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If you're starting up a company, big or small, one of your first orders of business should be finding a business credit card. The right card can help entrepreneurs and small business owners fund purchases, track expenses and keep costs low—all while earning rewards.

Whether you're opening your own small business or starting up the next unicorn, your company will grow beyond just one person. (If you're planning on staying solo during your business venture, check out our best credit cards for freelancers and sole proprietors.) The best business credit cards allow you to set up employee cards and build business credit so you can qualify for other types of loans down the road.

If you keep your future needs in mind while you're choosing your business credit card, you won't be stuck with a card that causes later hassle when you're focused on growing. There are a number of business credit cards out there, each with their own perks and points system, and the right choice will save your time and earn you rewards over the long run. Whether you're a startup founder, contractor, restaurant owner, or run some other type of business, these seven credit cards can address your needs.

How We Evaluated

I've been working in the personal-finance space for nine years, so I know how to maximize value when it comes to your own finances and your business's. I looked at business credit cards from the major issuers and measured their benefits, rewards, costs, and how cardholders might use the card and redeem rewards. Small-business owners may be looking to grow in the future, so they need a product that helps them build business credit, provide a high credit limit, set up employee cards and manage expenses. And because the IRS requires business owners to categorize expenses and income for tax purposes, it's a nice draw if the credit card offers an app that handles expense tracking for you.

Before applying for a business credit card, ask the issuer a few questions:

• Will there be a fee for employee cards? Most of the cards here offer free employee cards, with the exception of the American Express cards, which, depending on the card, sometimes charge an annual fee for employees as well. The annual fee for employees is usually less than the annual fee for the primary account holder's card.
• Do points earned from employee cards accrue to the primary cardholder's account? For all cards listed here, they do.
• Which perks can the employee cardholder use? Some of the perks listed here are only for the primary account holder. For instance, the year-long WeWork membership that comes with the Business Platinum Card from American Express can only be used by the primary cardholder.

These recommendations were put together assuming the primary applicant would have average to excellent credit. However, banks have the final say on who's approved. Be prepared for the issuer to check your credit history and use its own set of criteria when evaluating your application.

Things To Know About Business Credit Cards

1. Nearly every business card requires a personal guarantee, which is an agreement between the business owner and the credit card issuer. It means the issuer can go after your personal assets to satisfy any balance owed if your business defaults on the card payments—even if you leave the company. That goes for expenses you or your employees charge to the credit card.

2. Using your business credit card can help you build business credit, which can be useful if you need a business loan in the future. Here's a quick rundown on how it works: Business credit card issuers can report your account activity to both the personal credit reporting agencies and the business reporting agencies, such as Dun & Bradstreet and Experian. These agencies use the information in your report to create a credit score for your business, which helps lenders measure risk before extending you credit. If you're worried about this card affecting your personal credit, ask the issuer how it will report your payments (before applying for the card).

3. The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009, better known as the CARD Act, is a law that improved consumer protections. It regulates how interest rates, fees and finance charges are calculated on credit cards and provides more transparent rules that issuers have to follow. The law doesn't extend to business credit cards, though some issuers are extending the CARD Act's protections to its business products. Get to know the card's features and terms before you apply for a business card—and ask questions—so you don't get dinged with unexpected fees.

Best overall: American Express Business Gold Card

This card's bonus rewards program adjusts to your business's spending habits, which is a no-fuss way to supercharge your rewards. There's no preset spending limit on the card itself, and the bonus categories have a high spending cap, which could help if you need room to make a lot of purchases and earn rewards on them. The annual fee is $295, which is a bit more affordable than what you'll pay for The Business Platinum Card. If your expenses vary from month to month and you plan to take advantage of the ZipRecruiter Standard and G Suite Basic benefits, this card could be a good fit for your business.

