The best business credit cards

Do you want to go straight to the answer? The best business credit card for most people is undoubtedly the Chase Ink Business Cash.

A good business credit card goes beyond daily purchases.

They can offer you high spending limits, fantastic rewards such as air miles and cash back, as well as useful tools to grow your business.

In many cases, you don't even need an official business structure to apply for a small business credit card. If you are a freelancer or an entrepreneur without a registered LLC, you can still apply for cards using your social security number instead of a tax identification number or EIN code.

This guide is perfect for anyone interested in a small business credit card. I will show you the main options and explain how to find the business credit card that best suits your situation.

Top 8 of the best professional credit cards for 2020

There are hundreds of business credit cards on the market today. It seems like they all claim to be "the best" for something. That being said, there are only eight business credit cards that I confidently recommend.

• Chase Ink Business Cash

• Blue Business Cash Amex

• Chase Ink Business Preferred

• CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum

• American Express Business Gold

• Chase Ink Business Unlimited

• Capital One Spark Cash

• Capital One Spark Miles

I will highlight below the main features, benefits, costs, and any other considerations for each of them.

The best reviews on professional credit cards

Chase Ink Business Cash

Chase Ink Business Cash is the best overall business credit card. We love its benefits and flexibility for a wide range of business goals.

Chase offers exceptional rewards for things you already spend money on.

• 5% cash back on the first $25,000 of combined purchases for internet, cable, and business phone services per year

• 2% de remboursement sur les premiers 25 000 dollars dépensés dans les restaurants et les stations d’essence

• 1 % de remise en espèces illimitée sur tous les autres achats

You get up to $1,750 in refunds each year if you reach the maximum of these first two categories.

Chase offers integrated protection for when you use your Ink Business Cash card. You can decline the collision insurance offered by rental companies when you rent a car. Chase Ink Business Cash provides you with coverage.

The card also offers purchase protection against theft or damage of items for 120 days, up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account. It also extends eligible manufacturer warranties on purchases for an additional year.

You can get additional cards for your employees for free and set individual spending limits for each cardholder. The Ink Business Cash card does not have annual fees.

*Conditions apply -

American Express Blue Business Cash Card

If you want to enjoy all the benefits associated with American Express without paying annual fees, the Blue Business Cash card will be your best option.

You will receive a 2% cash back on purchases up to $50,000 in a calendar year. After that, you will receive a 1% cash back on your purchases. Rewards will be automatically credited to your account statement, so you won't have to worry about manual redemption.

A unique feature of this card is the spending capacity. You have the option to spend beyond your credit limit thanks to Amex's increased purchasing power.

This does not necessarily mean that you will have unlimited spending freedom. The amount available beyond your limit varies depending on factors such as your payment habits, usage, and other factors.

With this card, American Express offers exceptional benefits in terms of travel and transportation. In addition to the loss and damage insurance for car rental, you will also have access to 24/7 services, with global telephone assistance when you are more than 100 miles away from home.

This program gives you access to coordination of legal, financial, medical, and other emergency services, for example to help you travel with a lost passport.

Here are some other key features of the business blue card:

• Employee cards are free

• Résumé détaillé de fin d’année avec catégories de dépenses et rapports de dépenses

• Alertes et suivi des comptes

• Intégration au système de paiement des fournisseurs par Bill.com

• Prolonger la garantie du fabricant sur les achats

• Protection des achats

American Express has been offering exceptional service to its cardholders for a long time. Its dispute resolution services are unmatched.

The conditions apply -

Chase Ink Business Preferred

The Chase Ink Business Preferred card offers better benefits and rewards than the Ink Business Cash card we have already reviewed. However, this card comes with an annual fee of $95. It is a better option for business owners who spend more money and prefer reward points over cash back.

Get 3 points for every dollar spent on the first 150,000 dollars of combined purchases

• Airfares

• Hôtels

• Location de voitures, billets de train et taxis

• Achats de publicité sur les médias sociaux et les moteurs de recherche

• Facture d’Internet, de câble et de téléphone

In short, you can earn up to 450,000 points per year if you spend money in these categories. You will earn 1 point for every dollar spent on all other purchases, with no limit.

If you redeem your travel points with Chase Ultimate Rewards, the points are worth up to 25% more. For example, 80,000 points will get you approximately $1,000 for a trip.

