You don’t need to spend a lot of money to get a great small business credit card. In fact, there are plenty of cards for small businesses that offer generous rewards and valuable benefits, with no annual fee. Also, these cards come with all the same expense tracking and reporting features found on the issuer’s premium cards that cost hundreds of dollars a year.
The Case for No-Fee Business Credit Cards
The small business credit cards that have pricey annual fees are typically the ones that offer premium travel rewards and benefits. These cards are great for road warriors, but many businesses operate entirely within their community, and their owners have little or no need for these travel perks. And while most of the premium small business credit cards offer rewards in the form of airline miles or hotel points that can be difficult to use, the no-fee cards typically return good old cash back that’s simple to redeem. Finally, the small business credit cards that have no annual fee and offer no rewards will typically have lower interest rates than reward cards.
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Here are the best small business credit cards with no annual fees:
1. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
This card offers very competitive travel rewards, but still has a $0 annual fee. Earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. Terms and limitations apply. Points are earned in the American Express Membership Rewards program, which offers gift cards, merchandise or travel reservations. Or, you can transfer your points to airline miles with 16 different frequent flyer programs. New applicants also receive 0% on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening. Foreign transaction fees are 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
A great business card for flexible spending and travel rewards points.
Pros
- Competitive intro APR offer and rewards rate
- No annual fee
- For a limited time, earn Membership Rewards® points on initial spending.
Cons
- Foreign transaction fee.
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2. The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
This card offers very strong cash back returns on many common business purchases. You Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. There’s a $0 annual fee for this card, but there is a foreign transaction fee of 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.. It also has a compelling introductory APR, with 0% on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening.
One of the highest cash back rates available for small business cards.
Pros
- Attractive intro financing offer
- High rates of cash back for business spending
- No annual fee.
Cons
- No rewards bonus for initial spending
- Foreign transaction fees.
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3. Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card
This card allows you to get 3% cash back in the category of your choice (for the first $50,000 in combined choice category/dining purchases each calendar year, 1% thereafter), 2% cash back on dining purchases (for the first $50,000 in combined choice category/dining purchases each calendar year, 1% thereafter), and 1% cash back on all other purchases.. New applicants can $300 online statement credit after you make at least $3,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of your account opening.. There’s a $0.00 annual fee for this card, and the foreign transaction fee is 3% of the U.S. dollar amount of each transaction.
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4. U.S. Bank Business Platinum Card
When small businesses are looking to save money on financing purchases rather than earning rewards, this is a card to consider. It offers new accounts 20 months of 0% APR financing on both new purchases and balance transfers, with a 3% balance transfer fee. Once the promotional financing period expires, the standard APR will apply, which is 11.49% to 19.49%, depending on the applicant’s creditworthiness. There’s no annual fee for this card, but there is a 3% foreign transaction fee.
*All information about the U.S. Bank Business Platinum Card credit card has been collected independently by Nav. This card is not currently available through Nav. To see what business credit cards are available, please visit the Nav Credit Card Marketplace.
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Jason Steele
As one of the nation's leading experts in credit cards award travel, Jason Steele has been published in over 100 outlets. His articles are regularly syndicated to Yahoo! Finance, MSN Money and other mainstream outlets. Jason is also the founder of CardCon, which is the annual conference for credit card and consumer credit media.