Updated September 2024. Do you have small business income or work as an independent contractor? Freelance, Uber/Lyft, DoorDash, 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 Ink Unlimited $900, Spark $2,000, Hyatt 75k, Amex Gold 100k, Southwest 120k, United 75k, Platinum 150k, United 75k.
Removed Ink Preferred 120k, Marriott 5FreeNights, Alaska 75k, AA 75k, Hilton 175k, IHG 175k, Venture X 300k, Hyatt 75k, JetBlue 75k.
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.
Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card
- $2,000 cash bonus after $30,000 in the first 3 months. Additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year. See link for details.
- Unlimited 2% cash back spent on all purchases with no limit.
- $150 annual fee; Spend $150,000 annually and Capital One will refund this fee every year.
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
- $900 bonus cash back (90,000 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.*
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
- Up to 120,000 total bonus Southwest points. Earn 60,000 points after $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months and an additional 60,000 points when you spend $15,000 in 9 months. If you include the points earned from the purchases required to reach the 120k total bonus within the calendar year, together you will have earned enough points to qualify for the Companion Pass with just this single card.
- Southwest still gives everyone two free checked bags.
- $99 annual fee.
- Subject to 5/24 rule.*
American Express® Business Gold Card
- 100,000 Membership Rewards points after $15,000 in eligible purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
- Up to $240 Annual Flexible Business Credit. Earn up to $20 in statement credits monthly after you use the Business Gold Card for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and Office Supply Stores. Enrollment is required.
- Up to $155 Annual Walmart+ Credit. Get up to $12.95 back in statement credits each month when you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Business Gold Card. Enrollment is required.
- Annual fee is $375. (See Rates and Fees)
- Terms Apply.
- 75,000 bonus United miles after $5,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. Limited-time offer. See link for details.
- Free first checked bag for both you and a companion (a savings of up to $140 per roundtrip).
- 5,000-mile “better together” bonus each anniversary when you have both the UnitedSM Business Card and personal Chase United credit card.
- Primary rental car coverage when renting for business purposes.
- $0 annual fee for the first year, then $99.
- Subject to 5/24 rule.*
The Business Platinum® Card from American Express
- 150,000 Membership Rewards points after $20,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months.
- $1,000+ in value per year via statement credits on select purchases, including tech, recruiting and wireless. Enrollment required. See link for details.
- $695 annual fee. (See Rates and Fees)
- Terms Apply.
Capital One Venture X Business Card
- 150,000 Miles (worth $1,500 towards travel) after spending $30,000 in the first 3 months. See link for details.
- $300 annual travel credit. Get up to $300 in statement credits when booking through Capital One Travel.
- Additional 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary.
- Capital One Lounges, Priority Pass(TM) and Plaza Premium Group lounges access.
- Up to $100 credit towards TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee.
- $395 annual fee.
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
- 90,000 Ultimate Rewards points (worth $900 straight cash back or $1,125 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel) 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.*
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
- 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after $6,000 in purchases in the first six months. See link for details.
- Up to $240 in Annual Hilton Credits. Get up to $240 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases made on your Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, with up to $60 in statement credits per quarter.
- $195 annual fee. (See Rates and Fees)
- Terms Apply.
- Up to $750 bonus cash back total (75,000 Ultimate Rewards points). Earn $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months. See link for details.
- 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year.
- No annual fee.
- Subject to 5/24 rule.*
- Up to 75,000 Bonus Hyatt points. 60,000 Bonus Points after $5,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. Plus 15,000 more Bonus Points after $12,000 in purchases in the first 6 months.
- 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 (Up to $80 value per roundtrip, per person).
- $0 annual fee for the first year, then $99.
Hawaiian Airlines Business MasterCard
- 50,000 Hawaiian miles after $4,000 in purchases in first 90 days. 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.
BofA Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards card
- $500 statement credit after $5,000 in purchases in the first 90 days. See link for details.
- 1.5% cash back on all purchases, which can be increased to 2.62% cash back when combined with the Preferred Rewards program.
- 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 120 days. 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.
- 60,000 TrueBlue points 50,000 points after $4,000 in purchases in first 90 days. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus points when a purchase is made on an employee card in the first 90 days. 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.
Alaska Airlines Visa Business Card (Bank of America)
- 50,000 Alaska miles + Companion Fare Voucher after $4,000 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.
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
- 3 Free Night Awards (Worth Up To 150K Total Marriott Bonvoy Points) after $6,000 in eligible purchases within first 6 months. Each Free Night Award is worth up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy(R) points redemption level. See link for details.
- New award night top-off option: Marriott now allows you to supplement your free night certificates with up to 15,000 points of your own. For example, the 50k Award can be used to book a hotel at 65,000 points level if you spend 15,000 points of your own. This opens up the number of potential hotels available in expensive areas.
- 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. (See Rates and Fees)
- Terms Apply.
* 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.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum® Card from American Express, please visit here. For rates and fees of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, please visit here. For rates and fees of Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, please visit here. For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, please visit here.