Best Small Business Credit Cards and Charge Cards

Are you bootstrapping your business and in need of a credit card to help you expand your operations? Or has your company grown and you are just looking to maximize the rewards from your spending so you can continue your growth?

With a dizzying array of small business credit cards and charge cards available it can be frustrating to dig through all of the details and find the best one. Do you need a low APR, a 0% introductory offer, bonus points, or a rewards program? Or a combination of all of them?

11 Best Small Business Credit and Charge Cards

Here are the top small business credit cards and charge cards you can use to grow your business.

Chase Ink Classic Business Credit Card

The Ink^SM Classic Business is one of the best small business credit cards available.

It has everything you could want in expanding your business:

• A 0% introductory offer
• Bonus points
• A rewards program
• No annual fee
• Free employee cards

You’ll get 0% for up to 6 months when you sign up. Chase gives you 10,000 bonus points after your first purchase. You’ll also get 15,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months of having the card, give you a total of 25,000 bonus points to put on your account. You can then convert those points to about $250 in rewards. Chase gives you 5 points for every dollar spent on office supplies, phone service, and bundled cable services. You’ll get 2 points for every dollar spent on gas and hotels. Plus, all of your other non-bonus category spending still earns 1 point for every dollar spent. There’s no annual fee and you get free employee cards.

What else could you possibly want? (Read our full review of the Chase Ink Classic Business Credit Card.)

Ink Bold with Ultimate Rewards Charge Card

What’s better than 25,000 bonus points like you get with the Chase Ink Classic listed above? Getting 50,000 bonus points worth at least $500 in rewards with the The New Ink Bold^SM with Ultimate Rewards charge card.

• Bonus points
• A rewards program
• First annual fee is waived
• Free employee cards

You’ll earn the same great rewards that you will with other Chase Ink cards (5% for office supplies, phone service, and bundled cable service, 2% for gas and hotels, and 1% for everything else). You also get complimentary access to VIP airport lounges across the world.

The only major difference is this is a charge card, not a credit card. That means you have to pay off your balance at the end of every month rather than carrying a balance. It’s like getting rewarded for using a credit card like a debit card.

Ink Cash Business Credit Card

The Ink Cash^SM Business Card is the bread winner of the available Ink cards. The Ink Classic gives you a reward bonus and a 0% introductory APR. The Ink Bold is a charge card with a rewards program and bonus points. And the Ink Cash card gives you the 0% introductory offer, a straight cash back bonus (no points necessary) of $100, the ability to earn $150 in extra cash back bonus, and no annual fee.

• A 0% introductory offer
• Bonus cash
• A rewards program
• No annual fee
• Free employee cards

You’ll earn the same great rewards that you will with other Chase Ink cards (5% for office supplies, phone service, and bundled cable service, 2% for gas and hotels, and 1% for everything else), but instead of generating points you are generating straight cash that can be applied to your statement.

You will also get $100 in bonus cash back after your first purchase plus $150 in additional bonus cash back if you spend $5,000 in the first three months of card membership as well.

SimplyCash® Business Card from American Express

The SimplyCash® Business Card from American Express is very similar to the Ink Cash card listed above. The only significant difference is you don’t get any bonus cash back for spending a certain amount of money on the card up front.

• With no annual membership fee, it’s a smart choice for your business
• Automatic cash back – cash back is earned on eligible purchases and automatically credited to your statement
• 5% at U.S. office supply stores & on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers
• 3% at U.S. gas stations
• 1% on other purchases
• Up to $12,000 in purchases in each 5% and 3% category per rebate year, then 1%.
• Terms and limitations apply

All of this is yours with no annual fee, too. Plus you get access to American Express’ renowned customer service and the OPEN network of small business support services.

The Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express OPEN

If you don’t have the need to float charges from one month to the next, a charge card like the Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express OPEN is a great choice to consider. You’ll get a rewards program, access to American Express’ customer service, and access to OPEN from American Express. However, it does come at a price.

You get:

• Earn 50,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $5,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 3 months of Card membership†.
• Earn points even faster to get more rewards for your business.
• 3X points on airfare purchased from airlines. 2X points at US gas stations.
• Up to $100,000 in each category per year, then 1 point.
• Terms and limitations apply.
• Reduce travel costs, show appreciation for employees and clients, and offset everyday expenses by using points to get something back and grow your business.
• $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $175.
• †Apply online to qualify for this offer. See offer terms for details.

There is an annual fee on this card, which drops it down in our rankings a bit. The first year fee is waived which is a good thing because after that it is $175 per year. The rewards program gives you 3 points for every dollar spent on airfare, 2 points for every dollar spent in the U.S. in select media, gasoline at U.S. stand-alone gas stations, and shipping, and 1 dollar for every dollar spent on other purchases. (Points are earned only on eligible purchases. Bonus points limitations apply.)

