There are plenty of expenses that come with running a business. Luckily, business credit cards make it easy to save money or get cashback rewards on those costs. And while there are plenty of business card cards to choose from, store credit cards reward customers who often shop at a particular store.
When choosing the right in-store credit card for your small business, it’s important to find one that offers plenty of rewards on purchases you already make and allows you to spend those rewards in a way that works for you.
Here is our list of the six best in-store credit cards for small businesses.
Amazon Business Prime American Express Card
Best for online shopping
Many small businesses find themselves doing their shopping online these days. If that’s the case for you, then the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card might be the right choice for you. The card doesn’t have an annual fee, and you get a welcome bonus of $125 just for applying and being approved.
The Amazon business card offers the following cashback benefits:
- 5% back on purchases at Amazon Business, AWS, Amazon.com, or Whole Foods Market.
- 5% back on the first $120,000 in purchases each calendar year.
- 2% back on purchases at restaurants, gas stations, and wireless phone services.
- 1% back on all other eligible purchases.
When you accrue rewards, you can either redeem them for Amazon gift cards or apply them directly to charges on your credit card statement.
Another perk of the Amazon business card is the robust manager controls. You can easily add and remove employees, set spending limits, track employee purchases, and more. You can also use your card to pay bills with Vendor Pay by Bill.com, allowing you to take advantage of more rewards.
Pros:
- No annual fee.
- Competitive rewards.
- Manager controls.
Cons:
- Amazon Prime membership required.
- High penalty APR.
- Forfeit points by canceling your Amazon Prime membership or making a late payment.
Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card
Best for business travel
The Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card is an excellent option for businesses that travel often. The card comes with a welcome bonus of 60,000 miles and 10,000 Medallion qualification miles when you spend $4000 in your first three months. You also earn three miles per dollar on Delta purchases and one mile per dollar on other purchases as a cardholder. Additionally, once you’ve spent $150 000 in a calendar year, you’re upgraded to one and a half miles per dollar spent.
In addition to the miles rewards, your Delta SkyMiles card comes with plenty of other travel perks, including:
- Delta Sky Club access.
- Access to the Centurion Lounge.
- Delta Sky Club guest passes.
- Cabin 1 priority boarding.
- First checked bag free.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Concierge service.
- Fee credit for global entry or TSA PreCheck.
- Trip delay insurance.
- Trip cancelation and interruption insurance.
- Baggage insurance plan.
- Car rental loss and damage insurance.
All the perks that come with this Delta card do come with a price tag. The card has an annual fee of $550, which is higher than most.
You also can’t use your rewards on anything except travel, which means you lose out if you stop traveling. Don’t worry, though — rewards never expire, meaning you can always use them later.
Pros:
- Earn rewards for flights, seat upgrades, and more.
- Large welcome bonus.
- No limit or expiration on miles.
Cons:
- High annual fee.
- High spending required to maximize rewards.
- Rewards are limited to travel.
Shell Small Business Card
Best for fleet companies
For fleet companies that spend a lot of money on gas, a Shell Small Business Card might be right for you. This card allows fleet managers to activate, suspend, or terminate card access for all drivers and employees. You can also control what and how much employees can spend, limiting purchases to either just gas or gas and convenience store purchases.
One downside of the Shell card for small businesses is that you don’t get the perks available to larger fleet companies. Large companies with the Fleet Plus and Fleet Navigator cards get rebates of up to 6 cents per gallon, access to the Fleet SmartHub app, and Fleet ClearView Data Analytics. Those perks aren’t available to small business cardholders.
Remember that the Shell credit card can only be used at Shell stations and participating Jiffy Lube locations. If you don’t have easy access to those businesses or use a variety of gas stations, then this card likely isn’t for you.
Pros:
- No annual fee.
- Control over employee spending.
Cons:
- No rewards.
- It can only be used at Shell gas stations.
- No SmartHub app access for small business owners.
Staples More Account Credit Card
Best for office supplies
For businesses that regularly find themselves purchasing office supplies, the Staples More Account Credit Card is a great option. The card comes with plenty of perks, including up to 5% cashback in rewards on each purchase, both in-store and online. Cardholders also get free next-day delivery on their Staples purchases, with no minimum required. Finally, there’s currently a sign-up bonus that offers $50 savings on your first purchase of $150 made in the first 45 days of opening your account.
