A business credit card is a great way to segregate business expenses or even just those expenses of an idea or hobby you are pursuing. It becomes an even better idea when it opens the door for you to earn additional welcome offers and travel rewards or cash back rewards to those that you are already earning through your personal cards. In many cases, applying for a business credit card does not impact your credit score or your borrowing capacity, and it usually does not count towards Chase's 5/24 limits. Here is BestCashCow's list of the 10 best business travel rewards cards.
| Card | Welcome Offer / Maximum Value of Sign-Up Bonus | How to Get Maximum Value | Why BestCashCow Likes |
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$0 First Year Fee |
Bonus:
Receive a Welcome bonus of 75,000 points after spending $7,500 within your first three months of card membership. Max.Value: While the Welcome Bonus points earned in this card can be redeemed $500 as cash back, they can also be transferred to Chase Sapphire account or a Chase Ink Business Preferred account where they can be transferred to a travel partner. When used in this way, we ascribe at least a 2.05 cent per point value to these points (a $1,050 value to the Welcome Bonus). |
The Chase Ink Cash ranks as one of our favorite Chase cards as gives 5x per dollar at office supply stores and on internet, cable and telecommunications spend up to a combined total of $25,000 maximum each anniversary year. The Ink Cash card also now gives 2x per dollar at restaurants and gas stations up to a combined total of $25,000 maximum each anniversary year. The card does not require a business EIN, but can be opened by an individual using their SSN in order to segregate business spend. No annual fee. |
A strong Welcome Bonus and the ability to earn 5 points per dollar on telecom spend and at office stores to $25,000 each year make this card a great asset for small business owners. |
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Review: Jefferson TB | Aug 29, 2020 I run about $1,000 in cable bills on this a year which is good for 5,000 Chase points, and then I run over to Staples and buy about $24,000 in gift cards there each year which is good for another 120,000 Chase points. So, this is an easy instrument to get 125,000 Chase points a year. Then, you add Chase Freedom points in each quarterly category and then you add Chase Freedom Unlimited points and you roll all of these over to Chase Sapphire Reserve. That's the ultimate point earning strategy which gives you tons of Chase points and that is the most valuable currency if we can ever travel again. |
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Chase Ink Business Preferred Card 
$95 First Year Fee |
Bonus:
Get 100,000 points after spending $15,000 in the first three months. BestCashCow values these points as high as 2.00 cents each, making the value of this bonus as high as $2,000. $95 annual fee. Max.Value: $2,000 as we value Chase points as high as 2.00 cents per point on some redemption opportunities at United, Hyatt, Air France, British Airways or Singapore Airlines. |
The complete list of Chase transfer partners is here. Some of the more attractive transfer opportunities are:
Hyatt - 8,000 points gets a night at the Hyatt Regency Greenville, SC.
British Airways - 15,000 points can get a round trip ticket between London and Lisbon.
United - 80,000 points may get a one-way business class ticket from Newark to Europe.
Singapore - 31,500 points can get a one-way coach class ticket from the US to Europe (on United)
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A fantastic welcome bonus and multiple spend categories make it easy for small business owners to accumulate Chase Ultimate rewards points that we think can easily be redeemed for more than 2 cents a point. |
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Chase Ink Business Unlimited Card 
$0 First Year Fee |
Bonus:
Receive a Welcome Offer of 75,000 points after spending $7,500 in first 3 months. Max.Value: $1,500 as we value Chase points as high as 2.00 cents per point. |
Earn 1.5 points on all spend on the card. Transfer points accrued on this card to your Sapphire Preferred Card or Sapphire Reserve Card, or to a Chase Ink Business Preferred Card, in order to transfer them to Chase's travel partners or redeem for maximum value on Chase's travel portal.
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A great business card that offers 1.5x the Chase points without an annual fee and without any spend categories. The value of this card is only fully realized if you also have a personal Chase Sapphire card or a Chase Ink Business Preferred card which enable you to transfer the points you receive to Chase travel partners.
