards. But the most rewarding method will be for point transfers, because you may find deals that provide 2 cents per point or more. That would give you a cash back equivalent of 10% when earning at the 5X rate, which isn’t bad at all.
These travel rewards are a bit limited compared to some other premium cards, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Review). But if you can spend enough on eligible travel purchases and make good use of the benefits each year, you’ll probably get your money’s worth with this card.
- Global Lounge Collection: Complimentary access to Priority Pass, Centurion, American Express International, Delta Sky Club, Escape, Airspace, Lufthansa, and Plaza Premium Lounges
- Up to $200 in airline fee statement credits annually: Good for incidental costs like checked bags and inflight food, not tickets, at your selected airline
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: A statement credit for the application fee of either Global Entry ($100 once every four years) or TSA PreCheck ($85 once every four-and-a-half years)
- Complimentary elite hotel statuses: Hilton Honors Gold status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
- $320 wireless telephone & shipping credit: Get up to $320 in statement credits for wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. providers and U.S. purchases for shipping (up to $20 per month each, until 12/31/20).
- $200 Dell statement credit: Enroll to get an annual $200 statement credit for U.S. purchases with Dell: $100 from January through June, and $100 from July through December (COVID-19 update: Now get $200 in additional credits; $100 from 5/1/20–6/30/20, and $100 from 7/1/20–12/31/20).
- The Hotel Collection: A $100 hotel credit and room upgrades when available for every eligible two-night stay
- Fine Hotels & Resorts Program: Daily breakfast for two, room upgrades when available, amenities valued at $100, and more at eligible properties
- Point transfer: To a selection of airline and hotel partners
- No foreign transaction fee (Rates & Fees)
- Annual fee: $595
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
- 5X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on Lyft rides
- 3X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent per year (then 1X) on:
- Travel
- Shipping
- Internet, cable, and phone services
- Advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines
- 1X Ultimate Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
- 100,000 bonus points for spending $15,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
- 25% point bonus: When redeeming for travel expenses through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Point transfer: At a 1:1 rate to a variety of airline and hotel loyalty programs, including British Airways, United, Marriott, and Hyatt
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $95
Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business
- 5X miles per dollar for:
- Hotels booked through Capital One Travel
- Rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar for all other purchases
- 50,000 bonus miles for spending $4,500 in the first 3 months
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: Once every four years
- Point transfer: To a variety of airline loyalty programs
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $0 intro for first year; $95 after that
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 miles for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
- Point transfer: To a variety of airline loyalty programs
- Purchase APR: 0% intro on purchases for 9 months, then 14.49% - 22.49% Variable
- Balance Transfer APR: 14.49% - 22.49% Variable
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $0
- Earn 75,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on qualifying purchases within your first 3 months of Card Membership.
- Get 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com.
- Get 50% more Membership Rewards® points. That’s an extra half point per dollar, on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more. You can get up to 1 million additional points per year.
- 35% Airline Bonus: Use Membership Rewards® Pay with Points for all or part of a flight with your selected qualifying airline, and you can get 35% of the points back, up to 500,000 bonus points per calendar year when you book on amextravel.com.
- Enroll to get up to $200 in statement credits annually by getting up to $100 semi-annually for U.S. purchases with Dell. Terms apply.
- PAY OVER TIME OPTION: A flexible payment option to help manage cash flow on purchases of $100 or more.
- Terms Apply.
The information related to The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
American Express is a Credit Card Insider advertiser.
Sometimes you may not know what your business expenses will be from month to month. If that’s your situation, you may like a card with many different bonus categories, or categories that are flexible in some way.
The American Express® Business Gold Card (Review) is a rewarding card with bonus categories that will match the two types of spending your business has the most of each month.
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This flexibility is a handy feature because you don’t have to bother changing the categories manually each month, like with some cards, and you don’t need to try to predict your upcoming business spending. You’ll just automatically get 4X points in the two categories you spent the most in, without any extra effort on your part.
But of course, the bonus categories should fit your business spending. So if this card doesn’t work for you, check out the runners up and their different categories.
- 25% airline bonus: Get 25% of your points back when booking eligible airfare through American Express Travel using Membership Rewards Pay with Points.
- The Hotel Collection: A $100 hotel credit and room upgrades when available for every eligible two-night stay.
- Point transfer: To a selection of airline and hotel partners.
- Amex Offers: Access to discounts and extra points at a wide variety of merchants.
