Top 10 Business Credit Cards with Best Rewards Programs
|Do you rely on credit cards for business expenses? Are you aware of all the rewards and benefits offered by various business credit cards? We already reviewed the personal credit cards with the best rewards programs; so now let’s see take a closer look at the business credit cards with the most attractive rewards programs. Believe it or not, with the right business credit card, you can actually save money and earn such perks as:
- Introductory bonuses
- Cash back
- Reward points
- Free flyer miles
- Hotel and car rentals discounts
- Anniversary bonuses, and more
The rewards available to businesses are often higher than those available to individuals. Their value ranges according to the issuer and the type of credit card, but it also depends on the type of purchases they are used for and on the value of those purchases. In order to choose the business credit card that offers the highest rewards, you have to take into account several factors. Here are the most important:
- Type of expenses you will cover and preferred rewards – Will you use your credit card for travel-related expenses, stationery, or other everyday business needs? Do you prefer rewards in the form of cash back, flyer miles, or rewards points?
- Rewards available and terms to redeem them – Once you know what your needs are, you will have to review the offers available and identify the business credit cards that meet them.
- Fees – When comparing business credit cards, you should consider not only the rewards they offer but also the costs they will bring about (annual fees, interest rates, cash withdrawals and balance transfer fees, etc.).
- Employee cards – If you will need them, some banks offer free credit cards for the employees and reward the business owner for all purchases made with the employee cards.
- Issuer – Before you make your final choice, consider checking with the bank you already work with, as they may have special offers and discounts for loyal and/or highly equipped clients. If they do not, and another bank has a better offer for business credit cards, do not hesitate to check their offer for the other business products and services you own, as it could be worthwhile to move them all to a new bank.
Since we know how difficult choosing from tens of available offers is, especially when you have a business to run, we decided to help you out. After thoroughly searching the market and reviewing and comparing business credit cards offers, we came up with the following list of business credit cards that have the best rewards programs.
Take a look at them, and, after making your choice, do not hesitate to leave a comment and let us know which business credit card you chose and why! If your preferred business credit card is not on this list but offers higher or comparable rewards, we will gladly include it.
The 10 Business Credit Cards with the Most Attractive Rewards Programs
1. Chase Ink Business Cash Card
This credit card is perfect for small businesses with low-to-average expenses that involve office supplies, phone, cable, and internet services, gas fills, and restaurant meals and a preference for rewards in the form of cash back. It comes with an introductory bonus of $500 for those who make qualifying payments of minimum $3,000 within the first 3 months from opening their account.
The first $25,000 you spend on combined purchases every year from account opening will get you 5% cash back for payments to office supplies stores and phone, cable, and internet service providers and 2% cash back for gas stations and restaurant payments. All other purchases receive 1% cash back.
The Chase Ink Business Cash Card has no annual fee. Its APR is 0 during the first 12 months and between 14.74% – 20.74% afterwards. The grace period is of 20 days, calculated from the closing of the billing cycle.
2. Chase Ink Business Preferred
This credit card is perfect for small and medium businesses with average expenses focusing on travel, communication, and marketing that favor travel rewards. It comes with an introductory bonus of 80,000 points ($1,000 in travel rewards) for purchases worth $5,000 made within 3 months from account opening.
Every account anniversary year, the first $150,000 you spend on combined purchases will get you 3 points / $1 for payments referring to travel, shipping, phone, cable and internet services, and social media and search engines advertising. All other payments receive 1 point / $1.
Points redeemed for airfare, accommodation, cruises, and car rentals are worth 25% more. Convincing another business owner to get Chase Ink Business Preferred credit card can get you 100,000 bonus points annually, 20,000 per business owner. This business credit card comes with an annual fee of $95, an APR ranging between 17.49% and 22.49%, and a 20 days grace period.
3. Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express
This credit card targets small and average businesses with specific needs and lets them choose for which type of expenses to receive the highest rewards and where to redeem those rewards. It comes with an introductory bonus of dollar-per-dollar G-suite statement credits for G-suite purchases of up to $1,500 made within the first 3 months.
Qualifying purchases of minimum $5,000 made within the first 3 months from account opening bring about 50,000 Membership Rewards points. Additionally, cardholders have 5 purchase categories with preferential reward point bonuses: 3 points / $1 for 1 category, and 2 points / $1 for the other 4 categories. The rewards only apply to the first $100,000 spent in each category.