Ongoing rewards: You'll be earning points on any employee cards you set up, for a number of different business expenses including travel, computer equipment, shipping, and advertising, which could go a long way in helping you get your business off the ground. Specifically, you'll get 4 Membership Rewards points on up to $150,000 in combined purchases in two categories where your business spent the most each billing cycle—so if your business spends $150,000 on, say, computer equipment and online advertising, the primary account will receive 600,000 points to spend in the Membership Rewards portal, or cash out into your bank account. After that, you'll earn 1 point per dollar spent. If you book flights using points at American Express Travel, you'll get 25% of them back. The bonus categories include:

• Airfare purchased directly from airlines
• U.S. purchases for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
• U.S. purchases made directly from select technology providers of computer hardware, software and cloud solutions
• U.S. purchases at gas stations
• U.S. purchases at restaurants
• U.S. purchases for shipping

Perks: You can earn a sign-up bonus of 35,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $5,000 within three months of account opening. Plus, you'll get up to one year free of G Suite Basic—think business Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Sheets—for up to three users. You'll also get up to one year of ZipRecruiter Standard in the form of statement credits in your first 12 months of card membership, to help you get staffed up. As far as expense management goes, the card allows you to set up employee cards with customizable spending limits, transfer data from your American Express online statement directly into your QuickBooks account, and use the Spend Manager app to add receipts and notes to your transactions.

Best for simplicity: Capital One Spark Cash for Business

Not every business owner wants to spend time on complicated rewards programs and pay a high annual fee. Spark Cash from Capital One cardholders can enjoy a refreshingly simple rewards program with a generous cash-back rate, tools that help streamline expense management, and a $500 cash sign-up bonus after spending $4,500 within three months of account opening. If your spending doesn't fit neatly into one category, the flat 2% cash-back rate lets you maximize every purchase you make, whether it's for airfare, consulting services or a Costco run to refill the snack drawer. The annual fee is $95, though it's waived in year one.

Ongoing rewards: It's simple: You'll get 2% cash back on every purchase you make, which you can then redeem for any amount at any time with no expiration date.

Perks: Although it's not a travel-specific rewards card, cardholders still get travel-related perks like travel and emergency assistance services, an auto rental collision damage waiver, and no foreign transaction fees. Plus, business owners can add employee cards for free and earn points on the purchases; create customized spending reports to simplify planning, budgeting and taxes; and download purchase records to multiple formats including Quicken, Quickbooks and Excel.

Best for imperfect credit: Capital One Spark Classic for Business

Many business credit cards require good to excellent credit, so business owners with fair credit may have a hard time qualifying for a card. If you fit that description, the Capital One Spark Classic for Business is a solid option. You can earn rewards with no annual fee—while building credit.

Ongoing rewards: Earn 1% cash back on all purchases, with no minimum to redeem.

Perks: Cardholders get the full suite of Capital One Spark benefits, including: free employee cards that earn points for the primary account holder, customizable spending reports, and tools to download purchase records to multiple formats including Quicken, Quickbooks and Excel.

Business Platinum Card from American Express

This card is a favorite among business owners because of its incredible suite of perks, point system geared toward travel purchases, and solid sign-up bonus: 50,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 and an extra 25,000 points after spending an additional $10,000 within three months of account opening. If you plan to set up employee cards, reaching this requirement shouldn't be a problem. Plus, business owners with a lot of expenses won't have to worry about exceeding a preset spending limit, as your spending power adjusts based on your usage and other factors. The $595 annual fee is on the steep end, but the perks and rewards more than pay for it. Note, also, that this is a charge card, so you'll need to pay the balance in full every month, unless you enroll in the Pay Over Time feature.

Ongoing rewards: You'll earn 5 points per dollar spent on airfare and prepaid hotel rooms on amextravel.com, 1.5 points on purchases of $5,000 or more, and 1 point per dollar spent on everything else. When you redeem points for flights, you'll get 35% of them back.

Perks: There's a ton of them, mostly geared toward travel. Here's a sampling of the card's lucrative benefits:

• Complimentary year of access to WeWork office locations for the primary account holder (when you enroll by 12/31/19)
• An annual travel fee credit up to $200
• Gold status with Hilton Honors
• Gold elite status with Marriott Bonvoy
• Access to a suite of airport lounges
• Up to $100 voucher for a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee
• Up to $200 annual Dell statement credits
• Expense-management tools to help you track and organize expenses
• Employee cards that earn points for the primary account holder and come with customizable spending limits
• Roadside assistance, travel accident insurance, shopping protections, car rental loss and damage insurance, and baggage insurance

Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card

This card could be a good fit if you and your employees are always on the go and spend a lot on accommodations during business travel. When you're loyal to the Marriott Bonvoy brand and carry this card, you can earn free hotel stays, reach elite status quicker and redeem points at more than 6,900 participating hotels worldwide—so chances are, there's a qualifying hotel wherever you go. You can also earn a high rewards rate in several bonus categories and set up employee cards, which earn points for the primary account holder and come with customizable spending limits. Although the card comes with a $125 annual fee, the perks and rewards can easily make up for it.

Ongoing rewards: You'll earn 6 points for every dollar spent at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels; 4 points per dollar spent at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services and on U.S. purchases for shipping; and 2 points per dollar spent everywhere else.

Perks: The card is stocked with them. First, you'll get a sign-up bonus of 75,000 points after spending at least $3,000 within three months from account opening. Then you'll get one free hotel night every year after the annual fee is paid, complimentary silver elite status (upgraded to gold elite once you spend $35,000 in a year), a complimentary Boingo membership with free Wi-Fi, and a 5,000-point bonus when you transfer 60,000 points to a participating frequent flyer program. Of course, this card also comes with expense-tracking tools and protections such as extended warranty and purchase protection.

United Explorer Business Card

If you and your employees travel a lot but tend to spend heavily on flights, signing up for an airline credit card can help you earn more on your travel expenses. United Airlines is the second-largest carrier in the world by passenger traffic and has hubs in several large cities, which is a bonus if you and your employees are spread out. The card lets you set up free employee cards, which earn points for the master account, and offers premium onboard benefits, a sky-high sign-up bonus and ongoing rewards for flying with United Airlines. There's a $95 annual fee, though it's waived in the first year.

Ongoing rewards: Earn 2 miles for each dollar spent with United Airlines and at restaurants, gas stations and office supply stores, plus 1 point per dollar spent everywhere else.

Perks: You'll get a sign-up bonus of 50,000 miles after spending $3,000 within three months of account opening. Plus, your first checked bag is free and you can enjoy priority boarding.

Bank of America Business Advantage Cash Rewards Mastercard

This card offers a strong cash-back program and sign-up bonus, but what sets it apart is the potential for relationship rewards. When you enroll in the Business Advantage Relationship Rewards program, you can earn an additional 25%, 50% or 75% rewards bonus on every purchase you make. If you qualify for the highest bonus, you'll earn as much as 5.25% cash back on the category of your choice, 3.5% on dining and 1.75% on all other purchases. Your rewards grow as your qualifying Bank of America, Merrill Edge or Merrill Lynch balances increase. So whether you're a freelancer with a few thousand dollars in your business checking account or a business owner with a few high-dollar investments, you could supersize your rewards potential.

Ongoing rewards: You'll earn 3% cash back on the category of your choice, including business-friendly options like gas stations, office supply stores, travel, TV/telecom and wireless services, and computer services or business consulting services. You'll also earn 2% cash back on dining, and 1% on all other purchases. The bonus rates apply to the first $50,000 in combined spending in the category of your choice and on dining purchases each calendar year (1% after that).

Perks: Cardholders pay no annual fee, get a 0% intro APR for the first nine billing cycles and earn a $300 sign-up bonus after spending $3,000 within 90 days of account opening. Plus, you can take advantage of free employee cards that earn points toward the primary account, a lineup of expense-management tools, and travel and emergency services.

When you sign up for one of these cards, Reviewed may receive an affiliate commission from The Points Guy Affiliate Network.

Other top credit card options

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Great credit scores don't happen by accident. They take hard work and consistency to earn.

