Updated August 2023. Do you have small business income or work as an independent contractor? Freelance, Uber/Lyft, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Airbnb? A small business credit card separates your personal and business expenses and can build up your business credit profile. If you are not a corporation or LLC, you can apply as a sole proprietorship, with your name as the business name and your Social Security number as the Tax ID number. These are the top 10 credit card offers that I would personally apply for right now (or have already). Recent changes:
Added Marriott 3FreeNights, Southwest Premier 120k, Ink Preferred 100k/$1250, Hyatt 60k+credits.
Removed Delta 70k, Hilton 165k+FreeNightReward, Marriott 125k, Hilton 165k, Ink Cash 90k w/ No AF, Ink Unlimited 90k w/ No AF, Hawaiian 90k
This is a companion post to my Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers for personal cards. Notice that small business bonuses are on average even higher than those on consumer cards.
Chase Ink Business Preferred Card
- 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points (worth $1,000 straight cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®) after $8,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
- 3X points on the first $150,000 spent on travel, shipping purchases, internet/cable/phone services, and advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines.
- Primary rental car coverage when renting for business purposes.
- $95 annual fee.
- Subject to 5/24 rule.*
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Card
- Up to 120,000 bonus points. Earn 60,000 points after $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Plus, earn an additional 60,000 points after $15,000 on purchases in the first 9 months. See link for details.
- $99 annual fee + 6,000 bonus points after each Cardmember anniversary.
- Subject to 5/24 rule.
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
- Three (3) bonus Free Night Awards (up to 50k point value each) after $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Redemption level up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy(R) points for each bonus Free Night Award, at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy(R). Certain hotels have resort fees. See link for details.
- Additional Free Night Award upon card anniversary (worth up to 35,000 Bonvoy points). Earn another additional Free Night Award after spending $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
- Annual fee is $125.
Business Platinum® Card from American Express
- 120,000 Membership Rewards points after $15,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months.
- HUGE list of additional perks including $400 Dell, $360 Indeed, $150 Adobe, $120 wireless phone annual credits, $200 annual airline fee credit, $189 CLEAR credit, $100 TSA/Global Entry credit, Centurion airport lounge access, and more. See link for details.
- $695 annual fee.
- 50,000 bonus United miles after $5,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
- Free first checked bag for both you and a companion (a savings of up to $140 per roundtrip).
- Expanded award availability. Having this card makes it easier to redeem for that saver award economy ticket.
- 5,000-mile “better together” bonus each anniversary when you have both the United(SM) Business Card and personal Chase United credit card.
- Primary rental car coverage when renting for business purposes.
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99.
- Subject to 5/24 rule.*
Chase Ink Business Unlimited Card
- $750 bonus cash back (75,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after $6,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
- Flat 1.5% cash back on all purchases with no limit.
- No annual fee.
- Subject to 5/24 rule.*
- $750 bonus cash back (75,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after $6,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
- 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on cellular phone, landline, internet and cable TV services each account anniversary year.
- No annual fee.
- Subject to 5/24 rule.*
Hawaiian Airlines Business MasterCard
- 70,000 Hawaiian miles. 60,000 miles after $2,000 in purchases in first 90 days. 10,000 miles after a qualifying purchase is made on an employee card. See link for details.
- Receive a one-time 50% off companion discount for roundtrip coach travel between Hawaii and The Mainland on Hawaiian Airlines.
- $99 annual fee.
- 60,000 Hyatt points after $5,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details and rough valuation of points.
- Up to $100 in Hyatt statement credits – spend $50 or more at any Hyatt property and earn $50 statement credits up to two times each anniversary year.
- $199 annual fee.
- Subject to 5/24 rule.
CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard
- 65,000 American Airlines miles after $4,000 in purchases in first the 4 months. See link for details.
- First checked bag free on domestic AA flights for you and up to 4 companions ($60 value per roundtrip, per person).
- $0 annual fee for the first year, then $99.
Bank of America Business Advantage Cash Rewards Card
- $500 statement credit after $5,000 in purchases in the first 90 days. See link for details.
- 3% cash back on your choice of six categories. 2% cash back on dining and unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. The 3% and 2% cash back applies to the first $50,000 in combined category/dining purchases each calendar year, 1% thereafter.
- No annual fee.
US Bank Business Leverage Card
- 75,000 bonus points after $7,500 in purchases (on the Account Owner’s Card only) in first the 4 months. 75,000 bonus points can be redeemed for $750 in cash back. See link for details.
- Availability may be restricted to certain states.
- $0 annual fee for the first year, then $95.
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
- 130,000 Hilton Honors points after $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
- Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Earn another Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend an additional $45,000 in purchases on your Card in the same calendar year.
- $95 annual fee.
Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business Card
- 50,000 miles (worth a $500 statement credit) after $4,500 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
- Flat 2X points per dollar spent on all purchases with no limit.
- $0 annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- Up to 60,000 TrueBlue points. 50k miles after $4,000 on purchases in first 90 days, and 10k miles after a purchase is made on an employee card. See link for details.
- First checked bag free for the primary cardmember and up to 3 companions when tickets are purchased with your JetBlue Plus Card.
- $99 annual fee.
Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Business Card
- Up to 60,000 American Airlines miles. 50k miles after $4,000 on purchases in first 90 days, and 10k miles after a purchase is made on an employee card. See link for details.
- First checked bag free on domestic AA flights for you and up to 4 companions ($60 value per roundtrip, per person).
- $95 annual fee.
Alaska Airlines Visa Business Card (Bank of America)
- 50,000 Alaska miles + $100 Statement Credit + Companion Fare Voucher after $3,000 in purchase within 90 days. See link for details.
- Companion fare voucher is “Buy one ticket, get one for $122” ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from just $23).
- Free checked bag on Alaska flights for you and up to six other passengers on the same reservation (worth $60 roundtrip per person).
- $70 annual fee for company, plus $25 per card.
* Note: Certain Chase cards have a “5/24 rule” which is an unofficial rule that they will automatically deny approval on new credit cards if you have 5 or more new credit cards on your credit report within the past 2 years. This rule applies on a per-person basis, so if you are new, you might want to start with those Chase cards.
