6 Best Business Credit Cards For Consultants To Consider

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What are the best business credit cards for consultants? As a business consultant, you most likely spend a fair amount of your work week traveling between clients. These business credit cards will help you maximize your travel and dining expenses. Plus, you might enjoy a few extra card benefits as well.

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

6 Best Business Credit Cards For Consultants

Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is in high demand for a reason. It’s easy to earn bonus points and your points can be worth more when redeeming for travel compared to other travel cards.

Each year you earn 3x on the first $150,000 in combined spending for these purchases:

• Travel
• Shipping Purchases
• Internet, Phone, and Cable Services
• Search Engine and Social Media Advertising

When it comes to redeeming your rewards points, travel redemption is oftentimes the most valuable option. You get a 25% redemption bonus when booking award travel on the Chase travel portal. But your points can be worth more with the many 1:1 transfer partners including United, Southwest, Hyatt, and Marriott.

To book award travel sooner, the current signup bonus of 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points is worth $1,250 thanks to the 25% travel redemption bonus. To earn the 100k, spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.

One reason why you might hold off on applying for the Ink Business Preferred is that it’s subject to the notorious Chase “5/24 Rule.” If you have five or more new credit cards in the last 24 months, Chase will decline your application for the Ink Business Preferred and many other fine rewards cards.

The Business Platinum Card from American Express

While there are many premium cards in the consumer card space, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is a novelty. It comes with many air travel benefits other cards don’t offer.

For starters, you can earn an impressive 5x Membership Rewards® points per $1 spent on air travel and prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com. Remember that most cards award up to 3 points per $1 for airfare.

Cardholders earn 1.5x points (that’s an extra half point per dollar) on eligible purchases at US construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year.

Additionally, cardholders can get a 35% airline bonus when using their points to pay for all or part of a flight with a qualifying airline booked on amextravel.com, up to 500,000 bonus points annually. 

Your most valuable redemption options are booking award flights as you can get 35% of your redeemed points back. The 1:1 airline transfer partners of Amex Membership Rewards like Delta, Emirates, and Aer Lingus are great options too.

Plus, select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Card or any of the Additional Cards on your Platinum Card account.

Additionally, unlock over $1,000 in value per year for statement credits on select purchases, including tech, recruiting, and wireless with the Business Platinum Card.

Cardholders can get up to $189 back per year to enroll in CLEAR® membership when they use their Card to enroll. CLEAR® uses biometrics to assign you a touchless ID, allowing you to move faster through security at select airports and stadiums across the U.S. You can cover the cost of a CLEAR membership with up to $189 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR with your Business Platinum Card®.

Also, get access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting with The American Express Global Lounge Collection®. You’ll have more lounge location options than any other credit card on the market (as of 9/2021).

Welcome Bonus Offer

New The Business Platinum Card® from American Express cardholders have the opportunity to earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with your Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. 

The annual fee is $695 (See Rates & Fees).

United Business Card

The United℠ Business Card offers several United credit cards perks including:

• First checked bag free for you and one companion (terms apply)
• Priority boarding
• Two one-time United Club passes each year
• Space-available Premier Upgrades for MileagePlus Premier members

Additionally, get a $100 United® travel credit after 7 United flight purchases of $100 or more each anniversary year. Also, cardholders can receive a 5,000-mile “better together” bonus each anniversary when they have both the United℠ Business Card and a personal Chase United® credit card.

You can also earn unlimited 2 miles per $1 spent on these purchases:

• United® purchases
• Dining (including eligible delivery services)
• Gas Stations
• Local transit and commuting
• Office Supply Stores

United℠ Business Card cardholders earn 1x mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Additional business benefits include employee cards at no additional cost.

New United℠ Business Card cardholders can earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months their account is open. Plus, enjoy a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99.

There are no foreign transaction fees.

That signup bonus can bump this card to being one of the best credit cards for travel miles.

Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card is one of the most elite business airline cards. If you fly Delta often it’s worth a look. Even if you don’t fly Delta enough to justify the $550 annual fee (See Rates & Fees), don’t forget there are the Platinum and Gold Delta business versions too.

Owning the Delta Reserve for Business lets you enjoy these Delta benefits:

• Complimentary Delta Sky Club Access and Centurion Lounge access when you book your Delta flight with your Reserve card
• Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding
• Free Checked Bag
• Earn 3x SkyMiles on direct eligible Delta purchases
• Terms apply

When you purchase a Delta flight with your Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card, you will receive complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge or Escape Lounge – The Centurion® Studio Partner.

After you spend $150,000 on your Card in a calendar year, you earn 1.5 Miles per dollar (that’s an extra half mile per dollar) on eligible purchases the rest of the year. If your purchase qualifies for a category that has a higher mileage accelerator, only the higher accelerator will apply (ex: you would earn 3X miles on purchases made directly with Delta instead of 1.5X).

Cardholders can also earn an additional 15,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after spending $30,000 in purchases on their card in a calendar year, up to 4x times per year, getting them closer to Medallion Status.

Additionally, save 15% On Award Travel With TakeOff 15. Eligible Card Members now enjoy exclusive savings on Delta flights. Not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.

New Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card cardholders can earn 70,000 Bonus Miles after spending $5,000 in purchases on their new Card in their first 3 months.

Plus, with complimentary access to Delta Sky Club®, relax before your Delta flight, or find downtime between connections. You’ll also receive two Delta Sky Club One-Time Guest Passes annually so you can share the experience with your traveling partners.

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card can be a sweet deal if you enjoy staying within one of the many Hilton hotel brands including Homewood Suites, Hampton Inn, Home2, or Hilton Garden Inn. Of course, don’t forget the upscale brands like Conrad or Waldorf Astoria if you have the privilege of consulting high-profile clients.

To get the most value from this card, plan on spending at least $15,000 annually to get a Free Night Reward. Spending another $45,000 gives you a second Free Night Reward.

Each year with your The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, you get 10 free Priority Pass airport lounge visits (once enrolled) and complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status that gives you complimentary hotel breakfast and space-available room upgrades.

Cardholders earn Hilton Honors bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases on their Card:

• 12x at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio
• 6x at:
  • U.S. gas stations
  • U.S. purchases for shipping
  • On wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers
  • On flights booked directly with airlines or with Amex Travel
  • Also on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies
  • At U.S. restaurants
• 3x on all other eligible purchases

And there’s a limited-time offer! New The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card cardholders can earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $5,000 in purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. This offer ends on 04/05/2023. 

There is a $95 annual fee (See Rates & Fees). 

Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card comes with some great Marriott Bonvoy benefits:

• Premium on-property internet and Boingo wifi hotspot access
• 6x points at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program
• Earn 4x points on purchases at U.S. gas stations, and restaurants worldwide, shipping from U.S. providers, and wireless phone purchases also from the U.S.

Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card cardholders can receive 1 Free Night Award annually after their Card renewal month. Plus, they can earn an additional Free Night Award after spending $60k in purchases on their Card in a calendar year. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.

Cardholders can also enjoy complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.

Plus, receive a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms at hotels that participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program when booking directly. Terms and Conditions Apply.

Limited-time offer! New Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card cardholders can earn 125,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after spending $5,000 in purchases on their new Card within their first 3 months of Card Membership. This offer ends on 05/03/2023. 

The annual fee is $125 (See Rates & Fees), which can easily be offset with the free annual night certificate. Terms apply.

Summary

You should pick the card that helps you get more value from the airline or hotel you travel with the most. Other bonus categories like gas stations or dining rewards can also be pivotal in making your decision. With any of these cards, you can get more mileage from each dollar you spend on the business.

For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, please click here.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, please click here.

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

For rates and fees of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, please click here.