If you have brag-worthy personal credit scores, you've probably spent years building those scores and protecting them from damage.

There's no question that your personal credit can be an asset when you need to borrow money for your business. However, there's also a deeper level of risk involved whenever you put your personal credit and finances on the line to vouch for your company.

It's fine to use your personal credit to help your business get ahead. But you shouldn't do so without good reason or without understanding the potential downside.

What Is a Personal Guarantee?

A personal guarantee is a promise made to personally repay the money a lender issues to your business in the event your company fails to pay back the financial obligation as agreed. A personal guarantee essentially makes you a co-signer on a business debt.

Lenders ask for personal guaranteesbecause it reduces their risk when you, the business owner, have some skin in the game. If you have good personal credit, you may be able to secure higher limits, lower interest rates, and better terms on business financing.

Should You Sign a Personal Guarantee?

Before you agree to use your personal credit to secure business financing, it's crucial to understand the potential problems you could face if things go badly. A personal guarantee may reduce risk for lenders, but it increases risk for the person who is signing it.

When you sign a personal guarantee, here's a look at what you might be putting on the line to help your company secure financing.

• Your personal finances
• Your personal credit rating
• Your personal assets (e.g. home, car, real estate, bank accounts, etc.)

Your goal should be to eventually avoid personal guarantees as much as you can. Unfortunately, it's not always easy to steer clear of this requirement if your business is young or hasn't yetestablished a strong business credit rating.

While there are somelenders willing to grant loans without a personal guarantee, the truth is that it's typically more challenging to build business credit without accepting some personal liability. There are even some types of financing, likeSBA loans, that may be impossible to qualify for without a personal guarantee.

If the risk makes sense and you're comfortable putting your name on the line to secure funding, it's okay to use your personal credit for your business. If you're not comfortable with the risk, you should probably avoid it. Only you can make that decision.

Avoid Using Personal Credit Cards for Business

According to aNav study, small business owners have nearly twice as many credit cards as consumers. Their credit limits are also almost twice as high. While there's nothing wrong with having numerous credit cards and higher credit limits (as long as they're well managed), these numbers may be the sign of a troubling problem.

Nav's Education Director, Gerri Detweiler, explains 'it can be hard for young businesses to get funding, so some small business owners are using personal credit cards to fund their startup costs and operations, but this can be a dangerous practice.'

Detweiler points out that funding business expenses with personal credit cards can be problematic for two reasons.

• High credit limit utilization on personal cards can damage your personal credit scores.
• Using personal credit cards instead of business cards robs you of the opportunity to build credit history for your company.

Instead of using a personal card to cover business expenses, a small business credit card is typically a much better fit. Although small business cards almost always require a personal guarantee,many business cards won't report to the personal credit bureaus(as long as you're on time with your payments). This can protect you from lower credit scores in the event you ever run up a high utilization rate on a business credit card.

Just keep in mind, should you sign a personal guarantee for a business credit card, you'll still be on the hook if your business fails to pay as agreed. Best practices for managing any type of credit card (personal or business) involve paying your balance in full each and every month. When you follow this rule of thumb, you'll avoid spending money on high interest fees plus you'll protect your credit scores from potentially being lowered due to high utilization.

How to Build Business Credit

If you want to avoid personal guarantees in the future and keep your business and personal credit separate, it's important to take the time to build a solid business credit profile. Openingvendor accounts(aka trade credit) and small business credit cards can be a great start. It's also a good idea to keep your bills paid on time and pay your credit card balances off in full each month.

Ready to get the process started? Check out this14-step checklist to make your business legit. You can also keep an eye on your business and personal credit scores courtesy of yourfree Nav account.

Is a Startup Business Credit Card Right for You?

Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express: 0% Introductory APR

Chase Ink Business Preferred: Travel & Other Rewards

SimplyCash Plus from American Express: Cash Back Rewards

Chase Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card: Simple Cash Back Rewards

Capital One Spark Classic: Fair or Average Credit

The Bottom Line