Our Favorite Small Business Credit Cards at StartupWise
Credit cards are a super useful for business owners who want to earn points for spending, manage cash flow, and build business credit. It’s a tool we recommend all entrepreneurs to consider.
Below are some of our favorite credit cards. We love the flexibility of the Chase Ultimate Rewards® ecosystem (you can have all three Chase Ink cards below and combine points to maximize your bonus categories), we like the Venture X Business for its lounge access and travel perks, the American Express® Business Gold Card for those that can max out its 4X bonus categories and the always popular Business Platinum Card® from American Express for those looking for that coveted Centurion lounge access at the airport.
Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.
Annual Fee:
$0
🎁 Bonus offer
Earn $750 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening.
This is awarded as 75,000 Ultimate Rewards Points, transferrable if you also hold a Sapphire Preferred®, Sapphire Reserve®, Ink Business Preferred®, or Sapphire Reserve for Business℠.
💡 Need to Know
Offers 1.5% cash back on all eligible purchases. The cash back can be transferred to your other Ultimate Rewards cards.
Featured Card
Simple. Earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases
Rich signup bonus
No annual fee
Your Best Credit Cards has partnered with CardRatings and MyBankTracker for our coverage of credit card products. Your Best Credit Cards and our partners may receive compensation from card issuers when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. Some or all of the offers that appear on Your Best Credit Cards are from advertisers and may influence how and where products are displayed on the site, as well as their rankings in tables. Your Best Credit Cards does not include all card companies, banks, or all available card or bank offers. Commissions do not affect or prioritize placement within our Card Explorer results, and not all cards displayed earn us a commission. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone.
* Suggested credit score ranges for credit cards are supplied by QuinStreet, not from the issuers, and are guidelines, not a guarantee of approval.
Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.
Annual Fee:
$0
🎁 Bonus offer
Earn $750 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening.
This is awarded as 75,000 Ultimate Rewards Points, transferrable if you also hold a Sapphire Preferred®, Sapphire Reserve®, Ink Business Preferred®, or Sapphire Reserve for Business℠.
Simple. Earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases
Rich signup bonus
No annual fee
Simple. Earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases
Rich signup bonus
No annual fee
Pros
With 1.5% cash back on all purchases, it's a perfect "default" card for purchases not in a bonus category on your other cards
No annual fee
Points earned can be transferred to your Chase Ink Preferred®, Sapphire Preferred® Card, or Sapphire Reserve® Card
Cons
Comes with a foreign transaction fee when travelling or making a purchase in a foreign currency
Rewards earned are only cash back, although you can transfer the Ultimate Rewards points earned to a Chase Ink Preferred®, Sapphire Preferred® Card, or Sapphire Reserve® Card to enable airline and hotel points transfers
No bonus spend categories
Annual Fee:$0
Foreign Transaction Fee:3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
Min Credit Score:Good (670-739) *
The Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business, and Ink Preferred all have the ability to transfer to airline and hotel partners. We use an average value that you can expect to get by utilizing your points for these transfer partners.
In the Chase Travel℠ portal, Points Boost allows you to redeem for airfare or hotels with point values ranging from 1.5 – 2 cents depending on cabin class or hotel. Specific flights and hotels that appear in Point Boost vary.
If you do not have at least one of these cards, Ultimate Rewards are worth exactly 1 cent per point.
Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.
Annual Fee:
$0
🎁 Bonus offer
Earn $750 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening.
This is awarded as 75,000 Ultimate Rewards Points, transferrable if you also hold a Sapphire Preferred®, Sapphire Reserve®, Ink Business Preferred®, or Sapphire Reserve for Business℠.
Earns 5X on office supply stores, cable, internet, and phone
Points earned can be transferred to other eligible Chase Ultimate Rewards cards
No annual fee
Earns 5X on office supply stores, cable, internet, and phone
Points earned can be transferred to other eligible Chase Ultimate Rewards cards
No annual fee
Pros
Great 5X (office supplies, cable, internet, phone) and 2X (gas stations and dining) bonus categories – on up to $25,000 in combined purchases each cardmember year.
No annual fee
Points earned can be combined to a Chase Ink Preferred®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, or Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card
Cons
Charges a foreign transaction fee
Rewards earned are only cash back unless you have a Chase Ink Preferred®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, or Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card to unlock points transfers
Earns only 1% on non-bonus categories
Annual Fee:$0
Foreign Transaction Fee:3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
Min Credit Score:Good (670-739) *
The Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business, and Ink Preferred all have the ability to transfer to airline and hotel partners. We use an average value that you can expect to get by utilizing your points for these transfer partners.
In the Chase Travel℠ portal, Points Boost allows you to redeem for airfare or hotels with point values ranging from 1.5 – 2 cents depending on cabin class or hotel. Specific flights and hotels that appear in Point Boost vary.
