Running your own business can be one of the most rewarding experiences. Maximizing your business purchases using the best credit cards for self-employed professionals (like yourself) is one benefit. Earning bonus points on your most common business purchases makes it easier to redeem points for cash or travel rewards and can be super helpful come tax season. Additionally, they come with benefits that can help add more value to your business needs.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Best Credit Cards for Self-Employed Professionals
The best credit cards for self-employed professionals depend on a few factors. These include your purchase types, average purchase size, and if you want cash or travel rewards. The best rewards credit cards allow you to earn on specific purchases that are relevant to what you need.
Here’s a preview of what you’ll find:
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
- Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
- And the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
- Capital One Spark Business Credit Cards
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
The Business Platinum Card from American Express
If you frequently fly and can benefit from complementary airport lounge access and other travel benefits, you might appreciate The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.
You will also earn 5X Membership Rewards® points for flights, prepaid hotels, and short-term rentals and prepaid flight + hotel packages booked at AmexTravel.com. 1X points on other eligible purchases.
It’s also one of the best metal business cards making it aesthetically pleasing.
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 per Card Account per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus.
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 1,000,000 bonus points annually.
Additional Benefits
Plus, get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees charged by your one selected, qualifying airline to your Card.
Hilton For Business members get up to $200 back per calendar year when they make an eligible purchase at Hilton properties across the globe. Benefit enrollment is required.
Additionally, unlock over $1,000 in annual statement credits on select purchases, including tech, recruiting and wireless in the first year of membership with the Business Platinum Card®. Enrollment required.
Cardholders can get up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year on your CLEAR® Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when they use their Business Platinum Card®.
Cardholders can enjoy complimentary access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection®, which has more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting. Cardholders have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer (as of 10/2024). Access is limited to eligible Card Members.
Welcome Bonus Offer
Limited time offer! New The Business Platinum Card® from American Express cardholders can earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Business Platinum Card® within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, earn a $500 statement credit after you spend $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel with your Business Platinum Card® within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You can earn one or both of these offers. Offer ends 6/30/25.
The annual fee is $695 (See Rates & Fees).
The Business Platinum Card is one of the best premium business rewards cards and therefore one of the best cards for self-employed people. Here’s how hard it is to get the Amex Business Platinum.
Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
Interested in credit cards for self-employed but also want to a Chase option? The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is probably the best all-around credit card for self-employed people. It has a reasonable $95 annual fee, and you earn the highly-regarded Chase Ultimate Rewards® points. On the first $150,000 in combined spending, you earn 3 points per $1 on these purchases:
- Travel
- Shipping Purchases
- Internet, Cable, and Phone Services
- Advertising on Social Media and Search Engines
Your points are worth 1 cent each for cash back, gift cards, and Amazon.com credits. Saving your points for award travel can be more valuable. They are worth 25% more booking travel on Chase. Plus, you can transfer them on a 1:1 basis to airline and hotel travel loyalty programs like United, Southwest Airlines, and World of Hyatt.
The Ink Business Preferred Card also has the most valuable signup bonus for a Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card.
New Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card cardholders can earn 90,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $900 cash back or $1,125 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠.
One downside of this card is that it’s subject to the infamous Chase 5/24 Rule. If you have applied for or have been listed as an authorized user on at least 5 credit cards in the most recent 24 months, Chase will decline your application, regardless of your credit score.
Related: How Hard Is It To Get the Chase Ink Business Preferred?
Ink Business Cash Credit Card
Chase offers two Ink business credit cards that don’t charge an annual fee: Ink Business Cash® Credit Card and the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card.
Ink Business Cash Credit Card
The Ink Business Cash Credit Card offers tiered purchase rewards where you earn either 5% or 2% back on select purchases. You get 5% back on the first $25,000 in combined spending on office supply stores and phone, Internet, and cable services. And, you get 2% back on the first $25,000 for gas stations and restaurant purchases.
