What is the best credit card for startups or new businesses?

Many business credit cards are available to startups. The right business credit card offers benefits that matter most to you, gives you maximum value or helps your business build credit. If you're looking to minimize costs as a new business, consider a no-annual-fee business card, but keep in mind that cards that carry annual fees often offer more value overall.

Do you need an LLC to get a business credit card?

No, an LLC is not required to get approved for a business credit card. While it may be a good idea to help separate expenses and liabilities, issuers primarily evaluate creditworthiness, so having a good credit score and the required business information are the main factors.

What credit score do you need to get a business credit card?

Most of the top business cards require a good or excellent credit score (FICO score of 670 or higher). Many issuers consider your business credit score, but if it’s not established, a high personal credit score is necessary to demonstrate your creditworthiness.

What are alternatives to a business credit card?

Small business credit cards can provide a lot of value, but they’re not the best solution for every business. Some entrepreneurs will have expenses that exceed typical credit limits, need to carry a balance over a long period of time or simply have poor credit. The most common alternatives to business cards are: Business loans: The best small business loans can have higher loan amounts and lower interest rates than business credit cards. Business lines of credit: A business line of credit may come with higher credit limits than a business credit card, especially if you have good or excellent credit.

What is the easiest business credit card to get?

The Revenued Business Card is one of the easier business credit cards to qualify for, as you can potentially qualify with a business credit score of 300. However, there are other business credit cards for poor credit available, which may also offer some easier-to-obtain options for you and your business. There are even a handful of secured business cards.

Best business credit cards of June 2025

Compare Bankrate’s top small-business credit cards

		Rewards highlights			Learn more
Capital One Venture X Business Limited time offer More information about this limited time offer Apply now on Capital One's secure site See Rates & Fees	Earn 150,000 bonus miles Hover to learn more $2,550 value Hover to learn more	2X miles - 10X miles Hover to learn more Bankrate's rewards value: 1.7 cents per mile *Hover to learn more	$395	4.9 Hover to learn more Best for travel perks	Apply now on Capital One's secure site See Rates & Fees
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card Apply now on Chase's secure site See Rates & Fees	Earn $750 bonus cash back Hover to learn more $750 value Hover to learn more	1.5% Hover to learn more	$0	4.2 Hover to learn more Best for large welcome offer	Apply now on Chase's secure site See Rates & Fees
Capital One Spark Cash Plus Apply now on Capital One's secure site See Rates & Fees	$2,000 cash back Hover to learn more $2,000 value Hover to learn more	2% - 5% Hover to learn more	$150	4.7 Hover to learn more Best for annual cash bonus	Apply now on Capital One's secure site See Rates & Fees
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card Apply now on Chase's secure site See Rates & Fees	Earn up to $750 bonus cash back Hover to learn more $750 value Hover to learn more	1% - 5% Hover to learn more	$0	4.3 Hover to learn more Best for office expenses	Apply now on Chase's secure site See Rates & Fees
American Express® Business Gold Card Apply now on American Express's secure site See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply	Earn 100,000 points Hover to learn more $2,000 value Hover to learn more	1X - 4X Hover to learn more Bankrate's rewards value: 2.0 cents per point *Hover to learn more	$375	5.0 Hover to learn more Best for category flexibility	Apply now on American Express's secure site See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card Apply now on Chase's secure site See Rates & Fees	Earn 90,000 bonus points Hover to learn more $1,800 value Hover to learn more	1X - 3X Hover to learn more 25% increased redemption value Bankrate's rewards value: 2.0 cents per point *Hover to learn more	$95	4.1 Hover to learn more Best for flexible travel redemption	Apply now on Chase's secure site See Rates & Fees
Capital One Spark Cash Apply now on Capital One's secure site See Rates & Fees	Earn $1,500 Hover to learn more $1,500 value Hover to learn more	2% - 5% Hover to learn more	$0 intro for first year; $95 after that	4.4 Hover to learn more Best for simplicity	Apply now on Capital One's secure site See Rates & Fees
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express Limited time offer More information about this limited time offer Apply now on American Express's secure site See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply	Earn 150,000 points + $500 statement credit Hover to learn more $3,000 value Hover to learn more	1X - 5X Hover to learn more Bankrate's rewards value: 2.0 cents per point *Hover to learn more	$695	4.8 Hover to learn more Best for luxury travel perks	Apply now on American Express's secure site See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply
Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured Business Credit Card	N/A Hover to learn more	1.5% Hover to learn more	$0	0.0 Hover to learn more Best for building business credit
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express Apply now on American Express's secure site See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply	15,000 Membership Rewards® points Hover to learn more $300 value Hover to learn more	2X Hover to learn more Bankrate's rewards value: 2.0 cents per point *Hover to learn more	No annual fee	4.1 Hover to learn more Best no-annual-fee card	Apply now on American Express's secure site See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card Apply now on American Express's secure site See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply	$250 statement credit Hover to learn more $250 value Hover to learn more	1% - 2% Hover to learn more	No annual fee	4.3 Hover to learn more Best for flat-rate cash back	Apply now on American Express's secure site See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply

