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Finder’s expert credit card team spends hundreds of hours comparing over 100 business credit cards. We based our list of the top-10 performing business cards on several factors, including:credit requirements, annual and balance transfer fees, APRs, reward opportunities, signup bonuses and additional business features. Finder’s experts provide unbiased, trustworthy evaluations of all business credit cards and providers, not just those we partner with on the site.
Cash back. Up to 5% cash back on business spending. Spending on Internet, cable and phone services earns 5% cash back on the first $25,000 you spend annually in combined purchases — and 1% after. In gas stations and restaurants, you’ll earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 you spend annually in combined purchases — and 1% after. On everything else, you’ll earn 1% cash back.
Signup bonus. After you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account, you’ll earn $900 bonus cash back.
Annual fee. A $0 annual fee makes it easy to keep the card long-term and lets you keep all the rewards you earn.
Intro APR. 0% on purchases for the 12 months. For the first 12 months after opening your account, you’ll receive a 0% intro APR on purchases. After that, your purchase APR will be 18.49% to 24.49% variable.
Cons
Your intro APR expires after the 12 months. Once your intro APR expires, you’ll start accruing interest on all outstanding balances.
Penalty fees. You’ll pay fees of up to $40 if you make a late or returned payment.
Business cards with no personal guarantee have become more popular in recent years, thanks in part to the Brex card. By requiring no personal guarantee, the Brex Card protects your personal assets should your business go belly up.
Pros
Rewards program. Earn 8x points on rideshares, including Uber, Lyft, taxis and scooter, 5x points on flights and hotels booked through Brex Travel, 4x points on restaurants, dining and eligible Apple products purchased through the Brex portal and 3x on recurring software purchases like Salesforce, Zendesk and Twilio. All other purchases earn 1x points.
No personal guarantee. Your startup may fail. With Brex Card, you are not personally liable for the card debt and you don't need a personal guarantee to be approved for the card.
Signup bonus. Get $300 after spending $3,500, or $500 after spending $9,000 on your Brex card within the first 30 days.
Cons
Can’t carry a balance. You must pay your full balance before your due date, which is 30 days after the close of your statement period.
Annual fee
$0
Purchase APR
N/A
Balance transfer APR
N/A
Welcome Offer
$300 after spending $3,500, or $500 after spending $9,000 on your Brex card within the first 30 days
If you don't want to worry about keeping track of reward categories, the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card keeps things simple. You can earn a respectable 1.5% back on all of your business purchases. The card also has a surprisingly robust welcome offer, letting you earn $900 after meeting the spend requirements, and a useful 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months.
Annual fee
$0
Purchase APR
0% intro for the first 12 months (then 18.49% to 24.49% variable)
Balance transfer APR
18.49% to 24.49% variable
Welcome Offer
$900 back after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months
Signup bonus. Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months when you open your account. This can be worth $1,250 when you redeem your points through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Reward points. Earn 3x points on the first $150,000 spent per year in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines. After reaching the cap and on all other purchases, you earn 1x points.
Points transfer. You can transfer your points in 1:1 ratio with Chase's travel partners, including British Airways, Southwest Airlines, IHG hotels and Marriott.
Cons
Annual fee. The card costs $95 annually.
No intro APR period. You don't get a 0% intro APR period on purchases and balance transfers.
Annual fee
$95
Purchase APR
21.24% to 26.24% variable
Balance transfer APR
21.24% to 26.24% variable
Welcome Offer
100,000 points after spending $8,000 in the first 3 months
The Ramp Visa® Commercial Card is the newest business card for startups on the block and offers an array of features that can help new businesses grow. Aside from a solid rewards rate, the Ramp Visa® Commercial Card analyzes your business spending to identify areas you can save. The card also features 18 different signup bonuses, worth thousands of dollars in value.
