If you’ve got a business, new or old, big or small, you should consider getting a business credit card. That’s because businesses need access to credit, and these specialized business credit cards can be a great way to fund business purchases, along with saving large amounts of money over time. This guide will review all the best small business credit card offers and explain how to maximize the benefits of each card. As with my list of the top personal travel rewards cards, I’m compiling my business picks based on which bonuses are the most valuable.
Here are the Best Business Credit Cards of 2019:
- Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card: Best sign-up bonus
- CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard
: Best for American flyers - The Business Platinum® Card from American Express: Best for high-end perks
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card: Best for Southwest flyers
- Capital One Spark Miles for Business: Best for everyday spending
- United Explorer Business Card: Best for United flyers
- Marriott Bonvoy Business
American Express® Card: Best for Marriott guests - Capital One Spark Cash for Business: Best for cash back
- Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card: Best for pairing with an Ultimate Rewards card
- American Express® Business Gold Card: Best for flexible bonus categories
— a star () indicates a limited-time offer with the highest ever publicly available welcome bonus.
Can I Get a Business Credit Card?
If you are a small business or even if you just do some freelancing gigs, a business credit card can help you maximize your purchases, separate your expenses and save money on interest each year. Business credit cards offer bonus rewards on categories such as office supplies, airfare, advertising and gas. You can find more information on how to get business card right here.
Here are some things to research before you apply for a business credit card:
Before diving into the list, make sure to check out these posts for information on how applying for new cards affects your credit score, what to know about credit scores, mistakes to avoid and more.
- 5 Things To Understand About Credit Before Applying For Cards
- 5 Key Considerations for Improving Your Credit Score
- Debunking Credit Card Myths: Does Applying For A Card Permanently Impact My Credit Score
- Avoiding Late Payments and Other Silly Credit Card Mistakes
Compare the Best Business Credit Cards
Here’s how each of these cards stack up against each other. Note that for bonuses that have two spending tiers, we’re only factoring in the rewards you’d earn for meeting the first tier.
| Card | Bonus Offer | Bonus Value** | Perks Value | Annual Fee | Total Value |
| Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card | 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months | $1,600 | N/A | $95 | $1,505 |
| CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard |
LIMITED TIME OFFER: 70,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first four months | $980 | N/A | $99* | $980 |
| The Business Platinum Card from American Express | Earn 50,000 points after you spend $10,000 and an extra 25,000 points after you spend an additional $10,000 in the first three months. Terms Apply. | $1,000 | $200 air travel credit, $250 worth of lounge access ($450 total). Terms Apply. | $595 (see rates & fees) | $855 |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card | 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months | $900 | N/A | $99 | $801 |
| Capital One Spark Miles for Business | 50,000 miles after you spend $4,500 in the first three months | $700** | N/A | $95* | $700* |
| United Explorer Business Card | 50,000 miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months | $700 | N/A | $95* | $700 |
| Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express® Card |
75,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months. | $600 | N/A | $125 (see rates & fees) | $475 |
| Capital One Spark Cash for Business | $500 cash bonus after you spend $4,500 in the first three months | $500 | N/A | $95* | $500 |
| Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card | $500 cash back after you spend $3,000 in the first three months | $500 | N/A | $0 | $500 |
| American Express® Business Gold Card | 35,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months | $700 | N/A | $295 (See rates & fees) | $405 |
*Annual fee waived the first year.
**Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer.
Finding the Business Credit Card That Fits Your Business Needs
Now, here’s a detailed rundown of the best business credit cards, with each card’s standout benefits and why it could be worth it for your business.
Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
Current Bonus: Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Current Bonus Value: $1,600
Standout Benefits: Get 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent on travel, shipping, social media advertising and internet/cable/phone services each account anniversary year, plus 1 point per dollar on everything else. This card also offers cell phone insurance when you use it to pay your (and your employees’) cell phone bill, and primary rental car insurance. You can get employee cards at no additional cost, and there are no foreign transaction fees. Read the full card review here.
Annual Fee: $95
Why it’s worth it: The Ultimate Rewards program may not have the most transfer partners (it has 11 compared to Amex Membership Rewards’ 20), but they can get you outsized value when you redeem points for free flights with carriers such as British Airways and United, or for award stays at Hyatt properties. And if you spend a lot on travel or social media advertising, you’ll be able to keep earning significant UR points after the sign-up bonus thanks to the 3x bonus category for the first $150,000 in combined purchases made each year.