You can even transfer qualified points to your favorite frequent travel programs at a rate of 1 for 1.

Chase Ink Business Preferred offers you protection for rental car collision, cell phone protection, as well as trip cancellation or interruption insurance. If you miss a business trip or need to interrupt it due to illness, bad weather, or other reasons, Chase will reimburse you up to $5,000 for pre-paid and non-refundable expenses. This includes hotels, plane tickets, and excursions.

If you refer other business owners to an Ink Business Preferred card, you can earn up to 100,000 bonus points per year (20,000 per approved referral).

The conditions apply -

CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard

The CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard is the best business credit card for frequent American Airlines travelers. If you or your employees travel frequently with American, you should definitely consider this card.

Travel Benefits:

• First checked bag free for you and up to four people on your itinerary

• Embarquement préférentiel

• 25 % de réduction sur les aliments et les boissons à bord des avions

• 25% de réduction sur le Wi-Fi en vol

Rewards and benefits:

• 2x miles per dollar spent on cable, telecommunications, gas, and car rentals

• 2x miles par dollar dépensé pour les achats d’American Airlines

• Gagnez 1 mile par dollar dépensé pour tous les autres achats

You will also receive an American Airlines travel companion certificate for domestic trips after spending $30,000 per year. This certificate is worth a free round-trip domestic flight for another person on your itinerary. You will only have to pay for taxes and fees.

It is easy to justify the annual fee if you travel frequently enough with American Airlines. If you check in a bag during your trip, two round-trip tickets would normally cost you $100 in baggage fees. The card pays for itself on the spot.

The conditions apply -

American Express Business Gold

American Express Business Gold is one of the leading professional credit cards on the current market.

The card allows you to earn 4 membership points in the two categories where your business spends the most money in each billing cycle. These categories are as follows:

• Airfares

• Achats de publicité

• Matériel informatique, logiciels et technologie de l’informatique en nuage

• Stations d’essence

• Restaurants

• Expédition

The 4 points are valid for the first $150,000 spent per year in the two highest categories. You will receive an unlimited point for every dollar spent thereafter.

American Express has an outstanding rewards program for members. Your points will be transferred to most popular loyalty programs.

If you book a flight with American Express Travel and pay with your points, 25% of these points will be credited back to your account.

You also benefit from all the exceptional advantages offered by American Express, such as no foreign transaction fees, insurance for loss and damage for rental cars, baggage insurance, and a global telephone assistance line.

In addition, the Amex Business Gold card offers room upgrades and a $100 credit for meals, spa, and other resort activities when you stay at a participating property for at least two consecutive nights.

The conditions apply -

Chase Ink Business Unlimited

The Chase Ink Business Unlimited credit card is very similar to the Ink Business payment card we previously reviewed. The most important difference between the two cards is how rewards are earned.

With the Ink Business Cash card, you will receive a different cash back percentage depending on your spending category, with certain limits and restrictions on the amount that can be earned in a year.

The Ink Business Unlimited card is much simpler. You get a cash back of 1.5% on all your purchases, with no limit.

All other features and benefits are the same as those of the Ink Business Cash card.

You will receive a $500 cash back bonus after spending $3,000 in the first three months of using the Chase Ink Business Unlimited card. The card does not have an annual fee.

The conditions apply -

Capital One Spark Cash

Capital One Spark Cash offers an unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases. This card comes with an annual fee of $95, but it is waived for the first year.

Among the main features and advantages of Capital One Spark Cash, we can mention:

• Free employee cards

• Alertes à la fraude et protection

• Pas de frais de transaction à l’étranger

• Crédit de 100 $ pour une entrée globale ou un contrôle préalable de l’ATS

• Couverture de la collision des voitures de location

I like the fact that you can immediately lock a card from the mobile app if it's lost or stolen.

You will also benefit from a detailed end-of-year summary report, perfect for budgeting and tax preparation. It is easy to integrate your purchase records into Quickbooks to simplify your accounting tasks.

Capital One provides emergency card replacement, as well as emergency cash 24 hours a day, 7 days a week worldwide.

Not everyone will be able to benefit from this card. To apply for it, you must have an excellent credit score and a registered business in the United States.

The conditions apply -

Capital One: miles for businesses

If you are a frequent business traveler, Capital One Spark Miles cards will reward you with miles instead of cash or points.

