If you're a business owner, you probably own â€" or have explored getting â€" a business credit card. Like personal cards, a business credit card offers lots of benefits, from access to purchase power to points that can be redeemed for cash or other perks, like office supplies.
When choosing the best card for your business, there are many considerations. In this article, we'll provide an overview of the business credit cards, how they work, what to look for when searching for one and our picks for the best business credit cards out there.
The Best Business Credit Cards
- Capital One Spark 1.5% Cash Select: Best for Cashback on Hotels and Rental Cars
- Bank of America Business Advantage Rewards Mastercard: Best Paired with BofA Checking Account
- Hilton Honors Business Card: Best for Hilton Hotel Loyalists
- U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa Business Card: Best for Long 0% Intro APR
- Chase Ink Business Unlimited Card: Best for Big Cash Welcome Bonus
- United Business Card: Best for Frequent Business Flyers
- American Express Blue Business Cash Card: Best for Expanded Buying Power
- Wells Fargo Business Platinum Credit Card: Best for Regular Bonus Points
Capital One Spark 1.5% Cash Select
- Earn a $500 cash bonus
- $0 annual fee
- Unlimited 1.5% cash back
Business owners can earn the $500 cash bonus after they spend $4,500 in the first three months of opening the card. You'll need an excellent credit score to qualify for this card, but no worries; Capital One Spark also has cards for customers with scores in the fair and good range.
Advantage Customized Cash Rewards
- Earn up to 3% cash back
- $300 statement credit
- No annual fee
To get the $300 statement credit, you'll need to spend $3K on eligible purchases within 90 days of opening the card. If you open a Bank of America business checking account, you can enroll in Preferred Rewards for Business and earn even more cash back on purchases. If you prefer a big bank with physical and online access, this card could be a good option.
Hilton Honors Business Card
- Earn 130K bonus points
- Low annual fee
- Lots of opportunities to earn points
To get the bonus-points welcome offer, you'll have to spend $3,000 on the card within the first three months. You'll need to spend quite a bit on the card to get perks like a free weekend night stay. However, if you travel by air or rental car and stay at Hilton properties often for work, you'll start earning in no time. Also, while American Express sometimes has a reputation for not being widely accepted, it's accepted at 99% of places that accept CCs in the United States â€" so your odds are pretty good.
U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa
- 1-5% cash back
- No annual fee
- $100 software credit
To earn the $500 cash-back bonus, users will need to spend $4,500 in the first 150 days. Card-holders can take advantage of 24/7 customer support, the introductory 0% APR (which goes up to 25.99% afterward) and no cash-back limit with this U.S. Bank business card.
Chase Ink Business Unlimited Card
- $750 cash back
- 0% APR for 12 months
- 1.5% cash back
To earn the $750 cash-back bonus, cardmembers will need to spend $7,500 on combined purchases in the first three months. (Chase offers other business cards with higher bonus amounts when you spend more money upon opening the account.) With the Ink Business Unlimited Card, users can also take advantage of 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months â€" not bad if you need some leeway with paying back your business expenses.
United Business Card
- Earn up to 2x miles
- $100 United travel credit
- Get up to 150,000 bonus miles
Cardmembers get 75,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months. From there, you can earn an additional 75K miles after spending $20,000 on purchases in the first six months (a tall order for some business owners, we realize). Members also get two United Club one-time passes and $100 travel credit (after meeting the requirements) per year.
American Express Blue Business Cash Card
- $250 statement credit
- Up to 2% cash back
- No annual fee
The American Express Blue Business Cash Card offers a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of having the card. Cardmembers also have access to expanded buying power, which means you won't incur interest charges on the amount above your credit limit if you pay the minimum payment when it's due.
Wells Fargo Business Platinum Card
- $300 cash bonus or 30K bonus points
- No annual fee
- Up to 1.5% cash back
New members can score a one-time $300 cash back bonus or 30,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first three months of the card. You can get up to 99 employee cards at no charge and get access to cash management tools and online spending reports.
What Is a Business Credit Card?
A business credit card is a line of credit that a business can use for work-related costs and purchases. Business credit cards â€" like personal credit cards â€" are issued by a bank or financial services company.
Many traditional banks, credit unions, online-only banks, and (increasingly) financial startups and institutions offer business credit cards. And lots of cards offer sign-up bonuses and rewards, like cash back, gift card, or travel and lodging redemptions. You'll notice complementary company partnerships, too. For instance, a lot of the big U.S. airlines offer business cards, which makes sense since many professionals travel for work and would be interested in perks like upgraded airplane seating and WiFi credits.
How Do Business Credit Cards Work?
For the most part, business credit cards function similarly to personal credit cards. For example, you can:
- Use your card to make purchases.
