Best Business Credit Cards With Miles

Yes, you can use an EIN to get a credit card, though your selection will be limited if you don’t also list your SSN. You can apply for a short list of business credit cards with just an EIN, and some of those cards require your business to have annual revenues of $5+ million.

Credit Cards You Can Apply for With an EIN Only

Most credit card issuers will require a Social Security number when you apply for a business credit card because in almost all cases, they will require a personal guarantee on the debt. That means you are personally liable for any charges on the account that the business is unable to pay. That’s also why issuers will often initiate a hard inquiry on your personal credit report as part of the application process.

Yes, you can redeem business credit card rewards for personal use. However, there are reasons you may not want to. After all, business credit cards are designed with business owners in mind, so the cards’ rewards and benefits are geared more toward business needs than consumer needs.

What You Should Know About Business Credit card Rewards

• Business credit card rewards are deductible expenses: Credit card rewards are generally not taxable, but the IRS will expect you to subtract them from your business expenses report. You'll have to consider the rewards as discounts on your business expenses, which will reduce the amount you're able to deduct on your taxes. Plus, if your business is a corporation or an LLC, earning rewards on personal expenses may threaten your liability protections, so your personal assets can be at risk.
• How to use your business rewards: Financial professionals don't recommend mixing your business and personal accounts, especially if you are not the only owner of your organization. So, instead of using rewards for personal purposes, you can use them to boost your business, such as funding some of your company’s operations.
• How to maximize your rewards: Make sure to analyze your business spending when earning rewards. Then, redeem those rewards wisely. To do so, take into consideration the redemption options, as some may offer more value than others. 

It’s also worth keeping in mind that business credit cards are not covered under the CARD Act. So, certain protections like being notified before an interest rate increase do not apply to business credit cardholders. However, many issuers have extended CARD Act protections to include business credit cards. But this is not a legal requirement.

Usually a business rewards card gears toward business related perks anyway. So, you might get more value from one of the best personal rewards credit cards instead.

The best airline credit cards offer initial bonuses worth $200 to $500+ in airfare, give at least 2 miles per $1 spent on flights, and charge annual fees as low as $0. Some of the best airline credit cards also provide perks such as priority boarding, free checked baggage, airport lounge access, and companion tickets.

Best Airline Credit Cards of February 2023

This content is not provided or commissioned by any issuer. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of an issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by an issuer. Please keep in mind that while some offers may come from WalletHub advertising partners, sponsorship status played no role in card selection.

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The best credit card to buy airline tickets is Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, thanks to its 60,000 initial bonus points offered for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. Plus, you get 1 - 10 points per $1 spent on purchases.

The card’s rewards are enough to offset its $95 annual fee, but you need to have at least good credit to get it. Chase Sapphire Preferred also gives you flexibility by allowing you to transfer points to leading airline loyalty programs.

Here are the best credit cards to buy airline tickets:

Chase Sapphire Preferred offers 60,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. With this card, you earn 5 points per $1 spent on travel purchased through Chase, 2 points per $1 on all other travel purchases, 3 points per $1 on dining and online grocery purchases, 3 points per $1 on select streaming services, and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. You can also transfer your points to leading airline loyalty programs. The card has a $95 annual fee. Requires at least good credit.

JetBlue Plus Card offers 40,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days and paying the annual fee. With this card, you earn 6 points per $1 spent on JetBlue purchases, 2 points per $1 spent at restaurants and grocery stores, and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. On top of all that, cardholders get free checked backs on JetBlue flights as well as 50% off in-flight purchases. The card has a $99 annual fee. Requires excellent credit.

Chase Freedom Unlimited offers 5% cash back on travel through Chase, 3% back at restaurants and drugstores, and 1.5% back on all other purchases (plus an additional 1.5% cash back on everything, up to $20,000 spent the first year). The card has a $0 annual fee. Requires at least good credit.

Upgrade Credit Card offers . With this card, you earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases every time you make a payment. The card has a $0 annual fee. Requires at least fair credit.

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa® Secured Card offers 5% cash back on two categories of your choice (up to $2,000 each quarter), 5% back on prepaid air, hotel and car reservations booked in the Rewards Travel Center, 2% back on your choice of one everyday category (like gas stations, EV charging stations, grocery stores or restaurants) and 1% back on all other purchases. The card has a $0 annual fee. Accepts applicants with bad credit.

