Best Business Credit Cards

Business Card Overview

When we talk about business cards, there’s a key word that is often left out: small.

When talking about business cards, we aren’t talking about corporate cards that you may have been issued by a company you work for. Instead, these cards are often for smaller businesses needing credit extended to help get them through their daily operations.

Business cards come in all different types. There’s cards that earn transferable bank points, co-branded business cards, and cash-back business cards. You can choose from no annual fee business cards to premium business cards.

Basically, for every personal card out there you can find a nearly identical business card. This virtually doubles the amount of points that you can earn.

While there are a lot of similar benefits between personal and business cards, you’ll find some unique benefits that are made to help businesses that may not be as useful for individuals.

Before diving into what you should expect from business cards it’s important to know if you’re eligible to open a business card.

Who is Eligible for a Business Card?

Let’s be frank. The benefits of business cards, or what the best business cards are simply don’t matter if you’re not eligible to open a business card.

I’ve got good news for most of you. Most people are eligible to open a small business card.

You may be thinking “well I don’t have a formal business,” but thankfully that doesn’t matter. Many people have a business without even knowing it.

Having a business without knowing about it sounds a bit crazy, but it is pretty likely that outside of your day job you engage in activities to make a profit. If you drive for Uber on the side, you have a business. Ever sold something on Amazon or eBay? That’s a business.

Anything that you do to try and make a profit is all you need to have a business. You don’t need a tax ID number, you don’t need a formal LLC, none of that.

Most likely, you are operating as a sole proprietor rather than as a company. And that’s perfectly fine for the purposes of applying for a business credit card.

Think about what you do for a business, and you’ll likely find that you’re eligible to open a small business card.

Other than the obvious points, what unique benefits do you get from opening a business card?

Benefits of Business Cards

Obviously, the ability to earn more points is one reason people choose business cards, but there are other benefits that make business cards beneficial to business owners.

One benefit of business cards is that some, but not all, don’t report to your personal credit report. It makes sense, because the credit is being extended to the business and not you.

This doesn’t mean you won’t have your credit report pulled. Most banks will pull your personal credit report when you apply, and you are still personally responsible for any charges made on the card. It means what it means: for some cards it won’t show up on your personal credit report.

Business cards are also a great tool to separate your personal expenses from your business expenses. This can really help simplify your business accounting so you don’t accidentally load a personal expense into quickbooks or other accounting software.

If your business has employees, you can also add employee cards. This lets you earn points for all of your business spend rather than reimbursing employees. You can set controls that require your approval for purchases over a certain amount, and set overall spending limits for your employees.

While these benefits make sense for business cards, there are some similar benefits between personal and business cards. These benefits appear the same, but there are some important differences to be aware of.

The Biggest Differences Between Personal and Business Cards

You’ve seen some distinct benefits to business cards that simply don’t make sense for personal cards, but there are a lot of benefits that mirror each other. These benefits have some important differences.

First, the bonus categories on business cards tend to be for categories that businesses would spend more at. Office supply stores, shipping companies, and digital advertising are common bonus categories on business cards.

Some business cards offer credits similar to personal credit cards. Business cards that are tailored to travel offer travel credits just like their personal counterparts. However, some cards come with credits to offset the cost of shipping expenses, telecommunication or cell phone bills, and the purchase of electronics for your business’s use.

Other benefits, such as travel insurance and purchase protection are all present on business cards just as they are on personal cards. It all comes down to choosing the right card to fit your needs.

Best Overall Business Cards

Picking just one overall business card is going to be impossible. There will definitely be a few that come up in multiple categories. This means if you’re looking for a card that has broad business benefits, take a look and see which cards are recurring in our lists below.

Best Business Cards for Businesses that Ship Items

Etsy shops owners, eBay companies, Amazon stores, and any business that ships goods will truly benefit from a business card that offers an increased bonus for shipping items.

Best Premium Card: Businesses that Ship Items

Best Value Card: Businesses that Ship Items

Best No Annual Fee Card: Businesses that Ship Items

Best Co-Branded Card: Businesses that Ship Items

Best Business Cards for Businesses that Travel Often

You’ve probably ended up on this site because you like to travel. Sometimes, travel isn’t limited to just personal travel or vacations. Many businesses have a lot of travel as well. If your business involves travel, whether it is for consulting or for conferences, you’ll want to be sure to choose one of the best business cards for businesses that travel often.

Some of these cards include travel insurance, baggage insurance, and trip cancellation insurance. These coverages can really come in handy, especially if your bags are delayed and you need a change of clothes for a meeting.

