Our 7 best business credit cards of November that earn rewards and can get you through a cash crunch in 2023

While you might be looking to lower your business credit card expenses right now, it’s also a vital time to keep track of every dollar your business spends. Having the right credit card to separate your business expenses from personal expenses can make your life significantly easier.

Not only that, but business credit cards can also offer higher spending and credit limits, which might be a necessity to make those large business purchases. Some cards even have introductory interest rates on purchases and balance transfers, making them a helpful tool in the current economic climate.

Our comprehensive credit card methodology compares every aspect of each business credit card to our “benchmark credit card” — the Citi Double Cash Card® — to determine which cards can potentially bring you maximum value. And while the Double Cash is a personal credit card, a comparable business credit card is the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, as both cards earn flat-rate cash back at the same market-leading rate.

So take a few minutes to take a look at our list of the best business credit cards for November 2023 and see if one might be useful to your business right now.

The best business credit cards to consider in 2023

Why did we select these cards as our best business credit cards for November 2023? Dive into the details of each card with us, and see how they stack up.

Best overall business credit card: Blue Business Plus from American Express

Why it’s great in one sentence: For businesses looking to pay off large purchases with no interest for an extended time, the Blue Business Plus from American Express offers an introductory 0% APR on purchases for the first 12 months you have the card which rises to a variable 18.49%-26.49% afterward (see rates and fees).

This card is right for: Small businesses with less than $50,000 in annual expenses who want to earn travel rewards for no annual fee, but who can also utilize an introductory interest rate.

Highlights:

Welcome bonus: Earn 15,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases within your first three months after opening the account.

What we like about the Blue Business Plus: If your business needs to make ends meet right now, the Blue Business Plus offers a 0% introductory APR on purchases for the first 12 months you have the card. Just be careful to pay off your debt in that time, because the rate jumps to a variable 18.49%-26.49% after the 12 months are up.

The Blue Business Plus also earns 2 points for every dollar your business spends on all purchases up to $50,000 each calendar year. After that, the rate drops to just 1 point per dollar, so this is a card that caters more toward small businesses who don’t have extraordinary yearly expenses.

The Membership Rewards points earned with this card are both flexible and valuable, assuming you want to bank them for travel in the future. You can redeem them directly for flights or hotel stays at a rate of up to 1 cent per point via Amex Travel, or transfer them to any of American Express’s 20 airline and hotel partners for potentially even more value.

One thing that could be better: The Blue Business Plus is primarily designed for earning points toward free travel, and while you can convert the points to cash if you’re looking for cash back, it’s a pretty poor value with each point worth only 0.6 cents apiece.

So if you’d prefer to earn cash back instead of travel rewards, you’ll want to look at the American Express Blue Business Cash Card instead. The card’s features are virtually the same as the Blue Business Plus, but you’ll earn cash back instead of points, which could be a better fit if you want to use your credit card rewards now rather than save them for later.

Where it beats our benchmark card: Extensive airline and hotel transfer partners, some travel and purchase protections, introductory rate on purchases.

Where our benchmark card is better: The Citi Double Cash has an introductory interest rate on balance transfers.

Learn more about the Blue Business Plus from American Express.

Best no-annual-fee business credit card: Ink Business Unlimited

Why it’s great in one sentence: With 1.5% cash back on every purchase your business makes and an impressive $750 bonus cash back offer for new card applicants, the no-annual-fee Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card is a great choice for business owners who don’t want to tie up a lot of time with their credit card rewards.

This card is right for: Businesses who want the simplicity of flat-rate cash back rewards on their regular business expenses from a credit card with no annual fee.

Highlights:

Sign-up bonus: Earn $750 in bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months after you open the card.

What we like about the Ink Business Unlimited: Even in the best of times, business owners have a lot on their plates, and don’t necessarily want to spend a lot of bandwidth thinking about their credit card. If that sounds like you, the Ink Business Unlimited could be a perfect fit.

There are no bonus categories to chase with the Ink Business Unlimited — you’ll just earn a flat 1.5% cash back on every purchase your business makes, meaning you can put this card in your wallet and use it anytime you’re buying items for your business. The cash back can be redeemed at any time as a statement credit or a deposit into most US checking and savings accounts.

Now’s also the perfect time to apply for this card, because it’s featuring a very generous sign-up offer. New Ink Business Unlimited card applicants can earn $750 in bonus cash back after spending $6,000 in the first three months after opening the account.

And if you decide down the line that you’d prefer travel rewards to cash back, you can pair the Ink Business Unlimited with the premium Ink Business Preferred (or alternately, the personal Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®) and convert your cash back to travel points, then redeem the points for travel or transfer them to any of Chase’s 14 airline and hotel loyalty partners.