For your convenience, we'll recap our selections below

• Best Overall: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• Best Airline Credit Card: JetBlue Plus Card
• Best Rewards for Light Spenders: Chase Freedom Unlimited®
• Best for Fair Credit: Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa®
• Best for Bad Credit: U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa® Secured Card

You can either choose a credit card that offers more flexibility with rewards for general airfare spending or you can see if the airline you fly with most frequently has a credit card. The JetBlue Plus Card is a good option in that regard, but there are others offering attractive rewards and various perks for other airlines as well.

The best credit card for travel benefits is the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card because it offers perks like airport lounge access, credits for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, and really good rewards. For starters, new cardholders get an initial bonus of 75,000 miles for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. Cardholders also earn 10 miles / $1 spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles / $1 spent on flight bookings made through Capital One Travel, and 2 miles / $1 spent on all other purchases.

On top of all that, Venture X currently offers up to $300 annually to cover travel booked through Capital One. All of these benefits could easily offset the card’s annual fee of $395, assuming you have the excellent credit needed for approval.

Best Credit Cards for Travel Benefits

There is a whole list of great credit cards for travel benefits. You just have to choose the one that best fits your needs. You also have to take your credit score into consideration, because people with higher scores get the best offers.

The best airline credit card with no annual fee is the United Gateway℠ Credit Card because it offers 2 miles per $1 spent with United, gas stations, local transit and commuting, and 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. Cardholders also get an initial bonus of 30,000 miles after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months. This card has a 0% foreign transaction fee, too.

Best Airline Credit Cards with No Annual Fee

Overall, there aren’t too many airline credit cards with no annual fee. If you want to redeem miles for flights on any airline, or for any other travel expenses, Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a good option. It gives 5% cash back on travel through Chase, 3% back at restaurants and drugstores, and 1.5% back on all other purchases (plus an additional 1.5% cash back on everything, up to $20,000 spent the first year). Plus, Chase Freedom Unlimited has a $0 annual fee.

United MileagePlus is the best airline rewards program, according to WalletHub’s latest Frequent Flyer Report. And it doesn’t matter whether you travel a lot, a little or somewhere in between because MileagePlus is the top choice across the board. This is largely due to the fact that MileagePlus miles don’t expire because of account inactivity, in addition to the program’s tens of transfer partners and its lack of blackout dates for flights booked with miles.

But you can see which airline rewards program is best for your particular needs by using WalletHub’s Frequent Flyer Calculator.

It’s also important to remember that credit cards are a whole different ballgame. An airline can have a great loyalty program but a crummy credit card. So, when you’re considering airline rewards credit cards, make sure to keep the following key characteristics in mind. Doing so will help guide you to the most rewarding miles program possible.

How to Pick the Best Airline Rewards Program:

1. Airline Affiliation: Some airline cards offer generic miles that can be redeemed for flights on any airline. Others are tied to particular airlines and provide miles usable only for flights with affiliated carriers. The former are good for both the infrequent traveler and those who travel a lot, but on different airlines. The latter are only good for brand-loyal frequent flyers.
2. Initial Rewards Bonus: The initial bonus that you can earn during the first few months of card use is an extremely important consideration. The reason for that is bonus miles on certain cards may even exceed the number of miles attainable from a full year of card use.
3. Earning Rate: You need to figure out how quickly you’ll be accruing miles, as this dictates how lucrative each card you consider will be. Just be aware of cards that require you to sign up on a quarterly basis in order to be eligible for the highest rewards earning rates.
4. Earning Tiers: Some airline miles credit cards give you a certain number of miles per $1 spent until you reach a designated spending threshold, at which time the rewards earning rate changes. Depending on your spending habits, this can significantly affect a card’s appeal.
5. Expiration: If your airline miles will expire at some point, you clearly need to know about it. When present, expiration is typically linked to either account inactivity or the amount of time elapsed since miles were earned.
6. Redemption Policy: Find out how many miles you need to redeem for a flight and how much that flight would cost if purchased normally. This will tell you how much the miles are worth. You should also scan the rewards program’s terms to see if there’s any mention of blackout dates or a minimum number of miles required for redemption.
7. Status Miles: The rate at which status miles are doled out is a key factor for frequent flyers who are thinking of committing to a particular airline.