Can I get a business credit card?

With wages still trailing inflation, many people are looking for ways to boost their income. Starting a side business is one of the most popular strategies, and business credit cards can help you boost your earnings further.

But you may wonder: Can I qualify for a business credit card? Does my side hustle really count as a “small business?” You might be surprised.

In fact, 99.9 percent of all businesses (over 34.7 million) in the United States are small businesses. You don’t need to work in a traditional office building, own a store or warehouse, run a profitable business or even have a separate business entity to qualify for a business card. Sole proprietors can qualify for business credit cards using their Social Security number (SSN) as their business identification.

As long as you meet the issuer’s criteria for approval based on your personal credit history, you can qualify for a business credit card in practically any industry, even if you’re just starting out with a new business venture or side hustle. All you need to start your own small business is a good idea for a product or service.

Let’s examine the benefits of having a business credit card and what you’ll need to get started.

What do I need to apply for a business card?

To get approved for a business card, you'll need to provide issuers with some personal and business information during the application process, including:

Business name and contact information, including address and contact phone number. This information may be the same as your personal information.
Your position in the company: Issuers need to know who is responsible for paying the bill and who is authorized to make charges. Sole proprietors can refer to themselves as “owners” of their business.
Your personal information: You’ll need to provide your SSN and date of birth so the issuer can check your personal credit score. This information helps issuers determine your creditworthiness before offering you business credit. You also give issuers a personal guarantee that you'll assume responsibility for debt if the company ceases to exist.
Business income and spending projections: If your business is just starting or isn’t yet profitable, reporting $0 is acceptable. Projecting how much you might spend can help secure a higher credit line if needed.
Business details: While not every issuer asks for additional information about your business, you might need to describe your industry or the service your business provides, how long you’ve been operating the business or how many employees you have. Sole proprietors can be listed as the only employee for their business. Some issuers may also require further proof of your business, such as an Employer Identification Number (EIN) or tax ID number.

Business credit cards vs. personal credit cards

Whether you’re earning extra money from side hustles or running a small business full time, it’s generally a good idea to open a business credit card to keep your expenses separate from your personal spending.

Business credit cards also offer rewards on business spending and business-specific perks like credits for expense management software. Personal cards focus more on rewarding everyday spending and offer perks designed to enhance your everyday life.

Here are some common features of business and personal credit cards to help you decide if a business card is right for you.

Reports activity to three major credit bureaus
Rewards everyday spending
Longer intro APR offers
Perks and credits to enhance everyday life
Consumer protection guaranteed
Unlikely to reward business spending

Builds business credit score
Rewards business-related spending
Higher credit limits
Higher welcome bonuses
Perks and credits to enhance your business
Consumer protection laws don’t apply
Often requires personal guarantee

A business credit score applies to business entities rather than individuals and can range from 1 to 100, depending on the credit bureau. These scores are public and attached to an EIN instead of a Social Security number.
Major issuers will report your activity to commercial credit bureaus, such as Dun & Bradstreet. Not all issuers report business activity, though, so it’s worth checking into if that is an important factor for you.
Business credit scores measure the creditworthiness of a business entity in the same way personal credit scores do consumer creditworthiness. Scores are affected by many of the same factors used for personal credit scores, such as:
- Payment history
- Credit utilization
- Length of credit history
- Credit mix
- Public records and liens
- Accuracy of information

Keep in mind

It’s worth noting that if you don’t have an established business credit history, issuers can use your personal credit score if the product you’re applying for comes with a personal guarantee. Issuers can report negative actions which can affect your personal credit score.

