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Business charge cards come with many perks, such as no credit limits, reward points, and no personal guarantees, but be aware of annual fees and eligibility requirements.
WRITTEN & RESEARCHED BY
Lead Staff Writer
Last updated onUpdated
REVIEWED BY
Editor & Senior Staff Writer
Business charge cards can be very useful in funding your small business. Typically featuring higher credit limits than ordinary credit cards, charge cards can help you make larger purchases while offering the sorts of rewards and benefits you’ve come to expect from credit cards.
So, which charge cards are worth looking into? Here are the best business charge cards based on rewards, fees, and features for businesses.
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| Company | Highlights | Next StepsHighlights |
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Ramp
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American Express Platinum Card
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Brex
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American Express Business Green Rewards
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American Express Plum Card
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Read more below to learn why we chose these options.
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Table of Contents
You may have heard the terms used interchangeably, but charge cards and credit cards aren’t the same.
A credit card is a revolving line of credit. A bank extends you a credit line, and you can spend up to your limit, paying interest on any balance you carry beyond the first month. When you pay off your debt, you’ll regain access to your full line of credit.
A charge card, on the other hand, doesn’t come with a preset credit limit. Instead, it may have a limit that can vary monthly based on various factors ranging from your payment history to prevailing economic conditions. The catch? You’ll typically need to pay off your entire balance every month. If you don’t, you’ll be hit with fees and interest rates that exceed anything you’d see with a credit card. You may lose your reward points as well.
The best business charge cards have high spending limits, generous rewards, and competitive fees. Only five made the cut on our list of the best charge cards for businesses.
| Monthly Fee | Rewards Rate | Welcome Bonus | Foreign Transaction Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ramp | $0-$15/month | Up to 1.5% cash back | N/A | 0% |
| American Express Platinum Card | $695/year | 1x-5x points | Up to 200,000 bonus points | 0% |
| Brex | $0/month | 1x-8x | N/A | 0% |
| American Express Business Green Rewards | $95/year | 1x-2x points | Up to 25,000 bonus points | 2.7% |
| American Express Plum Card | $250/year | 1.5% cash back if paid within timeframe | NA | 0% |
Rewards Rate
Up to 1.5% cash backAnnual Fee
$0 for the standard package, $12/user/month for Ramp PlusBusiness Size
Corporations, LLCs, and LPs with $25K+ in the bankPros
Cons
Ramp is a corporate card that functions as a charge card but with the unique perks of a corporate card. Ramp offers partner discounts, cashback rewards, and automated savings insights which all work to save businesses up to 5% annually on average. Pair this with unlimited employee cards that include advanced spend controls and no monthly fees, and it's easy to see why Ramp is a top contender.
American Express Platinum Card |
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Pros
Cons
Charge cards are in American Express's wheelhouse, and its Business Platinum Card is one of the most well-known and prestigious charge cards around. With extremely generous reward tiers and a laundry list of benefits, it's quite a powerful little piece of plastic for travelers. The trade-off is a significant annual fee of $695, but if your business does a lot of traveling, this travel charge card is still definitely worth looking into.
Get Started With American Express Platinum Card
Pros
Cons
The Brex Card is another corporate credit card that functions as a charge card . Brex is ideal for startups because there's no credit check when you apply. Instead, the company considers factors such as your cash balance, spending patterns, and investors when assessing your worthiness, making the card a good option for startups with plenty of cash but little or no credit history. The Brex Card offers an exceptional rewards package geared toward common startup business needs, including up 8x points on popular business spending categories.
Annual Fee
$95Minimum Recommended Credit
ExcellentRewards Rate
2 or 1 point for $1 spentPros
Cons
The American Express Business Green Rewards card earns our overall best charge card tilt because it has a good mix of benefits. This card has unlimited 1x points on all purchases, 2x points on travel, a generous welcome bonus, and the unique ability to carry a balance if you want to. The Amex Business Green Rewards card also has a low annual fee and no spending limits, making it a solid all-around business charge card. The main downside is a hefty foreign transaction fee.
Get Started With American Express Business Green Rewards
American Express Plum Card |
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Annual Fee
$250 ($0 the first year)Minimum Recommended Credit
GoodRewards Rate
1.5% early pay discountPros
Cons
The American Express Plum Card is a business charge card devoted to helping your business manage its cash flow rather than lavish rewards. The card's pitch is simple: You get 60 days to pay off your balance with no interest, plus an early payoff discount. With a $250 annual fee and a relatively low rewards rate, this Amex charge card isn't for most businesses. However, a business that spends a lot and has to deal with an irregular cash flow may find the Plum Card to be a good tool for smoothing out its cash flow issues.
Get Started With American Express Plum Card
We spend hours researching and evaluating each corporate card that we review at Merchant Maverick, placing special emphasis on key characteristics to generate our ratings.
When rating corporate cards, we use a 15-point rubric that looks at rewards and perks, rates and fees, features, eligibility requirements, customer service, and user reviews. We weigh each section differently to calculate the total star rating.
Note: We use a different credit card rating methodology to evaluate traditional business credit cards, as they often differ from corporate cards in benefits, qualifications, and use cases.
Each section is further broken down into granular, weighted subsections, in which we examine specific attributes like cash back and spending rewards, reward redemption options, annual fees, employee card access, extra perks and features, credit score and revenue requirements, customer support options, and the overall reputation of the corporate card issuer.
Read more about our corporate card rating methodology.
A look at our favorite business charge cards tells you that the best choice is the one that fits your industry and your business priorities.
Are you looking for the business charge card with the best flat rewards rate? The best travel rewards rate? The lowest fees? Is avoiding a credit check and/or a personal guarantee a must?
Knowing why you’re seeking a charge card and what you want from it will help you find the card that meets your business needs.
Once you’ve found a charge card that fits your business needs and borrowing requirements, check out our best tips on how to get a business credit card to secure the charge card you want.
Charge cards aren’t for everyone. If you want to carry an occasional balance or don’t need the higher limits of charge cards, check out our list of the best business credit cards or the best corporate cards for businesses.
If you’re looking for additional types of business funding, have a look at our top business loans and lenders.
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The vendors that appear on this list were chosen by subject matter experts on the basis of product quality, wide usage and availability, and positive reputation.
Merchant Maverick’s ratings are editorial in nature, and are not aggregated from user reviews. Each staff reviewer at Merchant Maverick is a subject matter expert with experience researching, testing, and evaluating small business software and services. The rating of this company or service is based on the author’s expert opinion and analysis of the product, and assessed and seconded by another subject matter expert on staff before publication. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships.
Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone.
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