Annual fee
$0
Purchase APR
N/A
Balance transfer APR
N/A
Welcome Offer
N/A
Rewards
Up to 1.5% cash back
Best for selecting your bonus category
N/AN/A
Being able to choose your highest rewards category is a great boon when running a business. The Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card lets you choose from several common business expenses, such as office supplies and travel, while supplementing your earnings if you're a Business Platinum or Preferred Rewards member. To choose your highest-earning category is a rare perk.
Annual fee
$0
Purchase APR
0% intro for the first 9 billing cycles (then 18.49% to 28.49% variable)
Balance transfer APR
18.49% to 28.49% variable
Welcome Offer
$300 online statement credit after making at least $3,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening
With less balance transfer offers on the market than before, the U.S. Bank Business Platinum has become this year's best bet for business owners looking to consolidate debts. While the card doesn't offer a signup bonus or rewards, it has no annual fee. And if you need to invest in some office supplies, the card also comes with an intro APR on purchases, which is like an interest-free loan.
Pros
No annual fee. There's no annual fee for employee cards either.
Intro APR. Receive a 0% intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for the first 20 billing cycles. After that, your purchase and balance transfer APR will be 17.24% to 26.24% variable.
24/7 customer support. Get help with your card account from U.S. Bank's business specialists.
Cons
No signup bonus. Most cards come with a bonus once you meet certain spending criteria. Unfortunately, this card doesn’t have any bonuses.
Foreign transaction fee. Limit your credit card spending when traveling abroad to avoid paying a fee of 3% of the transaction. It may not seem like much, but it can quickly add up.
Like its consumer counterpart, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is all about luxury. You gain access to more than 1,400 airport lounges around the world, including access to the much-praised Centurion Lounge. Of course, this card also comes with other luxury perks, including hotel benefits, travel credits and more.
Pros
Global Lounge Collection. Get access to more than 1,400 airport lounges worldwide, including the Centurion Lounge, International American Express lounges and Delta Sky Club when flying Delta. To get access to Priority Pass Select, Airspace and Escape lounges, you'll need to enroll first.
Welcome offer. Spend $15,000 on eligible purchases in your first 3 months of card membership to earn 120,000 bonus points. This is one of the higher welcome offers on the market.
Membership rewards. Earn 5x points on prepaid hotels and flights through Amex Travel, 1.5x points on eligible purchases at U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software and cloud system providers, shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year. Earn 1x points on other eligible purchases.
Cons
High annual fee. This is one of the more expensive business cards with a $695 annual fee.
Annual fee
$695
Purchase APR
19.49% to 27.49% variable APR for Pay Over Time Feature
Welcome Offer
120,000 points after spending $15,000 in the first 3 months
The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card is a luxury travel card offering similar to The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. However, the difference is the reward potential, and valuable perks are specifically aimed at businesses that regularly fly Delta. Aside from terrific airport lounge access comparable to the Amex Platinum card, you'll also receive a companion certificate that you can use to cover a companion's flight even if you're flying first class — a value easily worth more than hundreds of dollars.
Pros
Airport lounge access. Get complimentary access to Delta Sky Club. Get a per-visit rate of $50/person for up to two companions when you visit the lounge. Each card year, receive two one-time guest passes for the Delta Sky Club. Also, get access to The Centurion Lounge when flying with Delta.
Status boost. With Status Boost®, earn 15,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $30,000 in purchases on your Card through 12/31/23, up to four times per year getting you closer to Medallion Status.* MQMs are used to determine Medallion Status and are different from the miles you earn towards flights.*Effective 1/1/24, this benefit will no longer be available, and there will be a new way to earn toward Medallion Status with the Card. Learn more at delta.com/skymilesprogramchanges.
Earn miles. You'll earn 3x miles on eligible Delta purchases and 1x miles on all other eligible purchases. After you spend $150,000 on your card in a calendar year, you earn 1.5 miles per dollar on eligible purchases the rest of the year. This earning boost only applies to non-Delta purchases.
Cons
Annual fee. To own the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, you’ll have to pay $550 per year. If you frequently fly on Delta and you often visit Delta Sky Clubs®, your benefits will likely outweigh the annual fee.
