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The 6 best small business credit cards: Which one is right for your SMB?
When you're expanding a small business, you want financial tools that can help you grow, provide flexibility, and reward you for your spending. And these days, there are more options than ever for small business credit cards to do exactly those things.
But with all the options available, it can be challenging to choose the right card for your business. Is it better to go with travel rewards, or would you prefer a cashback credit card? Should you focus on the annual fee? The interest rate?
This list breaks down some of the best small business credit cards to help you find the right card for your business, no matter your needs.
- Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement.
- 1% cash back on all eligible purchases after spending $50,000 per calendar year.
- Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement.
- 1% cash back on all eligible purchases after spending $50,000 per calendar year.
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card is one of the most popular business credit cards on the market. When you apply for this card, you'll enjoy a 0% introductory APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening (then 18.24% - 26.24% variable APR), as well as a $250 statement credit when you spend $3,000 on your card in the first three months.
As far as ongoing rewards, this card offers 2% cashback on eligible purchases up to $50,000 each year. Once you exceed $50,000, you'll earn 1% cashback on the rest of your purchases for the year. When you earn cashback, it's automatically applied as a statement credit.
Pros:
Generous welcome bonus and cashback rewards
0% introductory APR on purchases for 12 months
Expanded buying power to spend above your credit limit
Cons:
$50,000 yearly spending cap on 2% cashback
Foreign transaction fees
American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
- Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year
- Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year
- Earn 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn
- Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year
- Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year
- Earn 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn
The Chase Ink Business Cash card is one of a handful of popular business credit cards that Chase offers. When you sign up for this card, you'll get a 0% introductory APR on purchases for the first year after opening the card (and between 18.24% and 24.24% variable rate after that). You'll also have access to a new cardmember offer of $750 cashback when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months.
The Ink Business Cash offers ongoing 5% cashback on the first $25,000 you spend on office supplies, internet, cable, and phone services. You'll also earn 2% cashback on the first $25,000 you spend at gas stations and restaurants. Finally, you'll earn 1% cashback on all other purchases.
Pros:
Generous new cardmember offer
0% introductory APR for the first 12 months
High cashback on office supplies and telecommunications
Cons:
$25,000 spending cap on bonus categories
Low rewards on all other spending
Foreign transaction fees
Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
The Capital One Spark Cash Plus card is a flat-rate rewards card that offers excellent cashback on your spending. When you sign up for the card, you'll get a $1,000 cash bonus — $500 when you spend $5,000 in the first three months and $500 when you spend $50,000 in the first six months.
As for ongoing rewards, the Spark Cash Plus offers 2% cashback on all of your purchases, without spending limits or category restrictions. You'll also earn a $200 annual cash bonus each year that you spend $200,000 or more.
One unique feature about the Spark Cash Plus card is that it's a pay-in-full card, meaning you can't carry a balance. Capital One requires that you pay the card off each month or be charged a 2.99% monthly late fee. As a result, this card may not be well suited to small businesses that want to use a credit card to finance a larger purchase over a longer period.
Pros:
High welcome bonus and annual spending bonus
Generous flat-rate rewards
No foreign transaction fees
Cons:
Annual fee
Must be paid in full each month
Requires excellent credit
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
- 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com
- Earn 1.5X points on eligible purchases at US construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and 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
- 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases.
- 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com
- Earn 1.5X points on eligible purchases at US construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and 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
- 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is a premium card for small businesses. When you apply right now, you'll get 120,000 membership points when you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months of card membership. This is higher than the card's normal 100,000 membership point bonus.
As far as online rewards, the card offers 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels that you book through AmexTravel.com. You'll also get 1.5X points on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (cap applies) and 1X points on all other purchases throughout the year.
Pros:
Lots of premium travel perks
Higher rewards points on travel and large purchases
Large 120,000 point welcome bonus
Cons:
Annual fee
Limited rewards on everyday spending
Can't carry a balance on smaller purchases
No 0% introductory APR
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year
- Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases–with no limit to the amount you can earn
- Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year
- Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases–with no limit to the amount you can earn
The Chase Ink Business Preferred credit card is well-known for its outstanding welcome bonus. When you sign up for the card, you'll earn 100,000 points when you spend $15,000 in the first three months. And thanks to Chase's flexible rewards redemption and Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal, those points can be worth between $1,000 and $1,250 depending on how you choose to redeem them.
The Ink Business Preferred offers 3X points per dollar on the first $150,000 you spend each year on shipping, social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, phone, and travel. You'll also earn 1X points per dollar on all other spending, as well as spending in the bonus categories above $150,000.
Pros:
High new cardmember bonus
Flexible reward redemption
High rewards in bonus categories
Cons:
Annual fee
No 0% introductory APR
Spending cap on rewards bonus categories
Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card.
- 1X is earned for other purchases. **
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card.
- 1X is earned for other purchases. **
The American Express® Business Gold Card offers flexible rewards so that all card members can benefit from their spending. When you apply for the card, you're eligible for a 70,000 rewards points welcome offer when you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases in your first three months on card membership.
The benefit of the Business Gold Card is that it offers 4X points per dollar in two bonus categories, but the bonus categories are entirely dependent on your spending. The categories that will earn the 4X points per dollar are those that you spend the most money in, and the 4X reward only works up to $150,000 total each calendar year. After that, you'll earn 1X point for every dollar in those categories. For all other spending categories, you'll earn 1X point per dollar.
Pros:
High rewards in your highest spending categories
Extra travel perks
No foreign transaction fees (see rates & fees)
Cons:
Annual fee
No 0% introductory APR
Can't carry a balance on smaller purchases
American Express® Business Gold Card
How did we choose these cards?
With so many small business credit cards on the market, it can be difficult to choose the right card -- or even narrow it down to a handful. When looking for the best credit cards for small businesses, we primarily considered the rewards that business owners can earn for their spending. We also considered factors such as additional perks, business features, fees, interest rates, and more.
Ultimately, our goal was to find the credit cards that best reward business owners for their spending, while including more premium cards with other perks that business owners will appreciate.
Which card is the right one for me?
Wondering which small business credit card is right for you? Start by paying attention to your spending. Plenty of business credit cards on the market reward business owners for spending in certain categories. If you do a lot of business spending in those categories that reward card holders, then those might be cards to consider.
It's also important to consider other perks and features that are important to you. For example, some business credit cards offer many travel perks and make it easy to redeem your credit card rewards for travel. Those cards are well-suited to businesses that spend a lot on travel expenses.
Finally, it's important to consider characteristics such as annual fees, interest rates, and credit requirements. If you're considering many different cards at once, those features may help you make your final decision.
Are there alternative cards worth considering?
The credit cards on our list are some of the top small business credit cards on the market, but they certainly aren't the only ones. There's an endless number of cards available to people who are building a small business and need a credit card to help. Some of the other top cards on the market include:
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
Capital One Spark Miles for Business
Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card
The Plum Card® from American Express
What credit score do you need for a small business credit card?
Most small business credit cards require a good or excellent credit score to qualify, but there are some available to borrowers with fair or bad credit.
Do small business credit cards affect your personal credit score?
If you don't have sufficient business credit, you may be required to use your personal credit to guarantee the card. But in most cases, the card issuer will only report your spending to your business credit report, not your personal credit report.
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.