The Best Credit Cards for Google Ads Spend [2024]: Turn Spending Into Rewards

CREDIT CARDS - BUSINESS CREDIT CARDS
These cards provide plenty of earning potential for both small and large businesses.
Updated March 21, 2024
Fact checked
How to Use Credit Cards for Google Ads

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To maximize your earning potential on advertising expenses, we recommend using multiple cards to take advantage of their high rewards rates. That includes the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card and American Express® Business Gold Card.

Let’s explore the best credit cards for Google Ads spend to see how you can use a winning strategy to earn valuable rewards on your ad purchases.

In this article

Key takeaways

  • The best credit cards for ad spend typically provide high earning potential on advertising in a bonus category.
  • The Ink Business Preferred provides 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.
  • The American Express Business Gold Card provides 4X Membership Rewards Points on purchases in the two categories with the most spend each billing cycle from 6 eligible categories (up to $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year, after that 1X), 3X Membership Rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels booked at amextravel.com, and 1 point per $1 spent on other eligible purchases.

The 5 best credit cards for Google Ads spend

We recommend utilizing the following credit cards in an order that could help you maximize your rewards from Google Ads spend:

  1. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
  2. American Express® Business Gold Card
  3. U.S. Bank Business Leverage® Visa Signature® Card
  4. The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
  5. Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Keep in mind
You might prefer to follow a different order. For example, you might want to start off with a $0-annual-fee card or prefer to earn rewards from a certain rewards program.

Compare the best credit cards for Google Ads spend

Credit card Welcome offer Earning rate Annual fee

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

4.8

Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening 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 $95

American Express® Business Gold Card

American Express® Business Gold Card

4.8

Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months 4X Membership Rewards Points on purchases in the two categories with the most spend each billing cycle from 6 eligible categories (up to $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year, after that 1X), 3X Membership Rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels booked at amextravel.com, and 1 point per $1 spent on other eligible purchases $375 (terms apply)

U.S. Bank Business Leverage® Visa Signature® Card

U.S. Bank Business Leverage® Visa Signature® Card

4.1

Earn $750 in rewards when you spend $7,500 in eligible purchases on the account owner's card within the first 120 days of opening your account 5% cash back on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Rewards Center; 2% cash back in top two categories where you spend the most each month automatically; 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases $95 (waived first year)

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

5.0

Earn a $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months 2% cash back on the first $50,000 in eligible purchases each year, then 1% after that $0 (terms apply)

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

4.8

Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase $0

1. Use Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card until maxing out its 3X elevated category

Pros
  • High earning rate in common business categories
  • Flexible points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program
  • No foreign transaction fees
Cons
  • $95 annual fee

The Ink Business Preferred is one of our favorite cards for small business owners with online advertising expenses because of its high earning potential.

Why we like Ink Business Preferred

You can earn 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.

If your advertising spend reaches the $150,000 annual spending limit, this would result in you earning 450,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points. That’s worth at least $4,500 in cash back or $5,625 toward travel redemptions through Chase Ultimate Rewards. That’s because the Ink Business Preferred earns 25% more value for travel redemptions via the Chase Travel portal.

What we don’t like about Ink Business Preferred

Cardholders have to pay a $95 annual fee.

Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Welcome offer: Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Annual fee: $95

Apply now or read our review

2. Use American Express® Business Gold Card until maxing out its 4X elevated category

Pros
  • High earning potential in common business categories
  • Flexible Amex Membership Rewards points
  • Foreign transaction fees: None
Cons
  • $375 annual fee (terms apply)

The Amex Business Gold provides excellent earning potential on advertising purchases and other common business expenses.

Why we like American Express Business Gold Card

You can earn 4X Membership Rewards Points on purchases in the two categories with the most spend each billing cycle from 6 eligible categories (up to $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year, after that 1X), 3X Membership Rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels booked at amextravel.com, and 1 point per $1 spent on other eligible purchases.

Eligible 4X 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.

If you reached that $150,000 cap, you would earn 600,000 points in the process. Putting these credit card rewards toward statement credits would net you $3,600. Redeeming your rewards toward flights through American Express Travel would net you $6,000 worth of travel airfare.

What we don’t like about American Express Business Gold Card

Cardmembers have to pay a $375 annual fee (terms apply).

American Express Business Gold Card American Express® Business Gold Card

Welcome offer: Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months (Terms apply)

Annual fee: $375 

Apply now or read our review 

3. Earn an uncapped 2% rewards rate with the U.S. Bank Business Leverage® Visa Signature® Card

Pros
  • Elevated uncapped earning potential in common business categories
  • No foreign transaction fees
Cons
  • $95 (waived first year) annual fee

The U.S. Bank Business Leverage provides the opportunity to earn unlimited rewards in loads of different categories.

Why we like U.S. Bank Business Leverage

You can earn 5% cash back on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Rewards Center; 2% cash back in top two categories where you spend the most each month automatically; 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases.

There are over 40 different 2% spend categories, including:

  • Advertising firms
  • Airlines
  • Cable, satellite, TV, and radio providers
  • Entertainment places
  • Gas stations and fuel dealers
  • Grocery stores and supermarkets

With this rewards rate, spending $100,000 on advertising would net you $2,000 in cashback rewards.

What we don’t like about U.S. Bank Business Leverage

You have to pay a $95 (waived first year) annual fee as a cardholder.

