Best Business Credit Cards for Startups: 7 Options to Grow Your Business

Choosing the right business credit card is important for any business, but it’s crucial for startups. Paying your bills with a credit card gives you breathing room while waiting for client payments. Tracking expenses becomes easier with cards for you and your employees. Plus, credit cards can provide valuable rewards to boost your bottom line.

To help you find the best business credit cards for your startup, we’ve pulled together this great list of options. Read on to learn about these cards and their benefits.

The best business credit cards for startups

• Brex Credit Card
• Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card
• The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
• Capital One Venture X Business
• Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card
• American Express^® Business Gold Card
• Capital One Spark Classic for Business

Best business credit cards for startups — compared

As you read about the best business credit cards for startups, think about whether the credit card's fees, earning power, and benefits align with your goals.

Card	Excellent for	FinanceBuzz value calculation1
Brex Credit Card 3.5 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Startups	Year one earnings: None Year two earnings: None
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card 4.8 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Welcome offer	Year one earnings: $1,611 Year two earnings: $486
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card 5.0 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Long intro APR	Year one earnings: $756 Year two earnings: $506
Capital One Venture X Business 4.7 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Business travel	Year one earnings: $427 Year two earnings: $527
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card 4.8 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Simple rewards	Year one earnings: $1,280 Year two earnings: $380
American Express® Business Gold Card 4.8 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Customized rewards	Year one earnings: $1,409 Year two earnings: $409
Capital One Spark Classic for Business 3.8 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Fair credit	Year one earnings: $253 Year two earnings: $253

Brex Credit Card

The Brex Credit Card is targeted specifically at startup, ecommerce, and small businesses. If you’re an entrepreneur, you’ll probably love that this credit card does not pull personal credit, nor does it require a personal guarantee — that’s rare among startup business credit cards. Instead, the credit line is based on the business's financials. As a result, Brex says that most businesses end up with a much higher credit limit than they would with a traditional bank or card issuer.

There’s a $0 annual fee for this card, and you can add unlimited virtual cards for all of your team members free of charge. Plus, it’s a credit card with no foreign transaction fees, so you won’t be charged an extra fee when you make international purchases.

Your points can be redeemed for statement credits, cash back, purchases with Brex Travel, or transfer them to any of Brex’s seven airline transfer partners.

Read our full Brex Credit Card review.

Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card

The Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card is one of the most popular business credit cards for startups because it earns Chase Ultimate Rewards. You can combine your business points with points you earn with your personal Chase credit cards for larger redemptions.

You can redeem the points you earn on your Ink Business Preferred for travel, gift cards, cash back, and Apple products. Your points are worth 1.25 cents each when redeeming for travel through the Chase Travel℠ portal, which means your welcome offer is worth $900 cash back or $1,125 toward travel such as flights, hotels, and more. Points can also be transferred on a 1:1 basis to 14 hotel and airline transfer partners, such as Hyatt, United, and Emirates.

There is no charge for adding authorized users, and you can set individual spending limits for each employee. Plus, there are no foreign transaction fees on international purchases.

Apply now or read our full Ink Business Preferred review.

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card has one of the best introductory APRs you’ll find on a business card. Unlike personal credit cards, many business cards don’t offer 0% intro APR periods, but this card does. It offers 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months. After the intro period, the APR is 17.99% - 25.99% Variable.

The Blue Business Cash offers a small welcome offer and a higher rewards rate than most other cards offer, but only on your first $50,000 of eligible spending. American Express also offers Expanded Buying Power. You can spend above your credit limit based on your payment history, credit history, and other factors.

It’s worth noting that this card is nearly identical to the The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express. The key difference is that the Blue Business Cash offers cash back, while the Blue Business Plus offers Membership Rewards points.

Apply now or read our full American Express Blue Business Cash Card review.

Capital One Venture X Business

The Capital One Venture X Business is one of the best startup business cards for travel. You can earn 2X miles on all purchases, as well as elevated rewards on travel-related purchases through Capital One Travel.

This card has a generous welcome offer. However, it requires a higher spend than the minimum spend for many other cards’ welcome offers. You’ll also get up to a $300 annual travel credit each year and 10,000 bonus miles annually on your card anniversary — that almost completely makes up for the annual fee.

The Capital One Venture X Business also comes with other travel perks, including a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, no foreign transaction fees, lounge access, smart booking, and more.

Read our full Capital One Venture X Business review.

Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card

If you want a business card for your startup that offers simple rewards, the Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card is a great option. Rather than having bonus categories and varying rewards rates like other cards, this one offers a flat 1.5% cash back on every purchase with no spending limits.

