The 10 Best Small Business Credit Cards For Cash Back, Introductory Offers, Travel Rewards, & More

Best for eCommerce.

Overall, Chase's Ink Business Preferred is one of the best credit cards for small businesses. In particular, it's one of the best business credit cards for eCommerce because it offers bonus rewards for common purchases to support eCommerce functions. You'll get 3 points/$1 spent on advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines, as well as shipping purchases. That earning rate also applies to other categories, including travel (airfare, hotels, rental cars, train tickets, and taxis) and internet, cable, and phone services. And you can set up recurring bill pay for those accounts.

This benefit taps out after you spend $150,000 in a year. After that, you'll still earn 1 point/$1 you spend. You'll earn a standard 1 point/$1 spent on purchases outside those categories, and your points never expire as long as you keep your account open. You can stretch your points when you shop at Amazon or book travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. You can also redeem points for cash back or gift cards. The $95 annual fee offsets earnings for this card, but that's affordable if you max out your points-earning potential each year. And the current welcome offer of 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first three months will net you $1,000 cash back or $1,250 in potential travel rewards.

Best for cash back rewards.

One of the best small business credit cards for cash back rewards is the American Express Business Gold Card. With a hefty 4x points offered in select categories, this card allows users to get the biggest rewards bang for their spending. Though the 4x points are limited to select categories, the categories are broad, and your card will earn the bonus award on your top-two highest spending centers from among these categories:

• Airfare purchased directly from airlines
• Advertising purchases on TV, online, and radio
• Gas purchases at US gas stations
• Restaurant purchases at US venues, including takeout and delivery
• Technology purchases, including computer hardware, software, and cloud solutions
• Shipping purchases

The 4x points apply to the first $150K in purchases each year. This allows you to tailor your bonus points to your unique spending patterns. There is no limit to the number of points you can earn, though you'll revert to a simple 1x point scheme after you hit the spending cap. This card comes with a rather hefty $295 annual fee. That can be offset by the current welcome offer of 70,000 bonus points after you spend $10K in the first three months.

Best for 0% interest rate.

If you need a card that can carry a balance, check out the American Express Blue Business Cash card. It's the best business credit card for a 0% interest rate on purchases for an entire year after opening your account, giving you plenty of time to pay off your purchases. Right now, you'll also get a $250 cash-back welcome offer as long as you spend $3,000 in your first three months.

Purchases with the American Express Blue Business Cash card will earn 2% cash back, up to the first $50,000 you spend each calendar year. After that cap, you'll earn 1% cash back on purchases. Rewards will be credited to your statement automatically. This small business credit card comes with minimal travel and shopping benefits in the form of rental car insurance, a global assistance hotline, and some extended warranty and purchase protections. Purchases you make in the travel and shopping categories will earn that 2% cash back reward, up to $50,000 total spending, making Amex's Blue Business Plus Cash one of the easiest ways we've found to rack up points.

Best for balance transfers.

American Express Blue Business Plus offers a 0% introductory rate for 12 months, making this one of the best business credit cards for balance transfers. Be prepared to pay a transaction fee of up to 3% of the transferred balance amount. With no annual fee, this card offers a convenient and cost-effective way to pay down big purchases over time. After the first 12 months, the interest rate on this card jumps to a variable rate between 13.49% and 21.49%, based on various factors, including your creditworthiness.

This card also lets you accrue points when you use it to make purchases. You'll earn 2% cash back on the first $50,000 you spend each year. After you hit that cap, your cash back rate will drop to 1%. Rewards are applied to your statement automatically.

Best for new small businesses.

The Brex Card is a corporate card geared toward tech startups, and it's one of the best credit cards for new small businesses. This card provides up to 8x points for ridesharing apps and taxis, 5x on travel, 4x at restaurants, 3x on recurring software, 3x on Apple products, and 1x on everything else. Rewards can be redeemed for a statement credit and gift cards or used to book travel through Brex’s portal. Beyond the base points scheme, the Brex Card features exclusive signup offers from various products and business tools, including accounting software Quickbooks, Amazon Web Services, Apple, Gusto, Slack, and more.

Outside of the card itself, Brex offers spend management tools to help companies issue employee cards, match receipts, and track spending. The company's business account offering, Brex Cash, attempts to replace the standard business checking account by providing FDIC coverage, free ACH and wire transfers, and no minimum balance requirements. Unfortunately, Brex's credit card is available only to businesses classified as C-Corps, S-Corps, LLCs, and LLPs.

