Although commonly thought of interchangeably, corporate credit cards are actually their own product distinct from the more prevalent business credit card.
Essentially, corporate cards offer functionality specifically designed to meet the needs of large companies with hundreds of employees and robust revenue streams. But that’s not to say there’s no value in a regular business credit card, even at the corporate level.
Determining whether your business needs a corporate credit card or a regular business credit card will come down to your company’s size and revenue, as well as the specific features you need your company’s card to deliver. Keep reading to see our picks for some of the best corporate credit cards out there, including cards for large corporations and cards that specialize in great perks like cash back and travel rewards.
Large Corporations | Cash Back | Travel Rewards | Airline Miles
Hotel Rewards | No Annual Fee
Obtaining Credit Cards for a Large Corporation
Large corporations tend to have different financial needs than your typical small business, and they need a card that reflects those differences. For example, corporate credit cards — also called commercial credit cards — can have unique structures for billing, purchase tracking, and employee cards, among other features.
While most businesses — even one-person sole proprietorships and DBAs — can qualify for a small business credit card, only actual corporations can generally qualify for a corporate credit card. This means being structured and registered as an S or C corporation.
Additionally, individual corporate credit cards and issuers may have certain revenue qualifications, typically requiring companies make several million in revenue each year, which may be difficult for smaller businesses to meet.
Unlike small business credit cards, signing up for a corporate credit card isn’t always as simple as filling out a quick online application. While some banks may offer an online application, others will require you to contact the bank and meet with an adviser to get started.
- American Express Corporate Cards
- Capital One Corporate Cards
- Citibank Corporate Cards
- JPMorgan Chase Corporate Cards
- Wells Fargo Corporate Cards
If your company doesn’t meet the income or classification requirements for a corporate credit card, you’ll likely need to look into small business credit cards instead. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Many small business credit cards offer pretty strong rewards programs, as well as options for annual-fee-free credit cards and free employee cards. And when it comes to travel perks and other benefits, some business cards can be well worth adding to even your corporation’s collection.
Best “Cash Back” Cards for Businesses
Simple, straightforward cash back rewards can be an easy way to make your credit card carry its own weight without needing to worry about complicated redemption options or points transfers.
If you want to try and maximize your cash back, a card offering bonus rewards categories can be quite lucrative when the categories align with your business’s expenses. Otherwise, a flat-rate unlimited rewards credit card can help you earn rewards on every purchase without any categories to remember.
Although the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card has a low bonus category cap of just $25,000 per bonus tier, it offers higher rewards rates than many business credit cards. Plus, you’ll earn a fairly large signup bonus and receive an intro-APR offer on new purchases.
The card comes with a range of perks that may be worth more to some users, particularly businesses that travel. Well-qualified applicants can also obtain a lower APR than competing offers and a sizable signup bonus with no annual fee.
If you’re looking for a cash back card without categories, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one with a better flat rate than the Blue Business Cash™ Card. Even better, the card comes with a modest signup bonus and charges no annual fee.
Best “Travel Rewards” Cards for Businesses
There are likely as many reasons you could need to travel for your business as there are businesses themselves, which can make a travel rewards business credit card a worthwhile addition to your company’s financial plan.
While there are dozens of co-branded business rewards cards for those dedicated to specific airlines or hotel chains, unaligned businesses can often get the most value out of a travel rewards card with flexible points or miles that can be used free of brand restrictions.
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is easily one of the more popular travel cards for businesses as it not only provides bonus rewards in useful categories — including, you guessed it, travel — but also because the rewards points it earns can be transferred to a range of airline and travel partners.
The miles you earn with your Capital One Spark Miles for Business can be used to cover a number of travel-related expenses, including airfare and hotel stays, free from blackout dates. The card’s annual fee is waived the first year, and its signup bonus is solid.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is a premium card offering with the best of travel benefits, including lounge access, travel insurance, and higher rewards rates on select travel and business purchases.
Best “Airline Miles” Cards for Businesses
There are many reasons you may be loyal to one airline over another, like the customer service or quality of the aircraft. In some cases, proximity can have a lot to do with how you fly; if only one airline flies out of your local airport, it’s hard not to have a preference.
Whatever your reason for regularly choosing a particular airline, it can be beneficial to pick up a co-branded airline credit card. You’ll not only earn frequent flyer miles on every card purchase, but you can also receive additional branded perks that include free checked bags.
Additional Disclosure: (The information related to CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® has been collected by CardRates.com and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.)
If you regularly travel through American Airlines hubs for business, the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® can be a good way to earn perks and miles. Cardholders can earn American Airlines miles on every card purchase, plus a free checked bag and preferred boarding.
Cardholders who meet a minimum annual spending requirement using their CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® may be eligible for additional gifts from the credit card issuer. It pays to use some cards regularly — and responsibly!