If you do not have at least one of these cards, Ultimate Rewards are worth exactly 1 cent per point.
Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.
Annual Fee:
$395
🎁 Bonus offer
150,000 Miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening
With a $300 annual travel credit and 10,000 miles (worth $100) each year at renewal, the credits you receive are actually worth more than the annual fee.
Free authorized user cards
No Preset Spending Limit; Earns Capital One Miles
With a $300 annual travel credit and 10,000 miles (worth $100) each year at renewal, the credits you receive are actually worth more than the annual fee.
Free authorized user cards
No Preset Spending Limit; Earns Capital One Miles
Pros
The annual fee is more than covered by annual credits
Comes with access to Capital One lounges and Landings and participating Priority Pass™ lounges
No Preset Spending Limit
Cons
The annual fee, while effectively negative $5 after credits, can feel like a lot.
Aside from bonus points for booking through Capital One Business Travel, there are no bonus categories. Still, all eligible purchases do earn 2X miles per dollar spent which is great.
Points don't transfer to any domestic airlines, although you can use other partners to book domestic award tickets on domestic airlines.
Annual Fee:$395
Foreign Transaction Fee:0%
Min Credit Score:Excellent (800-850) *
It’s worth noting that some Capital One cards earn 2 miles per dollar on everything, making the 1.6 cent per mile value an understatement as you’d be earning a 3.2% yield on every day spend. However, this assumes you will learn how to utilize the Capital One airline and hotel transfer partners, most of which transfer 1:1.
The minimum value is 1 cent when used to book travel in their portal or to cover previously paid for travel, however, our calculator assumes you will use Capital One’s air and hotel transfer partners when calculating a 1.6 cent per point value.
Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.
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. Terms Apply.
Amazing Membership Rewards points earning rate for 6 popular business spending categories
No Preset Spending Limit means your spending limit is flexible. Unlike a traditional card with a set limit, the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment, and credit history.
Card membership includes the very well regarded American Express customer service
Amazing Membership Rewards points earning rate for 6 popular business spending categories
No Preset Spending Limit means your spending limit is flexible. Unlike a traditional card with a set limit, the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment, and credit history.
Card membership includes the very well regarded American Express customer service
Pros
You can't beat the 4X points on 2 out of the following 6 categories each month: U.S. advertising and media, U.S. gas stations, U.S. electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, U.S. restaurants, U.S. wireless telephone service providers, and U.S. Transit
Although the annual fee seems high, if you max out the 4X on $150,000 in purchases, that earns you 600,000 Membership Rewards points which Your Best Credit Cards values at around $10,000
Card membership includes the very well regarded American Express customer service
Cons
The high annual fee, despite being worth it for high spenders
If you spend well over $150,000 a year in these categories, you may max it out and remaining spend earns at just 1X.
Car rental CDW coverage is secondary to your own auto insurance
Instant Transfers as well as solid transfer partners. The value would go up if they had any hotel partners with a fair exchange rate. ANA (an exception to instant transfers), Virgin, Air Canada and Avianca are top airline partners for maximizing your points. They can also transfer to Delta if you wish and while the rates aren’t ideal, they can transfer to Marriott and Hilton as well.
The stated value also assumes you will take advantage of transfer partners rather than book via their booking portal, where they are only worth between 1 and 1.5 cents.
Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.
You may be eligible for as high as 300,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $20,000 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. Terms apply.
With an array of both luxury travel perks and small business benefits, this is the ultimate premium card for high-spenders.
Generous protections when using the card to make purchases that provide genuine peace of mind.
Amex Membership Rewards® points are extremely valuable, especially for their ability to be transferred to hotel and airline partners.
With an array of both luxury travel perks and small business benefits, this is the ultimate premium card for high-spenders.
Generous protections when using the card to make purchases that provide genuine peace of mind.
Amex Membership Rewards® points are extremely valuable, especially for their ability to be transferred to hotel and airline partners.
Pros
Robust 5x Membership Rewards® on flights and prepaid hotels at Amex Travel
Access to over 1,550 worldwide airport lounges as part of the American Express Global Lounge Collection including Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass™ Select membership, and more.
Unlock over $3,500 in business and travel value annually on the Business Platinum Card.
Cons
High annual fee of $895
While there are variety of generous statement credits, they are mostly specific to certain merchants: i.e. Dell, Adobe, Indeed, etc.
Airline fee credit does not cover airfare, only incidentals like checked baggage fees or other incidentals.
Instant Transfers as well as solid transfer partners. The value would go up if they had any hotel partners with a fair exchange rate. ANA (an exception to instant transfers), Virgin, Air Canada and Avianca are top airline partners for maximizing your points. They can also transfer to Delta if you wish and while the rates aren’t ideal, they can transfer to Marriott and Hilton as well.
The stated value also assumes you will take advantage of transfer partners rather than book via their booking portal, where they are only worth between 1 and 1.5 cents.