Best Business Credit Cards Of July 2021

If you want a no annual fee card that allows you to earn valuable rewards, Ink Cash is a good option. This card is marketed as a cash back card, but can be paired with a premium Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning card to unlock the full value of Chase Ultimate Rewards points. The card also offers protections that you don’t often see on a no-annual-fee card including primary car rental insurance for your business and purchase protection.

Rewards: Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year. Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Welcome Offer: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Annual Fee: $0

Other Benefits and Drawbacks: The 5% and the 2% category each have an annual limit of $25,000 spent in combined purchases.

While the card is marketed as a cash back card, it actually earns Ultimate Rewards. Ultimate Rewards from the Chase Ink Cash must be combined with personal Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® points in order to utilize airline partner transfers where they can be worth more than 1 cent each.

If you’re just looking for one card, the Ink Business Cash Card could still be a good option if you regularly spend in the bonus categories but don’t think you’ll exceed the $25,000 annual caps. If that doesn’t sound like you, you should look elsewhere.

The Chase Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card is marketed as a cash back card, and offers a relatively high rate of cash back. When paired with a premium Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning card like the Ink Business Preferred®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, earnings can be taken as Ultimate Rewards points which can make this card even more valuable. The Unlimited tops the Ink Preferred if you want a straightforward earnings rate rather than bonus categories as long as you pair it with a card that has transferable rewards.

Rewards: Earn 1.5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on all purchases.

Welcome Offer: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Annual Fee: $0

Other Benefits and Drawbacks: The “set it and forget it” rewards from the Chase Ink Unlimited couldn’t be easier to earn, making this a solid choice if you only want one business card but want to earn variable rewards. That said, you’ll need to pair it with another Ultimate Rewards-earning card with transferable points if you want to unlock the full potential of this card.

If you’re after the highest rate of cash back alone, it’s possible that another card would provide more value.

Read our Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card review to learn more.

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is interesting because you can earn Membership Rewards points without paying an annual fee. The card also offers an introductory APR offer, which allows a new business to acquire inventory or pay upfront expenses with time to pay them off without interest.

Rewards: Earn 2 Membership Rewards® points on your first $50,000 in purchases each year, regardless of the category. If you hit the threshold, you’ll still earn 1 point per dollar thereafter.

Welcome Offer: N/A

Annual Fee: No annual fee (see rates and fees)

Other Benefits and Drawbacks: This card’s intro APR of 0% on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening followed by an ongoing APR of 13.24% - 19.24% Variable can be enticing if you want to save money on interest with a lower APR, but carrying a balance isn’t going to be a good idea in the long-run when the introductory period is over.

One downside of this card is the fact that you won’t earn any kind of welcome bonus if you’re approved and meet a minimum spending requirement.

We do like the fact you can earn 2 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. The 2 points per dollar rate applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, the card earns 1 point per dollar thereafter. If your business regularly spends more than $50,000 per year, a card without a cap may be a better choice

The Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offers the ability to earn valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards points at compelling rates and an impressive bonus offer, making it a top pick for business travel. Ultimate Rewards are valuable because they are so flexible. You can redeem directly for travel at 1.25 cents per point through Chase or transfer to over a dozen loyalty programs including United, Southwest and Hyatt.

Rewards: Earn 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on travel purchases and select business categories on the first $150,000 spent each account anniversary year and 1 Ultimate Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases.

Welcome Offer: Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®

Annual Fee: $95

Other Benefits and Drawbacks: The “select business categories” include shipping, internet, cable and phone, and social media and search engine advertising. If your business does a lot of online advertising, this card will rake in the rewards.

Ultimate Rewards from the Chase Ink Preferred can be combined with personal Ultimate Rewards points to help grow balances quickly.

This card also offers cell phone insurance limited to three claims of up to $600 each per year, subject to a $25 deductible. This card also offers trip cancellation and interruption insurance, primary auto rental insurance when you rent for business purposes (secondary if you’re renting for personal reasons), purchase protection and extended warranty coverage.

Read our review of the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card to learn more.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express does come with a pricey annual fee, but it can be a value for those that travel frequently and want access to luxury travel perks. This card comes with access to the prestigious Centurion Lounges among over 1,000 others and comes with an array of credits you can use to help justify paying the annual fee. The biggest downside of this card is the fact that the credits are so specific.

Rewards: Earn 5 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com. Earn 1.5 points per dollar on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more. You can get up to 1 million additional points per year. All other purchases earn 1 point per dollar.

Welcome Offer: Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.

Annual Fee: $595 (see rates & fees)

Other Benefits and Drawbacks: The Business Platinum Card shines when you get to the airport. Not only will you be able to access Priority Pass lounges worldwide after you enroll, but you can also use American Express Centurion Lounges and even Delta SkyClubs when you fly Delta.

