10xTravel is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. All values of Membership Rewards are assigned based on the assumption, experience and opinions of the 10xTravel team and represent an estimate and not an actual value of points. Estimated value is not a fixed value and may not be the typical value enjoyed by card members.
Many credit card enthusiasts make the mistake of only applying for personal credit cards. However, by expanding your horizons to business credit cards as well, you can unlock an entirely new world of benefits, spending bonuses and welcome offers. Even if you don’t consider yourself a small business owner in the traditional sense, you might be able to qualify for one of these business credit cards with your freelance job or side gig.
Currently, several business credit cards are offering incredibly valuable welcome bonuses. So, by adding one of these cards to your wallet and meeting the bonus requirements, you could instantly rack up hundreds of thousands of points and earn enough to pay for your next vacation. Plus, these cards also offer long-term value through their statement credits, spending bonuses and other perks.
In this article, we’re going to discuss who can qualify for a business credit card, why you’d want to apply for one in the first place and some of the best business credit cards available right now.
Who Can Qualify for a Business Credit Card?
In general, anyone who has a business can qualify for a business credit card. However, this definition extends beyond formally organized businesses to include almost anyone who makes a profit from goods or services. Freelancers, gig economy workers, independent contractors and self-employed business owners all may qualify for business credit cards.
Here are a few examples of some businesses that may fall into these categories:
| Business types | Examples |
|---|---|
| Freelancer |
|
| Gig economy worker |
|
| Independent contractor |
|
| Self-employed business owner |
|
As you can see, there are quite a few professions and side gigs that can make you eligible for a business credit card, even if they don’t fit the typical definition of a small business.
In many of the jobs listed above, you might not have a formal business name or an employer identification number (EIN). In these cases, when filling out your credit card application, you can enter your first and last name as your business name and enter your social security number (SSN) instead of your EIN. Online credit card applications with large financial institutions, such as American Express or Chase, are highly encrypted, so your SSN will remain safe.
Why You May Want a Business Credit Card
There are many different advantages offered by business credit cards. Some are only beneficial to small businesses with employees, while others are advantageous for independent contractors.
In the following sections, we’ll explore some of the major benefits of business credit cards.
Employee Cards and Spending Controls
If you own a business with multiple employees, the ability to issue employee cards allows them to make purchases on behalf of your company. This can save you the hassle of having to reimburse employees for purchases made out of pocket.
Many business credit cards also allow you to set spending limits on employee cards and sometimes even restrict the categories that employees can spend in. These options help ensure that your employees are being responsible with your company’s money.
Welcome Bonuses
As with personal credit cards, business credit cards tend to offer large welcome bonuses of points, miles or cash back for new cardmembers who spend a minimum amount on their card within the first few months after account opening. These bonuses offer the opportunity to earn a lot of rewards quickly and can offset a card’s annual fee for several years.
In particular, business credit cards tend to offer large welcome bonuses that could potentially be worth thousands of dollars. So, adding a business credit card to your wallet can be an easy way to quickly earn valuable rewards.
Varied Spending Bonus Categories
Business credit cards often offer spending bonuses in categories not covered by personal credit cards. These may include business-specific expense categories such as shipping, office supply stores and advertising. So, if you already spend a lot in any of these categories and you don’t yet have a business credit card, it may be time to add one to your credit card strategy.
Generally, you should try to maximize the rewards that you earn in every spending category. For instance, many credit card enthusiasts will have separate cards that they use for groceries, dining, gas and travel. By applying for a business credit card that offers elevated spending bonuses on business expenses, you can earn more on those purchases than you might with a personal credit card alone.
Typically Don’t Count Towards Chase’s 5/24 Rule
According to Chase’s 5/24 rule, applicants who have opened five or more new credit card accounts across all banks in the past 24 months won’t be approved for a new Chase credit card. However, there are exceptions as to which cards count toward your 5/24 status, and business credit cards are generally one of those exceptions.
To be clear, to be approved for a new Chase business credit card, you’ll need to be below the 5/24 limit, but applying for most business credit cards won’t affect your 5/24 status. However, it’s worth noting that some business credit cards, including certain cards issued by Capital One, Discover and TD Bank do tend to count toward your 5/24 status.