- Tier One Program: Some businesses will be eligible for the Tier One Program from American Express. This comes with benefits that are “designed to streamline and enhance the business’s experience with American Express.”
- No foreign transaction fee (Rates & Fees)
- Annual fee: $295
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
- 5X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on Lyft rides
- 3X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent per year (then 1X) on:
- Travel
- Shipping
- Internet, cable, and phone services
- Advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines
- 1X Ultimate Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
- 100,000 bonus points for spending $15,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
- 25% point bonus: When redeeming for travel expenses through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Point transfer: At a 1:1 rate to a variety of airline and hotel loyalty programs, including British Airways, United, Marriott, and Hyatt
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $95
Bank of America® Business Advantage Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card
- 3% cash back in your choice of one category each month:
- Gas
- Travel
- Office supply stores
- TV/telecom & wireless services
- Computer services
- Business consulting services
- 2% cash back on Dining
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
- Spending limit: 3% and 2% categories are limited to the first $50,000 in combined spending per calendar year (then 1% thereafter).
- $300 statement credit when you make at least $3,000 in net purchases within 90 days of your account opening
- Purchase APR: 0% for 9 billing cycles, then 13.74% - 23.74% Variable APR
- Annual fee: $0.00
- Earn 35,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $5,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.*
- MORE REWARDS: Get 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 select categories where your business spent the most each month. 1X is earned for other purchases. **
- **4X points apply to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year.*
- AIRLINE BONUS: Get 25% points back after you use points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with Amex Travel, up to 250,000 points back per calendar year.*
- PAY OVER TIME OPTION: A flexible payment option with interest to help manage cash flow on purchases of $100 or more.*
- *Terms Apply
The information related to American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
Want to earn a lot of points fast? Signup bonuses are a great way to get there.
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Review) has an excellent offer, which could be enough for quite a few flights or hotel stays.
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If you’re worried about not hitting the signup bonus threshold, check out some creative ways to meet minimum spend requirements.
The other Chase Ink Business cards have very good offers as well (they’re runners up below), but those offers get even better if you can move the points you earn to a different Chase card that allows point transfers. If you got a bonus of 50,000 UR points with one of those other Ink cards, it would normally only be worth $500 at most — 1 cent per point. But if you move those points to another Chase card that allows point transfers, you could then transfer the points to a partner program to get a better value — at 2 cents per point, that same bonus would be worth $1,000.
The Chase cards that allow point transfers are:
- 25% point bonus: When redeeming for travel expenses through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Point transfer: At a 1:1 rate to a variety of airline and hotel loyalty programs, including British Airways, United, Marriott, and Hyatt
- Shop through Chase/Chase Offers: Earn more points by shopping at participating retailers with the Shop through Chase and Chase Offers marketplaces.
- Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection: Daily breakfast for two, free WiFi, room upgrades, early check-in, late checkout, and more at eligible hotels
- Visa Signature Business benefits: Purchase Protection, Cell Phone Protection, Primary Auto Rental Coverage, Roadside Dispatch, and more
- Employee cards: Get up to 70 employee cards, all for free.
- Purchase and Balance Transfer APR: 15.99%-20.99% Variable
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $95
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
- 5% cash back on Lyft rides
- 1.5% cash back for all other purchases
- $750 cash bonus for spending $7,500 in the first 3 months after account opening
- Purchase and Balance Transfer APR: 0% for 12 months, then 13.24% - 19.24% Variable
- Annual fee: $0
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
- 5% cash back on Lyft rides
- 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent each year (then 1%) for:
- Office supply stores
- Internet, cable, and phone services
- 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent each year (then 1%) at:
- Gas stations
- Restaurants
- 1% cash back for all other purchases
- $750 cash bonus for spending $7,500 in the first 3 months after account opening
- Purchase and Balance Transfer APR: 0% for 12 months, then 13.24% - 19.24% Variable
- Annual fee: $0
Bank of America® Business Advantage Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card
- 3% cash back in your choice of one category each month:
- Gas
- Travel
- Office supply stores
- TV/telecom & wireless services
- Computer services
- Business consulting services
- 2% cash back on Dining
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
- Spending limit: 3% and 2% categories are limited to the first $50,000 in combined spending per calendar year (then 1% thereafter).
