The 4 Best Business Gas Cards for Small Business Fleets

The 4 Best Gas Cards for Small Business

1. American Express SimplyCash Plus: Best 0% intro APR business gas card.
2. Chase Ink Business Cash: Best business gas card with a strong signup bonus.
3. American Express Business Gold: Best business gas card for overall rewards.
4. Capital One Spark Classic for Business: Best business gas card if you have fair credit.

If you’re a small business that spends on gas every month, you’re probably wondering what the best business credit card for gas purchases is. One option you have is to acquire a branded business gas card from your local gas station.

Although this strategy could certainly provide relief at the pump, the best business gas card for your small business spending might be more than just a gas station store card. In fact, we’ve found that many small business credit cards with top-tier earnings on gas expenses far out-compete branded business gas cards.

Let’s investigate the advantages of branded gas cards, tell you why you might want to steer clear of them, and give you a few business credit card alternatives. With any of the four top business gas cards we recommend, you can save on gas and benefit from broader rewards to upgrade your spending beyond the pump, too.

Why You Should Get a Business Gas Card

If you and your employees travel by car often, you’ll know that gas costs can weigh heavily on your balance sheet. Frequent flyers can get rewards for their journeys with a business credit card that’s loaded with travel perks—but those cards’ rewards typically focus on airfare and hotels. Not so useful if your team is usually in the car.

For small business teams consisting of road warriors, you’re better off with business credit cards that offer bonus rewards on gas. With the average gas price currently around $2.27 a gallon, the baseline 2% cash back on gas turns into around a $0.05 discount on every gallon pumped. And this is just that—a baseline. The best gas cards for small business will offer you higher rewards rates than 2%.

On top of that, business gas cards might reward spending in other categories, like restaurants and office supplies.

The Case for Avoiding Branded Business Gas Cards

Branded gas credit cards typically can’t provide your business with the best value. For example, the Shell Fuel Rewards Card offers one of the best gas discounts for a branded business gas card—a discount of $0.10 per gallon. But even that discount only amounts to a rewards rate of about 4% using the national average price of gas. And—perhaps most importantly—it only applies to Shell gas purchases.

Meanwhile, branded business gas cards with the more standard discount of $0.05 per gallon will only offer a measly 2% rewards rate—and still limit your rewarded gas purchases to their specific brand. Plus, your rewards rate on branded business gas cards will decrease as the price of gas increases. And you probably won’t receive an introductory bonus offer, as you would with a standard business credit card, or bonus rewards in other categories.

However, there is one perk branded gas cards offer: The ability to control spending. This is because branded gas credit cards typically only work at gas stations, which encourages employees to only use company money for gas purchases, and provides you with more control over employee expenses.

If managing spending isn’t a top concern, you’re much better off with a general business card that offers bonus rewards on gas, rather than a branded business gas credit card that only rewards gas purchases from a specific brand.

The 4 Best Business Credit Cards for Gas Purchases

If you want a card whose value extends far beyond a specific brand of gas station, such as Exxon or Sunoco, here are our recommendations for the best gas cards for small business. 

1. American Express SimplyCash Plus: Best for 0% Intro APR

If you’re looking for a small business gas card with a long 0% intro APR period, check out the SimplyCash Plus Business Credit Card from American Express. This card also features one of the best rewards rates you’ll find, especially if you’re looking to save on gas.

With this card, you’ll get:

• 5% cash back on every dollar you spend on the first $50,000 you spend annually on office supply stores and wireless telephone services.
• 3% on every dollar you spend on the first $50,000 you spend annually on the category of your choice, including gas stations, car rentals from certain agencies, airfare, restaurants, shipping, and other typical small business purchases.
• An unlimited 1% everywhere else.

This card doesn’t come with a cash back intro offer, but it does have one of the longest 0% intro APR periods on the market to make up for it. You’ll get 0% APR on purchases for 15 months, after which your variable APR will vary with the market, so see the issuer’s terms and conditions for the latest APR information.

Earning 3% cash back on gas—equivalent to 7.5 cents off a $2.50 gallon, for those keeping score at home—makes the Amex SimplyCash Plus Business Credit Card one of the best business gas cards on the market.

