7 BEST SMALL BUSINESS CREDIT CARDS FOR PURCHASING ADVERTISEMENTS

1. AMERICAN EXPRESS SIMPLYCASH PLUS BUSINESS

Ideal for: Businesses looking to customize their rewards programs and don’t travel overseas often.

You can earn 3% cash back on advertising purchases, but you have some work to do first. Within two months of getting approved for this card, you need to choose this specific bonus category. (You can change categories once every year.) Then you need to keep track of your purchases because your earnings in the 3% category are capped at $50,000 per year.

You must make “U.S. purchases for advertising in select media,” which includes Google, Facebook, Yahoo, NBC National Broadcasting, and CBS Radio.

After you spend your first $50,000 in a calendar year, the 5% and 3% categories drop to 1%. That includes non-bonus category purchases. You also get 1% cash back on all other purchases.

REWARDS AND BENEFITS (TERMS APPLY)

• 0% intro APR on purchases for 9 months.

• 5% cash back on office supplies and telephone services for $50,000 per year, then 1%.

• 3% cash back for $50,000 per year (then 1%) on the category of your choice, including hotel rooms, airfare, restaurants, shipping, etc.

• 1% cash back on all other purchases.

• Spend Manager: Helps manage your expenses by allowing you to add receipts and notes to your transactions through your desktop or mobile device.

• Employee cards: Get up to 99 for free.

• Connect to QuickBooks: Label and transfer transaction data into a QuickBooks account.

• Car rental damage insurance and roadside assistance hotline.

• Baggage insurance plan and travel accident insurance.

FEES

• No annual fee.

• No balance transfer fee.

• No cash advance fee.

• 2.7% foreign transaction fee.

2. CHASE INK BUSINESS PREFERRED

Ideal for: Businesses looking for a simple tiered rewards system.

You earn 3x points per dollar on the first $150,000 you spend per year on several categories. These include travel, shipping, internet, cable, and phone—and advertising on social media and search engines. Best of all, you don’t have to choose and monitor your categories. Theoretically, you could hit your $150,000 cap spending almost exclusively on advertising.

REWARDS AND BENEFITS (TERMS APPLY)

• 100,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 in the first 3 months.

• Spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months to redeem bonus points.

• 3x points on every dollar spent on the first $150,000 spent per year (as determined by the anniversary date of your account), then 1x points.

• 1x points for every dollar spent with no limit on earnings.

• Points are worth 25% more when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

• Add employees to your account and set individual employee spending limits.

• Up to $600 per claim against covered theft or damage for cardholder and employees listed on the monthly cell phone bill paid with the card.

FEES

• $95 annual fee.

• No foreign transaction fee.

• 5% or $5 balance transfer fee (whichever is greater per transaction).

• 5% or $15 cash advance fee (whichever is greater per transaction).

3. AMERICAN EXPRESS BUSINESS GOLD

Ideal for: Businesses looking for a luxury rewards program and don’t mind a higher annual fee to go along with it.

While not as simple as the Ink Preferred card but not as complicated as SimplyCash card, this card takes a unique approach. You get 4 points per dollar spent in 2 of 6 bonus categories. But you don’t choose the categories. Whichever two you spend the most on, you automatically get rewarded. So, if you spend more on advertising than on these other categories, you’ll automatically see the rewards.

REWARDS AND BENEFITS (TERMS APPLY)

• 35,000 Membership Rewards points once you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months.

• 4x Membership Rewards points on the two categories where your business spent the most each billing cycle:

• Advertising in select media: online, TV, and radio.

• Airfare purchased directly from airlines.

• Purchases made directly from select technology providers of computer hardware,
  software, and cloud solutions.

• U.S. gas stations.

• U.S. restaurants.

• U.S. shipping.

• One year of GSuite Basic for up to three users.

• One year of ZipRecruiter Standard.

• 25% airline bonus: Get 25% points back after you use Pay With Points for all or part of a flight booked with American Express Travel.

FEES

• $295 annual fee.

• No balance transfer fee.

• No cash advance fee.

• No foreign transaction fee.

4. CHASE INK BUSINESS UNLIMITED

Ideal for: Owners of smaller companies who don’t travel overseas.