- $300 statement credit when you make at least $3,000 in net purchases within 90 days of your account opening
- Purchase APR: 0% for 9 billing cycles, then 13.74% - 23.74% Variable APR
- Annual fee: $0.00
Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business
- 2% cash back for all purchases
- $500 cash bonus for spending $4,500 in the first 3 months
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $0 intro for first year; $95 after that
Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business
- 5X miles per dollar for:
- Hotels booked through Capital One Travel
- Rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar for all other purchases
- 50,000 bonus miles for spending $4,500 in the first 3 months
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: Once every four years
- Point transfer: To a variety of airline loyalty programs
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $0 intro for first year; $95 after that
- New Offer! Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year
- Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases – with no limit to the amount you can earn
- Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Redeem points for travel, cash back, gift cards and more – your points don’t expire as long as your account is open
- No foreign transaction fees
- Employee cards at no additional cost
- $95 Annual Fee
There are several business cards without annual fees, but the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (Review) is likely to be the most rewarding for the most small businesses.
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If your company spends a lot on office supplies and the other services listed, you’ll have few other options if you want to earn 5% cash back on them. That’s a pretty good deal but it’s limited to the first $25,000 you spend, and so is the 2% rate. So if you’ll spend much more than that every year you may want to consider getting multiple versions of this card, or adding in other cards to the mix.
Combining the Ink Business Cash with other cards wouldn’t be an overly-expensive strategy because it has no annual fee, so any rewards you earn are all profit as long as you don’t incur interest or fees. And you can avoid interest on purchases by simply paying your statement balance in full each month.
- Shop through Chase/Chase Offers: Earn more cash back by shopping at participating retailers with the Shop through Chase and Chase Offers marketplaces.
- Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection: Daily breakfast for two, free WiFi, room upgrades, early check-in, late checkout, and more at eligible hotels
- Visa Signature Business benefits: Purchase Protection, Cell Phone Protection, Primary Auto Rental Coverage, Roadside Dispatch, and more
- Purchase APR: 0% for 12 months, then 13.24% - 19.24% Variable
- Balance Transfer APR: 13.24% - 19.24% 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% intro on purchases for 9 months, then 14.49% - 22.49% Variable
- Balance Transfer APR: 14.49% - 22.49% Variable
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $0
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 miles for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
- Point transfer: To a variety of airline loyalty programs, including Cathay Pacific, Etihad Guest, and Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Purchase APR: 0% for 9 months, then 14.49% - 22.49% Variable
- Balance Transfer APR: 14.49% - 22.49% Variable
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $0
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
- 2X Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on the first $50,000 in purchases each year (then 1X)
- Purchase APR: 0% on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening, then 13.24% - 19.24% Variable (Rates & Fees)
- Annual fee: No annual fee
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
- 5% cash back on Lyft rides
- 1.5% cash back for every other purchase
- $750 cash bonus for spending $7,500 in the first 3 months after account opening
- Purchase APR: 0% for 12 months, then 13.24% - 19.24% Variable
- Annual fee: $0
Bank of America® Business Advantage Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card
- 3% cash back in your choice of one category each month:
- Gas
- Travel
- Office supply stores
- TV/telecom & wireless services
- Computer services
- Business consulting services
- 2% cash back on Dining
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
- Spending limit: 3% and 2% categories are limited to the first $50,000 in combined spending per calendar year (then 1% thereafter).
- $300 statement credit when you make at least $3,000 in net purchases within 90 days of your account opening
- Purchase APR: 0% for 9 billing cycles, then 13.74% - 23.74% Variable APR
- Annual fee: $0.00
- Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year
- Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year
- Earn 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn
- 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases
- Employee cards at no additional cost
- No Annual Fee
If your credit is in the fair or average range, which is a FICO score of about 580–669, you may have a hard time being approved for the more rewarding business cards out there. But your credit isn’t bad enough to warrant a secured business card either, so you need a middle option.
The Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business (Review) fills that gap, one of the few unsecured business cards designed for average credit.
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It’s not a very strong rewards program, but this is the trade-off for not having credit in the “good” range. You can actually get a slightly better cash back rate than that on some secured cards. But you won’t need to pay a security deposit to fund the credit limit of the Spark Classic, and you’ll need to do that with secured cards.
Although you could get a better rate by going for a secured card you wouldn’t earn much more than 1% cash back, and you may need to pay an annual fee, so it might not be worth it.
- Shopping and travel protections: Purchase Security, Extended Warranty, Travel and Emergency Assistance Services, and more
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $0
The information related to Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
Secured cards are designed for people with poor credit (a FICO score below 579) or no credit, providing a way to build a positive credit history. They require a refundable security deposit when you’re approved, which will be used to fund the credit limit.
