The 6 Best Business Credit Cards for New Businesses & Start-Ups [September 2023]

Top Picks (Quick Summary)

Card	Welcome Bonus and Annual Fee	Benefits for New Businesses and Start-ups
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card	NEW OFFER: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Annual fee of $95	3x points on up to $150,000 per year on travel and select business categories Cell phone insurance, trip interruption and cancellation insurance, trip delay insurance, and no foreign transaction fees
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)	4x points for the 2 categories (from a list of 6) in which your business spends the most each month (up to $150,000 in combined purchases per year) Trip delay insurance, car rental insurance, and no preset spending limit
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express	OUR BEST OFFER: Earn 120,000 points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Annual fee of $695 (rates and fees)	5x points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through the Amex Travel portal Best business card for airport lounge access (1,400+ lounges)  Hotel and rental car elite status Statement credits for select business purchases
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card	NEW OFFER: Earn $900 cash-back after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Annual Fee of $0	0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months; variable 18.49% - 24.49% thereafter Earn 5% back on up to $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services each account anniversary year

The 3 Best Business Cards for New Businesses & Startups

At the top of the list is a powerhouse of a business credit card that comes with a lower annual fee, but has a huge welcome bonus, bonus categories, cell phone insurance, and more.

1. Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card (Big Bonuses, Lower Annual Fee)

Arguably Chase’s best credit card for business spending, Ink Business Preferred cardholders are able to earn 3x points per $1 spent on up to $150,000 per year in several bonus categories, including:

• Advertising on social media and search engines (e.g. Google Ads, Facebook Ads etc)
• Internet, cable, and phone services
• Shipping
• Travel

As you can see, the Ink Business Preferred card offers the ability to earn bonus points on expenses common for new businesses or start-ups like marketing (advertising), website/IT costs (internet, cable, and phone), and even logistics (shipping).

And if you have business trips here and there, you’ll earn 3x points per dollar spent on your travel purchases.

You’ll earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points with this card, which are incredibly useful thanks to the ability to transfer to airline and hotel partners.

This card also offers awesome cell phone insurance, offering $1,000 per claim with a $100 deductible for up to 3 claims per rolling 12-month period.

Other useful benefits include purchase protection, extended warranty protection, trip interruption and cancellation insurance, trip delay insurance, and no foreign transaction fees!

2. American Express^® Business Gold Card (Big Bonus Categories)

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 70,000 points. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants.)

First of all, the Amex Business Gold card offers 4x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent for the 2 categories in which your business spends the most each month (up to $150,000 in combined purchases per year). The categories eligible for bonus earnings are:

• 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

This card has the broadest selection of bonus categories, which means that those unexpected, seemingly random expenses could easily earn up to 4x points. Whether you’re spending on advertising, office supplies like computer hardware, or on gas, the Amex Business Gold card has you covered.

3. The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express (Best for Airport Lounge Access)

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 120,000 points. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants.)

If you’re looking for a business card that offers the best travel benefits, look no further than the prestigious Amex Business Platinum card.

You can earn 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through the Amex Travel portal. You’ll also earn 1.5x points on select business categories (up to $2 million in purchases per calendar year), including:

• Eligible purchases of $5,000 or more
• U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers
• U.S. electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
• U.S. shipping providers

You’ll also enjoy the following perks:

• Access to Amex’s Fine Hotels & Resorts program
• Access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which features access to over 1,400 lounges, including Centurion Lounges, Airspace Lounge, 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), and select Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses
• Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit
• Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status upon enrollment
• Up to $200 annual airline fee credit
• Up to $150 in Adobe credits
• Up to $360 in Indeed credits
• Up to $400 in statement credits annually for U.S. purchases with Dell ($200 semi-annually)
• Up to $120 in wireless credits

We’ve only scratched the surface of all the Amex Business Platinum card’s benefits, but it truly is one of the best cards on the market.

The 3 Best Business Cards for New Businesses / Start-Ups [With No Annual Fee]

If you happen to be following different spending patterns than what we outlined above, don’t worry! There are plenty of alternative options to consider for a new business or start-up venture.

1. Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card (Top Pick, LOW Intro APR)

Whereas the Ink Business Unlimited card offers straightforward 1.5% cash-back, the Ink Business Cash card gives you the ability to earn up to 5% cash-back on select business categories.

You can earn 5% cash-back on up to $25,000 spent in combined purchases on the following categories each account anniversary year:

• Cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services
• Office supply stores

You can also earn 2% cash-back on up to $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year.

If you have an Ultimate Rewards card, 5% and 2% cash-back is equivalent to 5x and 2x points, respectively. You’ll also be able to take advantage of travel insurance, purchase protection, and primary rental car coverage.

2. Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card (LOW Intro APR)

The Ink Business Unlimited card is a simple but exceptionally rewarding business credit card to have in your wallet. If you don’t want to worry about bonus categories or an annual fee, this Chase credit card is a great choice.

You’ll earn a flat 1.5% cash-back on all your purchases with no cap. Plus, if you hold a card that earns Ultimate Rewards points like the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card, your 1.5% cash-back is equivalent to 1.5x Chase points.

This card gives you the ability to earn flexible and highly valuable points with no annual fee as long as you have an Ultimate Rewards credit card.

3. The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express

We’re big fans of the Amex Blue Business Plus card, which allows you to earn 2x Membership Rewards points on everyday business purchases, on up to $50,000 per year. After that, you’ll earn 1x. If you max out the $50,000 limit on 2x points, you’d earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points before reverting to earning 1 point per dollar.

This card has no annual fee, and employee cards at no additional cost (rates and fees).

Final Thoughts

With tons of different business credit cards out there competing for a spot in your wallet, deciding which one is right for your business can be overwhelming.

That’s why we did the legwork for you, narrowing the field down to just 6 options. The card you end up choosing should fit with your spending habits, your credit needs, and your rewards goals.

With any of these cards, you’ll be well on your way to enjoying credit card benefits, building credit for your business, and setting up your business for success!

For rates and fees of the American Express^® Business Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.