The 5 Best Business Credit Cards for Drop-shipping in July 2024
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Top Picks (Quick Summary)
Card | Welcome Bonus and Annual Fee | Benefits for Drop-shipping |
American Express® Business Gold Card  |
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The Business Platinum Card® from American Express  |
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Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card  |
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Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card  |
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1. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (No Preset Spending Limit)
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThis card is ideal for business travelers who enjoy luxury travel and are looking for a card loaded with benefits!
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is a premium travel rewards card tailored toward business owners who are frequent travelers with a high number of annual expenses.
When you factor in the large number of perks that the card offers like the best airport lounge access at over 1,400 lounges, along with tons of annual credits, it’s easy to see why this card can is a top option for frequent traveling business owners.
- 5x Membership Rewards points per $1 on flights and prepaid hotels at Amex Travel
- Access to over 1,400 worldwide airport lounges as part of the American Express Global Lounge Collection
- Get 50% more Membership Rewards points (1.5 points per $1) on eligible purchases in key business categories, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more (cap applies)
- High annual fee of $695 (rates & fees)
- Airline fee credit does not cover airfare, only incidentals like checked bags
- Welcome Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com, and 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases.
- Earn 1.5X points (that’s an extra half point per dollar) on each eligible purchase at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year.
- Unlock over $1,000 in statement credits on select purchases, including tech, recruiting and wireless in the first year of membership with the Business Platinum Card®. Enrollment required. See how you can unlock over $1,000 annually in credits on select purchases with the Business Platinum Card®, here.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to the Card.
- $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Use your card and get up to $189 in statement credits per calendar year on your CLEAR® Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use the Business Platinum Card®.
- The American Express Global Lounge Collection® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market as of 03/2023.
- $695 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- APR: 19.49% - 28.49% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a huge welcome bonus offer of up to 170,000 points with the Amex Business Platinum. The current public offer is 150,000 points. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants.)
Our #1 favorite business card for drop-shipping is the Amex Business Platinum card. It has no preset spending limit, which means your spending limit is flexible. Unlike a traditional card with a set limit, the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment, and credit history.
You’ll also get the best travel perks from a single card, including access to over 1,300 of the following airport lounges in the American Express Global Lounge Collection:
- Airspace Lounge
- Centurion Lounges
- Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta the same day)
- Escape Lounges — The Centurion Studio Partner
- International American Express Centurion Lounges
- Plaza Premium Lounges
- Priority Pass lounges (upon enrollment)
- Select Lufthansa Lounges (when flying Lufthansa the same day)
- Select Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses
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 or 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, and Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status upon enrollment.
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, up to $150 in Adobe credit, and $189 in CLEAR 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!
2. American Express® Business Gold Card (Best for Earning Lots of Points)
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesGet 4x points in 2 select categories where your business spends the most each month (on your first $150,000 spent each year).
The American Express® Business Gold Card is excellent at racking up rewards for your business spend.
The card earns a whopping 4x points per $1 in the 2 categories (from a list of 6) that your business spends the most money on each month. With no need to opt-in or preselect your categories, so you can focus on what matters most — running your business.
- 4x points per dollar spent on your 2 highest purchase categories each month up to $150,000 each calendar year in purchases; categories include:
- NEW! Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
- NEW! U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
- NEW! Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.
- U.S. purchases at gas stations
- U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
- Purchases at U.S. media providers for advertising in select media (online such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, plus TV and radio)
- 3x points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card
- Access to Amex’s The Hotel Collection
- $375 annual fee (rates and fees)
- No elite travel benefits like airport lounge access or elite status
- Welcome Offer: Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.*
- 0% Intro APR ¤ for 6 months from the date of account opening on purchases eligible for Pay Over Time, then a 19.49% to 28.49% variable APR.*
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points on the top two eligible categories where your business spends the most each month from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap.*
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card.*
- 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. This can be an annual savings of up to $240. Enrollment required.
- Get up to a $12.95** statement credit back each month after you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Business Gold Card. **Up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes on one membership fee.*
- The Business Gold Card now comes in three metal designs: Gold, Rose Gold and Limited Edition White Gold. White Gold design is only available while supplies last. Make your selection when you apply on Americanexpress.com.
- *Terms Apply
- APR: 19.49% - 28.49% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a huge welcome bonus offer of up to 110,000 points with the Amex Business Gold card! The current public offer is 100,000 points. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants.)
