Business Credit Cards with Rewards

The best business credit card for travel is the Chase Ink Business Preferred credit card because it offers a sign-up bonus worth $1,000 in travel, has a $0 foreign transaction fee, and gives 3 points per $1 spent on travel and select business purchases. Ink Business Preferred has a $95 annual fee, but you can get employee cards at no additional cost.

If you’re not wild about paying an annual fee, the best business credit card for travel is Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business. It offers 20,000 miles when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months, gives 1.5 miles per $1 on all purchases, and also has a $0 foreign fee.

And if you’re loyal to a certain airline or hotel brand, the Starwood Preferred Guest Business card, the Delta Reserve for Business card and the CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select card are among the best co-branded business travel credit cards.

Here are the best business credit cards for travel:

• Best overall: Chase Ink Business Preferred. 80,000 points ($1,000 in travel) for spending $5,000 in the first 3 months. 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each year. 1 per $1 on everything else. $0 foreign transaction fee. $95 annual fee. Good credit required.
• Best for no annual fee: Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business. 20,000 points for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. 1.5 miles per $1 on all purchases. $0 foreign transaction fee. $0 annual fee. Good credit required.
• Best for lounge access: Delta Reserve for Business. 70,000 miles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) for spending $5,000 in the first 3 months. Additional 15,000 miles and 15,000 MQMs for spending $30,000 in any calendar year. 2 miles per $1 on Delta purchases and 1 on everything else. Priority boarding, free first checked bags and complimentary Delta Sky Club access. $0 foreign transaction fee. $450 annual fee. Good credit required.
• Best for American Airlines flyers: CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard. 70,000 miles for spending $4,000 in the first 4 months. 2 miles per $1 spent with American Air, car rental companies, gas stations and TV/communications. 1 per $1 on everything else. Preferred boarding and free first checked bag. $0 foreign transaction fee. $0 annual fee the first year, $99 after. Good credit required.
• Best for hotel stays: Starwood Preferred Guest Business Credit Card from American Express. 75,000 points for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. 6 points per $1 at SPG and Mariott hotels and 4 at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, cell phone service and shipping. 1 per $1 everywhere else. 1 free night every account anniversary. $0 foreign transaction fee. $0 annual fee the first year, $95 after. Good credit required.

The best business credit cards for travel depend on your unique preferences and needs. You may be a big spender who wants the most benefits possible. Or, you may want to maximize your perks with a certain travel provider you frequent. What all of these business credit cards for travel do offer, though, is no foreign transaction fees. So you won’t pay any extra when making purchases from foreign merchants.

There is no Chase Sapphire business credit card, but there are three Chase business credit cards that don’t bear the Sapphire name: Ink Business Preferred, Ink Business Unlimited and Ink Business Cash. The Chase Ink business credit cards are similar to Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve in that they offer big sign-up bonuses. For example, the Chase Ink Business Preferred card gives 80,000 points (worth up to $1,000 in travel) for spending $5,000 in the first 3 months. But unlike the Sapphire cards, Ink Cash and Ink Unlimited both give 0% APRs on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months.

There are also two co-branded Chase business credit cards. The first is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business card, which offers 60,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months, plus 6,000 points each account anniversary. The second is the Marriott Premier Plus Business credit card, which gives 75,000 points when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. And you get a free night’s stay every account anniversary.

It’s also good to note that you can still use the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve cards for business purchases. It’s legal to use a personal credit card for business purposes. Just don’t also put personal expenses on the card, as that will make keeping your finances in order much more difficult.

Best alternatives to a Chase Sapphire business credit card:

• Ink Business Preferred: 80,000 points when you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months. 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business purchases annually. 1 per $1 on all other purchases. $95 annual fee. Good credit needed.
• Ink Business Cash: $500 cash back when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. 5% back on the first $25,000 per year spent at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services. 2% back on the first $25,000 per year spent at gas stations and restaurants and unlimited 1% back on everything else. $0 annual fee. Good credit needed.
• Ink Business Unlimited: $500 cash back when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. 1.5% cash back on all purchases. $0 annual fee. Good credit needed.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business: 60,000 points when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. 6,000 points each account anniversary. 2 points per $1 on Southwest purchases and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases. 1 per $1 on all other purchases. $99 annual fee. Excellent credit needed.
• Marriott Premier Plus Business: 75,000 points when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. 6,000 points each account anniversary. 6 points per $1 on Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Starwood Preferred Guest purchases. 4 points per $1 on restaurant, gas station, shipping, internet, cable, and phone service purchases. 1 per $1 on all other purchases. Free night’s stay every account anniversary. $99 annual fee. Good credit needed.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred (personal card): 50,000 points when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months. 2 points per $1 on travel and dining and 1 on all other purchases. Points worth 1.25 cents each toward travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. 1:1 point transfer to 13 airline and hotel loyalty programs. $0 annual fee the first year, $95 after.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve (personal card): 50,000 points when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months. 3 points per $1 on travel and dining and 1 on all other purchases. Points worth 1.5 cents each toward travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. 1:1 point transfer to 13 airline and hotel loyalty programs. $300 annual travel credit. Complimentary Priority Pass Select lounge membership. $450 annual fee.

While there are no Chase Sapphire business cards, there are plenty of good Chase business options to choose from, along with the Sapphire personal cards. One thing to watch out for on the Ink Business cards is that only Ink Business Preferred has no foreign transaction fee. The other two Ink cards charge 3%.

The best Shell business credit card is the Shell Fleet Plus card because it has a $0 annual fee and works at 14,000 U.S. Shell and Jiffy Lube locations. Cardholders also get a rebate of up to 6 cents per gallon, depending on how much they spend each billing period.

If you want to use your card at the most places possible, the best Shell business card is the Shell Fleet Navigator card. Not only is it accepted at Shell and Jiffy Lube, but the fact that it’s a Mastercard means 95% of U.S. fueling stations will take it. You can also get rebates of up to 5 cents per gallon. Shell says this card may have “limited fees” but does not disclose them.

There’s also the plain old Shell Small Business card, with no annual fee, monthly fee or setup fee. You can only use it at Shell and Jiffy Lube. And the only rewards it provides are discounts at participating Jiffy Lube locations. But it does offer the ability to carry a balance between months, something that the other two cards do not.

Here are the Shell business credit cards:

• Shell Fleet Plus card: No annual fees, monthly fees or setup fees. Works at 14,000 U.S. Shell and Jiffy Lube locations. Rebate of up to 6 cents per gallon of gas purchased each billing cycle, depending on the amount spent. Discounts at participating Jiffy Lube locations. Must pay in full each billing cycle. Requires good credit (score of 700+).
• Shell Fleet Navigator card: Limited fees (not disclosed). Works at 95% of U.S. filling stations, wherever Mastercard is accepted, including 14,000 Shell and Jiffy Lube locations. Rebate of up to 5 cents per gallon of gas purchased each billing cycle, depending on the amount spent. Discounts at participating Jiffy Lube locations. Must pay in full each billing cycle. Requires fair credit (score of 640+).
• Shell Fleet Plus card: No annual fees, monthly fees or setup fees. Works at 14,000 U.S. Shell and Jiffy Lube locations. Discounts at participating Jiffy Lube locations. Can carry a balance between billing cycles. Requires good credit (score of 700+).

All three Shell business credit cards provide a few other types of benefits, too. For example, you can control how much your employees are able to spend on the account, and employee cards don’t cost extra. You’ll also get detailed reports on your gas-related spending, including your mileage, fuel prices, non-fuel purchases at the stations and more.