You get 1.5% cash back on all purchases—including advertising—and your rewards earnings are uncapped. It’s most valuable for companies that spend less than $19,000 annually. If your business spends more than that, you may want to go with a card that offers more perks. This card also comes with a foreign transaction fee—however, some businesses may find that the lack of an annual fee helps offset this.

REWARDS AND BENEFITS (TERMS APPLY)

• $750 cash back after you spend $7,500 in the first 3 months.

• 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months.

• Unlimited 1.5% cash back.

• Employee cards at no additional cost.

• Auto rental collision damage waiver.

FEES

• No annual fee.

• 5% or $5 balance transfer fee (whichever is greater per transaction).

• 5% or $15 cash advance fee (whichever is greater per transaction).

• 3% foreign transaction fee.

5. AMERICAN EXPRESS BLUE BUSINESS PLUS

Ideal for: Newer businesses with uneven cash flow and low spending habits.

While this card and those that follow don’t offer specific advertising bonuses, they’re so powerful that they can be used to defray the costs of your ad spending. The Blue Business Plus card is perfectly suited for freelancers and new owners – it’s intended for businesses with less than $1 million in annual revenue. Due to a 12 month 0% intro APR offer, it works well for those with irregular cash flow.

REWARDS AND BENEFITS (TERMS APPLY)

• 2x points per dollar spent on the first $50,000 for every calendar year.

• 2x points on business purchases like office supplies and client dinners.

• 1x point per dollar spent after that.

• Spend Manager: American Express mobile app. Helps add receipts and notes to transactions.

• Get up to 99 employee cards for free.

• Spend beyond your credit limit.

• Exclusive access to ticket pre-sales and cardmember only events in your city.

• Complimentary ShopRunner membership: Provides two-day shipping at participating retailers.

• American Express personal loans: Apply for a pre-approved loan of $3,500 to $25,000.

• Access to Quickbooks to label and transfer your transaction data from American Express.

FEES

• No annual fee.

• No cash advance fee.

• 3% or $5 balance transfer fee (whichever is greater per transaction).

• 2.7% foreign transaction fee.

6. CAPITAL ONE SPARK MILES FOR BUSINESS

Ideal for: Businesses who are looking to earn miles along with their advertising purchases.

This card may not have defined advertising bonuses, but it’s still a great starter business card. Why? There is a 9-month 0% intro APR period, which can be used like an interest-free loan for, you guessed it, purchasing advertising. Plus, with every purchase you make with this card, you earn 2x miles, making this a great choice for businesses who want to turn their advertising purchases into miles for travel.

REWARDS AND BENEFITS (TERMS APPLY)

• 0% intro APR period for 9 months.

• 50,000 bonus miles after spending $4,500 in the first three months.

• Unlimited 2x miles per dollar on purchases.

• Miles can be redeemed for 1 cent each, or 2% cash back (You can also redeem your miles for credit statements or gift cards, but that will usually equal to fewer than 1 cent).

• Unlimited free employee cards.

• Fly on any airline at any time.

• No blackout dates or seat restrictions.

FEES

• Waived annual fee for the first year, then $95.

• No balance transfer fee.

• No foreign transaction fee.

• 3% or $10 cash advance fee (whichever is greater per transaction).

7. CAPITAL ONE SPARK CASH SELECT FOR BUSINESS

Ideal for: Businesses who are looking for a simple flat-rate cash back rewards system.

One way you can pay for part of your advertising expenses is a $500 bonus after you spend $4,500 in the first 3 months of opening an account. And the high cash back rewards you earn each year—2% on all purchases—can be used to get your business’s name out there, too.

REWARDS AND BENEFITS (TERMS APPLY)

• $500 cash bonus after spending $4,500 in the first 3 months.

• 2% cash back rewards.

• Unlimited free employee cards.

• Zero fraud liability.

• Lost luggage reimbursement.

• Travel accident insurance.

FEES

• Waived annual fee for the first year, then $95.

• No balance transfer fee.

• No foreign transaction fee.

• 3% or $10 cash advance fee (whichever is greater per transaction).

HOW TO CHOOSE

While some of these cards offer flat-rate rewards, some provide a very specific set of perks. You need to study your ad spend to determine which card is right for you. Whichever you choose, these cards are an excellent tool for growing your business advertising.

 

Editorial disclaimer: The content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone.