Best Cash Back Business Credit Cards 2023

When looking at cash back credit card options, you may be tempted to simply pick the one with the highest maximum cash back rate. But before you apply for your business credit card, we’d suggest you think about a few other factors.

Take your purchase habits, for example. Cards that offer very high cash back rates usually only offer that rate in certain categories. If you regularly spend in those categories, then great! You can probably earn tons of cash. But if you don’t? You may be better off with a credit card that offers a lower cash back rate overall―but a higher rate in the categories you actually spend in.

You should also think about the costs that come with your new card. Earning cash back feels great, sure, but if you end up paying out the nose in fees or interest, you’re not really coming out ahead. So we suggest looking for a card with no annual fee (or at least making sure you’ll earn enough cash to offset any annual fee) and competitive APR (annual percentage rate).

You may also want to consider things like maximum credit limits, welcome bonus offers, and even whether or not you have a card issuer preference (if you want to get a card at the same company you bank with, for example).

That way, you can get a card that earns plenty of cash rewards―and that fits your business’s needs too.

The Ink Business Cash Credit Card from Chase Bank is our overall favorite cash back small-business credit card.

One reason why? It has the best cash earning potential. The Ink Business Cash Credit Card earns up to 5% cash back―the highest rate we’ve found on a business credit card. (The average maximum cash back rate on this list is 2.25%, less than half that.)

You can earn that 5% rate on the first $25,000 you spend in a few categories, including internet, phone, cable, and office supply store purchases. Other categories earn lower rates, like 2% on gas and restaurant purchases and 1% on all other purchases on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases. So depending on how your business spends, you could earn quite a lot of cash―or you could get mostly a 1% rate.

Regardless of how you spend, the Ink Business Cash Credit Card offers a nice welcome bonus, letting you get an additional $900 in cash back if you spend $6,000 in your first three months with your Chase business credit card.

And cash rewards aside, we still like plenty of things about the Ink Business Cash Credit Card. It has no annual fee and no employee card, making it affordable for business owners. Plus, the Ink Business Cash Credit Card has a competitive (though not rock-bottom) APR (16.99% - 22.99% variable APR), and you get 12 months of 0% introductory APR to start you off.

So while Chase’s Ink Business Cash Credit Card may not be the right card for every business (depending on how you spend), its high rewards rates, low fees, and competitive interest make it our top cash back business credit card.

If you’ve got plans to transfer an existing credit card balance to a new card, the U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards Visa is your best bet.

This credit card stands out thanks to its excellent balance transfer options. The U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards Visa gives you 15 billing cycles of 0% introductory APR on both purchases and balance transfers (for most cards, an introductory APR applies only to purchases). That means you can transfer your existing credit card debt and pay no interest for a whole year and then some―giving you plenty of time to pay it off without accruing more interest. (You’ll get a 14.99% to 29.99% variable APR after that.)

But even aside from its balance transfer features, the U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards Visa is a great cash back card. It offers up to 3% cash back on eligible purchases (in this case, purchases at gas stations, office supply stores, and cell service providers) and 1% on everything else. And each year, you get a cash back bonus (25% of what you earned last year, up to $250).

So whether you just care about the cash back or you want an affordable credit card for balance transfer, the U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards Visa can meet your needs.

Don’t want to wait days to know if you’re approved for a credit card, and then days more to use it? With the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, you don’t have to.

See, American Express is one of the few credit card companies that offers instant approval. When you apply for the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, you can get approved in as little as 30 seconds. (That’s not a guarantee, though.) Even better, if you do get approved, American Express will immediately give you a virtual card number so you can start using your new business rewards credit card right away.

And speaking of rewards, the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card gives you a flat 2% on the first $50,000 you spend each year. After that, you get a flat 1% rate. (Do note that terms apply.)

In other words, there’s plenty to like about the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card―especially since you can start using it right away.

The Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card is the second Chase business credit card on our list―and in this case, it’s because this rewards card offers the best flat-rate cash back.

Your Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card will earn you an unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business. It doesn’t matter where you’re spending or in what categories. You simply get the same competitive flat rate on everything. (They do have to be eligible purchases―casino chips, for example, don’t count.) That gives you a stress-free way to earn cash without planning out when and where to spend.

Like the other Chase business credit card we recommend, the Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card offers a healthy $900 welcome bonus to new card members who spend $6,000 in the first three months. And no, you won’t need to worry about an annual fee or employee card fees―those are free.

That means that the Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card offers simplicity―but still plenty of value―with its flat rate cash rewards. 

Ever spend outside the United States? Then Capital One Spark Cash Select is the cash rewards card for you.

That’s because Capital One Spark Cash Select doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee on purchases outside the US. Making a business purchase in Canada? No foreign transaction fee. Buying a plane ticket in Brazil? Still no foreign transaction fee. Wherever you go, the Capital One Spark Cash Select lets you keep things affordable (unlike other business credit cards that charge 2 to 3% on foreign transactions).

Of course, that’s not all we like about Capital One Spark Cash Select. Like Ink Business Unlimited, it comes with a flat cash back rate of 1.5%, so you can effortlessly earn rewards.