Apart from the large stash of Ultimate Rewards points you will get with the Ink Business Preferred‘s current sign-up offer, this card stands out for its unique cell phone insurance benefit. It offers up to $600 in protection against covered theft or damage, for up to three claims per year with just a $100 deductible. Even better, this covers employees’ cell phones too, though remember that you need to pay the respective bills using this card to get coverage. Primary rental car insurance is another great perk as well.
For the reasons outlined above, I consider this one of the top two business credit cards currently available. The Ink Business Preferred can be an even more powerful tool if you also hold the Chase Sapphire Reserve, since you’ll then be able to redeem points for 1.5 cents apiece through the Chase travel portal.
CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard
Current Bonus: Earn 70,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 4 months.
Current Bonus Value: $980
Standout Benefits: Earn 2x miles on American Airlines purchases and at telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants and gas stations. Earn 1 mile per dollar everywhere else. Get a first checked bag for free on domestic itineraries and 25% off inflight purchases. If you put $30,000 in spending on the card in a calendar year, you’ll get a companion certificate, letting you add a companion to a flight for $99 plus taxes and fees (upon account renewal and account must remain open 45 days after anniversary date).
Annual Fee: $99 (waived the first 12 months)
Why it’s worth it: This card is offering an elevated bonus of 70,000 AAdvantage miles, making now a great time to pick it up. If your business frequently travels on American Airlines, benefits like a free checked bag can come in handy, as can the companion certificate you’ll earn after putting $30,000 of spending on the card in a calendar year.
The Business Platinum Card from American Express
Current Bonus: Earn 50,000 points after you spend $10,000 in the first three months and an extra 25,000 points after you spend an additional $10,000 also within the first three months from account opening.
Current Bonus Value: $1,000
Standout Benefits: Earn 5 points per dollar on airfare and on prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel, 1.5 points per dollar on purchases of $5,000 or more (up to 1 million extra points per year) and 1 point per dollar on everything else. Redeem points directly for first or business class, or for any seat on the airline of your choice, and get a 35% points rebate. As a card holder you’ll enjoy access to Centurion and Priority Pass lounges, plus Delta Sky Clubs when you’re flying Delta. You also get an up to $200 annual airline fee credit and a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application rebate (up to $100). There are no foreign transaction fees (see rates & fees). Read the full card review here.
Annual Fee: $595
Why it’s worth it: I’m still disappointed that the points rebate for flights booked through Amex Travel has dropped to 35%, but this remains a lucrative benefit, allowing you to get 1.54 cents per point in value when you redeem for airfare. With the 35% rebate, I can book my favorite premium domestic seat, JetBlue’s Mint, for fewer than 39,000 points one-way. Like the personal Amex Platinum, the Business Platinum recently received some new benefits, including a 5x bonus category for airfare and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel. If your business can hit the steep spending requirements, the opportunity to earn up to 75,000 points is definitely worth considering.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
Current Bonus: Earn 60,000 Rapid Rewards points when you spend $3,000 in the first three months.
Current Bonus Value: $900
Standout Benefits: Get 2 points per dollar on Southwest purchases and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases and 1 point per dollar on everything else. Plus, get 6,000 points after your card member anniversary. Earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points toward Southwest elite status for every $10,000 you spend on the card annually (up to 15,000 TQPs). No foreign transaction fees.
Annual Fee: $99
Why it’s worth it: The business versions of this Southwest card is offering an elevated sign-up bonus, giving you the opportunity to score 60,000 Rapid Rewards points. This is a good time to sign up if you want to boost your points balance for an upcoming award booking. And if you’re working toward A-List or A-List Preferred status, the card can earn you Tier Qualifying Points when you meet certain spending thresholds.
Capital One Spark Miles for Business
Current Bonus: 50,000 miles after you spend $4,500 in the first three months
Current Bonus Value: $700 (based on TPG’s latest valuations and not provided by card issuer)
Standout Benefits: Earn 2 miles per dollar on all purchases with no minimum for redeeming. No foreign transaction fees. Free employee cards.