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IHG® Rewards Premier Business Credit Card 
$99 First Year Fee |
Bonus:
Earn 165,000 IHG points after spending $3,000 within 3 months of account opening. (Was previously offered at 175,000). Max.Value: $990. We value IHG points at a maximum of 0.6 cents per point. |
Redeem at Intercontinental or Kimpton hotels where points are worth approximately 0.60 cents. |
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Review: Jeff | May 18, 2023 I am a big fan of this IHG card. I also have the personal version that delivers a 140,000 point sign up bonus. The 3x point per spend is good. I know that a lot of the sites - including this one - favor Hyatt and I am also in Hyatt. But, there are great Intercontinentals that can be redeemed for fewer than 20k a night in places where I want to go with my family in Asia (Vietnam, Laos) and for fewer than 40K at places where I go in Europe for work (Madrid, Budapest). Plus, there are the Kimpton in London and New York (only a little more). I find this better than anything else in the travel space right now. |
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The Business Platinum® Card from American Express® 
$595 First Year Fee |
Bonus:
Receive 125,000 Amex Membership Rewards points as a Welcome Offer when you spend $15,000 within the first three months of card membership. Targetted offers are offering up to 150,000 Amex Membership Rewards points. Max.Value: $2,437.50, as we value Amex points as high as 1.95 cents each when redeemed through Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer program. Other redemptions may be less valuable. Coronavirus / COVID-19 Additional Benefits: Through the end of 2020, the Platinum Business card is extending a $20/month shipping service credit, a $20/month wireless phone service credit, and an additional $200 in Dell statement credits ($100 in additional statement credits May 1 – June 30, 2020 and $100 in additional statement credits July 1 – December 31, 2020). |
Earn 5X points for airline purchases directly with the airline or hotels reserved directly through Amex. When you use your points to pay for travel through Amex travel, you will receive 35% of your points bank. Card also provides free access to Amex's Centurion lounges worldwide for cardholder plus one guest. The complete list of travel partners to which Amex points may be transferred is here.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and ANA were in pre-COVID-19 times the partner that ordinarily provided the most valuable use of your Amex points.
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The 5 point per dollar categories and access to Centurion lounges worldwide make this an attractive card. We find the Centurion lounge in Hong Kong to be an especially nice feature for those doing business in Asia. The Personal Platinum card will probably do just fine for many.
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Review: Dave G | Jun 20, 2017 Pretty safe to say from looking at this that Amex has been beaten to a pulp by Chase. You might list them higher, but it doesn't change the reality. |
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$99 First Year Fee |
Bonus:
Up to 150,000 United Mileage Plus points. Earn 75,000 United Mileage Plus points after spending $4,000 in your first three months of card membership, and an additional 75,000 points after spending an additional $15,000 in the first six months of card membership. Max.Value: Approximately $1,500. It is very difficult to value United points at more than 1.20 cents each due to the recent devaluations and so-called "dynamic pricing". |
If you search hard enough, 80,000 United miles can still be redeemed on United and its Star Alliance® partners for a one-way business class ticket from anywhere in the US to anywhere in Europe. Star Alliance® partners include Lufthansa, TAP Portugal and Austrian Air. |
The card includes 2 United Club passes upon enrollment and at each anniversary. It also includes a 25% discount on in-flight purchases, a $100 credit after 7 United flight purchases of $100 or more, and a free first checked bag on United. No foreign transaction fees.