2. Chase Ink Business Cash: Best for Signup Bonus

For an alternative gas business card, check out the Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card. Like the Amex SimplyCash Plus card, the Chase Ink Business Cash card has no annual fee and a generous rewards system that earns you cash back on gas (as well as other spending categories).

With this business gas card, you’ll earn:

• 5% cash back on every dollar you spend on the first $25,000 you spend annually on office supplies and landline, cell phone, internet, and cable TV services.
• 2% cash back on every dollar you spend on the first $25,000 you spend annually on gas and restaurants.
• Unlimited 1% cash back everywhere else.

This card also comes with a strong bonus offer of $500 cash back when you spend $3,000 in the first three months of card ownership. In addition, you’ll benefit from the card’s 12-month 0% intro APR period, applicable to purchases and balance transfers, making this an attractive option for business owners who need time to pay off a big purchase. After the intro period, your variable APR will vary with the market, so see the issuer’s terms and conditions for the latest APR information.

3. American Express Business Gold: Best for Overall Rewards

If you’re looking for even more spending power on your business gas credit card, you might want to consider a charge card instead. Card issuers don’t set a predetermined spending limit on charge cards, like they do with traditional credit cards. Be aware, though, that you’ll need to be able to pay off your charge card’s balance in full every month. Otherwise, you’ll be hit with steep fees and interest rates.

So, if you don’t plan on carrying a balance every month, check out the Business Gold Card from American Express, which packs a punch on whichever spending category you spend the most in.

This charge card offers 4x Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on the two of six rewards categories you spend the most on each month. So, if you spend the most on gas every month, then you’ll be earning 4x rewards points on those costs and your next biggest expense category. You’ll also earn an even 1x rewards points on everything else.

If you opt for the Business Gold Card, you’ll also take advantage of a generous signup bonus: No matter how much you spend with the card during your first months, you’ll gain access to a year’s worth of G Suite Basic and ZipRecruiter for free.

Be sure to note, though: This top-earning business gas card will come at a cost of $295 per year, which is pretty steep. Be sure to do the math and ensure that the Business Gold Card’s rewards are worth this annual fee.

4. Capital One Spark Classic for Business: Best If Your Credit Is Fair

If you have decent—but not great—credit, and you need a small business gas card, consider the Capital One Spark Classic for Business card. To qualify for the Capital One Spark Classic for Business card, you only need a minimum credit score of 580. There is also no annual fee.

However, with this card you’ll only get 1% cash back on all purchases, including gas, which is fairly low. The Spark Classic also does not come with a signing bonus. But if you’re looking to get some cash back on gas purchases and other expenses while also building better credit, the Spark Classic is one of your best bets.

The 4 Best Business Gas Cards: How to Choose for Your Small Business

If you’re looking for a business credit card that will provide you some relief at the pump, you can certainly opt for a branded card from your favorite gas station. These cards will help you save on gas, but they won’t provide you with nearly the same amount of rewards, benefits, and flexibility that a true business credit card can.

So consider the following business credit cards instead. On top of gas savings opportunities, these cards can earn you cash back, points, and even long, interest-free introductory periods.

• If you’re looking for a long 0% intro APR period, consider the SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card from American Express. At 15 months, this is one of the longest 0% intro APR periods you’ll find from a business credit card. You can also earn 3% on every dollar you spend on the first $50,000 you spend annually on the category of your choice, including gas stations.
• If you want a generous cash back signup bonus, take a look at the Chase Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card. Throughout the life of your card, you’ll earn 2% cash back on every dollar you spend on the first $25,000 you spend annually on gas.
• If you’re a big spender, consider the Business Gold Card From American Express. There’s no preset spending limit, so you can really maximize your rewards potential. Frequent drivers will be happy to learn that you’ll earn 4 points per dollar on purchases at gas stations if it ends up being one of your two top-spend categories.
• If your rebuilding your credit but still want to earn some cash back on gas purchases, look into the Capital One Spark Classic for Business card. With this you’ll get an even 1% cash back for every dollar you spend with no cap on how much cash back you can earn.

If you’re looking for the best gas cards for small business, expand your search beyond branded business gas cards. Any of these four business credit cards will definitely ease the burden on your gas charges, and work hard for you in other spending categories, too.

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