The Best Business Rewards Credit Cards for 2019
- Best for Flat-Rate Cash Back: Capital One Spark Cash for Business
- Best for Bonus Category Spending: American Express SimplyCash Plus
- Best for Signup Bonus: Chase Ink Business Preferred
- Best for Flat-Rate Travel Rewards: Capital One Spark Miles for Business
- Best No-Fee Rewards Card: American Express Blue Business Plus
- Best for Below-Average Credit: Capital One Spark Classic for Business
One of the best perks of using a business credit card is earning rewards and cash back on your purchases. Running a small business is very hard work, and sometimes it might feel like all of your hard-earned cash goes toward expenses. It hurts a little less when a fraction of what you spend comes back to your business in the form of valuable cash back, travel miles, or bonus points.
We’ve reviewed all of the business credit cards on the market and narrowed the best business rewards credit cards for 2019. Compare the benefits, and choose the best option for your business.
The Best Business Rewards Credit Cards for 2019
Every small business is different, so if you’re looking for the best small business rewards credit card available, the first question you need to ask yourself is this: “What’s the best business rewards credit card for my small business?”
The best rewards card depends on what kind of business you run and the types of rewards you’d like to earn. Some business credit cards offer flat-rate, unlimited rewards for all purchases. Others offer rewards in designated business-related categories. Still others offer a welcome bonus for spending a certain amount of money within a few months of account opening.
After reviewing all the options, here are our top business rewards credit cards in popular categories:
Best Rewards Card for Flat-Rate Cash Back: Capital One Spark Cash for Business
If you’re looking for an everyday business credit card with a simple, no-fuss cash back program, then look no further than the Capital One Spark Cash for Business.
Benefits and Features
Every time you use your Spark Cash, you’ll earn 2% cash back—it’s that simple. There’s no cap on the number of points you can earn each year. As a busy business owner, the Spark Cash will feel like a real breath of fresh air. No special categories to keep track of, no figuring out how many points you’ll earn—the Spark Cash makes earning cash back easy.
Not to mention, Capital One offers a one-time $500 cash bonus if you spend $4,500 on purchases within three months of getting the card.
There is one downside to all of this earning simplicity. The Spark Cash has a $95 annual fee. However, Capital One does waive the annual fee for the first year. After that, if you think you’ll earn at least $95 in cash back per year—the Spark Cash is well worth it.
Why the Spark Cash Stands Out
The Spark Cash stands out for many reasons. If you want a super simple flat-rate cash back card, there really isn’t a better option.
There are probably more lucrative ways to earn cash back with other cards (we’ll describe another great option below), but for the busy business owner, sometimes the convenience of knowing that you’ll get 2% cash back every time you pay with your card is worth it.
If you’re a super busy business owner who is looking for peace of mind knowing that you’re earning cash back on every purchase, then look no further than the Spark Cash for Business.
Best Rewards Card for Bonus Category Spending: American Express SimplyCash Plus Business
The Spark Cash card is a good basic rewards card, but the SimplyCash Plus Business Credit Card from American Express is more lucrative for most business owners. In fact, the SimplyCash Plus has some of the best cash back rewards rates on the market.
Benefits and Features
- Earn 5% cash back on wireless phone services from U.S. providers and U.S. office supply stores. Earn points at the 5% rewards rate up to your first $50,000 in purchases.
- Earn 3% cash back on the first $50,000 in purchases in one of the following eight categories:
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- Airfare purchased directly from airlines
- Car rentals from eligible agencies
- Hotel stays when you book through the hotel directly
- Restaurants
- Gas stations
- Shipping
- Advertising
- Computer hardware, software, and cloud computing purchases made directly from the select providers
- Earn 1% cash back on every other purchase.
If you’re a big spender on wireless telephone services or office supplies, then the SimplyCash Plus 5% rewards rate in those categories is hard to beat (unfortunately, this does not include your internet bill). Even better that, you get to choose your 3% category based on what your business spends the most money on in a given quarter. Most cards don’t offer customizable rewards of that sort.
