Best sole proprietorship business credit cards
Best for cash back

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card Learn More On Chase's secure site Rewards Earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business

Welcome bonus Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Annual fee $0

Intro APR 0% for the first 12 months from account opening on purchases; N/A for balance transfers

Regular APR 18.49% - 24.49% variable

Balance transfer fee Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

Foreign transaction fee 3%

Credit needed Good/Excellent Terms apply. Pros No annual fee

Free employee cards

Simple cash-back program

Special financing offer for purchases Cons 3% fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S. Learn More View More

Who's this for? The Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card is ideal for sole proprietors who value simplicity because it offers a generous flat cash-back rate on all purchases and has no annual fee. Standout benefits: All purchases earn at least 1.5% cashback. This allows sole proprietors to focus on what matters to their business instead of spending time navigating a complicated rewards program. [ Jump to more details ]

Best for travel rewards

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card Learn More On Chase's secure site Rewards Earn 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in select categories each account anniversary year (travel; shipping purchases; internet, cable and phone services; and advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines), 1X point per $1 on all other purchases

Welcome bonus Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Annual fee $95

Intro APR None

Regular APR 21.24% - 26.24% variable

Balance transfer fee Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

Foreign transaction fee None

Credit needed Good/Excellent

Terms apply. Read our Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card review. Pros Free employee cards

Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase TravelSM

1:1 point transfer to leading frequent travel programs

No fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S.

Generous welcome bonus worth up to $1,000 Cons $95 annual fee

No introductory 0% financing offers for purchases or balance transfers Learn More View More

Best for premium benefits

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express Learn More On the American Express secure site Rewards Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com and 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases. Also, earn 1.5X points (that's an extra half point per dollar) on each 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.

Welcome bonus Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of card membership

Annual fee $695

Intro APR N/A

Regular APR 19.49% - 28.49% variable

Balance transfer fee N/A

Foreign transaction fee None

Credit needed Excellent/Good See rates and fees, terms apply. Pros Enroll to receive up to $400 in annual statement credits on Dell purchases (up to $200 semi-annually), up to $360 with Indeed, up to $150 with Adobe and up to $120 on wireless telephone purchases

Get 35% points back when you use points to purchase all or part of an airline fare, up to 500,000 bonus points back per calendar year

American Express Global Lounge Collection

Breeze through security with CLEAR® Plus where available and get up to $189 back per year on your membership when you use your card. (subject to auto-renewal)

Up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees charged by your one selected, qualifying airline to your card Cons $695 annual fee

No introductory 0% financing offers Learn More View More

Who's this for? The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is one of the best options for sole proprietors who value luxury travel benefits such as airport lounge access and automatic hotel elite status. Standout benefits: This card offers a long list of travel benefits, including access to over 1,400 airport lounges and an annual airline fee credit of up to $200 for incidentals, like baggage fees and seat upgrades. Cardholders can enroll to receive Hilton Gold status, Marriott Gold status and premium rental car privileges with National, Avis and Hertz. Terms apply. [ Jump to more details ]

Best for 0% intro APR

U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card Learn More Rewards Earn 5% cash back on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Rewards Center, 3% cash back on eligible purchases at gas stations and EV charging stations, office supply stores, cell phone service providers and restaurants, 1% cash back on all other eligible net purchases

Welcome bonus Earn $500 in cash back. Just spend $4,500 on the account owner's card in the first 150 days of opening your account.

