Drop-shipping is one of the hottest businesses around right now. With the explosion of e-commerce and the growth of technology software within the drop-shipping sector, it’s easy to see why starting a drop-shipping business is easier than ever.
Long story short, drop-shipping effectively breaks down the barriers to entry that e-commerce poses. With e-commerce, you have to pay for inventory and storage, while drop-shipping removes these costs entirely.
So, what are the best credit cards for drop-shipping entrepreneurs? We’ll show you right here in our complete guide. We put ourselves in the shoes of a drop-shipping business owner to learn about the common expenses and benefits that could be valuable.
Let’s dive in!
What To Look For in a Business Credit Card for Drop-shipping
Image Credit: Artem Podrez via Pexels
Wouldn’t it be nice to find a credit card that offers you tons of rewards and benefits for your business? Drop-shipping business models vary from company to company, but it’s possible to figure out some of the most common expenses that are almost universal to all drop-shipping businesses.
First of all, a drop-shipping store must be online. So one of the major expenses you’ll have will be related to getting a website up and running. Whether you’re talking about internet service costs or software as a service (SaaS) subscriptions, these expenses will stay with you forever.
Other costs include marketing and advertising — you’ll have to invest in building your online presence for your company to be discovered.
Of course, you’ll likely have to pay out of pocket to ship your products, at least initially, before charging the customer for that same shipping fee.
Other expenses include supplies, office space (not to be confused with warehouse space), and more.
These top expenses are pretty universal, regardless of the specific products you’re drop-shipping, so the best cards for drop-shipping are those that offer bonus rewards on most of the expenses we described above.
The 6 Best Business Cards for Drop-shipping — Summary
| Card |
Welcome Bonus and Annual Fee |
Benefits for Drop-shipping |
| American Express® Business Gold Card |
- Earn 70,000 points after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $295 (rates and fees)
|
- Get 4x points on the 2 select categories where your business spent the most each month, apply to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year
- No preset spending limit
- Purchase protection
- Extended warranty
- No foreign transaction fees (rates and fees)
|
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express |
- Earn 120,000 points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $695 (rates and fees)
|
- Earn 1.5x points per $1 spent on key business categories and on large purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else (up to $2 million per year)
- No preset spending limit
- Purchase protection
- Extended warranty
- No foreign transaction fees (rates and fees)
- Incredible luxury travel perks like top-notch airport lounge access and hotel elite status
|
| Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card |
- Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $95
|
- Earn 3x points per $1 spent on select business categories (up to $150,000 in combined purchases every year)
- Purchase protection
- Extended warranty
- No foreign transaction fees
- Cell phone protection
|
| Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card |
- BEST OFFER EVER: Earn $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $0
|
- Unlimited 1.5% cash-back on all purchases
- 0% introductory APR
- Purchase protection
- Extended warranty
|
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express |
- Earn 15,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $0 (rates and fees)
|
- 2x Membership Rewards points on everyday business purchases (up to $50,000 per calendar year)
- Purchase protection
- Extended warranty
|
| Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card |
- Earn 75,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- Annual fee of $125 (rates and fees)
|
- 4x Marriott Bonvoy points on U.S. purchases for shipping and other business categories (terms apply)
- Purchase protection
- Extended warranty
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status
- 1 Free Night Award every cardmember anniversary (up to 35,000 points)
|
The 3 Best Overall Business Cards for Drop-shipping
If you’re looking for the absolute best credit cards for drop-shipping, you’ll want to focus your efforts on finding a card that rewards you for your biggest purchases.
Your biggest purchases are most likely going to be advertising and shipping.
In addition, you need to find a card that offers a lot of protections for your business — you want to have at least a degree of coverage in the event that you deal with a fraudulent vendor or end up with a damaged shipment of equipment or merchandise.
The ideal credit card you use should be business-friendly, offer plenty of rewards, and confer numerous benefits.
We’ve narrowed down the field to the best choices only — let’s take a look!
1. American Express® Business Gold Card
Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a huge welcome offer of up to 110,000 points with the Amex Business Gold! (The current public offer is 70,000.)
Our #1 favorite business credit card for drop-shipping is the Amex Business Gold card.