BANKRATE EXPERT FAQ

Ask the experts: How do business credit cards impact business taxes?

Thomas Nitzsche

Financial Educator, Debt and Credit

Business credit card transactions that are legitimate business expenses may be written off as a business expense in some cases. A tax preparer may use those transactions as they’re working on your bookkeeping or as a means to prepare your taxes. Interest paid on business credit cards transactions is tax deductible, much like the interest paid on a business loan.

How to choose a business credit card

Your next step is choosing the right business card based on your needs and goals. Keep these factors in mind:

The best business card for you earns rewards where your business spends most. I recommend finding a business card that covers at least two of your main spending areas.
Business cards typically earn rewards on expenses like shipping, advertising, office supplies, telecommunications, construction materials and many other categories not covered by personal cards.

If your business expenses span several categories or you’d rather keep things simple, choose a business card with a flat rewards rate. Be sure to pay attention to any quarterly or annual rewards rate caps — many cards drop your rate to just 1 percent after you've reached a few thousand dollars in spending.

My recommendation: The American Express® Business Gold Card, which earns top rewards rates on your two highest spending categories each month (up to $150,000 in combined annual spending). It offers some valuable credits (such as one for FedEx purchases) and covers several popular spending categories like software and advertising, so there's a good chance you'll find it rewarding.
Cash back is the simplest form of rewards, but you may prefer points and miles since they can provide outsized value based on how you redeem them. Some flexible points can offer 50 percent or more extra value for certain redemptions, such as travel.
Issuers like Chase and American Express also allow you to combine points from your business rewards cards with points from other cards in the same rewards program (such as Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards). You may even be able to pool points between business and personal cards, unlocking additional value. The more options you have, the better value you’re likely to find.
I recommend always aiming for a redemption value of at least 1 cent per point or mile..
My recommendation: The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, which allows you to pool points with other Chase Ultimate Rewards cards and redeem at a 25 percent higher value through the Chase Travel portal. You can even transfer points to airline and hotel loyalty programs, often for a higher redemption value.
The best card for your business is the one that gives you consistent value. Whether it's high rewards rates, statement credits or travel perks, you should always get more value than what you pay in annual fees.
But sometimes the cards with the highest fees can also provide the greatest value in return.
Review your prospective card’s features and rewards to determine if the card justifies its annual fee. You may decide you're unlikely to use many of the perks or you wouldn't earn enough in rewards to offset the fee. You might also find that you could earn substantially more rewards and benefits with a premium card than you would with a no-annual-fee card.
My recommendation: Capital One Venture X Business Credit Card, which provides credits and bonuses that easily justify its cost.

Learn more

Curious about the pros and cons of rewards cards annual fees? Check out the friendly debate I had on this topic with Bankrate editor Reena Thomas, an annual-fee card skeptic.
An easy way to get outstanding initial value is with a competitive welcome offer. Whether it’s a plentiful boost to your cash back balance or an intro APR to help your business finance expenses (or both), the welcome offer is one of the best ways your card can reward you.
Since you can only get a welcome bonus once with a new card, we recommend extracting as much value as possible. Look for elevated limited-time offers which give you the chance to increase your returns even more. You could also time your application for when you have upcoming spending needs to quickly meet the minimum spending requirement. Just make sure you can meet the spending goal in the specified timeframe and you can pay your statement in full.
My recommendation: Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card, which offers a substantial welcome bonus with a reasonable spending requirement.

What card is best for my type of business?

Business credit cards come in many different forms to meet the needs of many types of businesses. Find a card that will best reward the spending needs of your type of business. Here’s what to look for in a card for several types of businesses, along with our top picks.

Learn more: Which business credit card is best for your type of business?

Type of business	Perks to look for	Our pick
Freelance	Solid flat rewards rate Low or no fees	The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
Delivery or rideshare	Gas rewards Transit rewards	American Express® Business Gold Card
Shops and retail	Intro APR Unlimited flat rewards rate	Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Traditional offices	Office supply rewards Telecommunications rewards	Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
Hospitality	Travel and luxury perks Business credits	The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Digital marketing	Rewards for digital marketing purchases Telecommunications rewards	Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Food service	Dining rewards Rewards on business expenses	American Express® Business Gold Card

Categories of business credit cards

If you’d rather research cards based on the category that works best for your business, you can explore our top choices in different categories.

