Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.
Employee credit cards let workers make purchases on their company’s behalf using their own copy of a business credit card. By using employee credit cards, you can keep an eye on your employees’ spending, earn credit card rewards and reduce the need for expense and reimbursement claims.
All of our picks offer free employee cards, as well as tools for managing and tracking employee purchases. To choose the best option for your business, focus on what you value most — whether that’s cash back, travel points or something else — and whether the issuer caps those rewards. Remember: More employees spending on your card may mean you’ll hit those limits faster.
All of our picks for the best business cards are chosen by our editorial team, who follow strict editorial guidelines to ensure fairness and accuracy in our coverage to help you choose the business card for your company. We independently evaluate and rate dozens of small-business credit cards, scoring them on fees, rewards rates, bonus offers and other features. View our full methodology.
Note: Some of our selections can be applied for through NerdWallet, and some cannot. Below, you’ll find application links for the credit cards from our partners that are available through NerdWallet, followed by the full list of our picks.
Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.
Employee credit cards let workers make purchases on their company’s behalf using their own copy of a business credit card. By using employee credit cards, you can keep an eye on your employees’ spending, earn credit card rewards and reduce the need for expense and reimbursement claims.
All of our picks offer free employee cards, as well as tools for managing and tracking employee purchases. To choose the best option for your business, focus on what you value most — whether that’s cash back, travel points or something else — and whether the issuer caps those rewards. Remember: More employees spending on your card may mean you’ll hit those limits faster.
All of our picks for the best business cards are chosen by our editorial team, who follow strict editorial guidelines to ensure fairness and accuracy in our coverage to help you choose the business card for your company. We independently evaluate and rate dozens of small-business credit cards, scoring them on fees, rewards rates, bonus offers and other features. View our full methodology.
Note: Some of our selections can be applied for through NerdWallet, and some cannot. Below, you’ll find application links for the credit cards from our partners that are available through NerdWallet, followed by the full list of our picks.
Here are the best employee credit cards
| Best for | NerdWallet rating▼ | Annual fee▼ | Rewards rate | Intro offer | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sign-up bonus with no annual fee Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card Apply now on Chase's website | 5.0/5 | $0 | 1.5% Cashback | $750 | Apply now on Chase's website |
New businesses and small teams The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card Apply now on American Express' website Rates & Fees | 4.7/5 | $0 | 1%-2% Cashback | $250 | Apply now on American Express' website Rates & Fees |
Travel rewards Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card Apply now on Chase's website | 4.7/5 | $95 | 1x-3x Points | 90,000 Points | Apply now on Chase's website |
Cash back on gas Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card Apply now on Bank of America's website | 3.9/5 | $0 | 1%-3% Cashback | $300 | Apply now on Bank of America's website |
Luxury travel rewards The Business Platinum Card® from American Express Apply now on American Express' website Rates & Fees | 4.8/5 | $695 | 1x-5x Points | 150,000 Points | Apply now on American Express' website Rates & Fees |
Business owners with fair credit Capital on Tap Business Credit Card Apply now on Capital on Tap's website | 3.8/5 | $0 | 1.5% | N/A | Apply now on Capital on Tap's website |
Flexible cash back with no rewards cap Capital One Spark Cash Plus Apply now on Capital One's website Rates & Fees | 5.0/5 | $150 | 2%-5% Cashback | $2,000 ⏱️ New bonus offer | Apply now on Capital One's website Rates & Fees |
| Best for | NerdWallet rating▼ | Annual fee▼ | Rewards rate | Intro offer | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sign-up bonus with no annual fee Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card Apply now on Chase's website | 5.0/5 | $0 | 1.5% Cashback | $750 | Apply now on Chase's website |
New businesses and small teams The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card Apply now on American Express' website Rates & Fees | 4.7/5 | $0 | 1%-2% Cashback | $250 | Apply now on American Express' website Rates & Fees |
Travel rewards Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card Apply now on Chase's website | 4.7/5 | $95 | 1x-3x Points | 90,000 Points | Apply now on Chase's website |
Cash back on gas Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card Apply now on Bank of America's website | 3.9/5 | $0 | 1%-3% Cashback | $300 | Apply now on Bank of America's website |
Luxury travel rewards The Business Platinum Card® from American Express Apply now on American Express' website Rates & Fees | 4.8/5 | $695 | 1x-5x Points | 150,000 Points | Apply now on American Express' website Rates & Fees |
Business owners with fair credit Capital on Tap Business Credit Card Apply now on Capital on Tap's website | 3.8/5 | $0 | 1.5% | N/A | Apply now on Capital on Tap's website |
Flexible cash back with no rewards cap Capital One Spark Cash Plus Apply now on Capital One's website Rates & Fees | 5.0/5 | $150 | 2%-5% Cashback | $2,000 ⏱️ New bonus offer | Apply now on Capital One's website Rates & Fees |
I'M INTERESTED IN:
Our pick for
Sign-up bonus with no annual fee
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Read Review
Apply now
on Chase's website
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5% Cashback
Intro offer
$750
Pros
- No annual fee
- Intro APR period
- No reward caps
- New cardholder bonus offer
Cons
- No bonus categories
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5% Cashback
Intro offer
$750
Pros
- No annual fee
- Intro APR period
- No reward caps
- New cardholder bonus offer
Cons
- No bonus categories
- Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business
- No Annual Fee
- Redeem rewards for cash back, gift cards, travel and more through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Earn rewards faster with employee cards at no additional cost. Set individual spending limits for greater control.
- Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
- With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
- 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases
- Member FDIC
Our pick for
New businesses and small teams
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-2% Cashback
Intro offer
$250
Pros
- No annual fee
- High rewards rate
- Intro APR period
- Cash rewards
Cons
- Spending caps on bonus rewards
- Requires good/excellent credit
- Earn a $250 statement credit after you make $3,000 in purchases on your Card in your first 3 months.
- 0.0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 17.74% – 25.74%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors as determined at the time of account opening. APRs will not exceed 29.99%
- Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement.
- From workflow to inventory to floor plans, your business is constantly changing. That’s why you’ve got the power to spend beyond your credit limit with Expanded Buying Power.
- The amount you can spend above your credit limit is flexible, so it adapts with your use of the Card, your payment history, credit record, financial resources known to us, and other factors. Just remember, the amount you can spend with Expanded Buying Power is not unlimited.
- No Annual Fee
- Terms Apply
View Rates & Fees
Our pick for
Travel rewards
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Read Review
Apply now
on Chase's website
Annual fee
$95
Rewards rate
1x-3x Points
Intro offer
90,000 Points
Pros
- New cardholder bonus offer
- Bonus categories
- Transfer partners
Cons
- Has annual fee
- No intro APR offer
Annual fee
$95
Rewards rate
1x-3x Points
Intro offer
90,000 Points
Pros
- New cardholder bonus offer
- Bonus categories
- Transfer partners
Cons
- Has annual fee
- No intro APR offer
- Earn 90k bonus points after you spend $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℠
- Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
- Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
- With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
- Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
- Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠
- Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
- Member FDIC
Our pick for
Cash back on gas
Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card
Read Review
Apply now
on Bank of America's website
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-3% Cashback
Intro offer
$300
Pros
- No annual fee
- High rewards rate
- New cardholder bonus offer
- Rotating bonus categories
Cons
- Requires excellent credit
- Complicated rewards
- Foreign transaction fee
- Spending caps on bonus rewards
- Best rewards limited to certain customers
Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card
Apply now
on Bank of America's website
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-3% Cashback
Intro offer
$300
Pros
- No annual fee
- High rewards rate
- New cardholder bonus offer
- Rotating bonus categories
Cons
- Requires excellent credit
- Complicated rewards
- Foreign transaction fee
- Spending caps on bonus rewards
- Best rewards limited to certain customers
- Get a $300 online statement credit after you make at least $3,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of your account opening.
- Earn 3% cash back in the category of your choice: gas stations & EV charging stations (default), office supply stores, travel, TV/telecom & wireless, computer services or business consulting services, 2% cash back on dining purchases and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- You'll earn 3% cash back on purchases in the category of your choice and 2% cash back on dining purchases on the first $50,000 in combined choice category/dining purchases each calendar year, 1% thereafter.
- You can earn up to 75% more cash back on every purchase, if you have a business checking account with Bank of America and qualify for Preferred Rewards for Business Platinum Honors tier. That means you could earn up to 5.25% cash back in your selected choice category and up to 3.5% cash back on dining purchases on the first $50,000 in those combined purchases each calendar year, and up to an unlimited 1.75% cash back on all other purchases.
- No annual fee
- Choose how to redeem your cash rewards-as a deposit into your Bank of America® checking or savings account, as a card statement credit or as a check mailed to you. Cash rewards don’t expire as long as your account remains open.
- To change your choice category for future purchases, you must go to the Mobile Banking app or Business Advantage 360, our small business online banking. You can change it once each calendar month, or make no change and it stays the same.
- 0% Introductory APR on purchases for your first 9 billing cycles. After the intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that's currently 17.99% to 27.99% will apply.
- Contactless Cards - The security of a chip card, with the convenience of a tap.
- This offer may not be available if you leave this page or visit our website. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.
Our pick for
Luxury travel rewards
Annual fee
$695
Rewards rate
1x-5x Points
Intro offer
150,000 Points
Pros
- Lounge membership
- Transfer partners
- Bonus categories
- Automatic elite status
- Premium travel protections
Cons
- High annual fee
- Complicated rewards
- Requires good/excellent credit
- Welcome Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com, and 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases.