Best for flat-rate rewards.

Capital One offers a very simple way to earn a fair amount of cash back, and its simple scheme makes it one of the best business credit cards for flat-rate rewards. With 1.5% cash back on all purchases, this is a simple way to save money. We are highlighting the Spark Cash Select from Capital One because it has no annual fee. However, you should be aware that Capital One offers a similar card with 2% cash back on all purchases and a higher early spend bonus, but it carries a rather hefty $150 annual fee. The extra cash back may make the fee worth paying, depending on your spending habits.

Capital One's Spark Cash Select rewards scheme is very straightforward: You receive 1.5% cash back on all eligible purchases made through your card. If you spend $10,000 on the card, for example, you'll get $150 cash back. You can also pick up a $500 early spend bonus by dishing out $4,500 on purchases within your first three months. This card is not subject to caps; you will earn 1.5% cash back regardless of how much you spend on your card.

Best welcome offer.

Chase's business credit card, Ink Business Cash, is the business credit card with the best welcome offer. Users will have the opportunity to earn up to 5% cash back on purchases in select categories. With a category cap of $25,000, you won't be able to earn as much as you might with another card. However, Chase's Ink Business Cash card has no annual fee and a generous cash back welcome offer. If you spend at least $7,500 within three months of opening your account, you're looking at a cash back bonus of $750. This business credit card also offers an introductory APR of 0% on purchases made in the first 12 months. That's an offer that's hard to beat.

Cash back rates earned will vary and can change over the course of a year, with 5% back per year on the first $25K in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services. That drops to a still-respectable 2% cash back on the first $25K in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each year. All other purchases earn 1% cash back, with no limit to the points earned. You can redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel, and more. Points do not expire.

Best for travel rewards.

Capital One's Spark Miles is an excellent and easy way for frequent travelers to earn miles, making this one of the best business credit cards for travel rewards. Cardholders nab two miles for every dollar spent on all purchases, with no minimums and no expiration dates. Plus, Capital One bumps up that earning rate to 5x if you book hotels and car rentals through its travel portal. That base scheme sits higher than the amount dished out by many credit cards and makes for an excellent incentive to use this card on many purchases. You can earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 points by spending $4,500 within the first three months.

Spark Miles carries an annual fee of $95, which gets waived for the first year. If you're not sure the fee balances out for your business, you can check out our review of Capital One's companion card, Spark Miles Select, which has a $0 annual fee and earns 1.5x miles on every purchase. Whichever card you choose, redeem your miles for most travel expenses, including airfare, hotels, vacation packages, and other purchases. Additionally, cardholders have access to all the business benefits from Capital One and Visa.

Best for fair credit.

Business owners with a fair or average credit score need a way to boost their credit rating while leveraging their credit to make purchases. For that purpose, it's hard to beat Spark Classic from Capital One, one of the best business credit cards for fair credit. While this card doesn't deliver the highest level of rewards, it features no annual fee. Plus, using this card boosts your business credit scores, allowing you to seek more rewarding cards in the future.

Those with the Spark Classic can earn an unlimited 1% per dollar spent on all purchases. This amount is lower than other cards on this list. However, it’s still a generous offer because it’s available to business owners with fair credit. On top of that, there’s no annual fee to worry about. Rewards can be redeemed in the form of a statement credit or a check, as well as credits for previous purchases, gift cards, and more. There is no minimum to redeem, and they’ll last for the account's duration.

Best for poor credit.

As a business-specific secured card, the Wells Fargo Business Secured Credit Card may be the best business credit card for poor credit. If your business lacks a credit history or has a low credit score that needs improving, this card is worth a look because it also offers a flexible rewards scheme that lets you get the most out of your rewards while also boosting your credit score.

That flexible rewards scheme is certainly this card's highlight. You can choose to net 1.5% for every dollar spent, or you can opt for 1 point per dollar spent with 1,000 bonus points each billing period your business spends $1,000 or more. Ultimately, your choice will be determined by how much you spend. Low spenders (under $1,000 per month) or high spenders (above $2,000) will likely want to opt for the cash back format. Those in the middle (between $1,000 and $2,000 monthly) might see more success going with rewards points.