Best no annual fee business cards

Best secured business cards

Best balance transfer business cards

Best cash back business cards

Best travel business cards

Best business cards for fair credit

How our Bankrate experts use business credit cards

Our Bankrate experts explain their approach to choosing business cards and how they use them as part of their overall credit card strategy.

Bankrate staff insights

“I have ongoing business expenses and like to diversify my rewards. I particularly like how I can float a big expense when I need to without it affecting my personal utilization ratio and credit report. Plus, I’m able to stack the benefits with my personal cards, which is a huge win!”

Harlan Vaughn, Bankrate credit cards senior editor

"As a former small business owner, I often had to pay contractors on net-15 or net-30 terms, even though clients took as many as 60 days to pay. Amex business cards helped me manage these expenses while earning extra points on business expenses and enjoying premium travel perks, like CLEAR reimbursement and Delta Sky Club lounge access."

Sarah Gage, Bankrate credit cards managing editor

"My side hustle doesn't rack up a lot of expenses, so I wanted a card with no annual fee to justify but still solid rewards for the expenses I do have. The Ink Business Unlimited checked those boxes. Perhaps more importantly, though, it earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points and features a healthy sign-up bonus opportunity so it pairs well with the Chase cards I already have in my wallet."

Brooklyn Lowery, Bankrate credit cards senior editor

Frequently asked questions about business credit cards

Many business credit cards are available to startups. The right business credit card offers benefits that matter most to you, gives you maximum value or helps your business build credit. If you're looking to minimize costs as a new business, consider a no-annual-fee business card, but keep in mind that cards that carry annual fees often offer more value overall.
No, an LLC is not required to get approved for a business credit card. While it may be a good idea to help separate expenses and liabilities, issuers primarily evaluate creditworthiness, so having a good credit score and the required business information are the main factors.
Most of the top business cards require a good or excellent credit score (FICO score of 670 or higher). Many issuers consider your business credit score, but if it’s not established, a high personal credit score is necessary to demonstrate your creditworthiness.
Small business credit cards can provide a lot of value, but they’re not the best solution for every business. Some entrepreneurs will have expenses that exceed typical credit limits, need to carry a balance over a long period of time or simply have poor credit. The most common alternatives to business cards are:
- Business loans: The best small business loans can have higher loan amounts and lower interest rates than business credit cards.
- Business lines of credit: A business line of credit may come with higher credit limits than a business credit card, especially if you have good or excellent credit.
The Revenued Business Card is one of the easier business credit cards to qualify for, as you can potentially qualify with a business credit score of 300. However, there are other business credit cards for poor credit available, which may also offer some easier-to-obtain options for you and your business. There are even a handful of secured business cards.

How we assess the best business credit cards

When evaluating the best business cards, we consider a mix of factors, including how cards score in our proprietary card rating system and whether cards offer features that fit the priorities of a diverse group of small-business owners, from earning rewards in popular business spending categories to getting payment flexibility or high-value perks. Whenever possible, we also feature cards that are available at various credit levels and price points.

Here’s a look at how our rating methodology breaks down for business credit cards:

Overall Score

Value 40%
Flexibility 20%
Perks 20%
Customer experience 20%

We analyzed over 50 of the most popular business credit cards and scored each based on its rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more to determine whether it belonged in this month’s roundup.

Here are some of the key factors that we considered:

The best business cards offer rewards in key business spending categories, so a primary criteria for a business card’s rating is its rewards value. This includes the card’s average rewards rate, estimated annual rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value and reward redemption value.

To estimate a business card’s average annual rewards earnings, we first calculate its average rewards rate based on how much it earns in different bonus categories and how closely its categories align with the average small-business owner’s spending habits. In other words, we assess whether the card earns rewards at a high rate in the most popular business spending categories.

We researched 10 key business spending categories including dining, gas, office supplies, travel, telecommunications, insurance and more to get a sense of the average small-business owner’s spending habits. We assumed an average annual spend of around $40,000 per year based on Bankrate survey data.

Using this data, we are able to assign a weighting to each of a card’s bonus categories. We also estimate the redemption value of points or miles from various issuer, airline and hotel rewards programs.

