The top 6 business credit cards for startups in March 2024.

Starting a new business venture involves many factors to consider, but choosing the right credit card is not something to overlook. A small business credit card can simplify bookkeeping, provide rewards, and potentially offer interest-free financing.

We've got you covered if you're unsure which business rewards credit card is best for your startup. CNBC Select reviewed numerous options and chose the top business credit cards for startups in various categories. (For details on our methodology, see here.)

Best for no annual fee

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express offers a range of benefits that would appeal to startup founders, including no annual fee (see rates and fees), a promotional intro APR offer, and straightforward, yet valuable rewards.

The Blue Business Plus Card offers a standout benefit for startups: it earns 2X Membership Rewards® points on up to $50,000 in eligible purchases each calendar year, then 1X points. This is a higher-than-normal return for everyday business purchases. Additionally, the American Express Membership Rewards points earned with this card can be transferred to over 20 airline and hotel partner loyalty programs.

Best for 0% intro APR

This U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card is ideal for startups that require more time to settle their balances. It comes with an exceptional intro APR offer, a substantial welcome bonus, and lucrative rewards rates.

Startups can benefit from an intro 0% APR on eligible balance transfers and purchases for the first 15 billing cycles, followed by a variable 19.24% to 28.24% APR. However, there is a balance transfer fee of $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. This offer is longer than many of the top 0% intro APR deals. To qualify for the intro APR, balance transfers must be completed within 30 days of opening the account.

Best for travel perks

This card is intended for business owners who frequently travel and appreciate luxury perks.

Best for advertising

This credit card is for businesses looking to earn valuable rewards on various purchases, including advertising. Its welcome bonus offer is unmatched.

The Ink Business Preferred card offers triple rewards in areas where startups typically spend the most. You'll earn 3X Chase Ultimate Rewards® points per $1 on the first $150,000 in combined spending in select categories each account anniversary year, including shipping, advertising on social media and search engines, travel, and internet, cable, and phone services.

When you use points earned through Chase TravelSM to pay for travel booked through Chase TravelSM, each point is worth 1.25 cents. This means that you can effectively earn at least 3.75% back in travel rewards on bonus spending.

Best for cash back

For startups, the standout benefit of this cash-back business card is that all purchases earn at least 1.5% cash back. While some cards may offer a slightly higher return, they often have limitations on how much cashback you can earn or charge high annual fees, which reduce your rewards.

Best for startups without a credit score

The Brex Card is a charge card designed for businesses, which may be easier to obtain as it does not require a personal guarantee or credit check from the business owner. Instead, Brex considers the company's size, revenue, and funding when evaluating applications.

Brex offers a financial services company that provides a rewards card to startups who open a Brex business account. If approved, startups can earn generous rewards in categories such as rideshare, travel, restaurants, and eligible Apple purchases through the Brex rewards portal. Startups can choose between monthly or daily card payments, with the daily payment option offering more rewards.

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express offers new card members a 0% APR introductory rate (see rates and fees) and eliminates the need for keeping track of confusing bonus categories.

Rewards

Everyday business purchases of up to $50,000 per year earn 2X points, while purchases above that amount earn 1X point per dollar.
1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

After three months of card membership, you will receive 15,000 bonus Membership Rewards® points when you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases.

Annual fee

$0 (see rates and fees)

Notable perks

You can add employee cards for no additional fee (up to 99 employee cards; see rates and fees). The card offers extended warranty and purchase protection for eligible purchases, providing a little extra peace of mind for startups. Additionally, startups can benefit from expanded buying power and the ability to link with Quickbooks for simplified accounting.

U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card

Rewards

U.S. Bank offers a 5% discount on prepaid car rentals and hotel bookings made through its travel center in the United States.
At gas stations, EV charging stations, office supply stores, cell phone service providers, and restaurants, 3% back is available.
1% back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

After opening an account and spending $4,500 on the card within 150 days, the account owner will receive a cash back of $500.

Annual fee

Notable perks

While it's rare for a no-annual-fee credit card to offer a statement credit benefit, this card allows you to earn a $100 statement credit annually. To qualify for this perk, you must make 11 consecutive months of eligible purchases directly with a software provider.

You can add employee cards to this account without any additional cost, but the expenses on employee cards do not contribute to earning the welcome bonus.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

The American Express Business Platinum Card offers numerous valuable benefits.

Rewards

5X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on Amextravel.com
U.S. construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, and software and cloud system providers, shipping providers, and on purchases of $5,000 or more offer 1.5X points on eligible purchases up to $2 million per calendar year, while purchases of $5,000 or more are eligible for 1.5X points everywhere else.
1X points on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

After three months of card membership, you will earn 120,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases.

Annual fee

$695 (see rates and fees)

Notable perks

Business Platinum cardholders from Amex can earn over $1,000 in yearly statement credits for valuable business services.