Best Premium Card: Businesses that Travel Often

Best Value Card: Businesses that Travel Often

Best No Annual Fee Card: Businesses that Travel Often

Best Co-Branded Card: Businesses that Travel Often

Best Business Cards that Earn Bank Points

Many of us are in pursuit of bank points, and business cards won’t leave you out to dry. There are plenty of business cards that earn flexible bank points. If some of the other benefits associated with business cards don’t really appeal to you, earning bank points is a good choice to maximize your business’s spend.

Best Premium Card: Bank Points

Best Value Card: Bank Points

Best No Annual Fee Card: Bank Points

Best Business Cards for Hotels

Hotel spend can add up fast for a business, especially if you’re a business that plans a lot of conferences or travels a lot to hotels. Being able to get the most out of your business’s hotel spend can help you accumulate a lot of flexible points or hotel points.

Sometimes, choosing a flexible points card that earns at a lower rate may make more sense if your business isn’t loyal to one hotel group over another. Below you’ll find the best premium, value, and no annual fee card based on flexible points. We will also include the best business cards for each hotel group, so if your business’s hotel spend does tend to be with one hotel group you can get the best points and benefits with that group.

Best Premium Card: Hotels

Best Value Card: Hotels

Best No Annual Fee Card: Hotels

Best Business Credit Card for Hilton Hotels

Best Business Credit Card for Marriott Hotels

Best Business Credit Card for Hyatt Hotels

Best Business Cards for Flights

If you fly for business, you’re likely racking up the miles and status already! That shouldn’t stop you from getting as much as you can out of your business flights.

Similar to the best business cards for hotels, the best business card for flights truly depends on if you are loyal to one airline or not. For businesses who keep most of their travel with one airline, look to the best business cards for each airline. If, instead, your business just books the cheapest flight option then I’d recommend choosing a card that earns transferable points.

Best Premium Card: Flights

Best Value Card: Flights

Best No Annual Fee Card: Flights

Best Business Card for American Airlines

Best Business Card for United

Best Business Card for Delta

Best Business Card for Southwest

Best Business Cards for Amazon

While some businesses are mostly remote and don’t need much inventory, other businesses rely on supplies to be able to perform their functions smoothly. Many small businesses rely on Amazon to get the supplies they need with ease and speed.

If your business spends a lot on Amazon, it can be worthwhile to look at some cards to help earn rewards on all your business’s Amazon purchases.

Best Premium Card: Amazon

Best Value Card: Amazon

Best No Annual Fee Card: Amazon

Bottom Line

There’s a lot of great business cards out there. Many people have a small business, even if they don’t think they do. There are a lot of great business cards out there to choose from. In addition to the sign up bonuses, you’ll find benefits to help your small business thrive.

FAQ

Can I combine points from my business cards with my personal cards?

Yes you can combine points from your business cards with your personal cards. Although the process will vary between banks, you can easily combine any transferable rewards points between your business and personal accounts.

For co-branded cards, simply add your personal frequent flyer account or hotel loyalty number and the points will be credited to your personal account.

Do I have to exclusively redeem points for business use?

Not at all! The points you earn are yours and do not have to be redeemed for business use. Just like any frequent flyer miles you earn from business flights don’t have to be used for your business, points earned from business credit cards don’t as well.

How do points and miles earned impact my business taxes?

We aren’t accounting professionals, so you should definitely consult your accountant. While this is not tax advice, typically points and miles earned are considered rebates and aren’t taxable as income. Again, you should consult with your accountant for how the earning of points and miles impacts your business specifically.

I have partners in my business, can I still open a business card?

This very much depends on your business’s operating agreement. You should consult the operating agreement and your partners to see if this is permitted.

If I open employee cards, will I earn the rewards from my employee’s spend?

Yes. The spend that your employees put on your business card will generate rewards for you. Your employees won’t have access to the rewards.

Do I need a business EIN to open a business credit card?

No, you do not need a business EIN to open a business card. When applying for a business credit card you may be asked to provide an EIN. You can put in your social security number

My business doesn’t spend that much, can I put personal spend on a business card?

There’s nothing inherently restricting you from putting personal spend on a business card.

Do the same restrictions apply when opening a business card as opening a personal card?

Yes, common restrictions such as the Chase 5/24 rule, and Amex’s once per lifetime bonus restriction apply to business cards as well. Always check the terms and conditions of the card you’re applying for to be certain of any restrictions that may apply.