The One Change That Could Maximize Your Business Credit Card Rewards

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KEY POINTS

  • To maximize rewards, look for new business credit cards every six months or so.
  • You could find a card with a valuable sign-up bonus, and these are the best way to earn more rewards.
  • It's worth looking for a card with bonus categories that match where your business is spending the most.

Many business credit cards offer rewards, so if you've been using one, you may already be earning cash back or travel points. It's not hard to save money this way. Just use your card for all your business spending, and then redeem your rewards later.

Some business owners save much more than others with rewards, though. The more you earn, the more you save. And if you're interested in earning more, there's one simple change that can help you do it.

Regularly look for bonus opportunities

If you're like most business owners, you got a business credit card, started using it, and moved on with your life. There's nothing wrong with this approach. But it's not the right strategy for maximizing credit card rewards.

Bonuses are the best way to earn more rewards. Specifically, sign-up bonuses, which are available to new cardholders who meet a spend requirement. For example, the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card earns 100,000 bonus points when you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.

Earning 100,000 points would normally take $50,000 to $100,000 in spending, depending on how many points you earn per $1 spent. With a sign-up bonus, you can do it much more quickly and with a lot less spending.

If you want to earn more rewards, check out new business credit cards every six months or so. See if there are any with sign-up bonuses you like -- and with a spend requirement your business can meet.

Business Credit Card Comparison

Consider these business credit cards that offer a convenient and efficient way to separate personal and business expenses, simplifying accounting and tax reporting.

Additionally, business cards can provide valuable perks such as rewards points, cashback, and expense tracking tools, enhancing financial management and the potential to help save money in the long run.

Offer Our Rating Welcome Offer Rewards Program APR
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Earn $750 bonus cash back Circle with letter I in it. Earn $750 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 Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% Intro APR on Purchases

Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 12 months

Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular: 18.49% - 24.49% Variable

Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Earn 100,000 bonus points Circle with letter I in it. Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Earn 3 points per $1 in select business categories Circle with letter I in it. Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases-with no limit to the amount you can earn.

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. N/A

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular: 21.24%-26.24% Variable

You could earn bonus rewards on your biggest business expenses, too

Businesses often have certain areas where they spend most of their money. For example, if you're running an e-commerce business, you may spend a lot on shipping.

Another reason to look for business cards regularly is because you may find a card that earns bonus rewards in an area your business spends heavily. Or, where it's going to be spending heavily.

Let's look at the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card again as an example, because it has several bonus categories. It earns 3 points per $1 on your first $150,000 in spending per account year across the following categories:

  • Travel
  • Shipping
  • Internet, cable, and phone services
  • Advertising purchases through search engines and social media sites

If your business spends quite a bit on shipping, then it would make sense to get a card like this. Or, if you're about to make a big advertising push, you could earn bonus rewards on that spending.

Always pay your business credit cards in full

There's one more key, not just to maximizing rewards, but to actually making any money from them. Pay the full statement balance on your business credit cards every month.

If you don't do this, then the card issuer can charge you interest. The only exception is if you have a business card with a 0% intro APR, which is a good way to finance purchases. Otherwise, you'll be paying interest, which isn't cheap. Rates on business credit cards are often above 20%!

You're not going to make much, if any, money from business card rewards if you're paying interest. So don't get into credit card debt chasing rewards and bonus opportunities.

Alert: our top-rated cash back card now has 0% intro APR until 2025

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