As a cherry on top, the SimplyCash Plus comes with no annual fee—so there’s no need to dish out your rewards for a fee each year. Plus, you’ll have access to one of the longest 0% introductory APR periods on the market—for 15 months, you’ll be able to carry an interest-free balance. After these 15 months, your APR will set in at a rate that will vary with the market prime rate, so be sure to see the issuer’s terms and conditions for the latest APR information.
Why the SimplyCash Plus Stands Out
The SimplyCash Plus stands out for obvious reasons—it has one of the best cash back rewards rates on the market. But what really sets it apart is the flexibility and customization it offers for your cash back rewards.
Only you know what you spend the most on for your business—and American Express lets you take advantage of that. You can completely customize your 3% rewards rate based on the category you spend the most on. If that changes as your business grows, you can just switch your 3% cash back category down the line.
And finally, if you’re looking for a simple way to earn rewards, then the SimplyCash Plus could be the best small business rewards credit card for you. Your cash back gets automatically credited to your account. There’s no need to worry about how and when to redeem your rewards—the cash will just go right back into your account.
Best Rewards Card for Signup Bonus: Chase Ink Business Preferred
When you use the Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, you’ll earn a lot of rewards that you can redeem for travel, cash back, or gift cards. At the outset, you can earn a hefty signup bonus if you spend enough on the card.
Benefits and Features
- Earn 80,000 point bonus when you spend $5,000 in the first three months.
- Earn 5 points for every dollar spent on office supplies and on cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services each year, up to $50,000 in purchases.
- Earn 2 points for every dollar spent at gas stations and hotels each year, up to $50,000 in purchases.
- Earn 1 point for every dollar spent on all other purchases, with no limit to how much you can earn.
The biggest benefit of the Ink Business Preferred card is the hefty points bonus. When you spend $5,000 in the first three months after opening your account, you’ll earn 80,000 bonus points. That’s equivalent to $800, or $1,000 when redeemed for travel on Chase’s travel portal.
If you’re always spending money at office supply stores or phone and cable services, then the Ink Plus Business Credit Card is hands-down the best business rewards credit card for you. The SimplyPlus card doesn’t cover your internet bill, but the Ink Plus does. Plus, we’re willing to bet that—like many small businesses—you spend a lot on gas and hotels when you travel for business. Bringing in two points for every dollar spent on those categories can really help in the long run.
The value of the Ink Plus Business Credit Card is hard to ignore when you put numbers to the rewards rate. If you hit the spending cap on the 5-point and 2-point categories, you’ll get rewards worth $3,500 for your business—more than offsetting the $95 annual fee. So if you know you’ll spend a lot in the 5-point and 2-point categories, using this business credit card is a no-brainer.
Why the Ink Plus Stands Out
The Ink Plus Business Credit Card might be the best small business rewards credit card even if you just look at the general rewards earnings. But the rewards rate on this business credit card will be that much better if you redeem your points on travel expenses.
That’s because Chase Ultimate Rewards points come in at 1.25 cent value for every point redeemed on travel. As far as redeemable rewards rates go, 1.25 cents per point is pretty valuable—especially if you’re always spending money on business flights. Due to the big points bonus, you can start off with $1,000 worth of travel rewards and then continue to rack up rewards as you spend on the card.
If you don’t think you’ll use your Ultimate Rewards points for travel expenses, no problem—you can still transfer your points to other loyalty programs without losing any of their value.
Best Rewards Card for Flat-Rate Travel Rewards: Capital One Spark Miles for Business
Noticing a pattern? Just like Capital One’s Spark Cash is great for it’s simple, flat-rate cash back rewards program, Capital One Spark Miles for Business is a top contender because of it’s easy, flat-rate travel rewards program. Plus, the card comes with a top-notch sign-up bonus.
