The best business credit card sign-up bonuses offer over $1,000 in value.
A credit card for your business can be advantageous due to its numerous benefits, including cost-saving features and streamlined expense management. Additionally, these cards often come with valuable welcome bonuses, with the top offers worth up to $1,000, particularly for small business credit cards.
CNBC Select has ranked business credit cards with the best welcome bonuses based on specific benefits and features. Our methodology explains how we made our selections.
Best for no annual fee
This credit card is suitable for business owners who prefer not to pay an annual fee.
After spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months, you will receive a welcome bonus of $750 in cash back.
The Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card offers a minimum of 1.5% cash back on all purchases, making it an exceptional choice for a business credit card with no annual fee.
Best for cash back
This cash-back welcome bonus on the Capital One Spark 2% Cash Plus card is best suited for businesses with monthly credit card expenses of $10,000 or more.
Spend $30,000 in the first three months and receive a one-time cash bonus of $1,200.
The Capital One Spark 2% Plus card offers 2% cash back on all purchases, and you can receive an annual fee refund of $150 if you spend at least $150,000 on the card.
Best for travel rewards
If you want to earn valuable travel rewards that can be transferred to airline and hotel loyalty programs, the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is worth considering.
After spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months, you will receive a welcome bonus of 100,000 bonus points.
The Chase Ultimate Rewards® points earned with this card can be redeemed in various ways. When you book travel through the Chase TravelSM portal, you can pay with points and receive a 25% boost in the value (1.25 cents per point). This option makes the card's intro offer worth $1,250 in travel. Additionally, you can transfer your Chase points to over a dozen hotel and airline partners at a 1:1 ratio, allowing you to potentially book expensive hotels and flights for fewer points.
Best for luxury perks
This credit card is for those who value rewards and premium travel benefits, including airport lounge access.
Earn 150,000 bonus miles after spending $30,000 in the first three months.
The Venture X Business card offers significant benefits that make it worth the $395 annual fee. These include up to $300 in credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel and a 10,000-mile bonus every account anniversary, which is worth at least $100 in travel.
Best for 0% intro APR
This credit card is intended for small business owners who want an extended intro-APR period.
Earn a $500 cash bonus after spending $4,500 in the first 150 days.
The New U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card offers a 0% intro APR on purchases and eligible balance transfers for 15 billing cycles, followed by a variable APR of 19.24% to 28.24%. The balance transfer fee is 3% of the amount transferred, with a minimum of $5.
More on our business credit card intro offers
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
A potent cash-back credit card for businesses, the Ink Business Unlimited, boasts a substantial welcome bonus and zero annual fees.
Rewards
- Through March 31, 2025, you can receive 5% cash back on Lyft rides.
- 1.5% cash back on all other purchases
Welcome bonus
After opening the account, you will receive a $750 cash bonus after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first three months.
Annual fee
$0
Notable perks
This card offers new members a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months, followed by a variable APR of 18.49% to 24.49%. Additionally, the card allows for affordable financing of business purchases through its welcome offer, making it an even more valuable no-annual-fee card.
If you need to add employee cards, you can do that for free and cardholders can enjoy benefits such as purchase protection, extended warranty protection, roadside dispatch, rental car collision coverage, and travel and emergency assistance services.
Capital One Spark 2% Cash Plus
Small business owners can earn straightforward cash-back rewards with the Capital One Spark 2% Cash Plus.
Rewards
- 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2% cash back on all other purchases
Welcome bonus
After opening the account, you will receive a $1,200 cash bonus if you spend $30,000 within the first three months.
Annual fee
$150
Notable perks
You can receive a $150 annual fee refund if you spend $150,000 or more on your card by your anniversary date. Additionally, cardholders can enjoy no foreign transaction fees, roadside assistance, extended warranty protection, and free employee cards.
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
A low-cost business card that earns bonus travel rewards on common business expenses is the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
Rewards
- 5X points on Lyft rides (through March 31, 2025)
- Each account anniversary year, customers receive 3X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases in the categories of shipping, advertising (with select social media sites and search engines), travel, internet, cable and phone services.
- 1X points on all other purchases
Welcome bonus
After opening an account and spending $8,000 on purchases within the first three months, you will earn 100,000 bonus points.
Annual fee
$95
Notable perks
You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to all of Chase's travel partners, including Emirates Skywards, World of Hyatt, United MileagePlus, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more, with the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card. This flexibility in redeeming points can provide greater value.
The card offers extensive coverage for travel and purchases, including a comprehensive list of options.