This card comes with an array of travel credits you can use each year, a fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck and a $200 airline credit for incidentals with an eligible airline you must select each year.

You’ll also get Gold status with the Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors hotel programs when you enroll, as well as up to $200 in statement credits for U.S. Dell purchases and 35% of your points back, up to 500,000 bonus points per calendar year, when you redeem them for airfare through American Express Travel.

If you prefer full-service hotels to roadside rest stops, the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is worth exploring. This card gives you complimentary Hilton Gold Status as a cardholder, and you can earn a generous welcome bonus and a high rate of rewards on all your spending.

Rewards: Earn 12 Hilton Honors points per dollar spent on Hilton purchases, 6 points per dollar at U.S. gas stations, U.S. wireless telephone services, U.S. shipping, U.S. restaurants, flights booked directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com and car rentals booked directly with the car rental company; earn 3 points per dollar on all other purchases.

Welcome Offer: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points with the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card in the first 3 months of Card Membership

Annual Fee: $95 (see rates and fees)

Other Benefits and Drawbacks: This card can be worth it for the welcome bonus alone, but don’t forget that you’ll also get automatic Hilton Gold Status. This elite status can afford you benefits like late checkout, complimentary breakfast at Hilton properties, room upgrades based on availability and more. Even if you’re just an occasional Hilton guest, this card could make sense.

You’ll also get 10 complimentary visits to Priority Pass lounges per year, which is unusual for a mid-range credit card and can be more than enough to get you into airport lounges anytime you want if you only travel a few times per year. If you do travel more than once per month, however, you may want to consider a travel credit card with a Priority Pass Select membership that includes unlimited visits.

For more information, check out our Amex Hilton Business Card review.

The United Club Business card is a brother to the personal United Club℠ Infinite Card, with a slightly different earning structure. The high annual fee plus the other United perks would easily outweigh the annual fee if you would normally pay for a United Club membership anyway. If your business is not near a United hub, this card may not be for you.

Rewards: Earn 2 United MileagePlus miles per dollar spent on United Airlines purchases and 1.5 miles per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Welcome Offer: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open

Annual Fee: $450

Other Benefits and Drawbacks: The United Club Business Card has pumped-up benefits, but charges a steep annual fee. Besides Club Membership, the Business Club card offers Premier Access at the airport, space-available upgrades on award tickets, your free first and second checked bags, 25% off in-flight purchases and Hertz President’s Circle.

This card also comes with a suite of travel and purchase protections including trip cancellation and interruption insurance, trip delay coverage, lost and damaged baggage insurance, delayed baggage coverage, rental car insurance coverage, purchase protection, return protection and extended warranty.

The American Express® Business Gold Card is a solid option for business owners who want to maximize their earnings but don’t want to put a lot of thought into it. American Express automatically rewards you at a generous 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar on your top two categories of spending from a selected list, chosen automatically each month in the areas you spend the most. Many cards offer quarterly or rotating bonus categories, but the American Express Business Gold Card does the work for you.

Rewards: Earn 4 Membership Rewards points on two select categories where you spend most each month (automatically determined by Amex). 4X points apply to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year. Earn 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.

Welcome Offer: Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.

Annual Fee: $295 (see rates and fees)

Other Benefits and Drawbacks: A notable travel perk the Amex Business Gold has is 25% of the points you use when you book eligible flights with Amex Travel back, up to 250,000 points back per calendar year. American Express also grants users travel and transportation protections, such as baggage insurance, emergency assistance and no foreign transaction fees.

The Wyndham Earner Business card has unmatched earnings in categories that cater to those who live in their cars. With an industry-leading bonus on gas station purchases and healthy earning on Wyndham hotel stays, the card is a no-brainer if you are comfortable in the budget hotels that make up the vast majority of Wyndham’s portfolio and spend a lot of time on the road.

Rewards: Earn 8 Wyndham Rewards points per dollar spent at gas station and Wyndham hotel purchases; 5 points per dollar on marketing, advertising and utilities, and 1 point per dollar everywhere else.

Welcome Offer: Earn 45,000 bonus points, enough for up to six free nights at participating Hotels By Wyndham, after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days

Annual Fee: $95

Other Benefits and Drawbacks: With 15,000 anniversary points and a 10% discount on go free rewards at Wyndham hotels, you’ll have access to free nights faster than you can say “Super-8.” Since basic hotels start at 7,500 points per night, it takes less than $1,000 in spending on gas or at Wyndham hotels to earn a free night. That’s an unheard-of rate, as long as you’re not looking for luxury. If self-parking is your idea of roughing it, the Wyndham card is not for you.