Iberia Bank Visa Classic Credit Card

Sometimes you don’t need fancy reward programs from a business credit card. Maybe you have a big capital purchase to make that you want to finance over 12 months. Reward points would be nice, but they won’t help you if you’re carrying a large balance.

What will help you? A low APR credit card.

The Iberia Bank Visa Classic credit card has an APR as low as 7.25%. That’s incredibly low for a credit card of any kind. You can also transfer balances to the card and get an introductory rate of 1.99% on the transferred balance.

Do note, this is a personal credit card and not a business card. You can’t get employee cards. There isn’t a rewards program. However, there’s no annual fee and you’re getting a rock bottom interest rate as far as credit cards are concerned. For the most basic of financing needs for your business, this card is a great choice.

Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express

Find yourself flying a lot of a Delta hub? The Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express can help you rack up SkyMiles to start making those trips free.

• Get 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $500 in purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Cardmembership
• You can check your first bag for free and save up to $50 on a round-trip Delta flight
• 2x miles for each dollar spent on qualifying Delta purchases and 1x mile for each dollar spent on other eligible purchases
• Priority Boarding and 20% In-Flight Savings in the form of a statement credit on eligible purchases
• $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95
• Terms & Restrictions Apply

You’ll get 30,000 bonus SkyMiles when you spend $500 or more on the card in the first three months of card membership. Every time you take a Delta flight you will earn double SkyMiles when you use the card to pay for the flight. You also get 1 mile on every other dollar spent on the card.

There is a $95 annual fee for the card, but with some of the checked bag fees waived you should be able to justify having this card with just a few flights per year.

The Plum Card® from American Express OPEN

The Plum Card® from American Express OPEN is one of the most interesting cards we’ve come across. Instead of offering you cash back or points for your spending, the Plum charge card gives you a 1.5% discount when you pay off your complete balance within 10 days of your closing date. That’s on the full balance no matter what category the spending was in, which equates to essentially a 1.5% cash back on all of your spending.

The charge card also gives you the option to take up to two months from your statement closing date to pay off the whole balance without paying interest charges. (You need to pay 10% of your balance when it is due and 90% later.) This can really help when you hit a problem with receivables and your cash flow gets tights. This card does have an annual fee of $250 that is waived for the first year.

• Flexible Payment Options: Get a 1.5% discount for paying early or up to 60 days to pay without interest, or both each month
• Do Business On Your Terms
• $0 introductory annual fee for your first year, then $250.
• No annual fee for Additional Cards
• Terms & Restrictions Apply

Iberia Bank Select Visa Credit Card

The Iberia Bank Select Visa Card is one step up from the Iberia Bank Visa Classic Card. The terms are almost identical: you get a rock bottom interest rate as low as 7.5% and it is a personal card.

There’s one added trade off: you get an introductory 0% APR for 12 months. In exchange for that perk, you pay a $35 annual fee. While we don’t normally recommend a basic credit card that also has an annual fee, if you had a big capital purchase to finance over 1-2 years this card fits the bill nicely. You can get the 0% for the first 12 months, then the low rate of 7.5% for as long as you need to pay off the balance.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express OPEN

This is another charge card from AMEX. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express OPEN gives you a bonus for using the card in the first three months, a basic rewards program, and has a hefty annual fee.

You get:

• Limited Time Offer: Get 25,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months of Card membership
• Enroll and select a qualifying airline to receive up to $200 annually in statement credits for incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, charged by the airline
• 20% Travel Bonus when using Membership Rewards® Pay with Points
• Take advantage of 40 premium benefits to help power your business
• Complimentary access to 600+ participating airport lounges through Priority Pass™ Select
• Business Platinum Concierge is like your own assistant, ready to help you with just about anything personal or professional, 24 hours a day
• Purchasing power that can adjust as your business evolves
• Terms & Restrictions Apply*

The annual fee on this charge card is a whopping $450. That annual fee gets you a $200 statement credit to cover incidental charges with an airline of your choice as well as access to events that aren’t available to the general public. (Note the $200 statement credit is per calendar year; you can time your use with the airlines to get $400 in value out of that.) Bottom line: you need to be a big spender to generate enough cash back on the card for it to be worth the big annual fee, but if you are it isn’t a bad option.

Simmons First Visa Platinum Credit Card

The Simmons First Visa Platinum Credit Card is similar to the Iberia Bank credit cards above. This is a personal credit card, not a business credit card. The interest rate is rock bottom at 7.25% variable. You pay no annual fee, and don’t get a rewards program.

If you do a lot of spending but never carry a balance, this isn’t the card for you. (You would be better off with a rewards program card.) However, if you’re trying to expand your business and finance a purchase of equipment, paying 7.25% isn’t that bad.

Table of Small Business Credit Cards and Charge Cards

Here’s a table to summarize all of the card options:

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