The best business credit cards for travel of April 2024
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

Who's this for? The Chase Ink Business Preferred is an ideal fit for businesses that spend heavily on travel, shipping, internet, advertising (with social media sites or search engines) or cable and phone services. Standout benefits: What makes this such a great business card for travel is the options you have for redeeming the points you earn. You can use Chase Ultimate Rewards® points to book travel through the Chase TravelSM at a rate of 1.25 cents per point (25% more value than redeeming for cash back) or transfer them to 14 airline and hotel partners. The Ink Business Preferred also has a variety of travel insurance and purchase protection benefits, which can save your business money when things go wrong. [ Jump to more details ]

Best for no annual fee

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express Learn More On the American Express secure site Rewards Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on everyday business purchases up to $50,000 per year, then 1X point per dollar

Welcome bonus Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership.

Annual fee $0

Intro APR 0% for 12 months on purchases from date of account opening

Regular APR 18.49% - 26.49% variable; APRs will not exceed 29.99%

Balance transfer fee N/A

Foreign transaction fee 2.7%

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

Straightforward rewards program Cons 2.7% foreign transaction fee Learn More View More

Best for flexible spending categories

American Express® Business Gold Card Learn More On the American Express secure site Rewards Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap. 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card.

Welcome bonus Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership

Annual fee $375

Intro APR Not applicable

Regular APR 19.49% - 28.49% variable

Balance transfer fee N/A

Foreign transaction fee None

Credit needed Excellent See rates and fees, terms apply. Pros Get 25% points back when you use points for flights

Flexible solutions for managing cash flow

No foreign transaction fee

No cost to add up to 99 employee cards Cons $375 annual fee

No introductory APR offer Learn More View More

Who's this for? The American Express Business Gold Card is ideal for businesses whose primary expenses change month to month. Rather than having fixed bonus categories, with this card, you'll automatically earn elevated rewards for your 2 highest-spend categories each billing cycle from six eligible categories, allowing for maximum flexibility. While your top two categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap. Standout benefits: The six categories in which you can potentially earn bonus points, including airfare, U.S. advertising, U.S. shipping, computer purchases from U.S. providers, U.S. gas stations and U.S. restaurants. The card also provides a 25% airline bonus that lets you get some of your points back when you use Pay with Points to book flights, access to various expense management tools, *baggage insurance, trip delay insurance, car rental loss and damage insurance and no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees). [ Jump to more details ]

Best for premium travel perks

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

Best for hotels

IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card Learn More On Chase's secure site Rewards Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels and Resorts, 5X points per dollar spent on travel and at gas stations, restaurants and dining, social media and search engine advertising and at office supply stores, 3X points per dollar spent on all other purchases

Welcome bonus Limited Time offer! Earn up to 175,000 Bonus Points. Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, earn 35,000 Bonus Points after spending a total of $7,000 in the first 6 months from account opening.

Annual fee $99

Intro APR None

Regular APR

21.49% - 28.49% variable

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

Foreign transaction fee None

Credit needed Excellent/Good Member FDIC. Terms apply. Pros Annual free night

Great for spending with IHG hotels

Reasonable annual fee Cons Not as rewarding for most spending

No intro-APR offer

Hefty balance transfer fee Learn More View More

Who's this for? The to IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card can help small business owners quickly turn their expenses into free nights across IHG's 18 hotel brands, such as InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Kimpton®, EVEN® Hotels, Indigo® Hotels & Holiday Inn®. Standout benefits: The biggest benefit of this card is an annual free night certificate valid and IHG hotels costing up to 40,000 points per night. Cardholders also enjoy VIP treatment with IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status (as long as you remain a Premier cardmember), as well as up to $50 worth of United TravelBank Cash each year and a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS application fee credit. Plus, cardholders get a fourth night free when redeeming points for a consecutive four-night IHG® hotel stay. [ Jump to more details ]

Best for domestic flights

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Learn More On Chase's secure site Rewards Earn 4X points on Southwest® purchases; 3X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners; 2X points on rideshare; 2X points on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services; 1X points on all other purchases

Welcome bonus Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Annual fee $199 applied to first billing statement

Intro APR None

Regular APR 21.49% - 28.49% variable

Balance transfer fee 5%, minimum $5

Foreign transaction fees None

Credit needed Excellent/Good Member FDIC. See our methodology, terms apply. Pros Bonus counts toward earning a Southwest Companion Pass

Generous ongoing benefits

Free employee cards Cons Higher annual fee

No intro-APR offer

Not as rewarding as other cards for certain purchases Learn More View More

Who's this for? The Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card is geared toward business owners who want to save money and get special perks when flying Southwest and potentially earn the Southwest Companion Pass, which over time would allow them to save even more. Standout benefits: This card comes with a handful of helpful travel benefits, such as bonus points every account anniversary, in-flight WiFi credits, upgraded boardings, a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee credit and an opportunity to fast-track Southwest elite status or the coveted Southwest Companion Pass. [ Jump to more details ]

More on our top business travel cards

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

The Chase Ink Business Preferred is an excellent business card with useful benefits, valuable rewards and a generous welcome bonus. Rewards 3X points per dollar 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 dollar spent on all other purchases Welcome bonus Earn 100,000 points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Annual fee $95 Notable perks You can use Chase Ultimate Rewards® points to book travel through Chase TravelSM at a rate of 1.25 cents per point, which is a 25% increase in value compared to using the points for cash back. The Ink Business Preferred also gives you the ability to transfer Chase points to numerous hotel and airline partners at a 1:1 ratio. Having the ability to transfer your points unlocks all sorts of redemption possibilities. For example, you could transfer points to World of Hyatt and book an all-inclusive resort stay in the Caribbean or transfer points to Aeroplan, Avianca or United and book cheap business-class flights to Europe on Star Alliance carriers. This card also has built-in insurance coverage that automatically applies to eligible purchases, such as cell phone protection, purchase protection and extended warranty coverage. When you pay for eligible travel with the card, you'll also get insurance for rental cars (collision only), trip delays, trip cancellations/interruptions and baggage delays. [ Return to card summary ]

