Should I get a business credit card or a personal credit card?

You should consider getting both a business credit card and a personal credit card. If you want to use a credit card for your business and personal expenses, using both types of cards will help you keep those purchases separate, which is important when you file your taxes. Alternatively, you can skip getting a business credit card and instead use a second personal card for your business expenses if a personal card will save you more money than a business credit card.

You Should Consider Getting a Business Card If:

You need a separate card for business purchases

It’s important for a business owner to separate their business expenses from their personal expenses. If you’re using one credit card for both, it can make things complicated when it comes time to file your taxes.

You have a good personal credit score

The best business credit cards on the market require good or excellent personal credit for approval, which means a credit score of at least 700. If you have less than good credit, your options will be limited, though there are business credit cards available for business owners with fair, limited, or even bad credit.

You want to earn rewards on business purchases

Some business credit cards offer bonus rewards for purchases in certain business-specific categories, such as office supply stores, advertising, shipping, telecom services, and more. Depending on the card, you may also be eligible for an initial bonus worth hundreds of dollars.

You want to build business credit

A positive business credit history is important as you expand your business because it will make it easier to qualify for business loans in the future when you need them. Just be sure to choose a business credit card that reports to the business credit bureaus, then make it a point to pay your bill on time every month and maintain a low credit utilization ratio.

You need to make a large business purchase

A business credit card is worth considering if you need to purchase a lot of inventory or business equipment because business credit cards can offer higher credit limits than personal credit cards. However, if you need more time to pay off your purchase, personal credit cards tend to offer longer 0% intro APR periods.

You don’t need full consumer protections

Personal credit cards are fully protected under the CARD Act, whereas business credit cards are not. For example, the law prohibits an issuer from raising a personal credit card’s interest rate unless certain conditions are met. There are also fee limits for over-limit transactions and late payments. These rules, and more, do not legally apply to business credit cards, though many issuers proactively implemented some of these protections to cover their business cards.

If you’re having trouble finding the best credit card for your needs, WalletHub’s editors compared more than 1,500 personal and business credit card offers to help narrow your search. Once you’ve found a credit card offer that interests you, just click the "Apply Now" button to access the issuer’s online credit card application.