The best business credit cards of 2018

Find a stellar business credit card for travel, cash back, balance transfers, average credit and more.

You run a business, and you’re out to win. A great business credit card will help you do just that.

To speed up your search for the right card, we’ve assembled the best business-focused contenders on the market. Whether you need cash back, point accelerators or travel rewards, there’s a card that’ll work for you.

Which type of card are you looking for?

There’s no singularly perfect business credit card — choosing the right one boils down to what you value most. We’ve whittled the field down to six particularly strong cards, and each is a great pick in its respective category.

While looking for a card, consider where your business often spends money. Some cards give you accelerated points or cash back in a few categories, while others offer consistent rewards regardless of what you buy.

Finally, you’ll have a better chance of card approval if you apply with a good to excellent credit score of 670 or higher. A notable exception to this is the Wells Fargo Business Secured Credit Card, which accepts cardholders with average credit scores.

Best business credit card for cash back: Capital One® Spark® Cash Business

The Capital One® Spark® Cash Business credit card lets you earn unlimited cash back on all business purchases. This makes the card ideal for businesses that spend more than $250,000 annually, and businesses that don’t spend much on any particular category of purchases.

• The perks

  • Cash back.

    Earn unlimited 2% cash back on all of your business purchases. Redeem your earnings as a statement credit, check, gift card or for credits towards previous purchases.

  • Signup bonus.

    Get $500 bonus cash back once you spend $4,500 in the first three months of card membership. Compared to similar cards, this is a decent bonus.

  • No foreign transaction fee.

    Use your card freely when traveling abroad without paying any foreign transaction fees.

  • Free employee cards.

    It won’t cost you anything to get additional employee cards.

• What to watch out for

  • Annual fee.

    You’ll pay a $95 annual fee, starting from the second year.

  • Penalty APR.

    Once you make a single late payment, Capital One will impose a penalty APR of 31.15% variable. You can return to your prior APR by making at least the minimum payment on time for 12 consecutive billing periods.

  • Minimum credit line.

    When you apply for this card, the minimum credit line you can receive is $2,000. With other cards, you could get up to $5,000 minimum credit line.

Best business credit card for travel: Business Platinum Card® from American Express

Business owners who spend thousands of dollars a month on air travel could use the benefits offered by the Business Platinum Card® from American Express. You’ll get to enjoy premium perks, like complimentary access to more than 1,200 airport lounges worldwide, hotels benefits at selected brands, a 24/7 concierge services and more. Depending on what you redeem your points for, you can get up to 5% back on your purchases.

• The perks

  • Membership points.

    Earn 5x points on prepaid hotels and flights booked through the Amex travel site. For purchases over $5,000, you’ll earn 1.5x points up to one million points annually. For all other purchases, you’ll earn 1x points.

  • Welcome offer.

    Get 50,000 bonus points when you spend $10,000 during your first three months of card membership. Get 25,000 additional bonus points after you spend $10,000 more during the same three months for a total of 75,000 bonus points. That’s up to $750 in rewards.

  • Global Lounge Collection.

    Access more than 1,200 airport lounges worldwide, including the Centurion Lounge, International American Express lounges or Delta Sky Club when flying Delta. For access to Priority Pass Select lounges, Airspace lounges and Escape lounges you’ll need to enroll. Considering a one day pass for most lounges costs $50 on average, you can save up to $1,200 per year if you visit two lounges a month.

  • Airline fee credit.

    Every year, you’ll get a $200 airline fee credit to use toward incidental air travel fees.

  • Concierge Service.

    Enjoy complimentary assistance with arranging lunch meetings, getting concert tickets for your clients, booking transportation and more.

  • Premium roadside and global assistance.

    When you need help for changing your tire or charging your car battery, call the 24/7 roadside assistance hotline. You won’t pay for this service up to four times per year. Also, you get 24/7 access to medical, legal, financial and other emergency services when traveling more than 100 miles from home.

  • Hotel benefits.

    Book through Fine Hotels & Resorts and get complimentary benefits, such as room upgrades when available, breakfast for two, late check-out and more. You can also upgrade to Starwood Preferred Guest Gold Status and Hilton Honors Gold status without meeting any stay requirements.

• What to watch out for

  • Annual fee.

    The card and its benefits come with a $450 annual fee. But if you travel often and use the perks offered, you can offset the fee many times over.

  • Not a credit card.

    This is not a regular credit card, it’s a hybrid credit and charge card. This means you have to pay your entire balance when it comes due. There’s a possibility to enroll in the Pay Over Time feature, which gives you the option to carry a balance for eligible purchases and pay interest on the balance.