There are only a few secured business credit cards, and the Wells Fargo® Business Secured Credit Card is probably the most useful.
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It’s not very rewarding, but this is typical for secured cards. Many don’t offer any rewards at all, so this is actually pretty good considering the competition, and the ability to choose the program that’s best for you is an interesting feature.
Use your expected business spending to figure out how much reward value you’d earn with each program, using a value of 1 cent per point. The answer will depend on how much you’ll spend, and your ability to redeem online (which should be easy to do).
Take note that this rewards program is the current offer from Wells Fargo, and it’s subject to change.
If approved for this card, you’ll need to deposit $500 to $25,000 to fund the credit line. Your credit limit will be equal to the amount you deposit.
After spending some time improving your credit, you’ll able to qualify for cards with better terms and rewards programs. Wells Fargo will periodically review your card account and your recent credit history, and, if you’ve been improving, you may be offered an upgrade to an unsecured card.
- Earn More Mall: Earn extra points and find discounts at select merchants (point rewards only)
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $25
- Up to 10 cards for you & employees
- Your choice of a cash back rewards program or a point rewards program
- More Bonus Points: When you shop online or in person at the Earn More Mall.
- Card Design Studio: Design your own card.
- $25 annual fee per card
- Min. Credit Level Eligibility determined by business financials
- Annual Fee $0
- Regular APR Not Applicable - Paid in Full Daily
Unlike most business cards, the Brex Daily Card doesn’t require a personal guarantee, and you won’t need an SSN to apply. You can apply using only your business EIN, and there’s no hard inquiry on your personal credit.
The Brex Daily card must be paired with a Brex Cash money management account. Each day, your card balance will be paid in full from the funds in your Brex Cash account.
Brex charge cards are designed for companies big and small, especially tech-forward corporations and other non-personal liability companies. They’re not available to sole proprietors.
You can choose a reward program that best fits your business:
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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)
- Expense management and receipt reconciliation tools
- Point transfer: At a 1:1 rate to select airline loyalty programs
- Employee card fee: None
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $0
- Not available to sole proprietors, unregistered businesses, and other non-individual liability companies
Brex 30 Card
- Choose Tech Rewards, Life Science Rewards, or Remote Workforce Rewards
- Perks: Thousands of dollars in credits and discounts, like $5,000 in AWS credits, $150 in Google Ads credits, 50% discount on Dropbox plans, and a 20% Zoom subscription discount
- Point transfer: At a 1:1 rate to select airline loyalty programs
- Expense management and receipt reconciliation tools
- Annual fee: $0
- Not available to sole proprietors, unregistered businesses, and other non-individual liability companies
- $50,000 minimum bank account balance required for venture-backed companies; $100,000 otherwise
Stripe Corporate Card
- 2% cash back in your top two spending categories per month, from several options
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
- 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, and more
- Annual fee: $0
- Choose either Tech Rewards, Life Science Rewards, or Remote Workforce Rewards
- $5,000 in Amazon Web Services credit over a year
- $150 in Google Ads credit
- 5% rebate on Microsoft ad products
- 40% off your first 12 months of QuickBooks
- 25% off an annual Monday.com subscription
- No foreign transaction fee
- No annual fee
- Not available to consumers, sole proprietors, unregistered businesses, and other non-individual liability companies
- Min. Credit Level Eligibility determined by business financials
- Annual Fee $0
- Regular APR Not Applicable - Paid in Full Monthly
Available to venture-backed companies (not sole proprietors) with at least $50,000 in the bank, the Brex 30 Card is designed for big spenders. If you’re not venture-backed, the requirement is $100,000.
But the perks are pretty big, too. You’ll get to choose one of three valuable rewards programs, and there’s a giant list of credits and discounts to take advantage of. They include $5,000 in AWS credits, 40% off your first year of QuickBooks, a 5% rebate on Microsoft ad purchases, 25% off eligible Slack plans, and many more.
| Tech Rewards | Life Sciences Rewards | Remote Workforce Rewards |
|---|---|---|
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This is a charge card, meaning you must pay the full statement balance by the due date.