One thing that could be better: You won’t want to use the Ink Business Unlimited overseas, as it carries a 3% foreign transaction fee, which would obliterate any rewards you’d earn on international purchases. Also, you won’t find any travel protections on this card, with the exception of primary car rental insurance when you’re renting for business purposes.

And if your business has less than $50,000 in annual expenses, you could be better off with the American Express Blue Business Cash Card, which earns 2% cash back on up to $50,000 in purchases each year (then 1% thereafter). However, if you want the option to use your rewards for more valuable travel redemptions down the road, the Ink Business Unlimited is still a better choice, since you can pair it with a premium Chase Ultimate Rewards card at any time to open up a slew of travel options.

Where it beats our benchmark card: Sign-up bonus, purchase protections, primary car rental insurance when renting for business trips, an introductory rate on purchases.

Where our benchmark card is better: The Citi Double Cash earns a slightly higher rate of cash back on all purchases and has an introductory rate on balance transfers.

Learn more and apply for the Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card.

Best business credit card sign-up bonus: Ink Business Preferred

Why it’s great in one sentence: The incredibly-high 100,000-point sign-up bonus on the Ink Business Preferred is one of the best you’ll find on a business card, especially for one that offers solid bonus categories and benefits — all for a low annual fee.

This card is right for: Businesses looking to earn flexible points toward travel, while also having access to unique benefits such as cell phone protection.

Highlights:

Sign-up bonus: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first three months after you open the card.

What we like about the Ink Business Preferred: By far, one of the best features of the Ink Business Preferred is its incredibly strong sign-up bonus — currently at 100,000 points, although it does require a large spending commitment of $8,000 in the first three months after you open the card. However, many businesses have routine monthly expenses that can easily meet that threshold.

Chase’s Ultimate Rewards is one of the best loyalty points programs in the travel world. You can redeem your points through Chase’s travel portal and receive a 25% bonus, or you can transfer your points to 14 different partner airlines and hotels, such as Hyatt, United and British Airways.

The Ink Business Preferred also offers cell phone protection as a perk, covering both your own cell phone and everyone else listed on your monthly bill as long as you pay the entire bill with the card each month. This means your employees (or potentially even family members) can be covered for no extra cost. You can submit up to three claims every 12 months and be reimbursed up to $600 per incident, with a $100 deductible per claim.

One thing that could be better: Although the bonus categories on the Ink Business Preferred are generous, you won’t earn any bonus points on some popular everyday business purchases, such as gas, restaurants or at office supply stores. The 3x categories are also capped at a combined $150,000 in total purchases each year — after that, you’re only earning 1 point per dollar spent.

Where it beats our benchmark card: Sign-up bonus, cell phone protection, purchase protections, travel protections, primary car rental insurance, no foreign transaction fees.

Where our benchmark card is better: The Citi Double Cash has no annual fee and an introductory rate on balance transfers.

Learn more and apply for the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card.

Best business credit card for flexible bonus categories: American Express Business Gold

Why it’s great in one sentence: The Amex Business Gold card gives businesses the flexibility to automatically earn bonus points on the two categories they spend the most money in during each billing period.

This card is right for: Businesses who spend money in varying categories over the course of the year and who want to be rewarded with extra travel rewards on their largest purchases each month.

Highlights:

Welcome bonus: Earn 70,000 bonus points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership.

What we like about the Amex Business Gold: The Amex Business Gold shines when it comes to earning as many points as possible on your business expenses, even if they aren’t in the same categories every month.

You’ll earn 4 points per dollar on the top two categories where your business spent the most in each billing cycle, from a list of six possible categories:

The best part of this system is that American Express will automatically calculate your top two categories at the end of each billing cycle — you don’t have to speculatively select your categories in advance. This is great in the current economic environment, as you aren’t locked into two categories for the entire year, and your bonus points can change as your purchases change.

You’ll also currently find an impressive welcome bonus on the Amex Business Gold: 70,000 bonus points after you spend $10,000 on the card in the first three months after opening the account. That’s the highest publicly available bonus we’ve ever seen on this card.

One thing that could be better: For a card with such a high annual fee, there aren’t too many travel benefits on the Amex Business Gold. And the statement credits you receive only really come into play if those are purchases you’d be making anyways as these don’t cater towards the masses. This means the statement credits received for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub and Office Supply Stores, as well as the monthly statement credits towards a Walmart+ membership are the only ways to offset the annual fee. With this taken into consider, you still need to make sure your earning rate is worth it for your overall spend.

Also, it’s important to note that your 4x bonus point categories are capped at $150,000 in spending across the combined six categories each calendar year. Once you hit that threshold in 2023, the card only earns 1 point per dollar on those specific categories.

Where it beats our benchmark card: Welcome bonus, transferable points, trip delay protection, purchase protection, no foreign transaction fees.