Best business credit card for balance transfers: Blue Business℠ Plus Credit Card

If you’re looking for a solid balance transfer card for your business, the Blue Business℠ Plus Credit Card could be worth considering. You’ll get one of the longest intro APR periods on balance transfers and purchases offered to businesses, and you’ll earn membership points on everything you buy.

• The perks

  • Intro APR period.

    Enjoy a 0% intro APR period on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months following your account opening. After that, you’ll pay a variable APR of 12.99%, 16.99% or 20.99%.

  • Welcome offer.

    Spend $3,000 in your first three months of card membership and get 10,000 bonus membership points, valued up to $100. This offer expires at September 26, 2018.

  • Membership points.

    For every dollar spent up to $50,000 per year, you’ll earn 2 points. After reaching the cap, you’ll get 1x points. Your redemption options include flights, hotel accommodations, gift cards and shopping.

  • Buy above your credit line.

    American Express offers you an increased purchasing power, which is based on your card activity, your payment history and other factors.

  • Expense management tools.

    Get management tools for your accounts, transfer your statement data directly to your Quickbooks account or set up an account manager.

  • No annual fee.

    You won’t pay an annual fee for your card or for additional employee cards.

• What to watch out for

  • Foreign transaction fee.

    Each transaction abroad comes with a fee of 2.7% fee the transaction.

  • Penalty APR.

    American Express may impose a penalty APR of 29.99% variable if you make two or more late payments in a 12-month period, or if you don’t pay the minimum payment when due. You’ll need to pay your statement on time for at least 12 consecutive months to revert the rate.

  • Balance transfer limitations.

    Request your balance transfers within the first 60 days of card membership. Your requested amount must not exceed $15,000 or 75% of your credit line, whichever is less.

Best business credit card for gas: SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card

Businesses that spend between $10,000 and $50,000 annually on gas could find the SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card to be the best choice. You’ll earn high cash back on purchases in three categories and flat cash back on all other purchases.

Furthermore, you’ll get an intro APR period on purchases, the possibility to spend above your credit limit, expense management tools, purchase protection and travel insurance — all without paying an annual fee.

• The perks

  • Cash back.

    Earn 5% cash back on office supplies and wireless telephone services, 3% back on a category of your choice — including gas — and 1% back on everything else you buy. The cap for 5% and 3% cash back is $50,000 per year. After that, you’ll earn 1% back on these categories.

  • Intro APR on purchases.

    Enjoy 9 months following your account opening of zero interest on purchases. Once the intro period passes, your rate reverts to a variable 13.99%, 18.99% or 20.99%.

  • Buy above your credit line.

    You can spend more than your credit line allows and earn cash back on those purchases. The amount you can spend adjusts based on your card activity and other factors, but know that you must pay the amount above your credit line in full every month.

  • No annual fee.

    Without an annual fee, all the cash back you earn with the card comes as purely a reward. Earn more cash back with additional employee cards that also have no annual fee.

  • Expense management tools.

    With the help of expense management tools, you can transfer your statement data directly to your Quickbooks account, set up an account manager, set up alerts and more.

  • Travel and Transportation perks.

    Get perks like access to a roadside and global assistance hotline, travel accident insurance, baggage insurance, car rental insurance and more.

• What to watch out for

  • Foreign transaction fee.

    You’ll pay a fee of 2.7% of each transaction you make outside of the US.

  • Penalty APR.

    You could end up with a penalty APR of 29.99% variable if you make two or more late payments in a 12 month period or if you don’t pay the minimum payment when due. To remove the penalty APR, you’ll have to pay on time for 12 consecutive months.

  • Cap on cash back.

    You earn 3% back on gas up to $50,000 per year. If you spend less than $10,000, the Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi or the Sam’s Club® Business Mastercard® could be a better choice as you’ll earn more cash back. But if you spend more than $50,000 on gas, consider the Business Advantage Cash Rewards Mastercard® from Bank of America where the cap for earning 3% back on gas is $250,000 annually.

Best business credit card for building or rebuilding credit: Wells Fargo Business Secured Credit Card

Businesses looking to build their credit may find the Wells Fargo Business Secured Credit Card useful. You’ll have full control over your credit line with a deposit of up to $25,000, and — with responsible use and timely payments — you’ll build your credit and you may graduate to an unsecured card.

In addition, you can enroll in the optional reward programs to earn either cash back or reward points on all of your purchases.

• The perks

  • Build your business credit.

    Businesses with no credit history and businesses with past credit difficulties are welcome to apply for the card. Use the card responsibly to build your credit.

  • Earn rewards.

    When you open your account, you can select between two reward programs — earn 1.5% cash back or earn 1x points. The points-earning program has additional bonuses, such as 1,000 bonus points every month you spend more than $1,000, and you’ll earn 10% bonus points for online points redemption. If you enroll for either of the programs until September 30, 2018, you won’t pay program enrollment fee for the life of your account.