- 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
- Expense management and receipt reconciliation tools
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee: $0
- Employee card fee: None
- Not available to sole proprietors, unregistered businesses, and other non-individual liability companies
- $50,000 minimum bank account balance required for venture-backed companies; $100,000 otherwise
- Choose either Tech Rewards, Life Science Rewards, or Remote Workforce Rewards
- $5,000 in Amazon Web Services credit over a year
- $150 in Google Ads credit
- 5% rebate on Microsoft ad products
- 50% discount on all Dropbox Standard, Business, and Advanced plans
- 20% discount on annual Zoom subscription
- No foreign transaction fee
- No annual fee
- Minimum of $50,000 required in bank account for venture-backed companies; $100,000 otherwise
- Not available to consumers, sole proprietors, unregistered businesses, and other non-individual liability companies
How Can You Get a Business Credit Card?
You can apply for most business credit cards just like you’d apply for a personal credit card. This is because business credit cards usually rely on your personal credit, rather than your business credit; so there usually isn’t much difference in the application.
You’ll need “a business” of some kind, but you may find that it’s easier to meet that standard than you thought. You may qualify if you’ve ever engaged in anything like having a business — that includes being a freelancer or sole proprietor, or selling knickknacks at a local craft fair. Selling your old stuff on Craigslist might even be enough.
A few business cards, however, are designed for large corporations with large revenue streams. If that’s what you need, take a look at the Brex cards and the American Express Corporate cards.
Learn more about applying for business credit cards here, including how they can affect your personal credit.
What’s the Best Business Credit Card?
There are quite a few excellent business credit cards. The right one for you will depend on your needs:
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (Review): For travelers who want luxury perks and an extensive reward program
- Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business (Review): If you want simple flat-rate cash back
- Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (Review): For high cash back rates on typical business expenses
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Review): For points on travel and other expenses, and a big introductory bonus
- Brex Daily Card: Excellent rewards and perks; you can apply with a business EIN and no personal guarantee
Best Picks for Airline Travel
There are many good airline business credit cards which are co-branded with specific airlines. They’re meant to be used mostly with that one brand, where they offer perks and their best rates for earning award miles.
The best airline card or cards for you will depend on the airlines you like. If you love flying with Delta, take a look at its co-branded cards; but if you hate that airline, you should rightly avoid its credit cards.
Many of the major airlines have co-branded cards, giving you opportunities to earn a whole lot of airline miles. Usually they only have one business card offer each, but in some cases there are more. If you don’t like the business card options, there may be a consumer airline credit card that’s more appealing.
Here are our top picks for airline business cards.
| Airline | Our Best Pick |
|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | Alaska Airlines Visa® Business credit card |
| Asiana | Asiana Visa® Business Card |
| American Airlines | AAdvantage® Aviator™ Business Mastercard® |
| Delta | Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card (Review) |
| Hawaiian Airlines | Hawaiian Airlines® Business Mastercard® |
| JetBlue | JetBlue Business Mastercard® |
| Southwest Airlines | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card |
| United | United℠ Business Card |
Best Picks for Hotel Stays
Just like when it comes to airline cards, the best hotel business card for you will depend on where you like to stay. Most of the major hotel brands offer co-branded cards, and they’re often very rewarding.
You’ll typically get some complimentary services and benefits at the participating hotel and resort locations, like free night stays. And you’ll often get some kind of Elite membership status, which usually provides extra perks and even more points on top of what you earn from the card.
There aren’t many hotel business cards, unfortunately. If the hotel brand you like doesn’t offer a business card, check to see if there’s a consumer hotel credit card that would work for you. You’ll get the same types of rewards and perks, but without the business features.
Here are our picks for the best hotel business cards.
| Hotel Brand | Our Best Pick |
|---|---|
| Hilton | The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (Review) |
| Marriott | Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card (Review) |
What’s the Difference Between Business and Personal Cards?
There are a few important differences between business and personal cards. Before getting a business card, educate yourself on what to expect.
- The applicant will usually be held completely liable for the account. Business credit cards usually require a personal guarantee (PG), which will hold the applicant personally responsible to repay the debt incurred with the card.
- Business credit cards, as long as they are paid on time, are not usually reported on personal credit reports. But if your account goes into negative status or default, it may show up as a surprise blemish on your credit reports (and some card issuers report all business card activity on personal credit reports).
- Business credit cards are not covered by the protections of the CARD Act of 2009, which limits retroactive rate increases and fees, and requires a 21-day grace period before payments are due on cards that have grace periods. However, some card issuers will still include these features on business cards — check the card terms to find out.
If I Apply Using My EIN, Does the Card Issuer Check My Personal Credit Reports?
The short answer is yes, the credit inquiry will almost always look at against your personal credit (unless you’re applying for a corporate card, like from Brex or Amex).