The Amex Business Gold card suits those who are making a lot of purchases and who want to take advantage of automatically adjusted bonus categories so you don’t have to worry about your points strategy.
You can earn 4x Membership Rewards points per $1 spent each month, on combined purchases up to $150,000 per calendar year, on your top 2 categories in this list:
- Airfare purchased from airlines
- U.S. purchases at gas stations
- U.S. purchases at restaurants
- U.S. purchases for advertising in select media
- U.S. purchases for shipping
- U.S. purchases made from select technology providers of computer hardware, software, and cloud solutions
The biggest upside to this card is the fact that you don’t need to select a bonus category — Amex will automatically calculate which categories you spent the most in so that you can earn as many points as possible.
If you maxed out the $150,000 in a year, you’d earn a total of 600,000 Amex points, which would be worth around $13,200 according to our valuations. On top of this, you could earn a 1-time welcome bonus after being approved for the card and meeting minimum spending thresholds.
Though this card doesn’t offer major travel perks like lounge access or a Global Entry application fee credit, it does offer some of the most important business card perks out there. They include purchase protection, extended warranty coverage, car rental and travel insurance, business management tools, and the ability to add up to 99 total employee cards with no annual fee after the first employee card ($50 annual fee total; rates and fees).
Lastly, this card does not have a preset spending limit, which means that your credit limit can fluctuate from month to month to accommodate for larger, unexpected purchases that might exceed a traditional credit card’s limit.
Why We Like Earning Amex Membership Rewards Points
The Amex Business Gold card earns Amex Membership Rewards points, which means that you’ll have access to Amex’s prized Membership Rewards program.
You can redeem Membership Rewards points in a number of different ways, including travel bookings through Amex Travel, gift cards, statement credits, merchandise, goods, and charity.
But, the best way to get outsized benefit from the most valuable flexible rewards currency is to transfer your Amex points to airline and hotel partners for business and first class flights.
This is an incredible way to book travel worth tens of thousands of dollars using relatively few points.
2. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Image Credit: American Express
Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a huge welcome offer of up to 150,000 points with the Amex Business Platinum! (The current public offer is 120,000.)
Our runner-up card is the Amex Business Platinum card, which offers a different — but also great — value proposition.
You’ll also get the best travel perks from a single card, including access to over 1,400 of the following airport lounges in the American Express Global Lounge Collection:
For comparison’s sake, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® only offers access to Priority Pass lounges!
If you ever take business trips, you’ll also find tremendous value in the Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit, up to $200 annual airline fee credit, access to the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts benefits program, 35% points rebate on select flights, Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status upon enrollment, and $189 in CLEAR credit.
For your office expenses, you’ll find good value in the up to $400 Dell credit, up to $360 in Indeed credit, up to $120 in wireless credit, and up to $150 in Adobe credit.
The Amex Business Platinum card also has a unique earning structure: you’ll earn 1.5x on eligible purchases in key business categories, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else (up to $2 million in purchases per calendar year). In addition, get 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel.
Hot Tip: Drop-shippers who make large purchases will love the 1.5x points you can earn on purchases of $5,000 or more!
Other benefits include extended warranty coverage, purchase protection, cell phone protection, return protection, travel insurance, business tools like QuickBooks integrations, and more.
3. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Our third-place finisher is the Ink Business Preferred card, issued by Chase. This card is arguably the most popular business credit card Chase offers, and it offers awesome perks to drop-shipping business owners.
This card comes jam-packed with perks, all for a reasonable annual fee. One of our favorites is the gigantic welcome bonus, which is one of the quickest ways to earn a ton of points.
Also, the Ink Business Preferred card will enable you to earn 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards points on your first $150,000 spent in the following business categories every cardmember year:
- Advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines
- Internet, cable, and phone services
- Shipping purchases
- Travel
In theory, you could earn 450,000 Chase points every cardmember year, which would be worth around $9,000, according to our valuations. When you couple that with the 5x points per dollar on Lyft purchases through March 2025, you begin to see how the points will add up over time.
Some of the other perks include the ability to redeem your points for 1.25 cents per point (25% bonus) on travel purchases when booked through the Chase travel portal. You can also access the valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards program and transfer your points to airline and hotel partners.