Where our benchmark card is better: The Citi Double Cash has no annual fee and an introductory rate on balance transfers.

Learn more about the American Express Business Gold Card.

Best business credit card for travel perks: Business Platinum from American Express

Why it’s great in one sentence: Although it’s the most expensive card on our list, the Business Platinum Card from American Express offers luxury travel perks such as airport lounge access, elite status and much more.

This card is right for: Business travelers who want a card that provides top-notch luxury perks, transferable travel rewards and travel protections.

Highlights:

Welcome bonus: Earn 120,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on qualifying purchases within the first three months of card membership.

What we like about the Amex Business Platinum: This is a card for the true road warrior who considers travel perks a necessity. The card’s lounge access is by far one of the best benefits, allowing you to relax in comfort at over 1,300 lounges worldwide, including Amex’s own Centurion Lounges.

On the hotel front, you’ll also receive elite Gold status in both the Marriott and Hilton program with the Amex Business Platinum, which can get you complimentary upgrades and breakfast at participating hotels.

To partially offset the card’s annual fee, you also earn up to $200 in annual airline incidental credits, up to $400 toward eligible US purchases at Dell.com each year, up to $100 for reimbursement of a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee and more. In the first year alone, these credits are worth up to $700.

You’ll also earn 5 points per dollar on airfare booked via Amex Travel, which is one of the best earning rates you’ll find on a business credit card.

The Amex Business Platinum also has travel protections, including trip interruption and cancellation insurance. This covers your non-refundable expenses if your flight is interrupted or canceled for a covered reason, up to $10,000 per trip. (Unfortunately, pandemics aren’t a covered reason.) The card also comes with trip delay protection, providing up to $500 in reimbursement for unexpected expenses if your flight is delayed by more than six hours due to a covered reason.

One thing that could be better: With such a high annual fee, you’d expect to earn more points on your non-airline and hotel purchases, but that’s unfortunately not the case with the Amex Business Platinum. For everyday purchases, you’re much better off using another card, such as the American Express Blue Business Plus or Blue Business Cash, to maximize your rewards.

Where it beats our benchmark card: Welcome bonus, luxury travel perks and travel credits, travel protections, purchase protection, extensive airline and hotel transfer partners.

Where our benchmark card is better: The Citi Double Cash has no annual fee and an introductory rate on balance transfers.

Learn more about the Business Platinum Card from American Express.

Best business card for airline elite status: Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express

Why it’s great in one sentence: Airline credit cards like the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express offer specific benefits that you don’t get with flexible travel credit cards, such as free checked bags, priority boarding and points or miles toward status.

This card is right for: Businesses who expect to travel in 2023 and who are looking to earn not only Delta SkyMiles, but also airline-specific benefits that will make their flying experience more enjoyable.

Highlights:

Welcome bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in purchases during the first three months of card membership.

What we like about the Delta Platinum Business Amex: Although there are many airline credit cards on the market, we specifically selected the Delta Platinum Business Amex card for our list for two reasons.

First, the card’s Status Boost feature makes it easier to earn Delta elite status if you’re not currently traveling. You can earn 10,000 bonus MQMs — which count toward Delta elite status — by spending $25,000 on the Delta Platinum Business Amex in a calendar year, and another 10,000 bonus MQMs with a total of $50,000 in spending on the card. However, effective 1/1/2024, this benefit will no longer be available and there will be a new way to earn Medallion Status with the card.

The second reason we chose the Delta Platinum Business Amex for our list is that, when you renew your card for a second year (and every year you renew it after that), you’ll earn a companion certificate that can be used to fly a friend or family member with you on a domestic round-trip Delta flight in the Main Cabin for just the cost of taxes. If you can take advantage of this perk each year, it can easily offset the annual cost of the card all on its own.

Aside from the miles earned on the Delta Platinum Business Amex card, you’ll also receive some airline-specific benefits, which can come in handy if you fly Delta often, including a first checked bag free on Delta flights for you and up to eight traveling companions on the same reservation, Main Cabin 1 priority boarding and a 20% savings on in-flight food, beverages and audio headsets.

One thing that could be better: Delta SkyMiles aren’t worth as much as many of its competitors, and when you earn a specific airline’s miles, you’re pigeon-holed into redeeming your rewards for just Delta or partner flights. That makes the rewards earned with the Delta Platinum Business Amex less flexible than those earned with credit cards that are part of the Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards programs, or business credit cards that earn straight cash back.

Where it beats our benchmark card: Welcome bonus, Delta travel benefits, Status Boost for earning elite status, annual companion certificate after the first year and no foreign transaction fees.

Where our benchmark card is better: The Citi Double Cash has no annual fee even after the first year, has an introductory rate on balance transfers and earns easy-to-redeem cash back.