- Earn 1.5X points (that’s an extra half point per dollar) on each eligible purchase 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, 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.
- Unlock over $1,000 in statement credits on select purchases, including tech, recruiting and wireless in the first year of membership with the Business Platinum Card®. Enrollment required. See how you can unlock over $1,000 annually in credits on select purchases with the Business Platinum Card®, here.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: 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 the Card.
- $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Use your card and get up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year on your CLEAR® Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use the Business Platinum Card®.
- The American Express Global Lounge Collection® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market as of 03/2023.
- $695 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
View Rates & Fees
Our pick for
Business owners with fair credit
Capital on Tap Business Credit Card
Read Review
Apply now
on Capital on Tap's website
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5%
Intro offer
N/A
Pros
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- 24/7 customer service
Cons
- Not available to sole proprietors, charities or nonprofits
- Must enroll in automatic payments
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5%
Intro offer
N/A
Pros
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- 24/7 customer service
Cons
- Not available to sole proprietors, charities or nonprofits
- Must enroll in automatic payments
- 1.5% rewards on all spend, no caps or restrictions
- $0 annual fee
- No foreign exchange fees
- APRs range from 17.99% to 43.99% variable
- Unlimited cards for your employees
- Capital on Tap Business Credit Cards are issued by WebBank
Our pick for
Flexible cash back with no rewards cap
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
Annual fee
$150
Rewards rate
2%-5% Cashback
Intro offer
$2,000
⏱️ New bonus offer
Pros
- Earns cash back on primary and employee cards
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Balance must be paid in full every month
- Has annual fee
- High spending requirement to hit full welcome bonus, annual bonus offers
Annual fee
$150
Rewards rate
2%-5% Cashback
Intro offer
$2,000
⏱️ New bonus offer
Pros
- Earns cash back on primary and employee cards
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Balance must be paid in full every month
- Has annual fee
- High spending requirement to hit full welcome bonus, annual bonus offers
- Earn a one-time cash bonus of $2,000 once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months
- Earn an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year. You can earn this bonus multiple times over the course of year 1!
- Earn unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Enjoy purchasing power that adapts to your business. The Spark Cash Plus card has no preset spending limit, so it can adapt to your needs based on your spending behavior, payment history, credit profile and other factors
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while you earn rewards from their transactions with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- $150 annual fee - Spend $150,000 annually and Capital One will refund this fee every year
- Spark Cash Plus has no APR because your balance is due in full every month
- For businesses that need large spending capacity and want to maximize cash back
View Rates & Fees
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Have a lot of employees who need your business credit card? Consider a corporate credit card. These cards are issued to your company, eliminating your personal liability. But they typically require several million dollars in annual revenue to qualify.Before applying, confirm details on the issuer’s website.
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Our pick for: Sign-up bonus + no annual fees
NerdWallet star rating:
5
The
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
earns a simple, flat cash-back rate on every purchase, with no limit on how much you can earn. The sign-up bonus is outstanding for a cash-back card, particularly one with no annual fee, and there's an intro APR period for purchases. Learn more and apply.American Express Blue Business Cash
Our pick for: New businesses + small teams
NerdWallet star rating:
4.4
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
boasts one of the better introductory APR offers among business credit cards, which makes it a good financing option for new businesses. Beyond that, there are solid rewards: Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement. Terms Apply.
It's less likely to be a fit for businesses with larger staffs who may hit that spending limit sooner. Learn more and apply.Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Our pick for: Travel rewards
NerdWallet star rating:
4.7
The
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
starts you off with one of the biggest sign-up bonuses of any credit card anywhere: Earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
You also get bonus rewards on travel expenses and common business spending categories, like advertising, shipping and internet, cable and phone service. Points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel booked through Chase, or you can transfer them to about a dozen airline and hotel partners. Learn more and apply.The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Our pick for: Luxury travel rewards
NerdWallet star rating:
4.8
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
comes with a big annual fee. But business travelers who prefer to go in style will find plenty that appeals to them: high rewards on certain travel purchases, bonus rewards on larger nontravel purchases, a superb newcomer welcome offer, extensive airport lounge access, elite hotel status, hundreds of dollars a year in available credits and a list of perks as long as your arm. It's not cheap, but luxury never is. Terms apply. Learn more and apply.Capital One Spark Cash Plus
Our pick for: Flexible cash back with no rewards cap
NerdWallet star rating:
5
The
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
is an excellent option for business operators whose expenses don't fall into the bonus categories on other business credit cards. There's no preset spending limit and you get a high, flat rewards rate on every purchase. Plus, you can earn a welcome bonus if you hit certain spending requirements. Just make sure that you can pay off your spending in full each month, as this is a charge card that doesn't let you revolve a balance. (See rates and fees.) Learn more and apply.Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard®
Our pick for: Cash back on gas
NerdWallet star rating:
3.9
The
Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card
gives entrepreneurs a little control over their credit card rewards by letting them choose which category earns the highest cash-back rate. Options include gas (EV charging stations qualify as well), office supplies, travel, computer services and more. There are also bonus rewards on dining and no annual fee. Learn more and apply.Capital On Tap
Our pick for: Business owners with fair credit
NerdWallet star rating:
3.8
Capital on Tap says applicants with a FICO score of 670 or higher have the best chance of approval, but the card is available to business owners with fair credit (typically considered a score from 630 to 689). The
Capital on Tap Business Credit Card
issued by WebBank offers 1.5%
cash back on all purchases, no annual fee and the potential for a low APR. One important note: This card is not available to sole proprietors, which excludes the majority of businesses. Learn more and apply.An employee credit card is a business credit card that employees can use on the owner’s behalf. You can add specific employees as authorized users, and each gets their own physical credit card.