- Earn 95,000 Bonus Miles after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new card in your first 3 months of card membership
- With Status Boost®, get closer to Medallion® Status by earning 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, up to 2 times per year
- Earn 3 Miles on every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and purchases made directly with hotels
- Earn 1.5 Miles on single eligible purchases over $5,000, up to 50,000 additional miles per calendar year, and 1 Mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases
- You can check your first bag for free and save up to $60 on a round-trip Delta flight, plus enjoy early boarding on Delta flights
- Enjoy early boarding on Delta flights as a benefit of card membership. You can board your flight when Main Cabin 1 priority boarding is called so you can find room for your carry-on bag and settle into your seat sooner.
|
Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
|
N/A
|
20.24% - 29.24% variable
|
$250
|
N/A
|
The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business Card can be a good way to earn Delta SkyMiles® on every purchase on top of cardholder perks that include free checked bags. Other benefits of this card include priority boarding, 20% in-flight savings credit, and bonus miles on Delta purchases.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99.
- Receive a 5,000-mile "better together" bonus each anniversary when you have both the United℠ Business Card and a personal Chase United® credit card.
- Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases, dining including eligible delivery services, at gas stations, office supply stores, and on local transit and commuting.
- Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. Plus, employee cards at no additional cost - miles earned from their purchases accrue in your account so you can earn rewards faster.
- Enjoy a free first checked bag - a savings of up to $140 per roundtrip (terms apply), 2 United Club℠ one-time passes per year, and priority boarding privileges.
|
Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
|
N/A
|
21.99% - 28.99% Variable
|
$99
|
Good/Excellent
|
The United℠ Business Card is one of the few co-branded airline credit cards that offer bonus miles for non-airline purchases, providing 2 miles per $1 spent in multiple useful categories. You’ll also receive priority boarding with your card, as well as the ability to obtain employee cards at no additional cost.
Best “Hotel Rewards” Cards for Businesses
For the average tourist, a hotel’s location and amenities can be the most important qualities. For those business travelers stuck in hotel rooms on the regular, different things become important — like soundproof walls.
If you travel enough for business that you’ve developed an affinity for a particular hotel chain, a hotel co-branded credit card can offer an easy way to earn rewards for free stays, as well as unlocking special branded perks and benefits like free room upgrades or elite status.
- Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles – equal to $500 in travel – once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn unlimited 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere, no limits or category restrictions, and miles won't expire for the life of the account
- Unlimited 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Transfer your miles to 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Redeem your miles instantly for any travel-related purchases, from flights and hotels to ride-sharing services
- Skip the lines with up to a $100 statement credit on TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry
|
Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
|
N/A
|
26.24% (Variable)
|
$0 intro for first year; $95 after that
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Excellent, Good
|
The Capital One Spark Miles for Business offers 5X miles on hotels you book through Capital One Travel, and you can instantly redeem your miles to cover your purchase in your Capital One account.
If you have to fly to your hotel’s destination, this card will reimburse the cost of TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fees to help you breeze through airport security.
11. Marriott Bonvoy Business® Credit Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Business® Credit Card is the business credit card for the Marriott Bonvoy program. The card offers 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar at participating properties, plus four points per dollar at U.S. restaurants and gas stations, and on wireless services purchased from U.S. providers.
- Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per $1 you spend at eligible Marriott Bonvoy properties
- Earn 4X in select business & travel categories
- Pay $125 annual fee
Other perks of the card include complimentary Gold Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy, a free annual award night after your account anniversary, and premium in-room wifi service. Plus, receive 15 elite night credits each year and pay no foreign transaction fees.
12. Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card offers a number of perks for cardholders, including Hilton Honors Gold status and free night awards for meeting annual spending requirements.
- Earn 12X Hilton Honors points per dollar on Hilton purchases made directly with Hilton
- Earn 6X points on select business and travel purchases
- Pay $95 annual fee
If you’re seeking Hilton Diamond satus, simply spend $40,000 or more on your card in a single calendar year to enjoy a status upgrade through the end of the next calendar year.
Best “No Annual Fee” Cards for Businesses
Depending on your business’s needs, a credit card with an annual fee can still be worthwhile, such as in cases where your business expenses can easily earn enough credit card rewards to pay for the annual fee (and then some).
Thankfully, a number of solid business rewards cards can be found without annual fees if your business doesn’t make enough purchases to make an annual fee worth paying — or if you simply don’t want to waste revenue on an extra fee.
The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card offers a large signup bonus, unlimited cash back rewards, and charges no annual fee. It’s not just the best card with no annual fee — we rate it as our best overall business credit card, too. We appreciate the low APR for applicants with top credit scores and 0% promotional APR.
While its rewards rate is not as robust as others, the Capital One Spark Cash Select for Excellent Credit still provides a good return without the annual fee. Check back often, as the issuer routinely offers juicy signup bonuses for new cardholder applicants.
The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is a good choice for businesses with smaller revenue streams, as it offers a good rewards rate but a low spending cap. And not only does the card have no annual fee, but cardholders can also obtain employee credit cards at no additional cost.
Keep Your Business Finances on Track with the Right Card
The larger a business grows, the more difficult it can be to track the potentially thousands of transactions being made each year by dozens or hundreds of corporate cardholders. For the business corporation, corporate credit cards can offer the features and functionality necessary to keep everything on track.
But corporate credit cards aren’t the best fit for every business, nor are corporate cards and business credit cards mutually exclusive items. When used wisely, business credit cards can often offer significant value to businesses of any size.
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