New Ink Business Cash® Credit Card cardholders can earn up to a $750 bonus cash back! Earn $350 after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Then, earn an additional $400 after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening.
You earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points that are worth 1 cent for cash and travel redemptions. Since this card doesn’t charge an annual fee, you don’t have access to the 1:1 travel transfer partners. But, if you also own the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card or a Chase Sapphire product, you can pool your points. This is why it is one of the best Chase business credit cards.
Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card
Business Unlimited earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases. There are no limits to how much cash back you can earn for your business.
It is also a no-annual-fee card.
New Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card cardholders can earn a $750 bonus cash back after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
The Ink Cash and the 1.5x flat rewards Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card are both subject to the Chase 5/24 rule too. It’s good to remember this rule when considering the best credit cards for self-employed folks.
Capital One Spark Credit Cards
You might prefer a flat-rate rewards card. The Capital One Spark card family lets you earn either travel rewards or cash rewards similar to the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
With the Capital One Spark Miles for Business, you earn unlimited 2 miles per $1 spent on every purchase, everywhere. Plus, earn 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One’s travel booking site. You can redeem your miles for award travel or transfer to one of the Capital One airline transfer partners (which have recently added more partners and two new airport lounges). You will also receive up to a $120 credit for one Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee. New Capital One Spark Miles for Business cardholders can 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.
Capital One Spark Cash earns an unlimited 2% back in cash rewards. You can redeem your cash back at any time and in any amount. New Capital One Spark Cash cardholders can earn a one-time $750 cash bonus once they spend $7,500 on purchases within 3 months of account opening.
Neither card charges a foreign transaction fee. However, both cards have an annual fee of $95 that is waived for the first year. These are also some of the best business credit cards with no annual fees.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
If you live near a Southwest Airlines hub and fly regularly with another person, consider the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card.
New Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card cardholders can earn 60,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
This bonus gives you a healthy jumpstart on earning the 135,000 points required to earn the Southwest Companion Pass®. Or, you can fly 100 one-way flights in a calendar year. Once you earn the Companion Pass, your travel companion flies for the prices of fees and taxes for the rest of the year you earn the pass as well as the next year (so long as you fly with them).
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card earns:
- 3x points on Southwest Airlines® purchases
- 2x points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners
- 2x points on rideshares
- 1x point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Cardholders also get access to 2 EarlyBird Check-In® abilities each year, plus they can earn unlimited tier qualifying points towards A-List status.
Plus, you get a 6,000-anniversary point bonus with each card renewal. You can read more about all of the notable perks that come with this card in our in-depth Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card review.
It is one of the best Southwest credit cards available.
Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card earns some of the most valuable hotel rewards points available. Cardholders can earn 6x Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card points at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program. Plus, they earn 4 points per $1 on these U.S.-based purchases:
- Gas Stations
- Wireless service providers
- Shipping purchases
Restaurant purchases worldwide earn 4x points.
Plus, earn 2x Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card points on all other eligible purchases.
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.
The annual fee is $125 (See Rates & Fees).
Cardholders can also enjoy complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.
Plus, receive a 7% discount on eligible bookings as a benefit of being both a Marriott Bonvoy® member & a Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card Member when you book directly with Marriott through an eligible channel for a participating property under the Amex Business Card Rate.
New Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card cardholders can earn 3 Free Night Awards after using their new Card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Each Free Night Award has a redemption level up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points, for a total potential value of up to 150,000 points, at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees. Terms apply.
Note that this is one of the best credit card offers available now.
Summary
In conclusion, the best credit cards for self-employed professionals give you the option to earn bonus points on your largest and most common purchases. You can hopefully see why some of these cards are considered the best small business credit cards available. These cards also provide some of the best redemption values for cash or travel rewards but also come with perks for your business.
Related Articles:
- How to Qualify for a Small Business Credit Card?
- Best Business Credit Cards for Advertising Spending
- Best Business Credit Cards For Shipping Purchases
- The Best Business Credit Cards For Office Supplies
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, please click here.