Annual fee $0

Intro APR 0% for 15 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers

Regular APR 19.24% - 28.24% (Variable)

Balance transfer fee Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

Foreign transaction fee 3%

Credit needed Excellent/Good See rates and fees, terms apply. Pros No annual fee

$500 welcome bonus offer

No limit on cash back earned

Interest-free period for the first 15 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers

Annual $100 statement credit for recurring software subscription services Cons 3% foreign transaction fee Learn More View More

Best for bad credit

Bank of America Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card Learn More Information about the Bank of America Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured card has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication. Rewards Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases

Welcome bonus None

Annual fee $0

Intro APR None

Regular APR 28.49% variable

Balance transfer fee 4% of each transaction (minimum $0)

Foreign transaction fee 3%

Credit needed Poor/No credit history Terms apply. Pros No annual fee

Bad credit may qualify

Opportunity to transition to an unsecured card for qualified cardholders

Flexible redemption options Cons $1,000 minimum security deposit

No welcome bonus

No introductory 0% financing offers for purchases or balance transfers Learn More View More

More on our business credit cards for sole proprietors

Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

The Ink Business Unlimited card is a rewarding cash-back business card with an unusually generous welcome bonus for a no-annual-fee card. Rewards 5% cash back on Lyft rides (through Mar. 31, 2025)

1.5% cash back on all other purchases Welcome bonus Earn a $750 cash bonus after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months after opening the account. Annual fee $0 Notable perks New Ink Business Unlimited cardholders receive an intro 0% APR on purchases for 12 months (after that, a variable 18.49% to 24.49% APR applies). This is an excellent offer that makes financing important business purchases more affordable. You can add employee cards for no additional fee and take advantage of benefits such as purchase protection, extended warranty protection, roadside dispatch and travel and emergency assistance services. If you have an eligible Ultimate-Rewards-earning card, like the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, the cashback earned with this card can be converted into transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards® points. [ Return to card summary ]

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card

The U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card packs a lot into a no-annual-fee business card. Not only does it offer a competitive intro APR offer, but it also has a strong welcome bonus and great cash-back rates. Rewards 5% back on prepaid hotels and rental cars booked through the U.S. Bank Travel Rewards Center

3% cash back on eligible purchases at gas and EV charging stations, office supply stores, cell phone service providers and restaurants

1% cash back on all other purchases Welcome bonus Earn $500 cash back after spending $4,500 on purchases within the first 150 days of account opening. Annual fee $0 Notable perks Cardholders can earn a $100 annual statement credit for recurring software subscriptions. To qualify, you need to make 11 consecutive monthly payments for an eligible software service, such as QuickBooks or FreshBooks. [ Return to card summary ]

Bank of America Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card

The Bank of America Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card is a solid cash-back card in and of itself but shines in comparison to other secured cards. Rewards 1.5% cash back on all purchases Welcome bonus None Annual fee $0 Notable perks The required minimum deposit to open this card is $1,000 and your credit line is equal to the amount you deposit. It also has a handful of travel insurance perks including, up to $100,000 in travel accident insurance, lost luggage assistance and emergency ticket replacement. [ Return to card summary ]

FAQs Can a sole proprietor get a business credit card? A small business owner who is a sole proprietor is eligible for business credit cards. Many business card applications allow you to use your social security number as your business tax ID and don't require you to have an LLC or other complicated business structure. Can I use my EIN to get a business credit card? You can use an Employer Identification Number (EIN) to apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor. However, most business cards for sole proprietors require a personal guarantee, so reviews of your personal credit history and income are part of the application process. Do business credit card applications verify personal income? Most small business card applications require you to provide your personal income and social security number. The card issuer can use this information to determine your credit limit and whether you can afford the card's monthly payments.

Bottom line

Sole proprietors are eligible for most types of small business credit cards, including cards that earn cash-back, travel rewards and offer no-interest intro periods. You'll usually need a good to excellent credit score to qualify for the most rewarding cards, but if you have a lower credit score, some of the easiest business credit cards to get only require an average or fair credit score.

Why trust CNBC Select?

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every business credit card article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best business credit cards for sole proprietors.

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Our methodology

To determine which business cards offer the best value for sole proprietors, CNBC Select analyzed dozens of major small business credit cards. We compared each card on a range of features, including the annual fee, rewards, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR and foreign transaction fees. We also considered additional perks, the application process and how easy it is to redeem points. Catch up on CNBC Select's in-depth coverage of credit cards, banking and money, and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.

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

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.