There are actually two options to choose from here. One is free with decent benefits, and the other has an annual fee of $95 with better rewards. Beyond that, both cards are essentially identical. Here is an overview of each one:

Capital One Spark Miles

• $95 annual fee (waived the first year)

• Nombre illimité de 2x miles par dollar dépensé pour tous les achats

• Nombre illimité de 5x miles par dollar dépensé pour les réservations d’hôtel et de voiture de location par l’intermédiaire de Capital One

Capital One Spark Miles Select

• $0 annual fees

• Nombre illimité de 1,5x miles par dollar dépensé pour tous les achats

• Nombre illimité de 5x miles par dollar dépensé pour les réservations d’hôtel et de voiture de location par l’intermédiaire de Capital One

The Spark Miles Select card is better suited for those of you who do not want to pay the annual fee. But if you travel frequently enough, the $95 is justified for the Spark Miles card.

The conditions apply -

How to choose the best business credit card

Now that you have had the opportunity to review the best business credit cards, you need to choose one for yourself. But the best business credit card for me may not be the best for you. Everyone's situation is different.

This is the methodology we used to establish the entries on this list. You can use the same process to evaluate the best option for your business.

Fresh

One of the first things you need to consider is the cost of the card. The cards we reviewed ranged from 0 to 295 dollars in annual fees.

An annual fee is easy to justify if you plan on spending enough to make the most of the benefits and rewards. But if you are a self-employed entrepreneur working from home, you probably don't need a card with an annual fee.

Beyond that, look for the APR, cash advance fees, foreign transaction fees, transfer fees, and late payment fees. Personally, I always pay off my cards in full every month, so late fees and APR are not really relevant to me. But foreign transaction fees, for example, can add up quickly when traveling abroad.

Awards

What type of rewards would you like?

Some cards offer cash back, while others offer points or miles. Cash back will probably be the best option for most of you. If you travel frequently for business, cards that reward you with miles should definitely be considered.

Make sure you understand how rewards are earned and if there are any conditions. Some cards limit the number of rewards you can earn in a year.

Qualification Conditions

Some cards require you and your business to have excellent credit. You will not be approved for some cards if your credit score is below 700.

You must also have a business incorporated as a company in order to obtain certain cards. Other cards allow you to apply using only your name and social security number.

Loyalty Programs

Some business credit cards are linked to a specific loyalty partner. For example, the CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard is an American Airlines card.

In most cases, it is preferable not to use specific airline or hotel credit cards, as you will not be rewarded as much for purchases made with another company. It is therefore better to use general miles, cash back, or points that can be used with any airline or hotel.

That being said, if you know that you will travel frequently on a specific airline, this type of loyalty program will provide you with the most rewarding benefits.

So, if you take a flight from Chicago to Dallas once a month (both American Airlines hubs), it makes perfect sense to get a card linked to AAdvantage.

Spending habits

A company spending 10,000 dollars per year should not have the same credit card as a company spending 100,000 dollars per year.

Your spending categories can also influence your decision when choosing a card. Some cards offer better rewards for purchases made at restaurants or gas stations. Others will give you additional benefits for money spent on advertising or on your phone bill.

Benefits

There are dozens and dozens of potential advantages that could convince you to choose one card over another. Here are a few:

• Sign-up bonus

• Protection des achats

• Extensions de garantie

• Cartes gratuites pour les employés

• Protection d’assurance (voyage, location de voiture, bagages)

• Embarquement prioritaire

• Bagages enregistrés gratuits

• Crédits hôteliers

The list is long. Find a card with benefits that match your business and spending habits.

For example, the American Express Business Gold card offers a bonus of 50,000 points if you spend $5,000 in the first three months of using the card. But if you don't normally spend $5,000 in three months, then this card is not for you. The $295 annual fee won't be worth it.

Conclusion

Every business owner needs a credit card. Fortunately, credit card companies have created cards offering a wide range of benefits, rewards, and perks to meet your needs.

Here is a brief overview of the best business credit cards from our list:

• Chase Ink Business Cash

• Blue Business Cash Amex

• Chase Ink Business Preferred

• CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum

• American Express Business Gold

• Chase Ink Business Unlimited

• Capital One Spark Cash

• Capital One Spark Miles

Whether you want money, miles, or points, I made sure to include something for everyone on this list. Some of these cards are better suited for large businesses that travel frequently, while others are more suitable for small businesses and sole proprietors.