Annual Fee: $95 (waived the first year)
Why it’s worth it: Capital One recently announced that 14 airline transfer partners will be available to transfer your miles to. While this used to be a fixed-value point credit card with miles that were worth 1 cent each, you’ll now be able to get up to 1.4 cents in value for each mile you transfer. Still, if you value convenience over the potential to get much more than 1 cent per mile in value, a card like the Capital One Spark Cash for Business could make sense for you.
United Explorer Business Card
Current Bonus: Earn 50,000 miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months
Current Bonus Value: $700
Standout Benefits: Earn 2x miles on United, at restaurants, office supply stores and gas stations, and 1 mile per dollar on everything else. Get priority boarding and a first bag checked free. Two United Club passes each account anniversary. Expanded award availability.
Annual Fee: $95 (waived the first year)
Why it’s worth it: This card’s benefits can come in handy when you fly United and don’t get a free checked bag or priority boarding through elite status. The expanded access to award availability that you get as a card holder can make it easier to use your United miles, too.
Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex
Current Bonus: 75,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months.
Current Bonus Value: $600
Standout Benefits: Get 6 points per dollar at participating Marriott properties; 4 points per dollar at US restaurants and gas stations and on wireless telephone services purchased directly from US service providers and on US purchases for shipping; and 2 points per dollar on all other purchases. Receive one free award night every year after your account anniversary — good for stays costing up to 35,000 points. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Get complimentary Silver elite status in the new Marriott program, and if you spend $35,000 on the card in a calendar year, earn Gold status. Get 15 elite credits toward the next level of elite status.
Annual Fee: $125
Why it’s worth it: This card was previously known as the SPG Business Amex, but it’s been updated with Bonvoy branding to reflect the new unified Marriott/Starwood program. It’s offering a welcome bonus of 75,000 Marriott points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months. Also note the application restrictions; these prevent you from earning the welcome bonus on the Bonvoy Business Amex if you have or have had a Marriott business card in the last 30 days or if you’ve had a personal Marriott card welcome bonus in the last 24 months.
Capital One Spark Cash for Business
Current Bonus: $500 after you spend $4,500 in the first three months
Current Bonus Value: $500
Standout Benefits: Get an unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases. Employee cards at no additional cost.
Annual Fee: $95 (waived the first year)
Why it’s worth it: Though fixed-value points function like cash in the sense that you know exactly how much value you can get out of them, some prefer earning straight cash back, since there aren’t the same restrictions on how you can redeem your rewards. With the Spark Cash for Business, you’ll earn 2% back on every purchase, with the cash back awarded either in the form of a statement credit or a check. 2% back is pretty standard as far as cash-back rates go, but if you could use the sign-up bonus and value simplicity over tracking bonus categories, this is a solid choice.
Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card
Current Bonus: Earn $500 bonus cash back after you spend $3,000 in the first three months.
Current Bonus Value: $500
Standout Benefits: Get 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services. Get 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year at gas stations and at restaurants. Get an unlimited 1% cash back on everything else.
Annual Fee: $0
Why it’s worth it: While the Ink Business Cash card is billed as a cash-back option — and it does offer a solid return with the 5% and 2% bonus categories — it can be even more valuable if you transfer your earnings to another account for a card that earns Ultimate Rewards points, since you could then transfer your rewards to Chase’s 13 airline and hotel partners and get more than 1 cent per point in value. I also like that this card offers some solid travel and purchase protections despite not charging an annual fee.
American Express® Business Gold Card
Current Bonus: 35,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first three months
Standout Benefits: This recently launched card offers 4x points on your top two spending categories each month, from a list of six options including US restaurants and US purchases for shipping and advertising. This is a step up from the Business Gold Rewards Card from Amex (which is no longer open for applications), which offers 3x points on your choice of category from a list of five options, which doesn’t include US restaurants. You can earn 4x points on your top two spending categories on the first $150,000 spent each year (then 1x) — if you max this out, you’d walk away with a whopping 600,000 Membership Rewards points. Another standout benefit is a 25% Pay With Points rebate when you use points to book airfare through Amex.
