Best business credit cards: Save on travel, office supplies, and more for your small business

The best business credit cards can help you earn valuable rewards and take advantage of worthwhile benefits, such as purchase protection or travel redemptions. Even better, there’s a suitable card for almost any business owner, whether you’re running a brick-and-mortar store or doing freelance work on the side.

Why we like it: The Ink Business Cash provides some of the best cash-back earning opportunities among business cards because of its high rewards rate and useful spending categories. You can also take advantage of an excellent intro APR offer on purchases.

Read our full Ink Business Cash review

Why we like it: If you want to earn valuable travel rewards on your everyday business expenses, look no further than the Amex Blue Business Plus. It has a no-hassle rewards rate that works for any eligible purchase (so no confusing bonus categories to worry about), plus you can use an intro APR offer on purchases as a new cardmember.

Read our full Amex Blue Business Plus review

Why we like it: The Ink Business Preferred provides an elevated rewards rate on common business expenses and multiple card perks that can be useful for travelers. These include points transfers from the Ultimate Rewards program to popular hotel and airline loyalty programs, such as United MileagePlus and World of Hyatt, and a 25% redemption bonus if you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠.

Read our full Ink Business Preferred review

Why we like it: The Amex Blue Business Cash makes sense if you want to earn straightforward cash back on all your eligible business purchases. This card doesn’t have different bonus categories to remember, just a simple cash-back rate. It also provides an intro APR offer on purchases to new cardmembers.

Why we like it: We recommend the Capital One Venture X Business as the best premium travel business card because it has a lower annual fee than its competitors while still providing high-quality travel perks. These include a $300 annual travel credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel, 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, and airport lounge access to Priority Pass and Capital One Lounges.

Why we like it: The free anniversary night alone can provide more than enough value to offset the annual fee on the IHG One Rewards Premier Business, so any other perk or benefit is a bonus. That includes the high rewards rate at IHG hotels and resorts and complimentary Platinum Elite status, which provides complimentary upgrades, early check-in, and late checkout when available.

Read our full IHG One Rewards Premier Business review

Why we like it: The Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business is one of the best cards available for small business owners who frequently fly Southwest. With 9,000 bonus points each anniversary, four Upgraded Boardings per year, in-flight Wi-Fi credits, and an annual Companion Pass qualifying points boost, there’s more than enough value to pay the annual fee each year.

Read our full Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business review

Why we like it: The Bank of America Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards gives you flexibility over how you can earn rewards on your business expenses. If you frequently have purchases in different categories, this card could make sense for you.

Read our full Bank of America Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards review

Why we like it: The Capital One Spark Cash Plus makes sense if you want straightforward cash-back rewards with no categories or spending caps. This card is excellent for high-spending business owners who prefer earning cash back.

Read our full Capital One Spark Cash Plus review

Why we like it: The Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Amex is one of the best cards for loyal Delta travelers. Our favorite benefit on this card is getting your first checked bag for free on Delta flights, which can save you a lot of fees depending on how often you fly. Even better, this benefit extends to up to eight passengers traveling with you on the same reservation.

Read our full Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Amex review

Why we like it: The Ink Business Unlimited is an easy cash-back card to use, with its straightforward rewards rate, multiple types of purchase coverage, and various redemption options (including travel or cash back). New cardholders can also take advantage of an intro APR offer on purchases.

Read our full Ink Business Unlimited review

Why we like it: If you’re a Marriott Bonvoy loyalist, look no further than the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex. This card provides complimentary Gold Elite status (priority late checkout and 25% more points on eligible hotel purchases) and a Free Night Award (redemption level up to 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) each year after your card renewal month. You can also receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year to help qualify for the next elite status level.

Read our full Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex review

Why we like it: The Amex Business Platinum is one of the best luxury travel cards available, providing several perks and benefits that the frequent traveler can find useful. This business version of the Amex Platinum also provides business-specific credits to help your growing business.

Why we like it: The U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards provides an elevated rewards rate in common business categories, which could make sense for you if the categories align with your business expenses. This card beats out a lot of similar competition because it also has a $0 annual fee.

Why we like it: The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card doesn’t provide a free annual night award, but it still has more than enough benefits to make it worthwhile. These include up to $100 in Hyatt credits per year and an opportunity to earn five tier-qualifying night credits for every $10,000 you spend in a calendar year.

Read our full World of Hyatt Business review

Business credit cards function similarly to personal credit cards. They allow you to make eligible purchases on credit, which you then need to pay back within a certain amount of time. There are different types or categories of business credit cards, including travel cards, cash-back cards, secured cards, and corporate cards.

• Travel credit cards: These cards make sense if you want to earn travel rewards points or miles on your business spending. Rewards can be used for travel-related redemptions, including flights, hotel stays, and car rentals.

• Cash-back credit cards: You can typically redeem cash-back rewards for statement credits and gift cards. In some cases, you could also receive deposits into an eligible checking or savings account.

• Secured credit cards: Whether secured vs. unsecured cards are best depends on your credit history. The typical credit card is unsecured, which means your credit limit isn’t tied to any collateral; instead, it’s determined by your credit report. Secured credit cards tend to have less strict eligibility requirements because you must offer collateral to open one. Secured cards generally have a security deposit requirement, which often acts as your credit limit. For example, you might put down $1,000 as your deposit and then have a $1,000 credit limit.

• Corporate cards: A corporate card is a specific type of business card typically only available to incorporated businesses, such as corporations and some limited liability companies (LLCs). These cards tend to have stricter eligibility requirements based on company size and available assets.