Our runner-up card is the Amex Business Gold card, which offers a different — but also great — value proposition.
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.
This card earns 4x Membership Rewards points on the top 2 categories in which your business spends the most every month (up to $150,000 in combined purchases every calendar year):
- Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
- U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
- Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.
- U.S. purchases at gas stations
- U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
- Purchases at U.S. media providers for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
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.
You’ll also earn 3x points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel, and 1x points on all other eligible purchases.
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 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; see rates & fees).
Lastly, this card, along with the Amex Business Platinum card, does not have a preset spending limit, which means your spending limit is flexible. Unlike a traditional card with a set limit, the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment, and credit history. Therefore, it may accommodate larger, unexpected purchases that might exceed a traditional credit card’s limit.
3. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Best Overall Value)
The Ink Business Preferred card is hard to beat, with a huge welcome bonus offer and 3x points per $1 on the first $150,000 in so many business categories.
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is a powerhouse for earning lots of points from your business purchases, especially for business owners that spend regularly on ads.
Plus the card offers flexible redemption options, including access to Chase airline and hotel transfer partners where you can achieve outsized value.
Business owners will also love the protections the card provides like excellent cell phone insurance, rental car insurance, purchase protection, and more.
- 3x Ultimate Rewards points per $1 on up to $150,000 in combined purchases on internet, cable and phone services, shipping expenses, travel, and ads purchased with search engines or social media sites
- Cell phone protection
- Purchase protection
- No elite travel benefits like airport lounge access
- Earn 120k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,200 cash back or $1,500 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠
- Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 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.
- Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
- Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠
- Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
- Member FDIC
- APR: 21.24%-26.24% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
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 2022, 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.
The 2 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 (Best No Annual Fee, Low Intro APR)
The Ink Business Unlimited card is a stellar option for business owners looking for a no-fuss uncapped 1.5% cash-back card without an annual fee.
As a business owner, you likely keep pretty busy and probably prefer a credit card that just keeps things simple.
If so, the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card might be just the card for you. From zero annual fee to a flat cash-back rate, the card is a no-frills option that you don’t have to think twice about.
Don’t forget too, 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months; variable 18.49% - 24.49% thereafter
- 1.5% cash-back on all purchases
- No annual fee
- 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months; variable 18.49% - 24.49% thereafter
- 3% foreign transaction fee
- Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business
- No Annual Fee
- Redeem rewards for cash back, gift cards, travel and more through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Earn rewards faster with employee cards at no additional cost. Set individual spending limits for greater control.
- 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.
- 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases
- Member FDIC
- APR: 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months; variable 18.49% - 24.49% thereafter
- Foreign Transaction Fees: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
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 is 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
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesEarn Membership Rewards for your business spending the easy way: get 2x points for the first $50,000 in purchases per year.
As a business owner, getting a credit card that maximizes each dollar you spend does not have to be complicated or expensive. Especially when you opt for The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express.
With the Amex Blue Business Plus card, you’ll earn 2x Membership Rewards points on everyday business purchases throughout the year (up to $50,000; 1x thereafter) and receive purchase protections and no-additional-charge employee cards all for no annual fee (see rates and fees).
The simple and straightforward earning structure makes it a great fit for those looking to earn flexible rewards, without having to fixate on which purchases earn the most points.
Let’s take look at all that the Amex Blue Business Plus card has to offer.
- 2x Membership Rewards points per $1 on everyday business purchases (up to $50,000; 1x thereafter)
- Purchase protection and extended warranty protection
- No annual fee and employee cards at no additional cost
- No unique bonus categories and 2x earnings are capped at $50,000 in annual spend
- No elite travel benefits like lounge access or elite status
- Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership.
- 0.0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 18.49% - 26.49%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors at account opening. APR will not exceed 29.99%
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter.
- You’ve got the power to use your Card beyond its credit limit* with Expanded Buying Power.
- *The amount you can spend above your credit limit is not unlimited. It adjusts with your use of the Card, your payment history, credit record, financial resources known to us, and other factors.
- No Annual Fee
- Terms Apply
- APR: 18.49% - 26.49% Variable,0% on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening
- Foreign Transaction Fees: 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.
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 & fees).
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 purchase protection benefit 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 the extended warranty benefit 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.