Another benefit of the Staples card is the deferred financing plans. Deferred financing is available interest-free for 6, 12, or 18 months, depending on how much you spend.
There are also some downsides to the card. First, issued rewards expire on the last day of the month following the month in which they were issued. As a result, you have to use them quickly or lose them. Another downside to this card is the interest rate. Rates can go up to 29.99%, which is higher than many competitors.
Pros:
- No-interest deferred financing plans.
- Excellent rewards.
- Free next-day delivery.
- No annual fee.
Cons:
- High-interest rates.
- It can only be used at Staples.
- Rewards expire quickly.
Costco Anywhere Visa Business Card
Best for Costco members
The Costco Anywhere Visa Business Card is designed for small businesses that are also Costco members. This card comes with plenty of benefits, including no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.
This card also offers competitive rewards that include:
- 4% cashback on eligible gas worldwide, including at Costco.
- 3% cashback on restaurant and travel purchases.
- 2% cashback on Costco and Costco.com purchases.
- 1% cashback on all other purchases.
One of the downsides of the Costco business card is that you can only redeem your rewards once per year. Your rewards are also tied to your Costco membership. You must have a Costco membership to use the card. And if you cancel your membership, you’ll not only have your card canceled, but you’ll lose the rewards you’ve accrued that year.
Pros:
- No annual fee.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Competitive rewards.
- Rewards no matter where you shop.
Cons:
- Only available to existing Costco members.
- Cashback redemption is only available once per year.
- Cancelling Costco membership cancels the card and forfeits rewards.
- Limit on gas rewards.
Lowe’s Business Rewards American Express Card
Best for home improvement businesses
The Lowe’s Business Rewards American Express Card is a great option for home improvement businesses or companies that spend a lot of money on these sorts of expenses.
The card comes with cashback offers that include:
- 5x points in the first six months on purchases made at Lowe’s.
- 3x points at restaurants, office supply stores, and wireless telephone services.
- 2x points on purchases at Lowe’s, Lowes.com, or LowesforPros.com.
- 1x points on all other purchases.
While the card comes with excellent rewards, they can only be redeemed for Lowe’s gift cards. As a result, this card is best for businesses that shop at Lowe’s frequently. Additionally, you must have at least 2,500 points to redeem.
Pros:
- No annual fee.
- 0% introductory APR.
- Access to Lowe’s ProServices.
Cons:
- Foreign transaction fees.
- Rewards only redeemable for Lowe’s gift cards.
- Redemption starts at 2,500 points.
How did we choose these credit cards?
There are many business credit cards on the market, and we narrowed it down to just six. We chose the cards on this list by considering factors such as sign-up bonuses, rewards, fees, and functionality.
To make sure we chose the best cards for most businesses, we looked at common business expenses to find cards that offered benefits on those expenses.
Ultimately, we sought to find the best in-store credit card for a variety of different spending purposes, from online shopping to travel to office supplies.
Which is the right credit card for you?
With the number of business credit cards available today, it can be difficult to decide which is right for you.
The most important question to ask yourself is: What do I spend money on now? Once you know that, you can find the card that offers the best perks for your current spending.
Are there alternatives worth considering?
The six credit cards on this list are some of the best store cards for small businesses. But a store card doesn’t necessarily make sense for every business.
Instead, you might also consider some of the other credit cards for small businesses, which aren’t limited to a single retailer:
- Chase Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card.
- The Business Platinum Card from American Express.
- Capital One Spark Cash for Business.
How do small businesses get credit cards?
To get a credit card for your business, you’ll have to undergo a business credit check. For new businesses, you may need to provide a personal guarantee using your personal credit.
Which store credit card is best for small businesses?
The best store credit card depends on your small business needs. For example, businesses that travel frequently might find the Delta SkyMiles to be the best, while companies that frequently buy online might prefer the Amazon business card.
What credit score is needed to get a business credit card?
Business credit cards often require a personal credit score of about 700 to get the best credit card offers.
Is a store credit card a good idea?
A store credit card can be a great idea if your business frequently shops at one retailer, but in other cases, a card that isn’t specific to a particular store might be a better option.