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
- Roadside dispatch
- Rental car insurance (primary)
- Baggage delay insurance
- Lost luggage coverage
- Travel accident insurance
- Travel and emergency assistance services
- Purchase protection
- Cell phone protection
You can add employee cards for no additional fee and it has no foreign transaction fees.
Capital One Venture X Business Credit Card
The Capital One Venture X Business Credit Card offers not only transferable rewards but also perks such as airport lounge access.
Rewards
- 10X miles on hotels and rental cars you book through Capital One Travel
- 5X miles on flights you book through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles on all other purchases
Welcome bonus
After opening the account, spend $30,000 within the first three months to earn 150,000 bonus miles.
Annual fee
$395
Notable perks
The annual fee of this card is justified because it offers an up to $300 annual travel credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel, and cardholders receive 10,000 bonus miles (worth at least $100 in travel) annually.
The benefits of this card extend beyond earning enough value to cover the annual fee. Additionally, primary cardholders can receive a credit of up to $100 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years, and unlimited complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges for themselves and two guests (enrollment required).
No fee is charged for adding employee cards, and purchases made outside the U.S. are not subject to a foreign transaction fee. Eligible purchases receive extended warranty protection.
U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card
The U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card boasts both a fantastic intro bonus and an extended intro-APR period.
Rewards
- U.S. Bank Travel Rewards Center offers a 5% discount on prepaid hotels and rental cars booked through the program.
- Eligible purchases at gas and EV charging stations, office supply stores, cell phone service providers, and restaurants receive a 3% cash back.
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
Welcome bonus
After opening an account and spending $4,500 on purchases within the first 150 days, you will receive a cash back of $500.
Annual fee
$0
Notable perks
Many small businesses nowadays use subscription-based software services. This card offers a $100 annual statement credit for recurring software subscriptions. To receive the credit, you must make payments for an eligible software service for 11 consecutive months.
After approval for this card, you will receive 15 billing cycles of a 0% APR introductory rate on purchases and eligible balance transfers. Following the expiration of the intro APR, a variable rate of 19.24% to 28.24% APR will apply. Balance transfers are subject to a 3% transfer fee, with a minimum of $5.
How to qualify for a business credit card welcome bonus
Earning a welcome bonus on a business credit card is similar to earning one on a consumer credit card, but with higher intro bonus spending requirements and more time to meet the minimum spending requirement. Business credit cards may offer six months or more to complete the minimum spending.
It's crucial to comprehend the terms and conditions of a new credit card, particularly regarding the welcome offer. Typically, certain transactions won't contribute to the minimum spending requirement, such as the annual fee, cash advances, and any purchases that are returned and refunded to the card.
If you add employee cards to your account, the purchases made with these cards may not count toward earning the welcome bonus. For instance, employee spending on the U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business card won't contribute to qualifying for the welcome bonus because the terms specify that only purchases made on the account owner's card are eligible.
Bottom line
When selecting a credit card for your business, it's crucial to prioritize the long-term value it offers. Look for a card that provides the most rewards in areas where your business spends the most. While a business credit card's welcome bonus can be an important consideration, many top bonuses offer $1,000 or more in upfront value.
Why trust CNBC Select?
Our mission at CNBC Select is to deliver top-notch service journalism and in-depth consumer advice to our readers, enabling them to make well-informed decisions with their money. Each of our business credit card articles is the result of thorough reporting by our team of expert writers and editors, who possess extensive knowledge of credit card products. At CNBC Select, we take pride in our journalistic standards and ethics, and we earn a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links. However, our content is created without any input from our commercial team or external third parties. To learn more about our methodology and how we select the best business credit cards for sole proprietors, please refer to our website.
Our methodology
Over 250 major credit cards from FDIC-insured banks and NCUA-insured credit unions in the U.S. were analyzed by CNBC Select to determine which business cards offer the most valuable intro bonuses.
We compared each card based on various features, including rewards, annual fees, welcome bonuses, APR, balance transfer fees, foreign transaction fees, ongoing perks, cardholder protections, application process, and ease of redeeming points. We also took into account CNBC Select audience data, such as demographics and engagement with our content and tools.
To determine the most useful bonus categories for consumers, we analyzed consumer spending data forecasts from Esri, a location intelligence firm, to identify where U.S. consumers are spending the most money. We also considered the transferability and cash-back redemption options when evaluating the value of a point or mile. When selecting the best small business credit card welcome offers, we prioritized cards with the most valuable upfront bonuses.
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