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As a small business owner, maximizing your bottom line is a top priority, and cash back business credit cards can help you do just that. These cards often offer welcome bonuses and ongoing rewards that you can drive back into your business or even use to cover personal expenses if you wish.
The best cash back business credit cards offer solid rewards, and some give cardholders other valuable features, such as big welcome bonuses, introductory 0% APR promotions and more.
There’s no best credit card out there for everyone, but if you’re looking for a cash back credit card for your business, here are our top choices to help you narrow down your selection.
How to choose the best cash back business credit cards
If you’re looking for a cash back business credit card, you’ve got plenty of options. If you don’t know exactly what you want, however, it can be easy to get overwhelmed.
In addition to reading about top choices from the experts, it’s important to consider a few things before you pick a card:
- Your credit score: Business credit cards typically require a personal credit check when you apply, even if you have an extensive business credit history. Our top cash back business credit cards and others typically require at least a good credit score, which means a FICO score of 670 or higher. If your credit score isn’t quite there, your options will be limited.
- Your business expenses: Each credit card has its own rewards program, and while some offer a flat rewards rate on all of your purchases, others provide accelerated rewards on certain spending categories. Think about where your business spends the most money and consider getting a card that offers bonus rewards in that category. If you don’t spend a lot in any one area or don’t spend much in general, a card with a high, flat rewards rate may do the trick.
- Your preferences: In addition to rewards, many cash back business credit cards offer other perks, including welcome bonuses, introductory 0% APR promotions and more. As you consider what you’re looking for in a card, think about more than just what you’ll earn in cash back. Think about what would be the best fit for your business based on your preferences, then pick that card.
To help you with your search for the right card, we’ve provided our top picks based on rewards rates, welcome bonuses, and other features that might make them a good fit.
What is the best cash back credit card?
| Card | Welcome bonus | Reward details | Annual fee |
| Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card | Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening | 1.5% cash back on all spending | $0 |
| Ink Business Cash® Credit Card | Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening | 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 card purchases | $0 |
| Capital One Spark Cash Plus | Earn up to $1,000 cash bonus — $500 after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months, plus $500 after spending $50,000 in the first 6 months | 2% cash back on every purchase, every day; plus 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel | $150 |
| American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card | 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 |
| Capital One Spark Classic for Business | Unlimited cash back | 1% unlimited cash back on every purchase for your business, plus 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel | $0 |
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card can be a great fit for new businesses, independent contractors, and small business owners who are looking to limit their expenses.
The card charges no annual fee, which means you never have to wonder whether you’re getting enough value to make up for a yearly charge. Also, it offers a flat 1.5% cash back on all spending. That’s not the best rewards rate around, but couple it with the card’s welcome bonus — you can earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening — and it’s hard to pass up.
The card also offers an introductory 0% APR on purchases for 12 months (then 17.74% - 23.74% Variable). If you’re planning on making a large purchase or need some time to pay off some supplies or inventory, you could save hundreds of dollars in interest on top of the solid rewards program.
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
The Ink Business Cash credit card is similar to the Ink Business Unlimited in a lot of ways. You can earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, you get an introductory 0% APR on purchases for 12 months (then 17.74% - 23.74% Variable), and pay a $0 annual fee.
Where the card may stand out for some business owners, however, is through its ongoing rewards program.
As a cardholder, you’ll earn:
- 5% cash back on purchases at the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year.
- 5% cash back on purchases at Lyft rides.
- 2% cash back at the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year.
- 1% cash back on everything else.
If your company spends a lot of money in this card’s bonus categories — especially the ones that earn 5% back — you could potentially get a lot more value out of it than if you were to have a card with a flat rewards rate.
That said, it’s still possible that many, if not most, of your purchases will net just 1% back. If this is the case, consider pairing the card with another that offers a higher rewards rate on everything. Use the Ink Business Cash for its bonus rewards and the other card for everything else to maximize how much you earn.
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
If your business has a massive budget, make the most of it with the Capital One Spark Cash Plus. The card offers 2% cash back on every purchase, every day; plus 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, plus you can earn up to $1,000 cash bonus — $500 after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months, plus $500 after spending $50,000 in the first 6 months.
While this card doesn’t offer an introductory 0% APR promotion, if you can maximize the welcome offer, you’ll earn plenty of cash back to make up for the lack of interest savings. Plus, if you never carry a balance on the card, you won’t have to worry about interest anyway.
There are a couple of things to think about with the Capital One Spark Cash before you apply. First, the card charges a $150. Compared with the Ink Business Unlimited, which has a $0 annual fee and offers 1.5% cash back on all spending — you’d have to spend more than $19,000 per year to make this one a better choice.
Also, Capital One is a rare business credit card issuer that reports account activity to both the commercial and consumer credit bureaus — Discover does the same. As a result, if you rack up a high balance on the card or miss a payment, it could wreak havoc on your personal credit score.
If you want to keep your business and personal credit histories separate, consider a card from a different issuer.
American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
If you like the idea of earning cash back on every purchase but don’t want the cost of an annual fee, consider the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card. You can earn 2% cash back on the first $50,000 in eligible purchases each year, then 1% after that. (Cash back is received in the form of statement credits.)
That cap on bonus rewards can be frustrating for businesses with a lot of expenses. But if you’ll never come close to that threshold — again, new businesses and independent contractors may be a good fit — it’s a solid option with a $0 annual fee.
The card also offers an introductory 0% APR on purchases for 12 months (after that the APR will be 17.99% - 25.99% (variable)). This means that if you need to finance a large expense, you can do it with this card and pay it off over the first year.
On the downside, the Blue Business Cash Card doesn’t offer a welcome bonus, which means you’ll need to use the card longer to make up for that omission.
Check out our full Amex Blue Business Cash Card review.
Capital One Spark Classic for Business
All of the cards we’ve listed so far are targeted to small business owners with at least good credit. If you have fair credit — a FICO score of 580 to 669 — the Capital One Spark Classic for Business can be a solid alternative.
The card offers just 1% unlimited cash back on every purchase for your business, plus 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, but that’s not bad considering you might have some work to do with your credit history. Also, because Capital One reports business credit card activity to the consumer credit bureaus, you could effectively use the card to help build both your business and personal credit histories.
That said, you will need to be careful to avoid carrying a high balance or missing a payment because it could have majorly negative effects on your credit score.
Also, note that the card’s annual fee is $0, which is a solid perk for business owners with fair credit.
Methodology
When it comes to cash back business credit cards, the primary focus is the rewards program. We picked our top choices based on how much you can earn via a welcome bonus and ongoing rewards.
We also looked at other features, such as introductory 0% APR promotions and minimal annual fees, which can add more value to your business.
Finally, we realize that not all business owners have stellar credit. If yours is in the fair range, we wanted to provide a solid option you can use while you work to build your credit.
The bottom line on the best cash back business credit cards
The best business credit cards that offer cash back have a lot of potential to add value to your business, primarily in the form of cash rewards, but some also provide interest savings. To pick the right one for you, think about your credit score, business spending habits and general preferences. It may take some time and research to compare credit cards, but it’s worth the effort if you can maximize the value for your business.
Up to 5% Cash Back
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Current Offer
Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from 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 card purchases
Benefits
- Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- $0 annual fee
- 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months (then 17.74% - 23.74% Variable)
- Up to 5% cash back
Drawbacks
- Capped spending on bonus cash back categories
- Has foreign transaction fee
- 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases
- Member FDIC
- No Annual Fee
- Redeem rewards for cash back, gift cards, travel and more through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn 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
- Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. Earn 1% cash back 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.
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