- Earn credit card points and rewards.
- Qualify for new-member bonuses.
Both personal and business credit cards also share the not-so-great aspects of CCs, too, such as high interest charges and late-payment fees. Other potential barriers include annual fees and a good or excellent credit score to qualify for certain cards.
And just like personal credit cards, you want to be wary of taking on debt unnecessarily. If you do find yourself in a position where you've gotten too spend-happy with your card, here are ways you can pay off the credit card debt.
Types of Business Credit Cards
There are a few different types of business credit cards. A small-business credit card is ideal for small-biz owners who are just establishing their business credit and don't have a lot of revenue. Alternatively, a corporate credit card is for larger businesses with established credit and millions of dollars in revenue.
From there, business credit cards fall under different categories â€" for example, air travel, lodging and office suppliers, to name a few. If you're a frequent flier or a hotel room key collector, the best business card for you will be the one that serves your needs and provides you with perks you care about.
What to Look for in a Business Credit Card
The best business credit cards should offer some combination of the following:
- Credit score requirement
- The ability to issue employee access or employee cards
- Welcome bonuses
- Credit card points and rewards
- Any account anniversary year perks
- Bonus categories
- Eligible purchases
- Statement credit
- Online billing
- Credit limit
- Account monitoring tools
- Balance transfer opportunities
- Security protocols
- Purchase protection
- Customer service availability
Business credit cards offer a lot of possibilities. However, much like consumer credit cards, you'll want to be aware of hidden and not-so-hidden costs. Check out any and all fees and charges:
- Annual fees
- Foreign transaction fees
- Late fees
- APR (and any special introductory rates)
Business owners have no shortage of cards to choose from to cover business expenses and meet their operational needs. Whether you want to go with a big company like Bank of America or an office supplies retailer for everyday business purchases, there are many options.
Pros and Cons of a Travel Credit Card
There are good and not-so-good qualities of travel credit cards. It's up to you to reflect on your circumstances, habits and needs to see if a particular travel credit card makes sense for you.
Pros:
- If you use a particular airline or travel service with its own card often, you can quickly earn points or other perks.
- You can usually find one with a sign-up bonus.
- You might be able to earn points outside of travel categories, so you can pile them up faster.
- These cards sometimes come with a bonus perk (like free miles) on your account anniversary year.
- Perks can be wide-ranging, from points for a free weekend stay to gift cards to complimentary airport lounge access.
Cons:
- These cards typically come with an annual fee.
- You usually need Good to Excellent credit to qualify for a card with solid perks.
- There might be black-out days or restrictions for when you can redeem points.
- You could hit a cash-back ceiling (for example, earn fewer percent cash back once you've spent $50,000 on a card in a year).
- Certain perks might not make financial sense â€" a free checked bag won't matter much if you pack light when you travel and have a credit card with a high annual fee.
How to Get a Business Credit Card
To open a business credit card, you'll need to supply the following:
- Your business name and address.
- Information on your business's legal and financial status (federal tax ID number, legal business structure, annual business revenue, etc.).
- Your full name and home address.
- Information on your personal finances (total household income, monthly rent or housing payment, etc.).
Generally, you need to be at least 18 years old to get a credit card. And different business credit cards will have their own credit score requirements, fees, and offers.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Business Credit Cards
Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions about business credit cards.
You'll usually earn more points for business-related purchases (think: business travel and office supplies) with a business credit card. Some biz cards have higher credit limits than personal ones, too. Typically, there are also high-interest rates and late fees for both personal and business credit cards, so you want to use the card responsibly. Business credit cards function similarly to personal credit cards. You can charge purchases, earn credit card points and rewards, and even qualify for new-member sign-up bonuses.
When you apply for a business credit card, it will result in a hard inquiry on your credit report and ding your score a few points. From there, it depends on the issuer â€" some only report activity to the business credit bureaus, and some report to the consumer credit bureaus, too. If it's that latter case, late payments and high usage could affect your personal credit.
The main difference between a small-business credit card and a corporate card is revenue. If you're a business owner with a modest staff who's just getting started, a small-business credit card is likely the one for you. If, however, you're a large, established business with revenue in the millions, then you'll likely go with a corporate card.
Technically, yes, you can apply for a business credit card without a business. You don't need to have an LLC to get one â€" you might be able to qualify for a card if you haven't started your business venture yet (or earned money from it) but have strong creditworthiness, for example. With that said, many business credit card applications will ask you questions about your business and it's not a good idea to lie.
Contributor Kathleen Garvin (@itskgarvin) is a personal finance writer based in St. Petersburg, Florida, and former editor and marketer at The Penny Hoarder. She owns a content-writing business and her work has appeared in U.S. News, Clark.com and Well Kept Wallet.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
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