Benefits and Features
Earn 2 miles per every $1 you spend on your Spark Miles for Business. Plus, jumpstart your earning with a 50,000-miles one-time signup bonus if you spend $4,500 in the first 3 months of owning the card.
There is a $95 annual fee, but it’s waived the first year. For such easy earning, we think it’s well worth it.
Why the Spark Miles Stands Out
If you’re a business owner who values travel rewards but doesn’t want to worry about a complicated points system, the Spark Miles for Business is a great option for you. This is hands down the simplest miles reward card on the market—2X miles on every dollar you spend with no cap! There are no blackout periods, seat restrictions, or minimum number of points you have to redeem.
While the Spark Miles doesn’t offer 80,000 miles like the Chase Ink— 50,000 miles for spending $4,500 in your first three months of card membership is nothing to sneeze at. This is a hefty sign-up bonus compared to many business rewards cards on the market. If you’re looking for flat-rate easy travel rewards, there is no beating the Spark Miles.
Best No-Fee Rewards: American Express Blue Business Plus
The Blue Business Plus from American Express offers a simple, flat-rate rewards structure in a no-fee business credit card that’s bound to add value for your business.
Benefits and Features
- 15-month 0% APR on purchases and transfers
- Earn 2x points for the first $50,000 spent on the card (1 point on all purchases after that)
- No annual fee
Similar to the Capital One Spark Cash and Spark Miles cards, the Blue Business Plus offers 2x points on all purchases on the card. Granted, there is a limit to how many 2x points you can earn. Once you spend over $50,000 on the card, you’ll only earn 1x points. However, most business owners spend an average of about $30,000 per year on their business credit card. If you have typical spending habits, then the $50,000 cap shouldn’t affect you too much.
The best part is that you’re earning 2x points on every purchase, without losing any of it to an annual fee. All of the rewards you earn can be reinvested back into your business or spent on other essential expenses.
Why the Blue Business Plus Stands Out
The Blue Business Plus stands out from other cards for offering a combination of generous rewards, a long 0% intro APR, and no annual fee. All in all, that can be a strong value proposition for your small business. While saving money on interest, you can accrue rewards from your purchases. Those rewards will shore up your cash flow and help you afford other purchases in the future.
Best Rewards Card for Below-Average Credit: Capital One Spark Classic for Business
This is the third card from Capital One on our list of the best business rewards credit cards. Capital One Spark Classic is a great rewards card option for business owners with fair or poor credit.
Benefits and Features
- 1% cash back on all purchases with no cap
- No annual fee
- Rebuild personal and business credit
The Capital One Spark Classic for Business lets you earn rewards while building your credit. In general, business owners with a personal credit score of 580 or higher can qualify for this card. Cardholders earn 1% cash back on every purchase with no cap, pretty generous for a card that’s meant for people with low credit or limited credit histories.
There’s no annual fee on this card, and you can improve your credit with a series of timely payments. Capital One will report your payments to both the personal and business credit bureaus, which means you get rewarded for timely payments. Once you boost your credit score, you can “graduate” to more lucrative business rewards credit cards.
Why the Spark Classic Stands Out
Although there are a few different consumer credit cards for people with below-average credit, the Capital One Spark Classic is one of the few dedicated business credit cards for small business owners with fair or poor credit. You can think of the Spark Classic as a good entry level card. Once you’ve reached your credit goals, you can qualify for a better credit card down the line.
Despite the fact that the card is designed for business owners with below-average credit, you can still earn 1% cash back on every purchase with no cap. 1x points is not as lucrative as other business credit card offerings, but is significant when trying to build credit.
Apply for Your Best Business Rewards Credit Card
When it comes to cash back or bonus points rewards, these six cards are our top picks. Each of these cards gives you an incentive to put more of your spending onto business credit cards. But as always, the best business rewards credit card for you is the one that fits your business. So, when you’re on the hunt for the best business rewards credit card, think closely about how you spend for your business. It’s no surprise that you’ll want to find the business credit card that lets you earn the most rewards on your biggest purchases.
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