Just about anyone with a business, even a new business, can apply for a business credit card. That includes anyone who operates a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or LLC.

Sole proprietors could include any number of people who earn money independently, such as freelancers and people who work side hustles.

You might not qualify for a business credit card if you don’t have an income-earning venture or side gig. But remember that it’s probably easier than you think to meet the qualifications to apply for a business card, especially if you have a good personal credit history.

The best credit card for business depends on your preferences and personal finance goals. Consider these factors to help find a card that suits your business needs:

• Credit requirements: Most business credit cards require a personal guarantee, meaning you need at least a good personal credit score to qualify. Certain cards could require an excellent credit score, so it’s worth researching to find a card that aligns with your current financial situation. If your score is lower than you’d like (potentially in the bad credit range), you can use credit cards to boost your credit score.

• Fees: Annual fees and foreign transaction fees are common but avoidable, depending on your needs. In general, cards with premium benefits have annual fees, and credit cards with no foreign transaction fees tend to be travel-oriented.

• Benefits: Card perks vary by card and issuer. Benefits could include airport lounge access, cell phone protection, travel insurance, and more.

• Rewards: Rewards credit cards generally earn points, miles, or cash back. Points and miles are associated with travel redemptions, while cash back can be redeemed for things like statement credits, gift cards, and (sometimes) bank deposits. Many rewards cards offer welcome bonuses, which are great ways to earn loads of points as a new card member.

• APR: Ongoing APR rates on credit cards are often high, so it’s rarely a good idea to carry a balance. However, some business cards provide 0% intro APR offers on purchases, allowing you to avoid high interest rates during the introductory period. This could come in handy if you have a large purchase coming up and want some extra time to pay it off without added interest.

Business credit card applications are similar to personal credit card applications in that you have to provide some personal information. You can also easily fill out an application and apply online. The main difference when applying for a business card is that you must also provide information about your business.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the different items you might see on a business card application:

• Authorizing officer title: For sole proprietors, you’re the owner. If it’s a different business setup, you might be a member, partner, president, or another type of officer.

• Business structure: Choose between corporation, LLC, nonprofit, partnership, or sole proprietorship. You’re likely a sole proprietor if you work for yourself, such as freelancing or doing a side gig.

• Legal business name: Your company’s name is typically your own if you’re a sole proprietor.

• Business mailing address: Unless you have a specific business address, this is your home address.

• Business phone number: If you don’t have a business phone number, you can use your personal number.

• Tax ID type: If you’re a sole proprietor, you might not have an employer identification number (EIN), so you can use your Social Security number (SSN).

• Number of employees: Sole proprietors typically have only one employee (themselves). Consider how many employee cards you want to give out.

• Business established date: This is when your business was created. This doesn’t necessarily mean the date you started making money, as the start of your business is when you began setting it up.

• Annual business revenue: This is your last year of business revenue. If your business is new, you can put “$0” or an amount you’re projected to earn.

• Business category: Select the categories most aligned with your business from the available options.

• Estimated monthly spend: How much you expect to spend on your business credit card each month.

If you have a legitimate business, including a side hustle, and plan to use your card responsibly, consider applying for a business credit card. Business cards can provide useful features for earning rewards on business expenses, managing your finances, and keeping your personal and business expenses separate.

Remember, business credit cards are meant for business owners, so you likely won’t qualify if you don’t have some sort of business income or a plan to have business income. Many business card issuers check your personal credit history to see if you qualify, which means you can be approved even if your business is brand new.

It’s possible to apply for and get approved for a business credit card with just an EIN, but it likely won’t be feasible for most small business owners. This is because many EIN-only cards are corporate cards with strict eligibility requirements, such as having a high minimum cash balance of $50,000 or more.

You typically need a good to excellent personal credit score (at least a 670 FICO score) to qualify for a business credit card. Many small business owners don’t have much or any business credit history, so business card lenders often do a hard credit check on your personal credit history to assess your creditworthiness.

Most credit card issuers do a hard credit inquiry to check your personal credit report when you apply for a new business credit card. Hard inquiries could initially drop your credit score by a few points but typically won’t impact your credit score for over 12 months.

Qualifying for secured business credit cards is often easier because of more relaxed eligibility requirements. However, you generally have to put down a security deposit as your spending limit. Also, many secured credit cards have fewer benefits than their unsecured counterparts.

Small business credit cards don’t qualify for the same consumer protections offered by the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (CARD Act). That includes limits to certain fees and charges to cardholders.

You can qualify for a business credit card with an LLC, sole proprietorship, corporation, or another eligible business structure. Startups and other new businesses can qualify because your eligibility for most business cards depends on credit factors, such as your personal credit score, income, and debt.

American Express provides some of the best business card options for small business owners. Our recommendations include:

• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express: Best for simple travel rewards

• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Excellent for premium travel benefits

• The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card: Best for simple cash-back

• Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: Excellent for Marriott loyalists

We researched nearly all available business card options from major card issuers to find the best business credit cards. We did not research all the products available from every credit card company.

We added the available cards to a rubric to rate them based on various factors, including rewards rates, annual fees, APRs, and more.

Our final list includes highly-rated cards that, based on our rubric, experience, research, and expert opinion, could be useful for a wide variety of small business owners.

Editorial Disclosure: The information in this article has not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. All opinions belong solely to Yahoo Finance and are not those of any other entity. The details on financial products, including card rates and fees, are accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information. This site doesn’t include all currently available offers. Credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.