  • High credit line deposit.

    You can deposit from $500 up to $25,000 to act as your credit line.

  • Graduate to an unsecured card.

    Wells Fargo will periodically review your account, and you may get an unsecured credit line if you use your card responsibly.

  • Online banking.

    Pay your bills and manage your expenses with Wells Fargo online banking.

  • No foreign transaction fees.

    Use your card for payments outside of the US and without worrying about foreign transaction fees. Other cards have fees of up to 3% of each transaction.

• What to watch out for

  • Annual fee.

    You’ll have to pay an annual fee of $25 per card, and are limited to a maximum of 10 cards.

  • Most fees aren’t listed.

    You won’t find information for late payment fees, returned check and similar fees anywhere on the Wells Fargo website.

Best business credit card for signup bonus: Chase Ink Preferred℠ credit card

The Chase Ink Preferred℠ comes with one of the highest signup bonuses you can get for a business credit card. But that shouldn’t be the only reason to consider the card. You’ll also earn a high number of points on selected business purchases.

This can also be a great card for business owners who often travel. Not only will you earn a lot of points on travel, among other categories, but you’ll get the highest redemption value on travel purchases.

• The perks

  • Signup bonus.

    Earn 80,000 points — worth up to $1,000 when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards — once you spend $5,000 in the first three months of card membership. This is one of the more generous signup bonuses you can get with a business credit card.

  • Earn rewards.

    Earn 3x points on travel, cable and phone services, advertising with social media and search engines, Internet and shopping up to $150,000 in combined purchases per year. After you reach the cap, you’ll earn 1x points, which is also the earning rate on all other purchases you make.

  • Higher point value.

    You can redeem your rewards for cash back, gift cards, shopping directly with Amazon and more, but you’ll get 25% more value when you redeem your points for travel purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards. And if you own other Chase cards — personal cards included — that have the Ultimate Rewards program, you can maximize your earnings by spending in accelerated categories with each card.

  • Point transfers.

    Transfer your points at a 1:1 ratio with Chase’s partners, including British Airways, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, or the hotels Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, World of Hyatt and others.

  • No foreign transaction fee.

    This can be an ideal credit card for your business if you often travel. You won’t pay any foreign transaction fees when you use your card abroad. If you spend even $5,000 annually outside of the US, you can save $150 in potential fees that you might face with other cards.

  • Trip and car rental insurance.

    Get coverage against theft and damage when you pay for rental cars with your card. Get trip cancelation reimbursement for non-refundable travel bookings like hotels, passenger fares or tours up to $5,000 when your trip is canceled.

• What to watch out for

  • Annual fee.

    The card comes with an annual fee of $95. This is a relatively small price to pay, considering the value you can get if you travel often, and what you can earn with the signup bonus.

  • Penalty APR.

    Chase could impose a penalty APR of up to 29.99% variable for a single late or returned payment, which can apply indefinitely to your account.

Frequently asked questions

• What’s the best way to apply for a credit card?

  To apply for any of the cards you see on this page, click the green “Go to site” button next to the card in our comparison table. Fill out the application on the provider’s website, and you should receive an answer on your application within a few minutes to a few days.

• What makes one credit card better than another?

  There are a variety of reasons why a card might be ideal for your business. Of course, the most important are those that work for your needs and spending habits.

  Often there is a primary factor that differentiates cards. For example, you may be looking for a balance transfer card. In that case, the primary consideration might be how long the 0% APR transfer period is.

  When multiple cards are strong in a primary factor, compare the secondary features. Does a card offer a $0 annual fee, a 0% intro APR for purchases or excellent cash-back options? Chances are you’ll find a well-rounded card that’s attractive for you in every respect.

• What is APR?

  Short for annual percentage rate, it’s a card’s interest rate expressed yearly. Basically, it’s the fee you’re charged for the privilege of borrowing money through your credit card company.

• What are cash back, points and miles?

  With cash back, a percentage of your spending is paid back to you. For example, if you get a 1.5% rate on $100, you’ll receive $1.50 cash back.

  Points and miles are based on the same concept, except you trade them for other rewards. For example, you may get 2 miles per dollar spent — that’ll net you 200 points if you spend $100. You can later redeem those miles for rewards like vacation getaways and travel statement credit.

• What is an intro APR period?

  An intro APR period means you’ll pay a special interest rate for a certain period of time. For example, “0% APR on purchases for 15 months” means that you’re not charged interest on any spending in the 15 months after you open your card.

  Keep track of when your intro APR expires. If you haven’t paid off your purchases by the end of your intro APR, you’ll accrue interest on your balance.