Annual fee
$550
Purchase APR
20.99% to 29.99% variable
Balance transfer APR
N/A
Welcome Offer
Limited time offer: Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $12,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Earn an additional 10,000 Bonus Miles after making eligible Delta purchases in the first 6 months. Offer ends on 10/25/23.
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card packs an unmatched amount of value into its low $95 annual cost. Aside from earning a whopping 12x points on Hilton hotels and resorts, it also earns 6x points on an assortment of useful categories for businesses. The sizable welcome offer, Free Night Rewards and complimentary Gold status help round out this card as an excellent value for businesses who prefer Hilton for their business stays.
Pros
Welcome offer. Spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open to earn 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points.
Free Night Reward. Once you spend $15,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year, you'll earn a Free Night Reward. Spend $45,000 more in the same calendar year to earn another Free Night Reward.
Earn Hilton Honors points. Use your card at Hilton hotels and resorts to earn a cool 12 points per dollar. You'll also earn 6x points at U.S. gas stations, on U.S. purchases for shipping, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, on flights booked directly with airlines or with Amex Travel, on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants. On all other eligible purchases, you'll earn 3x points.
Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold. You’re automatically enrolled as a Hilton Honors Gold member, offering an 80% bonus on base points per stay, room upgrades, your fifth night free on eligible stays, continental breakfast and other perks.
Cons
No intro APR for balance transfers and purchases. You won’t get an intro APR period for your purchases or balance transfers with this Hilton business credit card. This is also the case for most similar travel cards.
$95 annual fee. For travelers who often stay within the Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand or love to unwind at Priority Pass Select lounges while traveling, the benefits of this card just might outweigh the annual fee.
Annual fee
$95
Purchase APR
20.99% to 29.99% variable
Balance transfer APR
N/A
Welcome Offer
130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months.
The Plum Card® from American Express offers a bit more flexibility than Amex's other business offerings. So long as you pay at least 10% of your balance before the due date, Amex offers a 60-day grace period on interest. For businesses uncertain about their finances within their first few months, this extra grace period can help keep things afloat.
Pros
Long grace period. You'll enjoy a 60-day grace period on purchases, so long as you pay your minimum due by the listed due date.
Payment discounts. If you pay your balance off within 10 days of closing date, you'll receive a % discount on your payment.
No annual fee on additional cards. Any additional employee cards you use won't be charged an annual fee.
Cons
Pay your balance in full. While you have a 60-day grace period when used correctly, your balance must be paid in full before the end of that period.
High annual fee. The Plum Card has a surprisingly large annual fee of $250‡ after the intro year.
Annual fee
$250
Purchase APR
N/A - Take up to 60 days to pay with no interest, when you pay your minimum due by the Payment Due Date
The needs of a business are as varied as the need of an individual consumer. To create our best list we devised a simple list of the most common financial needs businesses are likely to encounter. From there we judged cards within these categories based on card features like bonus reward categories, reward rates, intro APR periods, travel perks and free employee cards. Those that performed best in each category based on these features were chosen for our list.
Compare all business credit cards
If you don’t see an option that fits your financial needs on our list of best business credit cards, you can compare even more options. Take a look at other available business credit cards to find something that suits your company finances.
5 factors to consider when choosing the best business credit card for you
In many ways, choosing a business credit card is similar to choosing a personal credit card. Here are some things to consider:
Consider why you need a business credit card. This includes the need for a new line of credit to invest in your business; an interest-free period to pay off your current debt; an interest-free period to make a large purchase of inventories or supplies and pay it off in the next months; luxury perks during frequent travel or the option to earn rewards on your business expenditures.
Determine what kind of rewards suit you best. Depending on your business needs, you can earn rewards on office supplies, gas, dining or travel purchases. Some credit cards offer flat rewards on all purchases, while others have no rewards at all. Calculate which of these options would best complement your business wallet and apply for the card that offers the best value for your needs.