The categories are:
- Airfare purchases
- Advertising purchases from US providers in select media
- Select gas stations purchases
- Cloud computing, hardware, and software purchases from select U.S. providers
- Select shipping purchases
All other purchases receive 1 point / $1 rewards. American Express Business Gold Rewards Cards terms request that you pay out your balance every time, but further options are available to those who cannot. The annual fee is $0 for the first year and $175 afterwards.
4. American Express Business Platinum Card
Those who like to travel in style and comfort and do not mind paying for it will love the rewards and benefits this credit card offers. The introductory bonus is of 75,000 reward points and requires minimum spendings of $20,000 on qualifying purchases within the first 3 months (50,000 points for the first $10,000 and 25,000 points for the additional $10,000.
Flight and hotel purchases on amextravel.com bring 5 points / $1. Purchases of $5,000 or more receive 50% more reward points. Points redeemed for flights earn 35% more points. Other benefits include $200 in airline fee statement credit and access to select airport lounges.
It is important to note that the annual fee for this business credit card is of $450. Also, those who cannot pay out their balance before the billing period should look into the Pay Over Time feature to avoid the rather high-interest rate, calculated on a daily basis.
5. Bank of America Business Advantage Cash Rewards Mastercard
This credit card is a simple and convenient solution for business needs involving gas, office supplies, and restaurant meals. It comes with an introductory bonus of $200 in statement credit for purchases of minimum $500 made within 2 months from account opening.
Rewards range from 3% for gas and office supplies purchases of no more than $250,000 a year to 2% for restaurant purchases, and 1% for unlimited other purchases. Business Advantage Relationship Rewards members can get additional bonuses of up to 75% of their rewards. The APR varies between 12.74% and 22.74% and is waived off during the first 9 billing cycles. There is no annual fee, and the grace period is of 25 days.
6. Capital One Spark Cash for Business
This credit card is perfect for business owners who prefer to keep things simple by using the same credit card for all their purchases. It comes with a $500 cash bonus available to those who make payments of at least $4,500 within the first 3 months.
The cash back is of 2% for all purchases. The annual fee for Spark Cash for Business is $95, but only payable from the second year onwards. It comes with variable APR, currently revolving around 18.49%. The grace period is of 25 days. An alternative worth taking into account by those who prefer travel rewards is Spark Miles for Business. It has the same terms and conditions but rewards its holder in miles instead of cash back.
7. United MileagePlus® Explorer Business Card
This is a great credit card for business owners who prefer travel rewards and whose purchases focus on office supplies, gas, restaurants, and airfare. It comes with an introductory bonus of 50,000 miles for purchases worth $3,000 made within the first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards range from 2 miles / $1 for select categories purchases to 1 mile / $1 for all other purchases. Another valuable benefit is priority boarding. Keep in mind that the miles can only be redeemed for Continental U.S. and Canada flights of minimum 12,500 miles with United Airlines.
The annual fee is $0 for the first year and $95 afterwards, and the APR ranges between 17.49% and 24.49%. This business travel credit card comes with a grace period of 20 days.
8. Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
This credit card is another worthwhile option for businessmen and entrepreneurs who spend a significant amount of money on travel related expenses. It comes with an introductory bonus of 60,000 points for purchases worth $3,000 made within the first 3 months. The holder also receives an anniversary bonus of $6,000 points.
Rewards range from 2 points / $1 for airfare with Southwest, hotel accommodation with Rapid Rewards, and car rentals with select partners. All other purchases receive 1point / $1. The annual fee is of $99, and the APR ranges between 17.49% and 24.49%. The grace period is similar to all Chase business credit cards – 20 days.
9. CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard
This is the American Airlines alternative to the above United Mileage Plus and Southwest Rapid Rewards business credit cards. It comes with an attractive introductory bonus of 70,000 points for $4,000 purchases made within 4 months from account opening.
It offers 2 points / $1 for purchases at American Airlines and certain gas stations and car rental and telecommunication merchants. All other purchases receive 1 point / $1. The annual fee is waived off during the first year and $95 afterwards, but expect an APR varying from 17.24% to 25.24%.
10. Starwood Preferred Guest Business Credit Card from American Express
This is the best business credit card for hotel stays. It comes with an introductory bonus of up to $200 in statement credit. Holders receive $100 for $1,000 purchases within 3 months from account opening. They receive $100 more for the first purchase at a partner hotel within 6 months from account opening.
Rewards come as Starpoints. They start at 1point / $1 and they can go as high as 6 points / $1. This usually happens during special promotions or with select partners. The annual fee is $0 during the first year and $95 afterwards. You should expect variable APR, between 16.74% and 20.74%.