There’s a lot to consider when embarking on a new business venture. What credit card to get might not be your top priority, but it’s also not something you want to ignore. The right small business credit card can help you streamline bookkeeping, earn rewards and may even offer no-interest financing.

If you’re stuck on which business rewards credit card is right for your startup, we’ve got you covered. CNBC Select reviewed dozens of options and selected the best business credit cards for startups in a variety of categories. (See our methodology for information on how we chose the best startup business credit cards).

Who’s this for? The U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card is a good fit for startups that may need more time to pay off their balances. It offers an above-average intro APR offer, a sizable welcome bonus and generous rewards rates.

Standout benefit for startups: Upon approval, you’ll receive an intro 0% APR on eligible balance transfers and purchases for the first 15 billing cycles, then a variable 19.24% to 28.24% APR applies. There’s a balance transfer fee of $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. This offer is longer than many of the top 0% intro APR deals. Keep in mind, for balance transfers to qualify for the intro APR, you’ll need to complete the transfer within 30 days of opening the account.

[ Jump to more details ]

Who’s this for? The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offers valuable rewards for all sorts of business purchases, including advertising. And you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more valuable welcome bonus offer.

Standout benefit for startups: The Ink Business Preferred earns triple rewards where businesses tend to spend heavily. You’ll earn 3X Chase Ultimate Rewards® points per $1 on the first $150,000 in combined spending in these select categories (then you’ll earn 1X points per $1 on all other purchases) each account anniversary year: Shipping purchases; advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines; travel; and internet, cable and phone services.

The points you earn are worth 1.25 cents apiece when you use them to pay for travel booked through Chase Travel^SM (or more when transferred to a partner travel program). So you’re effectively earning at least 3.75% back in travel rewards on bonus spending.

[ Jump to more details ]

Who’s this for? The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card is ideal for earning strong cashback rewards on everyday business spending without paying an annual fee.

Standout benefit for startups: All purchases earn at least 1.5% cash back. It’s hard to beat that type of return on a cash-back business card for spending that falls outside of a limited bonus category. Although some cards may offer a slightly higher return, they generally have caps on how much cashback you can earn or charge high annual fees, which eat into your rewards.

[ Jump to more details ]

Who’s this for? The Brex Card is a charge card that may be easier to get as it doesn’t require a personal guarantee or credit check for the business owner. Instead, Brex takes the company’s size, revenue and funding into account.

Standout benefit for startups: Brex isn’t just a rewards card, it’s a financial services company and you’ll get a Brex card only if you open a Brex business account. If your business is approved, you’ll be able to earn generous rewards in useful bonus categories like rideshare, Brex travel, restaurants, eligible Apple purchases through the Brex rewards portal and recurring software. You can opt for monthly or daily card payments, with the daily payment option offering more rewards.

[ Jump to more details ]

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is a no-annual-fee business card with a useful intro 0% APR offer for new card members (see rates and fees) and no confusing bonus categories to keep track of.

Rewards

• 2X points per dollar on the first $50,000 spent per year on everyday business purchases (then 1X point per dollar thereafter)
• 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 15,000 bonus Membership Rewards® points after spending $3,000 on eligible purchases within your first three months of card membership.

Annual fee

$0 (see rates and fees)

Notable perks

New cardholders receive an intro 0% APR on purchases for the first 12 months from account opening, then a variable 18.49% – 26.49% APR applies (see rates and fees). If your startup needs to finance any purchases, this benefit alone can easily save your business hundreds of dollars in interest during the first year.

You may add employee cards for no additional fee (up to 99 employee cards; see rates and fees). The card provides a little extra peace of mind with extended warranty and purchase protection for eligible purchases. Other useful benefits for startups include access to expanded buying powe and the ability to link with Quickbooks for simplified accounting. 

[ Return to card summary ]

The U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card is a surprisingly valuable no-annual-fee card with generous returns and an annual statement credit.

Rewards

• 5% back on prepaid car rentals and hotels booked through the U.S. Bank travel center
• 3% back at gas stations and EV charging stations, office supply stores, cell phone service providers and restaurants
• 1% back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn $500 cash back after spending $4,500 on the account owner’s card in the first 150 days of account opening.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

It’s uncommon for a no-annual-fee credit card to also have a statement credit benefit. However, with this card, you can earn a $100 statement credit every 12 months. To qualify for this perk, you need to make 11 consecutive months of eligible purchases directly with a software provider.

You can also add employee cards to this account for no extra fee, though spending on employee cards doesn’t count toward earning this card’s welcome bonus.

[ Return to card summary ]

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is a premium rewards card with an extremely long list of potentially valuable benefits.

Rewards

• 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on Amextravel.com
• 1.5X points on up to $2 million in eligible purchases per calendar year at U.S. construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software and cloud system providers, shipping providers and on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else
• 1X points on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $15,000 in eligible purchases on the card in the first three months of card membership.