Figure out if you need to carry a balance. If part of your business card needs involve an early investment, look for a card with an intro APR on purchases or balance transfers. This can help you save on interest while you wait for your business investment to pay off. And if you need to carry a balance from time to time thereafter, look for a business card with a low ongoing purchase APR.
Determine the number of employee cards you need. Some business cards, but not all, offer free additional cards for employees. Such cards can let you earn additional rewards on purchases made by your employees with the employee business card. But if you don’t have as many employees and the benefits you get from the cards outweigh a potential annual fee, you could consider a more expensive credit card option.
Pick a card suited to the health of your business and finances. You’ll find a few business cards on the market that don’t require a personal guarantee. This is especially valuable for startups or other businesses that are taking some risks. If your business doesn’t survive, you won’t be held liable for expenses made on your business credit card.
5 instances when you should consider a business credit card
Business credit cards can help you simplify bookkeeping, build business credit and potentially earn rewards on all purchases. If you fall into one of the following categories, a business credit card may be worth considering.
LLC. Limited Liability Companies have one advantage — the company owner is not personally liable for the companies debts. This can keep your personal assets safe in case your company fails and can’t pay off the credit card debt.
Small businesses. Small businesses can get the advantage of earning credit card rewards on select categories where the business spends the most. If you have multiple employees, you can set spending limits, track employee spending and simplify your bookkeeping with separate receipts.
Freelancers and independent contractors. You don’t need to have a company to get a business credit card. All you need is an income outside of your regular employment. This can be helpful for Uber drivers, especially with a credit card with gas rewards.
Startups. Startups can choose some of the best credit cards designed specifically for this type of business. These cards don’t require a personal guarantee and come with generous rewards on categories where a startup may spend the most.
Self-employed. If you’re self-employed, you can still get a business credit card. With a business credit card, you get the same benefits that any other company would get with this type of card.
You can apply for a business credit card without a business
To apply for most business credit cards without a business, you need to meet the following requirements.
Have an income as a freelancer or by running an online shop outside of your employment.
Select sole proprietor in your credit card application.
Use your own Social Security number as a tax ID or EIN.
Why freelancers should consider a business credit card
The main benefit to getting a business card as a freelancer would be earning rewards in business-related categories like office supplies and separating personal and business expenses to simplify bookkeeping.
Types of freelancers and side hustles that can qualify you for a business credit card are:
Uber or Lyft drivers
Online selling on Etsy, Amazon, eBay and other websites
Freelancing
Airbnb and home rentals
Babysitting and tutoring
You asked, we listened: Top 3 common questions
Business cards aren’t so different from standard cards, though as you’d expect from a business card, there’s a bit of fine print involved. Here are the three most common questions we receive on the subject.
What’s the difference between a business card and a personal card?Business cards differ from personal cards because they offer perks and rewards designed around business expenses. You’ll also need a business, or to show you’re generating revenue, to obtain a business credit card.
Can you get a business credit card with bad credit? There are business cards for poor credit, including secured business cards that require a deposit as collateral when opening the card.
Bottom line
The best business credit card depends on the size of your business and what financial tools and perks you need. If none of the cards on our list feel like the right fit, compare more cards to find one that is.
Credit card ratings
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
Our team evaluates credit cards to determine their value against similar cards on the market.
We rank card types — travel, cash back, business — on a set of factors that are most relevant to that type of card. We create these rankings to help you narrow down a credit card that best suits your spending and budget.
Kliment Dukovski is a personal finance writer at Finder, specializing in investments and cryptocurrency. He's written more than 700 articles to help readers compare the best trading platforms, understand complex investment terms and find the best credit cards for their needs. His expert commentary has been featured in such digital publications as Fox Business, MSN Money and MediaFeed. He’s also well-versed in money transfers, home loans and more — breaking down these topics into simple concepts anyone can understand. In another life, Kliment ghostwrote guides and articles on foreign exchange, stock market trading and cryptocurrencies.
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