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The Blue Business® Card from American Express® 
$ First Year Fee |
Bonus:
No sign-up bonus. $0 annual fee. Link your Business Blue account to your Membership Rewards account with a Gold or Platinum card and all sign-on and earned points will be directly transferred into one common account. Max.Value: |
2x points for every dollar you spend up to $50,000 each year. The complete list of travel partners to which Amex points may be transferred is here. ANA and Singapore are ordinarily the most valuable use of these points. |
A great card for those seeking to segregate business expenses and earn double points. You may be eligible for the card even without an incorporated business if you enter your social security number when prompted to enter an EIN. |
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Review: HMilbrook | Aug 17, 2020 Earning 2x points on everything is the best way to run your business. Amex still has Delta, JetBlue and Singapore as partners and while the partner roster isn't as good as Chase, Chase doesn't have a card that gives you 2x points on everything. The point earning is so good and I also know people who run this one as a personal card which Amex will basically let you do, but I don't recommend that because you lose purchase protection, charge contesting abilities, etc. (things built into personal cards and not business cards). |
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Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card 
$0, $99 thereafter First Year Fee |
Bonus:
Earn 60,000 Delta Skymiles after spending $2,000 within your first three months of card membership. Plus, earn an additional 10,000 miles when you renew your card on the first anniversary date. Max.Value: $600 as we generally value Delta Skymiles around a penny each. |
Earn 2 Delta miles:
Earn 1 Delta mile on all other spend. The Card also provides a $100 Delta credit after you spend $10,000 in a calendar year. |
A great card for those who want to redeem rewards for their business spend on Delta Airlines. |
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Review: Davis | Feb 23, 2018 Be careful with this one. Amex will screw you if you ever had a Delta business card for any business. Ever. I called them and they told me that I had never had one and then they screwed me out of the points after I completed the spend. They said I had one 15 years ago. |
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American Express® Business Gold Card 
$295 First Year Fee |
Bonus:
80,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 within 3 months of account opening. (Targeted offers may offer as many as 200,000 Membership Rewards points). $395 annual fee. Max.Value: $1,560 when redeemed on Singapore Airlines or ANA where we value them as high as 1.95 cents per point. |
Designate 2 of the following categories for 4x Amex Membership Rewards® points on a combined total of $150,000 spend annually:
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Those who can take advantage of the 4x categories and who like Amex's travel partners. |
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Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express Credit Card 
$125 First Year Fee |
Bonus:
Receive a Welcome Offer of 75,000 Marriott points after spending $3,000 within your first three months of card membership. Max.Value: $675 as well value these points around 9/10ths of a penny |
Earn 6x at Marriott properties, 4x at US restaurants, US gas statiosn, on wireless telephone services purchased from US providers and on US purchases for shipping. While some valuable redemptions can still be found at some Marriott properties in Hawaii and Colorado, the Marriott program is less valuable than the Starwood program that it acquired a few years ago.
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Capital One® Spark® Card 2% Cash 
$0, $95 thereafter First Year Fee |
Bonus:
Earn a one-time $500 cash bonus once you spend $4,500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. Max.Value: |
Earn unlimited 2% cash back on all spend on the card. Free employee cards and no foreign transaction fees. |
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Review: Leslie | May 16, 2023 Love, love, love the Spark card with the 2% cash back. |
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Capital One® Spark® Card 2X Miles 
$0, $95 thereafter First Year Fee |
Bonus:
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. Max.Value: |
Earn unlimited 2 points per dollar on all spend, and earn 5 points per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. No foreign transaction fees. BestCashCow values these points at no more than a penny a piece - while the transfer partners include Cathay Pacific, Singapore, Air Canada, JetBlue, AirFrance KLM, Qantas and Finnair, the points are all transferrable at no better than 2 for 1. |
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Barclays AAdvantage® Aviator® Business Mastercard® 
$95 First Year Fee |
Bonus:
Earn 60,000 points after your first purchase in the first 3 months. We value American AAdvantage miles as high as 1.90 cents each. Max.Value: $1,140 as we value AAdvantage miles as high as 1.90 cents each. |
45,000 miles gets a round trip ticket between the US and Europe during low season.
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A great card for those business owners fly American Airlines or seek to accumulate AAdavantage points.
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CitiBusiness® AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Credit Card 
$0, $99 thereafter First Year Fee |
Bonus:
65,000 American Airlines miles after spending $4,000 in first four months. Max.Value: $1,330 as we value American Airlines miles as high as 1.9 cents each. |
A great card for those business owners fly American Airlines or seek to accumulate AAdavantage points. |
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