As an added bonus, this card offers a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months. After the intro period, the APR is 17.99% - 23.99% Variable. So, if you’re planning to make a large purchase for your business, you can spread out the cost a bit.

This is a no-frills card, so it doesn’t come with as many perks as some other business cards. However, there’s a $0 annual fee, and you’ll get a variety of other travel and purchase protections, including rental car insurance, travel and emergency assistance services, roadside dispatch, purchase protection, and extended warranty protection.

Apply now or read our full Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card review.

American Express^® Business Gold Card

The American Express^® Business Gold Card has a higher annual fee than other cards on the list, but the payoff may be worth it. It has one of the most generous welcome offers on the market. But more importantly, it has an impressive 4X Membership Rewards points on the two categories with the most spend each month from 6 eligible categories (up to $150,000 annually, after that 1X). These categories include:

• Purchases at US media providers for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
• U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
• U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
• U.S. purchases at gas stations
• Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
• Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.

These are common spending categories for startup businesses, so you could earn a lot of points.

This card offers up to $240 per year in flexible business credits for U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and office supply stores. You’ll also get up to $155 per year in Walmart+ credits. (Enrollment required)

Apply now or read our full American Express Business Gold Card review.

Capital One Spark Classic for Business

It can be hard to qualify for a business credit card when you have fair credit, but this card is a great option. You could be approved for the Capital One Spark Classic for Business with only fair credit, even if you aren’t likely to be approved for some of the other cards on our list.

This card doesn’t have a welcome offer like some of our other favorites do, but it still offers cash back, including elevated rewards on Capital One Travel bookings. Plus, you won’t pay foreign transaction fees.

Once approved, this card could help you build your credit. And once your credit has improved, you can talk to Capital One about possibly upgrading to a more feature-rich card.

Read our full Capital One Spark Classic review.

How to choose the best business credit card for your startup

If you’re looking for the best business credit cards for your startup, there are several factors to consider. Here are a few of the questions to ponder:

• How long have you been in business?
• Does the credit card require a personal guarantee?
• Will the bank check your credit?
• Does the credit card report to your personal credit report?
• Are you okay with paying an annual fee?
• Does the credit card offer a welcome offer?
• What rewards are most important to you – cash back, airline miles, hotel points, or flexible points?
• In which categories do you spend the most?
• Are there other benefits that are important to you? Examples include airport lounge access, waived bag fees, and hotel elite status.

Some banks require your business to be open for at least two years before they will approve your business credit card application. Others may approve you when you are just starting out if you provide a personal guarantee. Offering a personal guarantee means you are liable for the outstanding balance if your business cannot pay the bill.

Most banks will pull your personal credit when underwriting your application. However, only a couple, such as Capital One and Discover, will actually include the business credit card on your personal credit report.

When choosing a business credit card for your startup, think about the cost of the card versus the benefits it provides. A welcome bonus is great for the first year, but the ongoing benefits are what you should focus on when it comes time to renew. Think about where you'll spend the most, such as dining, travel, or online advertising, and narrow down your choices to credit cards that offer extra points for those categories.

At the end of the day, there’s no business credit card that works for every startup. Instead, the best card for you depends on your business and your personal needs. We’ve included cards in this roundup from several different categories so you can find the card that’s best for you based on your unique situation.

FAQs

How to maximize your business credit card rewards

When you’re choosing a business credit card, make sure to choose one with bonus categories that align with your spending (or one that offers a flat rewards rate for all spending). Then, spend strategically to make sure you’re using a card for each purchase that will get you the highest rewards rate.

As great as many of these business credit cards for startups are, it is likely that they don't cover all of your needs. For example, a card that offers perks for advertising may not offer elevated rewards for your other high-spend categories. In that case, it may be worth opening more than one business card.

In most cases, you can apply for multiple credit cards over time to earn more rewards on your spending and mix and match the benefits offered.

For example, you can choose one business card like the American Express Business Gold Card that offers elevated rewards in certain bonus categories. Then you could use a card like the Ink Business Unlimited or Blue Business Cash to get a higher flat rate on the rest of your spending. And if you travel frequently for business, you may also decide to throw in a business travel credit card.

Hot Welcome Bonus

Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card

4.8

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card

Apply Now

Current Offer

Earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Annual Fee

$95

Rewards Rate

3X points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year; and 1X points per $1 on all other purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Generous welcome offer
• High rewards rate on common business expenses
• Flexible Ultimate Rewards points
• No foreign transaction fees
• Cell phone, purchase, and travel protections

Drawbacks

• Annual fee of $95
• $150,000 annual cap on bonus category spending
• No intro APR offer

Card Details

• Earn 90k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 cash back or $1,125 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠
• Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
• Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
• With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
• Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
• Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠
• Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
• Member FDIC