Employee credit cards extend the benefits of business credit cards to your team. If your business credit card offers cash back rewards, for instance, adding employee cards means that your team’s purchases will generate rewards too.
But the risks of using credit cards are extended, too. If an employee spends more than you expect, you’ll be on the hook for paying off that debt.
You can request employee credit cards from your business credit card issuer. There’s generally no charge for employee cards, and you may be able to have an unlimited number.
Here’s what happens if you want an employee credit card:
- Add the employee as an authorized user and order them a card. Most issues allow a large or unlimited number of additional cards, and they tend to be free.
- Set up your employee’s constraints. You may be able to cap how much an employee can spend on their card or get notified when they make a purchase outside a designated category. This can help you react quickly in case of potential fraud.
- Set up alerts. Your credit card issuer may be able to ping you whenever an employee makes a purchase, when they go over their spending limit or when a purchase looks fraudulent. You can lock employee cards and report fraud as needed.
- Earn rewards — but watch out for caps. Let’s say you’re using theThe American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, which offers 2% cash back on your first $50,000 in eligible spending, then 1% after that. Terms apply. As employees put more purchases on your credit card, you may hit that spending cap faster — which may mean it’s time to shop for a card without them.
- Beware credit limits, too. While you can set spending caps for each employee, every card will count toward the same credit limit. Keep a close eye on your spending and pay down your balance regularly if needed to avoid reaching the limit.
- Designate another account manager, if needed. If someone else manages your day-to-day business finances, you may want to add them as an account manager so they can add additional authorized users and approve spending.
If you have multiple employees responsible for making purchases, it may make sense to give each person their own credit card.
Some advantages of employee credit cards for small and midsize teams include:
- Limit reimbursements and combine statements. When employees use your business credit card, you’ll be able to see more of your business’s spending on one monthly statement or in one online account. Plus, you may be able to limit the number of reimbursements you have to process.
- Earn more rewards on your business spending. If your workers are making purchases on your business’s behalf, they can use an employee credit card to help you earn cash back, points or other rewards. They may appreciate not having to tap into their own cash or credit as well.
- Monitor and limit each employee’s spending. Many cards allow you to cap how much individual employees can spend and get alerts if they go over those limits. Some issuers offer category-specific spending notifications, too.
- Easily track expenses. Instead of having to categorize each reimbursement expense, most business credit cards will sync automatically with your accounting software.
But be wary of these potential drawbacks:
- You may reach rewards caps sooner. It’s fairly common for cash-back cards to offer rewards only up to a certain amount of spending. If you and your employees’ combined spending results in you hitting those caps, you may want to shop around for cards that offer unlimited cash back or other rewards, likeCapital One Spark Cash PlusorInk Business Unlimited® Credit Card.
- Employees might misuse their cards. Employee cards get the same fraud protection as the main business credit card, and you can lock or freeze users’ cards at any time if you think they’ve been lost or stolen. But if your employee purchases something they shouldn’t have and your credit card issuer does not think it was fraudulent, you’ll still be on the hook for paying off that purchase.
To view rates and fees of
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
, see this page.To view rates and fees of
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
, see this page.Last updated on November 18, 2024
Methodology
NerdWallet's Credit Cards team selects the best credit cards for small business based on overall consumer value, as evidenced by star ratings, as well as their suitability for specific kinds of small-business operators. Factors in our evaluation include annual and other fees, rewards rates, the earning structure (for example, flat-rate rewards versus bonus categories), redemption options, bonus offers for new cardholders, introductory and ongoing APRs, and other noteworthy features such as special financing arrangements, free cards for employees or tools for managing business expenses. Learn more about how we rate business credit cards.