Learn more about the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card.

Best credit card for everyday business expenses: Capital One Spark Miles for Business

Why it’s great in one sentence: The Capital One Spark Miles for Business earns an unlimited 2 miles for every dollar you spend on the card, and those miles can be redeemed for any travel purchase you make at 1 cent per mile, or transferred to Capital One’s airline partners for potentially even more valuable redemptions.

This card is right for: Larger businesses that want easy-to-redeem credit card rewards, with the option to learn how to master transferable miles down the line for greater value.

Highlights:

Sign-up bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,500 in the first three months after opening the account.

What we like about the Capital One Spark Miles: This is a business credit card that makes earning and redeeming travel points incredibly easy. For starters, you’ll earn 2 miles for every dollar you spend on the Capital One Spark Miles card with no cap. On top of that, if you book any hotels or car rentals through Capital One Travel, you’ll earn an extra 3 miles for a total of 5 miles per dollar.

You can redeem your miles any time for any travel related purchase at a fixed 1 cent per mile. However, the miles can also be transferred to any of Capital One’s 18 travel partners for potentially even more value.

The Capital One Spark Miles card also comes with a decent sign-up bonus offer and a relatively low minimum spending requirement. The 50,000-mile bonus can be used to “erase” $500 of travel purchases on your monthly statement, which is better than many of the other business cards you’ll see on our list, and is especially good for a card with the annual fee waived for the first year. And as an added bonus, you’ll also receive a $100 credit when applying for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.

One thing that could be better: Although you can redeem your miles for any travel-related purchase, if you prefer to maximize the value of your miles by transferring them to an airline or hotel program, the partnerships Capital One currently has available aren’t quite as robust as other flexible points programs. Most are international airlines and require an advanced knowledge of loyalty programs to maximize your value when utilizing them.

Where it beats our benchmark card: Sign-up bonus, purchase protections, travel protections.

Where our benchmark card is better: The Citi Double Cash has no annual fee even after the first year and an introductory rate on balance transfers.

Earn $500 or 50,000 bonus miles with Capital One Spark credit cards.

Frequently asked questions about business credit cards

Not everyone is familiar with how and when to use a business credit card, so we’ve assembled some of the more common questions and answers.

What is a business credit card?

A business credit card is a credit card specifically designed for small business owners — one rich in benefits tailored toward businesses. A business credit card can be used for any business purchases, such as cell phone and internet expenses, office supplies, business entertainment, business travel and more.

Many business credit cards work slightly differently than personal credit cards. You’ll find that a good number of business credit cards are charge cards — not actual credit cards. The difference is that with a charge card, you’re required to pay your bill in full each month. You can’t carry the balance over to the next month, and if you aren’t able to make this payment, you’ll be charged a late payment fee.

On the flip side, charge cards typically don’t have a preset spending limit. So if you have high business expenses, you can use a card like this to charge those expenses without having to worry about your purchase being declined due to a credit limit issue.

Am I eligible for a business credit card?

You might be eligible for a business credit card without even realizing it. In addition to both large and small businesses, sole proprietors are also eligible — even if you don’t have office space or any employees. For example, if you’re a ride-share driver, buy or sell real estate, sell products through eBay or you’re a social media influencer, you may be eligible for a business credit card.

For those with an established business, you’ll want to use your Employer Identification Number during the application process, while sole proprietors will want to use a Social Security number.

It’s also important to note that you don’t have to be profitable — or even established yet— to be eligible for a business credit card. If you’re just starting out, you can still apply. Just note that getting approved for a business credit card can sometimes be more challenging than a personal credit card.

What features should I look for in a business credit card?

Similar to personal credit cards, business credit cards offer many benefits. For businesses that have employees, you’ll want to see if the business credit card allows you to add authorized users for no fee. This will let your employees charge business expenses to the main business credit card account.

You’ll also want to consider the card’s other perks and benefits. This includes the rewards program and the card’s bonus categories if there are any. Many business credit cards offer bonus points on standard business expenses, such as office supplies, shipping purchases, advertising spend, internet services or travel, so you’ll want to pick a card that caters toward your typical business spending pattern.

Other features to take into account include travel and purchase protection, travel perks and statement credit opportunities to offset your annual fee. These benefits can go as far as reimbursing you if your flight is delayed, giving you airport lounge access and expedited airport security and extending hotel elite status.

Should I get a business credit card?

If you fall into the bucket of eligible business categories, then it’s a great idea to have a business credit card, especially so you can keep your business expenses separate from your personal expenses. And since many business credit cards are designed for the needs of large and small businesses, they have many benefits that you won’t find on a personal credit card.

Looking for a new credit card to help finance large purchases? Check out CNN Underscored’s list of the best 0% interest credit cards.

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