The 9 Best Credit Cards For Startups & Small Businesses

The Ramp corporate card offers a very straightforward cash back rewards scheme. You'll get 1.5% cash back for all purchases, which is excellent for a corporate card. Startups and small businesses with varied spending stand to benefit from this rewards program.

Beyond the 1.5% cash back, Ramp offers some generous partner rewards and savings worth over $175K in total. Highlights here include preferred access to AWS credits and $50,000 in Segment Credits.

Ramp’s most unique benefit is its algorithm-driven savings insights. Ramp digs into your company’s spending history and determines areas where you can cut costs and save money. For example, you might have an insight that suggests consolidating duplicate Dropbox subscriptions purchased by different departments within your company.

The best credit cards for startups allow users to carry a balance as they grow their business, and the American Express Blue Business Cash Card is the best business credit card for a low APR. For the first 12 months, you'll pay no interest on purchases. After that time, the APR climbs to a variable rate between 13.49% and 21.49%. If circumstances force you to carry a balance while your business gets on its feet, this credit card can deliver significant savings with its 0% introductory rate.

The savings continue with an impressive welcome offer of $250 cash back in the form of a statement credit when you spend $3,000 in the first three months. And that's not all. You'll earn ongoing rewards of 2% cash back on the first $50,000 in eligible purchases in travel and shopping categories each year. After that cap, your earnings rate drops to a still-respectable 1%.

Cash back is automatically credited to your account. And you'll pay $0 in annual fees to use this card.

Capital One Spark Classic is the best business credit card for startups and entrepreneurs trying to meet their goals while dealing with average credit. And although the Spark Classic For Business Card doesn't come with a lot of bells and whistles, there's a lot to like here, including a $0 annual fee, unlimited 1% cash back on every purchase, with no limits or restrictions, and a chance to build and strengthen your business credit rating.

While the rewards rate is not the best we've seen, it's reasonable and better than you might expect with only a fair credit rating. Redeem your card rewards in the form of a statement credit or a check. There's no minimum to redeem, and your points won't expire as long as your account is active. Keep in mind that this card carries a high APR, currently at 27.24%, so this is not a card you want to use to carry a balance.

We consider Chase Ink Business Cash the best overall business credit card for startups because it offers the best combination of key factors: a generous welcome offer, an introductory 0% APR, a good rate of rewards, and no annual fee. All in all, it's hard to find a card that's better tailored to the needs of startups better than Ink Business Cash.

Startup businesses building up a young company will benefit from this card's offer of 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services each year. No other business card offers such a high level of cash back for the spending necessary to build your office.

You'll also earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants and 1% cash back on everything else. You can redeem your cash back for statement credits, travel, and more via Chase Ultimate Rewards. To earn the $750 cash back bonus, you'll need to spend $7,500 on purchases in the first three months of using the card. And if your startup needs to carry a balance for a time, while you work to bring your business into the black, you'll especially appreciate the 12 months of 0% APR.

Chase Ink Business Preferred is one of the best credit cards for startups because of its high bonus offer. You'll start with 100,000 bonus points when you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first three months, and you'll continue to earn up to 3x bonus points on the first $150,000 you spend on shipping and other business expenses like social media advertising; internet, cable, and phone services; and travel. All other purchases earn one point per $1 you spend, and they never expire as long as your account stays open.

Because your points will be worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards if your startup requires travel this card piles on added benefits. Redeem points at a 1:1 value with multiple airlines and hotel partners or redeem them for cash back or gift cards.

This card does carry a $95 annual fee, which you should be able to account for with points earned.

As hard as it is to access startup capital when you've got average credit, it's even worse when you've got bad credit or no credit history at all. That's where secured business cards come in, and the Wells Fargo Business Secured Credit Card is one of the best credit cards for startups with poor credit or no credit.

With its flexible rewards scheme that lets you choose miles or cash back, you can get the most from your spending while also building a solid credit history for your startup.

Use your purchases to earn 1.5% for every dollar you spend with the Wells Fargo Business Secured Card or choose to earn one point per dollar spent, with a 1,000-point bonus each billing period you spend $1,000 or more. You can start using the card after you make a security deposit of between $500 and $25,000. That deposit becomes your credit limit.

It's not ideal, but if you're building a business when you don't have a dependable credit history, this gives you a chance to get your business up and running while you build the credit you'll need down the line.

As one of the best credit cards for startups with 0% intro rates, US Bank's Business Platinum Card is hard to beat. You'll enjoy a full 20 billing cycles of 0% interest with this card, on new purchases and on balance transfers. That's 20 months of no interest, something that should appeal to new business owners who may be seeing more money going out of their bank accounts than coming in while they develop products, refind their business model, and build their customer base.

That enticing APR is certainly appealing, and you can use this card with no annual fee. If you're transferring any existing balances, you can expect to pay 3% of the balance as a transfer fee, though you likely will make that amount back with the 0% interest.

After 20 months, the ARP will to 12.24%-21.24%, depending on your creditworthiness when you opened your account. If you make payments late, exceed your credit limit, or earn other penalties, you can expect an APR of 29.99% if you carry a balance after the introductory period. What you can't expect with this card: any cash back or rewards points you can use for statement credit, gift cards, or travel benefits.

One of the best credit cards for startups is also the best for flat-rate rewards: Capital on Tap Business credit card offers a straight 1.5% cash back on every purchase made with the card. While it's not the highest rewards rate we've seen, it's definitely one of the easiest to keep track of.

And if you're busy getting your business off the ground, you might not have time to think about which spending categories deliver the highest rate so you can maximize your rewards. This card takes the guesswork out and delivers a respectable rewards rate as you fund your growing business.

The Capital on Tap credit card comes with free cards for everyone in your company to use, spend management tools, integrations with accounting software, and a $200 bonus if you spend $15K in your first three months. While there's no annual fee to worry about, you will need to consider your creditworthiness as you apply for this card.

If you plan to carry a balance, you'll face an APR ranging from 9.99% to 34.99%. In other words, you'll probably not want to carry a balance for long.

Amazon Business Prime American Express Card is one of the best credit cards for business owners who don't intend to carry a balance but just want a little extra time to pay off purchases. The catch, as you might guess from the name, is that you can only do that with purchases from Amazon.com, Amazon Web Services, or Whole Foods Market.

If you choose this option, you can take 90 days to pay off those purchases. Or, if you prefer, you can choose to earn 5% cash back on those purchases instead of the extra time to pay. Whichever you choose, you'll also earn cash back on non-Amazon purchases, with unlimited 2% cash back on what you buy from restaurants, gas stations, and wireless phone services. All your other purchases will earn unlimited 1% cash back. Points never expire and can be redeemed for statement credit.

When you sign up for this business credit card, you'll receive a $125 Amazon gift card. Keep in mind that you'll need to maintain an Amazon Prime membership ($60-$139/year) to be eligible for this card. If you're someone who already shops at Amazon frequently or uses Amazon Business or Amazon Web Services, this card could be a cost-effective choice for your small business. And, with the option of taking 90 days to pay off purchases, with no interest charges to worry about, this card could deliver the financial flexibility your growing business needs.