Annual fee

$695 (see rates and fees)

Notable perks

Amex Business Platinum cardholders can earn over $1,000 in statement credits every year. These credits apply to useful business services, such as:

• Up to $400 back annually on U.S. purchases with Dell ($200 semi-annually; enrollment required)
• Up to $360 back annually for purchases with Indeed (up to $90 quarterly through Dec. 31, 2024; enrollment required)
• Up to $150 back annually for select auto-renewing subscriptions with Adobe (through Dec. 31, 2024)
• Up to $120 back annually for purchases with U.S. wireless telephone providers (enrollment required)
• Up to $200 back each year for qualifying airline fees with your selected airline
• Up to $189 in CLEAR Plus credit each calendar year
• Up to $100 in TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee credit every 4.5 years

The card also has some of the most comprehensive airport lounge access that’s available with a credit card. Cardholders receive access to the full Amex Global Lounge Collection, which includes Centurion Lounges, Escape Lounges, Delta Sky Club locations, Priority Pass lounges, Lufthansa lounges and Plaza Premium locations.

Frequent travelers will also appreciate the card’s automatic elite status and elite-like benefits for hotels and rental cars. Card members can enroll to receive Marriott Bonvoy Gold status and Hilton Honors Gold status and they can receive perks such as late check-out (when available), room upgrades (when available) and a $100 amenity credit when you book through the Fine Hotels & Resorts Program. Complimentary rental car status is available for Avis, Hertz and National.

On top of all of that, this card is loaded with a long list of travel and purchase protections, including:

• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
• Rental car insurance
• Baggage insurance
• Trip delay Insurance
• Extended warranty
• Purchase protection
• Return protection
• Cell phone protection

[ Return to card summary ]

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card earns valuable travel rewards and has a strong list of purchase and travel protections, which can save your startup money in a variety of ways.

Rewards

• 5X points per dollar on Lyft purchases (through Mar. 31, 2025)
• 3X points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in these categories each account anniversary year: Travel; shipping purchases; internet, cable and phone services; and advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines.
• 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening.

Annual fee

$95

Notable perks

This card comes with many built-in insurance coverages that automatically applies to eligible purchases, including:

Cardholders can add employee cards for no additional fee and there are no foreign transaction fees.

[ Return to card summary ]

The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card is a straightforward no-annual-fee cash-back card that’s a good fit when you’re just getting your business off the ground.

Rewards

• 5X points on Lyft rides (through Mar. 31, 2025)
• 1.5X on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn $750 in bonus cash after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

New Ink Business Unlimited card members receive a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months, after that, a variable 18.49% to 24.49% APR applies. Having the option to finance investments in your startup can be helpful, just be sure you have a plan for taking care of your credit card balance before the intro APR expires.

Eligible items bought with this card receive automatic purchase protection and extended warranty protection. Other perks include roadside dispatch, rental car insurance and travel and emergency assistance services.

There is no fee for adding employee cards to this account.

[ Return to card summary ]

The Brex Business Card earns transferrable rewards and can be exceptionally rewarding if your business qualifies for an account.

Rewards

Brex Exclusive rewards:

• 7X points on rideshare
• 4X points on Brex travel rewards
• 3X points on restaurants
• 3X points on eligible Apple purchases through the Brex rewards portal
• 2X points on recurring software
• 1X points on all other purchases

By opting for daily payments (instead of monthly) you can earn an additional 1X points in select categories. Life sciences companies don’t earn bonus rewards on software, rideshare or restaurant purchases. Instead, they earn additional points on lab supplies and life sciences conference tickets.

Brex also has a custom rewards program that’s available to companies with 50 or more Brex users who also will meet minimum spending requirements. You’ll have to speak with Brex to see if your company qualifies.

Learn more about all reward multipliers and options here.

Welcome bonus

Earn 30,000 points after spending $3,500, or 50,000 points after spending $9,000 in the first 30 days.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

Brex rewards can be redeemed in a handful of ways, but the most valuable will generally be transferring points to one of its partner airline loyalty programs. Brex partners with several useful frequent flyer programs, including Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Emirates Skywards.

This card also has several World Elite Mastercard® for Business benefits, including:

• Discounts on popular software for businesses, such as TurboTax, Microsoft 365, QuickBooks® and Salesforce Essentials
• MasterRental Insurance, which covers damage or theft of a rental car if you use your card to pay for it
• Complimentary ShopRunner membership, worth a value of $79 per year for perks like free return shipping and unlimited free two-day shipping
• Mastercard’s Easy Savings program, which lets you score rebates for hotel stays, dining, car rentals, gas and other business expenses throughout the U.S.

There’s also no limit to the number of employee credit cards you can get from Brex.

[ Return to card summary ]

Finding the right business card for your startup largely depends on your needs, wants and the type of business you have. Some cards offer no-interest on purchases or balance transfers and others come with bonus rewards for specific purchases. You can also choose between cash-back rewards or valuable travel points or miles. So no matter what you’re looking for, there should be a good fit for your startup.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every business credit card article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best business credit cards for LLCs.

To determine which business cards offer the best value for startups, CNBC Select analyzed the most popular credit cards available to U.S. business owners. We compared each card on a range of features, including the annual fee, employee card fee, rewards, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR and foreign transaction fees. We also considered additional perks, the application process and how easy it is to redeem points.

Catch up on CNBC Select’s in-depth coverage of credit cards, banking and money, and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.

For rates and fees of the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.

For rates and fees of The Business Platinum® Card from American Express, click here.

*Information about the Capital One Spark Cash Plus has been collected independently by CNBC Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.