Dell offers up to $400 in annual cashback on U.S. purchases, with a semi-annual enrollment requirement.
Adobe is offering up to $150 in annual refunds for select auto-renewing subscriptions, valid until December 31, 2024.
You can receive up to $120 in annual refunds for purchases made with U.S. wireless telephone providers if you enroll.
You can receive up to $200 in refunds annually for eligible airline fees with your chosen airline.
Up to $189 in CLEAR Plus credit each calendar year
Every 4.5 years, you can receive up to $100 in TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee credit.

The Amex credit card offers the most extensive airport lounge access, granting cardholders entry to the full Amex Global Lounge Collection, including Centurion Lounges, Escape Lounges, Delta Sky Club locations, Priority Pass lounges, Lufthansa lounges, and Plaza Premium locations.

Elite status and benefits for hotels and rental cars are automatically granted to frequent travelers who hold the card. Members can enroll to receive Marriott Bonvoy Gold status and Hilton Honors Gold status, which include perks such as late check-out, room upgrades, and a $100 amenity credit when booking through the Fine Hotels & Resorts Program. Complimentary rental car status is available for Avis, Hertz, and National.

This card offers a comprehensive range of travel and purchase protections, in addition to its other features.

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
Rental car insurance
Baggage insurance
Trip delay Insurance
Extended warranty
Return protection
Cell phone protection

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

This credit card offers valuable travel rewards and robust purchase and travel protections, which can help your startup save money in various ways.

Rewards

Through March 31, 2025, Lyft purchases will earn 5X points.
Each account anniversary year, customers receive 3X points for every dollar spent on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable, and phone services, and advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines, up to a combined total of $150,000.
1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

After opening an account, spend $8,000 in the first three months to earn 100,000 bonus points.

Annual fee

$95

Notable perks

Eligible purchases are automatically covered by numerous built-in insurance options included in this card.

Purchase protection
Extended warranty coverage
Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
Travel and emergency assistance services
Baggage delay insurance
Lost luggage coverage
Travel accident insurance

Employee cards can be added by cardholders without incurring any additional fees, and there are no foreign transaction fees.

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Rewards

5X points on Lyft rides (through Mar. 31, 2025)
1.5X on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

After opening an account and spending $6,000 on purchases within the first three months, you will receive a bonus of $750 in cash.

Annual fee

Notable perks

New Ink Business Unlimited card members receive a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months, after which a variable 18.49% to 24.49% APR applies. Financing investments in your startup with a credit card can be beneficial, but make sure you have a plan in place to manage your balance before the intro APR expires.

This card offers automatic purchase protection and extended warranty protection for eligible items, as well as roadside dispatch, rental car insurance, and travel and emergency assistance services.

There is no fee for adding employee cards to this account.

Brex Business Card

If your business qualifies for an account, the Brex Business Card can be exceptionally rewarding as it earns transferrable rewards.

Rewards

Brex Exclusive rewards:

7X points on rideshare
4X points on Brex travel rewards
3X points on restaurants
3X points on eligible Apple purchases through the Brex rewards portal
2X points on recurring software
1X points on all other purchases

Earning bonus points in select categories can be achieved by choosing daily payments instead of monthly. However, life sciences companies do not receive bonus rewards on software, rideshare, or restaurant purchases. Instead, they receive additional points on lab supplies and life sciences conference tickets.

Brex offers a custom rewards program for companies with 50 or more users who meet minimum spending requirements. To determine if your company qualifies, you must contact Brex.

Learn more about all reward multipliers and options here.

Welcome bonus

Annual fee

Notable perks

This card also has several World Elite Mastercard® for Business benefits, including:

Businesses can save money on widely used software programs like TurboTax, Microsoft 365, QuickBooks, and Salesforce Essentials with discounts available.
If you pay for a rental car using your card, MasterRental Insurance will cover any damage or theft that occurs.
A complimentary ShopRunner membership, valued at $79 annually, offers perks such as free return shipping and unlimited free two-day shipping.
The Easy Savings program by Mastercard offers rebates for various expenses such as hotel stays, dining, car rentals, gas, and other business-related expenses across the U.S.

Bottom line

The ideal business card for your startup will depend on your specific requirements, preferences, and the nature of your business. Some cards provide interest-free financing on purchases or balance transfers, while others offer incentives for specific purchases. You can opt for cash-back rewards or travel points or miles. Regardless of your needs, there should be a suitable option available for your startup.

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 when it comes to their finances. 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 LLCs, please refer to our website.

Our methodology

CNBC Select analyzed the most popular credit cards for U.S. startups and compared them based on various features, such as annual fees, employee card fees, rewards, welcome bonuses, APRs, and foreign transaction fees. Additionally, we evaluated the cards' additional perks, application processes, and ease of redeeming points.

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To learn about the rates and fees for The Business Platinum® Card from American Express, please click here.