U.S. Bank Business Leverage U.S. Bank Business Leverage® Visa Signature® Card

Welcome offer: Earn $750 in rewards when you spend $7,500 in eligible purchases on the account owner's card within the first 120 days of opening your account

Annual fee: $95 (waived first year)

Read our review 

4. Use The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card for a $0 annual fee

Pros
  • $0 annual fee (terms apply)
  • Elevated earning potential
Cons
  • Has 2.7% foreign transaction fees

The American Express Blue Business Cash provides great earning potential up to its $50,000 spending cap.

Why we like American Express Blue Business Cash

You can earn 2% cash back on the first $50,000 in eligible purchases each year, then 1% after that.

This type of rewards rate makes sense if you typically spend $50,000 or less on advertising in a year. It could also make sense if you plan to spend $50,000 on advertising and then switch to another card.

With this rewards rate, spending $50,000 would net you $1,000 in rewards.

What we don’t like about American Express Blue Business Cash

This isn’t the best card for making purchases abroad since you have to pay 2.7% foreign transaction fees on applicable purchases.

American Express Blue Business Cash The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

Welcome offer: Earn a $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months

Annual fee: $0

Apply now or read our review 

5. Use the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card for a $0 annual fee and unlimited rewards

Pros
  • $0 annual fee
  • Unlimited earning potential
Cons
  • Has foreign transaction fees

The Chase Ink Business Unlimited is an excellent all-around cashback card with a $0 annual fee.

Why we like Ink Business Unlimited

You can earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase. If you’ve already hit the spending cap on other cards, this is a great card to switch to. It doesn’t have as high of a rewards rate compared to some cards, but it has a $0 annual fee, and there’s no limit to how much you can earn.

Spending $50,000 on this card would net you $750 in rewards.

See more $0-annual-fee business credit cards.

What we don’t like about Ink Business Unlimited

Cardholders have to pay foreign transaction fees (3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars) on applicable purchases.

Chase Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Welcome offer: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Annual fee: $0

Apply now or read our review

Bonus hack: If you have multiple LLCs

Looking for a way to double up your premium spend categories? If you have multiple LLCs (limited liability companies), you can apply for separate business cards for each registered LLC. Just make sure you keep your finances separate for every LLC to ensure that you’re following best practices — and to make things easier at tax time.

Important things to know before you get started

There are plenty of strategies designed to help you use the best credit card for Google Ads and reap the rewards. What’s outlined above is the strategy I personally use for our company ad spends and have refined over the years, and it’s worked really well for me.

As you employ this strategy, though, it can start to feel overwhelming because you have to manage multiple credit cards. But there’s one thing I do to make things simpler — pre-charge my cards with Google Ads. If I know my limit every month is $100,000 on each card I have, I can log in and pre-charge that limit. This saves me from having to juggle cards on a daily basis.

Finally, read up on the Chase 5/24 rule before you dive in. If you get too many cards in the space of two years, you might not qualify for another Chase card — and what if a Chase card would be the best credit card for Google Ads in your situation? A simple rule of thumb is to consider opening Chase cards first, and then move on to other cards.

In the end, making the most out of your credit cards and getting the best value for your business expenses requires strategy. With a good plan, you’re likely to get more for your business buck.

FAQ

Can you put personal expenses on a business card?

From a legal standpoint, you can put personal expenses on a business card, though it might go against the terms of the credit card issuer agreement. You can also put business purchases on consumer credit cards, which could come in handy if you’re trying to maximize your earning potential with different cards.

What credit cards does Google accept?

Google Ads accepts credit cards that use the following networks:

  • American Express
  • Discover
  • JBC
  • MasterCard
  • Visa

It also accepts PayPal and debit cards. Keep in mind that Google doesn’t accept bank transfers, virtual credit cards, or wire transfers.

Compare credit cards to find the right credit card for you to use with Google Ads.

How do I stop Google Ads from charging my credit card?

You need to stop your ads or cancel your account and make sure all unpaid advertising costs are taken care of. Once you do that, Google Ads shouldn’t continue charging you. Note that Google Ads requires a primary method of payment at all times, so you can’t remove your payment method to stop charges.

What is a good budget for Google Ads?

It depends on the size of your business and campaign, but a small business might start with $1,500 to $2,500 per month and scale up from there. If you’re a large business, you could easily spend $20,000 or more per month on Google Ads.

Best credit cards for Google Ads spend: bottom line

We think the Ink Business Preferred and American Express Business Gold cards are some of the best cards for ad spend because of their high rewards rates. But keep in mind that high-spending businesses would likely need to switch between multiple cards (due to capped spending rates) if they want to maximize their earning potential.

For more of our top recommendations and business credit card offers, check out the best business credit cards.

Methodology

To identify the best credit card for Google Ad Spend, we considered various credit cards based on their rewards, benefits, and perks for advertising purchases or other related expenses, including on Google.

We also considered factors such as annual fees, rewards rate, and acceptance when using each card for advertising. We selected a range of credit cards that cater to different needs and preferences, but keep in mind that our list doesn’t include all available options. Our goal is to provide a variety of options that can help businesses research their options and find ways to earn rewards on their advertising expenses.

Up to 5% Cash Back

4.8

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

Current Offer

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 after account opening

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

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; 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year; and 1% cash back on all other purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks
Card Details

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