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

The American Express® Business Gold Card

The American Express Business Gold Card is one of the best business cards for maximizing your spending. It offers flexible bonus reward categories based on where your business spends the most. Rewards 4X points per dollar on two select categories where you spend the most each month (on up to $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year)

1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases Welcome bonus Earn 70,000 points after spending $10,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership. Annual fee $375 (see rates and fees) Notable perks In addition to transferring their points to Amex's various airline and hotel partners, cardholders can redeem their points toward eligible airfare booked through the Amex Travel Portal and receive a 25% points rebate (up to 250,000 points per calendar year). The rebate applies to business and first class tickets on any airline, or any class on your selected qualifying airline. Cardholders can also take advantage of expense management tools like the American Express® Business App, year-end summaries and Vendor Pay by Bill.com and enjoy peace of mind with coverages like *baggage insurance, trip delay insurance and car rental loss and damage insurance. [ Return to card summary ]

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

The IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card is a hotel business card with a reasonable annual fee that can be easily justified by its ongoing benefits. Rewards Up to 26X points per dollar spent at IHG Hotels and Resorts (10X points for being an IHG Rewards Member, 10X points per dollar spent at IHG hotels as a cardholder and up to 6X points for having Platinum Elite status)

5X points per dollar spent on travel, dining, select business purchases and at gas stations

3X points per dollar spent on all other purchases Welcome bonus Earn up to 175,000 Bonus Points; 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, earn 35,000 Bonus Points after spending a total of $7,000 in the first 6 months from account opening. Annual fee $99 Notable perks Cardholders receive an annual free night certificate valid and IHG hotels costing up to 40,000 points per night (though the certificate can be combined with IHG points to book more expensive properties). Cardholders also receive automatic IHG Platinum Elite status and the fourth night free when booking IHG points stays of four nights or more. Benefits of IHG Platinum Elite status include complimentary room upgrades upon availability, late checkout and a welcome amenity at check-in. Other perks include up to $50 worth of United TravelBank Cash each year and a statement credit of up to $100 every four years to put toward Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS membership. Cardholders also earn 10,000 bonus points and a $100 statement after spending $20,000 on the card within the account anniversary year. [ Return to card summary ]

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card is Southwest's most premium business credit card and can be incredibly rewarding for frequent flyers, especially those chasing the Southwest Companion Pass or other Southwest elite status. Rewards 4X points per dollar spent on Southwest® purchases

3X points per dollar spent on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners

2X points per dollar spent on rideshare

2X points per dollar spent on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services

1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases Welcome bonus Earn 80,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Annual fee $199 Notable perks The Southwest Performance Business Card's annual fee can easily be offset if you take full advantage of its many benefits: 9,000 Rapid Rewards points every account anniversary (worth roughly $135)

Up to 365 in-flight WiFi credits per year with Southwest Airlines (worth $8 each)

Four Upgraded Boardings per year (when available)

Up to $100 in application fee credit for TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry

Up to $500 in Rapid Rewards transfer fee credits each membership year This card is also useful in giving you a leg up on earning Southwest elite status. For every $10,000 you spend on the card, you'll earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points. Plus, the Rapid Rewards points you earn from spending and the welcome bonus count toward earning a Southwest Companion Pass, which allows you to bring along a companion on any Southwest flight for just the cost of taxes and fees. If you live near an airport Southwest serves, the Companion Pass is one of the best travel deals because it works with points flights and flights paid with cash. [ Return to card summary ] Find the best credit card for you by reviewing offers in our credit card marketplace or get personalized offers via CardMatch™.

FAQs Is a business travel card worth it? Business travel credit cards can be exceptionally valuable compared to other types of business rewards credit cards. However, if you prefer to use credit card rewards for things other than travel, you may receive more value from a business cash-back credit card. What's the best business credit card for airline miles? The best business credit card for earning airline miles depends on which airline you prefer to travel with as Delta, United, JetBlue, American and Southwest all offer their own business credit cards. For those who want more flexibility, a card like the Chase Ink Business Preferred or American Express Business Gold Card are better options because both cards earn rewards you can transfer to various airlines. Can I use business card rewards for personal travel? You can use the rewards you earn from business credit cards to book personal or business travel. Small business credit cards are typically linked to personal travel rewards programs and the points or miles you earn from personal and business credit cards are often automatically combined or can usually be pooled together.

Bottom line

Small business credit cards are essential for keeping personal and business expenses separate. But they can also earn valuable rewards for your everyday business expenses. With the right business credit card for travel, you can maximize the miles or points you earn and take advantage of benefits designed for travelers.

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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 credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of small business 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 travel credit cards.

Our methodology

To determine which business cards offer the best value, CNBC Select analyzed dozens of the most popular credit cards available to U.S. business owners. We compared each card on a range of features, including annual fee, employee card fee, rewards, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR and foreign transaction fees, as well as factors such as required credit and customer reviews when available. 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.

*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/ benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company; Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. For rates and fees of the Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here. For rates and fees of the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here. For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, 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.