The Best Credit Cards for Construction Businesses [October 2024]
We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.
The best cards for construction businesses will have high credit ceilings, excellent rewards, and flexible financing terms.
That way, you can get as much as you can out of every dollar you spend, whether it’s on lumber or labor. Getting an incremental 1% or 2% back on large business expenses can make a huge difference in the long run. And of course, it always helps if you can get benefits for travel, too!
Let’s take a look at our favorite credit cards for construction businesses.
Top Picks (Quick Summary)
Card | Welcome Bonus and Annual Fee | Benefits |
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
|
|
|
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card |
|
|
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express |
|
|
Capital One Spark Miles for Business
|
|
|
1. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (Top Pick)
This 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, on up to $2 million per Card Account per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus.
- 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.
- $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Use your card and get up to $199 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: 18.99% - 27.99% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Our favorite card for construction businesses is, without a shadow of a doubt, the Amex Business Platinum card. This card has proven time and time again to be a business owner’s best friend.
It offers the holy trinity of perks that business card owners look for:
- High credit limit (in this case, there’s no preset spending limit*)
- Top-shelf luxury benefits
- Awesome rewards
Let’s be specific — the Amex Business Platinum card earns:
- 5x Membership Rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels at Amex Travel
- 1.5x Membership Rewards points 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)
- 1x Membership Rewards on all other purchases
These key business categories include:
- Construction material and hardware suppliers
- Electronic goods retailers and software and cloud system providers
- Shipping providers
This card is one of the only ones to offer bonus rewards on construction material and hardware suppliers, which makes this card a match made in heaven for construction businesses.
Plus, you can earn bonus points on large purchases, which construction businesses have plenty of.
Maxing out the $2 million cap per calendar year means accumulating a total of 3 million Amex points, worth a whopping $66,000!
Additionally, this card offers the most exceptional benefits of a business card in the world.
Get access to the legendary American Express Global Lounge Collection, which consists of:
- 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 Clubhouse Lounges
Top off your members-only perks with complimentary Hilton Honors and Mariott Bonvoy Gold status upon enrollment, a 35% rebate when using Pay with Points (up to 1 million points rebated per calendar year), and the ability to book Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts stays.
This card also offers statement credits galore, including:
- Up to $200 in airline fee credits
- Up to $400 with Dell Technologies
- Up to $360 with Indeed
- Up to $150 with Adobe
- Up to $120 on wireless telephone purchases
- $199 in CLEAR credit
The kicker on this card, though, is the fact that there is no preset spending limit, meaning you won’t have to worry about maxing out a credit limit in the same way you might with a traditional credit card.
2. 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 17.99% - 23.99% thereafter
- 1.5% cash-back on all purchases
- No annual fee
- 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months; variable 17.99% - 23.99% thereafter
- 3% foreign transaction fee
- Earn $900 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 17.99% - 23.99% thereafter
- Foreign Transaction Fees: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
The Ink Business Unlimited card is the top choice from Chase, which is famous for its terrific credit card offerings.
First off, enjoy a huge welcome offer — beyond that, get an unlimited 1.5% cash-back for all business purchases. There’s no need to think about bonus categories, caps, or anything like that.
One of the best parts of the Ink Business Unlimited card is that you can convert your 1.5% cash-back to 1.5x Ultimate Rewards points if you also have a card that accumulates Ultimate Rewards points, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
By doing so, you’ll double the value of your rewards — your return on spending goes up to 3% instead of 1.5%, based on our valuation of 2 cents per Ultimate Rewards point!
The Ink Business Unlimited card has 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months; variable 17.99% - 23.99% thereafter, as well as primary rental car insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty, zero liability fraud protection, and no-fee employee cards.
3. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
Earn 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, 17.99% - 25.99%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors at account opening. APR will not exceed 29.99%
- Earn 2X 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. Terms and limitations apply.
- You’ve got the power to spend beyond your credit limit* with Expanded Buying Power. *The amount you can spend above your credit limit is flexible, so it adapts with your use of the Card, your payment history, credit record, financial resources known to us, and other factors. Just remember, the amount you can spend with Expanded Buying Power is not unlimited.
- No Annual Fee
- Terms Apply.
- APR: 17.99% - 25.99% 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.
The Amex Blue Business Plus is one of our favorite credit cards in the world because it has a very attractive earning structure.
This card is straightforward and a great earner with 2x Membership Rewards points on everyday business purchases on the first $50,000 every calendar year. After that, you’ll earn 1x Membership Rewards points.
That means you’ll get a 4.4% return on spending for the first $50,000 you spend per calendar year, which is phenomenal for a card without an annual fee.
Plus, employee cards are at no cost, and you can leverage the Expanded Buying Power and access Amex Membership Rewards (including transfer partners).
4. Capital One Spark Miles for Business
The Capital One Spark Miles card is a low-annual-fee business card that earns 2x transferable miles on every dollar you spend. (Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One.)
The Capital One Spark Miles for Business is a great option for business owners looking for an uncomplicated rewards card that earns double miles on every purchase they make and offers access to transfer partners, all for a low annual fee.
- Unlimited 2x miles per dollar spent on all purchases
- 5x miles per dollar spent on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars purchased through Capital One Travel
- 2 complimentary visits to a Capital One Lounge per year
- Annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, $95 after that
- Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles – equal to $500 in travel – once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn unlimited 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere, no limits or category restrictions, and miles won’t expire for the life of the account
- Unlimited 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Transfer your miles to 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Redeem your miles instantly for any travel-related purchases, from flights and hotels to ride-sharing services
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year; $95 after that
- Free employee cards which also earn unlimited 2X miles per dollar from their purchases
The Capital One Spark Miles card is one of our absolute favorite business credit cards for those who are strictly interested in earning rewards on odd categories of business spending.
We like this card because it earns an unlimited 2x Capital One miles per dollar spent on every purchase for your business. That’s equal to a return on spending of 3.6%; plus, earn 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
You’ll also be able to fly through security with a statement credit for either the $85 TSA PreCheck application fee or the up to $120 Global Entry application fee.
The Capital One Spark Miles card offers fraud coverage, complimentary concierge service, auto rental insurance, and purchase security.
Hot Tip: Store-specific credit cards, like those offered by The Home Depot, may offer special financing but not as much cash-back (if any) or rewards as other cards mentioned on our list.
*No Preset Spending Limit 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.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
The information regarding the Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
Information regarding the Capital One Spark Miles for Business was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
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.