This weighting and rewards valuation allows us to estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings — how many points or miles you’d earn with a given card if your spending was about average and you used the card for all of your business purchases — as well as what those points are worth. We also use point valuations to determine a card’s sign-up bonus value

With these calculations complete, we assign each card a score based on how its average rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value, rewards rate and redemption value stack up against other business cards, factoring in the card’s annual fee.

The better these values, the higher its score will be, making it more worthy of inclusion in our list and increasing its potential ranking.
We also score cards based on how much it costs to keep them in your wallet or carry a balance.

To start, each business card is scored based on whether it offers an intro APR and how its ongoing APR compares to the rates available on other business cards. This is because an intro APR on new purchases or balance transfers can be a lifesaver if you need to pay down debt, finance a large business purchase or free up cash flow.

While intro APRs are not uncommon on business cards, they aren’t a given, so cards that offer this sort of payment flexibility will score higher in our card rating system and are more likely to land a spot on our best cards list.

Even more important to both a card’s score and its inclusion in our list, however, is how its annual fee influences its overall value. We consider a card’s annual fee in two ways — how it ranks relative to the fees you’ll find on other cards in the category and how it impacts a card’s overall rewards value.

Cards with an annual fee will always be at a slight disadvantage in our scoring system since annual fees inherently cut into your rewards value. However, if a card offers terrific value via its ongoing rewards and perks, it can earn a high score and a spot in our list even if it carries a high annual fee. After all, the highest rewards rates and most valuable perks are often found on cards with annual fees.

With this in mind, we rate a card based primarily on how its ongoing rewards value and ongoing perk value (such as annual credits or bonuses) stack up against those of other cards in the category when you subtract annual fees.

That said, we strive to include as many no-annual-fee options in our list as possible since many business owners would rather not worry about offsetting fees, even if a card carries impressive rewards and perks.
Business rewards cards may make it easy to earn a lot of points, miles or cash back, but how easy is it to use those rewards? After all, if it takes a ton of effort to redeem rewards or you can only redeem rewards in a couple of ways, a card may be more trouble than it’s worth.

As such, we rate each card’s flexibility based on the restrictions it imposes on earning and redeeming rewards. We factor this rating into a card’s overall score and consider it when deciding on a card’s inclusion in our list.

Flexibility factors include whether a card only allows you to earn a high rewards rate on only a small amount of spending or requires you to meet a certain earning threshold before you can redeem rewards. We also examine whether your points are worth less when you opt for some redemption options over others and whether a card gives you the flexibility to transfer rewards to travel partners.
We also score each card’s set of features – its perks and benefits — against five tiers of features to provide a rating. Top-tier perks include benefits like airport lounge access, travel credits, elite status with an airline or hotel and credits for expedited security screening membership programs.

We give extra weight to perks especially useful or valuable for small-business owners, like being able to qualify with no personal guarantee, digital advertising credits, free employee cards and accounting perks.

*The information about the Brex Card has been collected independently by Bankrate. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.

We use primary sources to support our work. Bankrate’s authors, reporters and editors are subject-matter experts who thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate, timely and relevant.
1. Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business, 2024. U.S. Small Business Administration. Accessed on Apr. 30, 2025.

Best business credit cards of June 2025

+ Show Summary

Capital One Venture X Business

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

American Express® Business Gold Card

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Capital One Spark Cash

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured Business Credit Card

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

Compare Bankrate’s top small-business credit cards

Can I get a business credit card?

What do I need to apply for a business card?

Business credit cards vs. personal credit cards

What is a business credit score?

Keep in mind

Ask the experts: How do business credit cards impact business taxes?

How to choose a business credit card

Find spending categories to match your business needs

Consider cards with flexible redemption options

Assess the card’s ongoing value

Learn more

Find a competitive welcome offer

What card is best for my type of business?

Categories of business credit cards

How our Bankrate experts use business credit cards

Bankrate staff insights

Frequently asked questions about business credit cards

What is the best credit card for startups or new businesses?

Do you need an LLC to get a business credit card?

What credit score do you need to get a business credit card?

What are alternatives to a business credit card?

What is the easiest business credit card to get?

How we assess the best business credit cards

Great rewards value

Low fees and an intro APR

Redemption flexibility

Valuable business perks

Article sources