You can spend with ease knowing that you have purchase protection, extended warranty coverage, and no foreign transaction fees. And don’t forget that you’ll enjoy top-of-the-line cell phone protection insurance, travel insurance including primary rental car collision insurance, and much more.
Why We Like Earning Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
We love Chase Ultimate Rewards points because they’re valuable and the program makes it incredibly easy to redeem your points.
Sure, it might not have as many transfer partners as Amex, but it’s easy to redeem your points for solid value, whether it’s via the Chase travel portal, gift cards, cash-back, goods, services, or for charity.
The 3 Best Alternative Business Credit Cards for Drop-shipping
Now that you know our top picks for drop-shipping businesses, let’s take a look at some of the best alternatives available.
1. Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Don’t have time to worry about bonus categories or to figure out which merchants fall under which categories? We understand!
The Ink Business Unlimited card offers a worry-free way to take advantage of a lucrative rewards structure. This card will earn you a flat 1.5% cash-back on all your business purchases with no caps and no category restrictions, in addition to a hefty welcome bonus.
If you have a qualifying Ultimate Rewards credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you could convert your cash-back to Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Other benefits include unlimited employee cards for no additional fee, primary rental car insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty protection, and zero liability fraud protection.
2. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
One of our favorite cards is the Amex Blue Business Plus card, which offers you 2x Membership Rewards points on everyday business purchases, up to $50,000 in purchases per year. After that, you’ll earn 1x.
If you don’t anticipate exceeding that $50,000 figure each year, it makes a ton of sense to put your business spending on this card.
Other benefits include purchase protection, extended warranty coverage, employee cards for no additional cost, and, of course, the ability to earn and redeem American Express Membership Rewards points (see rates and fees).
3. Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Business card is perhaps one of the most unexpected credit cards for drop-shipping, but we’ll show you why you shouldn’t write it off.
This business credit card is a great choice for those who spend big on shipping and wireless telephone services.
Specifically, you can earn 4x Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, and on U.S. purchases for shipping. You can also earn 6x points per dollar spent at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program.
This card makes a ton of sense if you stay often with Marriott, as you’ll also receive:
- 1 Free Night Award each cardmember anniversary (up to 35,000 points)
- 15 Elite Night Credits (useful to qualify for elite status)
- Baggage insurance
- Extended warranty coverage
- Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
- No foreign transaction fees (rates and fees)
- Purchase protection and return protection
- Secondary car rental collision damage coverage
Why We Like Earning Marriott Bonvoy Points
Marriott Bonvoy points are incredibly flexible when redeemed for travel. In addition to getting free nights at Marriott properties, you can transfer your points to even more partners than American Express and Chase!
These points are useful for business and first class flight redemptions, as they can be transferred to numerous airlines, including Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and Japan Airlines Mileage Bank.
Final Thoughts
There’s a lot of promise in drop-shipping. Don’t miss out on opportunities to get easy rewards by setting yourself up with the right (and best!) cards for your needs. With any of the cards listed above, you’ll rack up points on purchases made in the categories most relevant to running your drop-shipping business. And, these cards offer a range of perks not necessarily related to points that will help you deal with unforeseen situations that may arise as a business owner.
For the car rental loss & damage insurance benefit of the American Express® Business Gold Card, eligibility and benefit level varies by Card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. For the extended warranty and purchase protection benefit of the American Express® Business Gold Card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. For the trip delay insurance benefit of the American Express® Business Gold Card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. For the purchase protection benefit of the American Express® Business Gold Card, eligibility and benefit level varies by Card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
For the car rental collision damage coverage benefit of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car rental loss or damage coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. For the trip cancellation and interruption insurance and trip delay insurance benefits of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. For the baggage insurance plan benefit of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. For the extended warranty and purchase protection benefit of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. For the Cell Phone Protection benefit of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. For the Return Protection benefit of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. For the Premium Global Assist Hotline benefit of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. If approved and coordinated by Premium Global Assist Hotline, emergency medical transportation assistance may be provided at no cost. In any other circumstance, card members may be responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.
For the car rental collision damage coverage benefit of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car rental loss or damage coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. For the baggage insurance plan benefit of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. For the extended warranty and purchase protection benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
For the extended warranty and purchase protection benefits of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, click here.