Put simply, if you don’t want to worry about foreign transaction fees, Capital One Spark Cash Select is your best rewards card option.

Want to save on interest? Check out the Wells Fargo Business Platinum Credit Card, which has the lowest purchase APR of any card on this list.

With this Wells Fargo business credit card, your interest rate is tied to the Prime rate. That usually indicates lower rates―and it definitely does in this case. As of right now, interest on the Wells Fargo Business Platinum Credit Card starts at just 11.24%, or a full 2% lower than any other card here. (Your rate can range between Prime + 7.99% and Prime + 17.99% variable APR.) As an added bonus, this rewards card gives you 0% APR for your first nine months.

Aside from letting you avoid high interest rates, the Wells Fargo Platinum Credit Card also earns a respectable flat rate of 1.5% cash back. (You can choose points instead of cash, if that’s more your style.)

So for low interest and decent cash back, you’ll have a hard time topping the Wells Fargo Business Platinum Credit Card.

Got a business membership with Costco? Then there’s a good chance you’ll love the Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi.

As you can probably guess from the name, this rewards card was designed for Costco members (but yes, it can be used anywhere). So while you earn a minimum of 1% cash back on all eligible purchases, you earn more at Costco warehouses and its website (2%). You can earn even more on eligible restaurant and travel purchases (3%) and the first $7,000 you buy in eligible gas purchases (4%). Those are excellent rates.

But you do need to have a Costco membership to get this card. So while the Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi doesn’t technically have an annual fee, you end up paying $60 each year (the cost of a Costco membership) to use it. If you’re not already a Costco member, that fee probably isn’t worth it.

For Costco-loving business owners, though, the Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi offers great cash back rewards.

Like some other cards on this list, Spark 2% Cash Plus from Capital One earns a flat rewards rate―but it earns a higher rate than those other cards do.

The Spark 2% Cash Plus business credit earns a flat 2% on all eligible purchases―0.5% higher than other flat-rate credit card choices. So if you want to get the highest flat rate you can, Spark 2% Cash Plus is the business card to get. And you can earn more cash with its welcome bonus, which offers a $500 bonus cash back option. 

The downside? Spark 2% Cash Plus comes with an annual fee. You’ll need to earn enough cash back to make that fee worthwhile. Otherwise, you’re better off earning a slightly lower rate with a card that doesn’t have an annual fee.

But if you spend enough, Spark 2% Cash Plus from Capital One offers all the convenience of a flat rate rewards card―just with higher rewards.

The U.S. Bank Business Leverage Visa Signature Card has the best welcome offer we’ve seen for new cardmembers.

In part, that’s the offer amount. The Leverage Visa Signature lets you earn up to $750 in bonus cash back―the highest amount we’ve seen, matched only by Chase cards. But the U.S. Bank Business Leverage Visa Signature gives you a longer time period to earn that bonus cash back (four months instead of three), meaning you’re more likely to actually get it.

Just keep in mind that the U.S. Bank Business Leverage Visa Signature Card is far from the highest-earning card on this list. You earn 2% cash back in your top two categories, but just 1% on everything else.

Even so, the excellent bonus cash back offer still makes the U.S. Bank Business Leverage Visa Signature Card a solid rewards card.

Chase’s Ink Business Cash Credit Card is the best cashback card for most business owners, what with its high maximum rewards rate and affordability.

We found plenty of other good cashback card options though. For business owners who need to transfer existing card debt, the U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card offers cheap balance transfers. If you want to get approved for and use your new card immediately, the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card has instant approval. The Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card offers the best flat-rate rewards, so you don’t have to overthink your spending. For foreign spending, we recommend Capital One Spark Cash Select for Business, thanks to its lack of foreign transaction fees.

Happy earning!

See a business credit card you want? Find out what it takes to get approved in our guide to applying for a business credit card.

After researching dozens of credit card options, we narrowed our list down to 10 business credit cards with cash back rewards programs. We scored these cashback cards on many factors, including interest rates, rewards rates, and fees. Then we used the resulting scores to create our rankings of the best cash back credit cards for business.

The Wells Fargo Business Secured Credit Card is the easiest business credit card to get, since it’s a secured business credit card. That means that you don’t need good credit to qualify―you just need cash to offer as collateral.

The best rewards credit card for business depends on what kind of rewards you want.

For cash back, we think Chase’s Ink Business Cash Credit Card offers the best rewards business credit card. If you prefer points-based rewards, though, you’ll do better with the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express. And for travel rewards, we recommend Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business.

You can technically use a personal credit card for business expenses, but we don’t recommend it.

Mostly, that’s because it’s an accounting best practice to keep your business and personal finances separate. (Trust us, it makes things way easier come tax time.) But also, personal credit cards tend to reward personal spending (like on groceries or entertainment) more than business spending. If you’re trying to get lots of cash back rewards for your business, you’ll probably do better with a business credit card than a personal credit card.

So while cards like Chase Sapphire, Chase Freedom, and Citi Double Cash are great for personal spending, we recommend using the credit card picks above for your business needs.

Disclaimer

At Business.org, our research is meant to offer general product and service recommendations. We don't guarantee that our suggestions will work best for each individual or business, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services.

Business.org has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Business.org and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.