Annual Fee: $295
Why it’s worth it: This card is a great option when it comes to points-earning opportunities, and now it offers a points-based welcome bonus in addition to up to a free year of ZipRecruiter Standard and G Suite Basic. The ability to earn 4x points on your top two spending categories is great, and you have the flexibility to earn bonus points on different categories on a month-to-month basis, rather than being locked into a single category per year. It’s also great that Amex is offering a Pay With Points rebate on this card; previously, only the Business Platinum and Business Centurion had this perk (at a 35% rate rather than 25% on this new card).
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Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card from American Express
Current Bonus: Earn 70,000 miles and 10,000 MQMs after you spend $5,000 in the first three months. Offer ends 11/7/18.
Current Bonus Value: $840
Standout Benefits: Complimentary Delta Sky Club access and a discounted rate for up to two guests when flying on Delta. Get a companion certificate for round-trip domestic travel in first class, Comfort+ or the main cabin each year upon renewal of your card. Earn 15,000 MQMs and 15,000 bonus miles after spend $30,000 in a calendar year, and another 15,000 MQMs and 15,000 bonus miles after you spend $60,000 in a calendar year. Get priority boarding and a first bag checked free on Delta. Earn 2x miles on Delta purchases and 1 mile per dollar on everything else.
Annual Fee: $450
Why it’s worth it: This card’s standout benefits are a companion certificate — good for round-trip domestic travel in first class — each year upon renewal of your card (with taxes and fees capped at $75) and the ability to earn MQMs toward Delta elite status by meeting spending thresholds. The card also offers Delta Sky Club access when you’re flying Delta, though note this is also offered by the Amex Business Platinum. The 70,000 SkyMiles are worth $840 based on my valuations, so that could be reason enough to sign up for this card with the elevated bonus.
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How We Chose the Best Business Credit Cards
Bonus Value: As you can see, the bulk of the value comes from the welcome bonus itself — I used my latest valuations to calculate a dollar amount for each offer.
Travel Credits: From there, I factored in annual travel credits, like the $200 air travel credit offered by the Business Platinum Card from American Express. As the Amex Business Platinum also offers Centurion Lounge access plus Delta Sky Club access when you’re flying Delta, I assigned a value of $250 for these perks. Additionally, if a card waives its annual fee for the first year, I didn’t subtract that from the value of the welcome bonus and other perks, since this post is focused on how much you’ll get from the card as a new applicant.
Bonus Requirements: Also, a few of these cards offer tiered bonuses. For these cards, I focused on the value you’d get by meeting the lowest spending requirement. As an example, the Business Platinum Card’s welcome offer has a high minimum spending requirement of $10,000 in the first three months — and that’s only the first year; to earn the full 75,000-point bonus, you’ll have to spend $20,000 in the first three months
Frequently Asked Questions
Are business credit and personal credit the same?
Business credit is similar to your personal credit in that it allows potential creditors to judge what kind of a credit risk your business poses. For established firms, a higher business credit score could mean you’ll have better access to loans and lines of credit, lower interest rates and cheaper insurance premiums. When you’re just starting out, you won’t have a business credit score, at least until you open a business credit card or secure a line of credit from a vendor that reports to the business credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax and Dun & Bradstreet.
How do I check my business credit score?
Dun & Bradstreet offers a free service called CreditSignal, which gives you alerts when your scores or reports change, but doesn’t give you access to the full reports themselves. Here’s what the fine print on the website says: “CreditSignal only indicates that your D&B scores and ratings have changed and alerts you when your business credit file has been purchased. To view actual scores and ratings and learn about what industries are purchasing your D&B file, we recommend that you upgrade to one of our business credit monitoring or credit building solutions.”
Can I use a business credit card instead of a business loan?
Yes, but you should take into account your specific business needs. Business credit cards are faster and allow you to use only what you need.
Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. Featured image by Eric Helgas for The Points Guy.
Here’s a recap of the Best Business Credit Cards of 2019:
- Best sign-up bonus: Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card:
- Best for American flyers: CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard
- Best for high-end perks: The Business Platinum® Card from American Express
- Best for Southwest flyers: Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
- Best for everyday spending: Capital One Spark Miles for Business
- Best for United flyers: United Explorer Business Card
- Best for Marriott guests: Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express® Card:
- Best for cash back: Capital One Spark Cash for Business
- Best for pairing with an Ultimate Rewards card: Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card
- Best for flexible bonus categories: American Express Business Gold Card
For rates and fees of the Business Platinum Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Gold, please click here.
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