The Best Business Credit Cards in 2026
With so many business credit cards available, it can be difficult to know which one is right for your wallet. Below, we’re going to explore some of the best business credit cards currently available.
American Express® Business Gold Card
One of the best overall business credit cards available right now is the American Express® Business Gold Card. This card charges a relatively high annual fee of $375. However, with the welcome offer, flexible spending bonuses and other benefits offered by this card, that annual fee can be easily offset several times over. Here’s the current welcome offer for the American Express® Business Gold Card:
American Express® Business Gold Card
You may be eligible for as high as 200,000
Membership Rewards® points
after spending $15,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Annual Fee:
$375
On top of the value offered by this large welcome offer, the Amex Business Gold card also offers plenty of value through its spending bonuses and other benefits, which are outlined in the following chart:
| Card name | American Express® Business Gold Card |
| Spending bonuses | $375 |
| Annual fee |
|
| Other notable benefits |
|
So, while the Amex Business Gold card’s annual fee may seem high at first, you can easily offset that cost with the card’s statement credits alone. When you factor in all of the points you can earn from the spending bonuses and welcome offer, it’s plain to see that this card offers the potential for significant value.
If you were to take full advantage of the card’s statement credits, you’d get more than $800 in value annually. Plus, with this card’s flexible 4X spending bonus and generous welcome offer, it’s easy to rack up a large balance of Amex points.
Capital One Venture X Business
Many small business owners don’t want to track their spending bonus categories or statement credits and would prefer a card with simple rewards and benefits. If simplicity is important to you, then you may want to look into the Capital One Venture X Business. This card offers an excellent welcome bonus, a flat rate of 2X miles on every purchase and an annual $300 travel credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel. Here’s the welcome bonus currently offered by the Capital One Venture X Business card:
Capital One Venture X Business
Earn 150,000
Bonus Miles
once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee: $395
In addition to this valuable welcome bonus, this card also offers several other valuable perks, as noted in the table below:
| Card name | Capital One Venture X Business |
| Annual fee | $395 |
| Spending bonuses |
|
| Other notable benefits |
|
If you spend at least $300 annually on travel for yourself or your employees, then the Capital One Venture X Business card is a great option. Between the annual travel credit and the anniversary bonus miles, this card will provide value year after year. Additionally, you can earn excellent rewards when booking travel for yourself or your employees through Capital One Business Travel (which offers price matching on eligible flights, hotels and rental cars, ensuring you’ll get the most competitive rate).
Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
If you’re looking for a business credit card that doesn’t charge an annual fee, one of the best options out there is the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card. This card offers impressive spending bonuses for a no-annual-fee card as well as a large welcome bonus. Here’s the welcome offer currently available with the Ink Business Cash Card:
Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
Special Limited-Time Offer!
Earn $1,000
bonus cash back
when you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first four months after account opening
In addition to that generous welcome offer, the following table includes the other major benefits offered by this card:
| Card name | Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card |
| Annual fee | $0 |
| Spending bonuses |
|
| Other notable benefits |
|
As you can see, the Ink Business Cash Card offers excellent bonuses for small businesses that spend a lot at office supply stores, gas stations, restaurants or on internet, cable or phone services. Plus, since this card doesn’t charge an annual fee, the welcome bonus and other included benefits offer immediate value.
The Bottom Line
There are many advantages to signing up for a business credit card, even if you don’t own a traditional business with employees. Freelancers, gig economy workers, independent contractors and sole proprietors can often qualify for small business credit cards and gain access to their unique benefits.
Business credit cards tend to offer large welcome offers, elevated spending bonuses in categories not covered by personal credit cards and business-specific perks. Thus, signing up for one of these cards can help you diversify your credit card strategy and rack up plenty of rewards while you’re at it.
New to the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the best card to start with.
With a bonus of 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. , 5x points on travel booked through the Chase TravelSM Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
after spending $15,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Annual Fee:
$375
once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee: $395
Special Limited-Time Offer!
when you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first four months after account opening
Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
10xTravel is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. All values of Membership Rewards are assigned based on the assumption, experience and opinions of the 10xTravel team and represent an estimate and not an actual value of points. Estimated value is not a fixed value and may not be the typical value enjoyed by card members.
Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
bonus cash back
after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening
miles
once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
bonus points
after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Membership Rewards® Points
after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