You’ll have some choices about the information you submit when applying for a business card. You may need to enter both your Employer Identification Number (EIN) and your Social Security number. And in some cases you may be able to submit your EIN instead of your SSN.
However, you should usually expect a credit inquiry to show up on your personal credit reports, because your EIN is connected to your SSN. Since you typically need to sign on as the personal guarantor of the account, the card issuer will check your personal credit reports. The issuer can do this with just your EIN, although if that’s all you input they may ask you to submit your SSN afterward.
Depending on the issuer, regular account activity may be reported on your credit reports alongside personal credit card accounts, affecting your personal revolving utilization. Other issuers only report negative items, like late payments, to personal credit bureaus. Learn more about how different issuers report in our guide to building business credit.
In some cases, if you have a large, established business with a good credit history of its own, you may be able to apply for a business card without a personal guarantee. You may need to negotiate this with the card issuer. If you want to apply for a business card using only an EIN and without a personal guarantee, we recommend contacting the card issuer to ask about it.
A Positive Impact on Businesses
A report from the American Bankers Association clearly showed the overall economic advantage of the increased use of credit cards by small businesses.
From 2003 to 2008, it was estimated that the expansion of credit card lending to small businesses added $142 billion to the U.S. economy, and led to the creation of 1.6 million jobs.
On the individual scale, small business credit card use is connected to higher returns when it comes to growth in revenue and employment.
Some other interesting takeaways from the report:
- An increase of $1,000 in credit card spending was associated with an increase of $5,500 in business revenue.
- Small businesses with business cards had, on average, more assets, loans, revenue, and employees.
- Every increase of 1% in business card use was associated with approximately 17,000 new small business jobs.
- 80% of small firms using business cards paid off their balance in full each month (you should be like them!)
Types of Business Cards
Just like with personal cards, there are different types of cards available for businesses. The main types are revolving (commonly called “credit cards”), charge, and secured.
Revolving Business Cards
When you think of the typical credit card, you’re probably thinking of a revolving card. Revolving credit cards are issued with a credit limit based on your credit history and scores along with your current finances, and you can spend up to that limit.
If you carry (or revolve) a balance from month to month, you’ll be required to pay a minimum amount at the end of each billing period. If you decide not to pay the full balance owed, the remainder will accrue interest, which is set by your interest rate (usually a variable APR).
Unless absolutely necessary, we always recommend that you pay off your balance in full to avoid being charged interest on purchases.
Business Charge Cards
Charge cards are very similar to revolving credit cards, but they do not allow you to revolve a balance from month to month. Instead, you’re required to pay off the balance in full each month.
There are many benefits to this approach, because, while late fees may still apply for paying late, you’ll be saving money by not accruing interest each month. You don’t get the advantage of being able to pay for purchases over many months, but charge cards usually come with many of the same features as credit cards, like cash back for purchases along with shopping and traveling benefits.
In a sense, charge cards are like credit cards with a bit of built-in financial responsibility.
Read more: Charge Cards vs. Credit Cards
Secured Business Credit Cards
Though not an immediate go-to option, secured business cards are available for business owners with below-average or bad credit.
You simply need to put down a refundable security deposit to fund the credit limit. Over time, with responsible use, you can build up your credit and upgrade to an unsecured credit card.
Read more: Secured Business Credit Cards
Building Business Credit
Business credit is a different type of credit than personal credit, and needs to be built up in different (but similar) ways. You have business credit scores very much like personal credit scores, but there are different requirements to meet and some different credit reporting agencies to deal with.
The Definitive Guide to Building Business Credit
Starting a business can be complicated and expensive, and keeping business credit separated from personal credit may seem like a challenge.
What you’ll learn here:
- A step-by-step process to building business credit
- The agencies involved in reporting business credit
- How business credit is calculated
- How business credit differs from personal credit
- More tips and advice about business credit
Read more: The Definitive Guide to Building Business Credit
Getting a Business Credit Card Without a Personal Guarantee
In some cases it can be possible to successfully apply for a business credit card without needing to sign a personal guarantee of liability for the card. But you’ll usually need to be a corporation with an established line of credit.
What you’ll learn here:
- How personal guarantees will usually hold you liable for your business card usage, even if the card is associated with a business
- The two things you’ll need to do if you want to get a business credit card without signing a personal guarantee
- How consumer protections differ between personal and business cards
Read more: Getting a Business Credit Card Without a Personal Guarantee
Ready to explore more cards? Check out our picks for the Best Credit Cards in a variety of categories.
For rates and fees of the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, please click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card, please click here.
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