Best Small Business Credit Cards for Handyman Businesses

Depending on your business’s expenses and cash flow, you should be able to use the different reward systems strategically to maximize the benefit to your bottom line.

Note: In most cases, small business credit card applications are based on your personal credit score. Be sure to know if you qualify before you apply for a new card.

These are the top three cards available right now for handyman businesses. If you know your credit isn't stellar, check out our Top 4 Cards For Building Credit.

Building Business Credit

If you have little or no credit, you may struggle to secure the financing you need to grow your handyman business. Starter cards enable you to build your business credit so you can access more credit at better rates in the future. 

Secured cards — a common type of starter card — require you to pay a cash deposit as collateral. Once you pay the deposit, you can start making purchases with the card. Simply using the card to buy equipment and supplies, and then paying off your balance each month, will put you on the path to good credit. You can then qualify for an unsecured card — also known as a regular credit card — once you have a credit score of 620 or better.

Gas Rewards

Performing repairs for your clients involves driving all-around your local area — and plenty of fuel. With a gas rewards card, you’ll earn a higher rate of cash back for fuel purchases compared to the rewards offered by standard cash back cards. 

However, some gas rewards cards require you to use them at specific gas stations. Be sure to select a card that works at the stations you use most often. If you can’t find a gas rewards card you can use along your normal business routes, a standard cash back card might work better for your business.

0% Introductory Rate

You likely need some expensive tools and equipment to run your handyman business. Credit cards that offer a low — or zero — annual percentage rate (APR) for an initial period of time can help you make major business purchases now and then wait to pay off the balance until you generate more revenue. 

As long as you pay your balance before the end of your interest-free introductory APR period, you will avoid paying interest on your purchases. Most of these cards feature a 12-month introductory period, but some offer a shorter or longer timeframe so pay attention to your card’s terms.

Cards For Multiple Uses

Most businesses start with one card that fits their largest need and transfer most or all of their expenses to that card. Once you get to a certain size, however, it may make sense to have different cards with specific rewards programs catering to the different types of expenses you have. Most larger businesses use multiple cards to optimize for rewards.

Remember, you aren't limited to just one credit card, just be careful not to overextend yourself for unnecessary purposes.

Unless your business has a positive credit history of its own, your eligibility will be based on your personal credit rating. If you have a new or existing business that has never had a credit card or loan before, it’s likely that your business has no credit history.

Since your personal credit will be measured when you apply for a business credit card, it’s wise to have a good idea of what your credit score is.

If you don’t know your credit score, check out our article: How To Find Your Credit Score.

Once you have your score you can make a decision on which card to apply for. If you have good, great, or excellent credit, then go for one of the cards at the top of this article! If your credit isn’t quite there yet, check out our article: What Business Credit Card Can I Get With My Credit Score?

The great thing about credit scores is that they can be improved over time! We have a great article on the Best Business Credit Cards To Build Credit.

A rejected credit application can have a negative effect on your credit score, so act with responsibility and make careful decisions when deciding to apply.

There are many reasons why a company would want to have a business credit card. Depending on the type of business you operate, the strategies you employ may be different than one another, but we will describe the basic benefits of small business credit cards.

Separates Personal And Business Expenses

No matter the size of your company, you should keep all of your business finances separate from your personal finances. This means paying any bills you have in the business from a business account and paying for all personal expenses from a personal account.

This separation accomplishes two main tasks:

• Simplified Accounting - Keeping your accounts separate will allow you to fully understand the numbers of your business. If you have personal dollars in a business bank account or vice versa, it will be more difficult to understand how much you are spending, how much your revenue is, and therefore, your bottom line.
• Prevents Commingling - Commingling funds is one of the most basic and damaging errors a small business can make. Separating your funds, along with operating your business in a structure such as an LLC, will create your corporate veil. A corporate veil works to keep your personal assets safe if your business is ever sued.

There should never be a reason to mix your business and personal money, even if you run a small sole-proprietorship. The risks are too great, and there are no benefits.

Before you get a small business credit card, if you haven’t opened a business checking account for your company, you should do that right now.

Smooths Inconsistent Cash Flow

Some businesses, such as those with long sales cycles, can often go a few months without revenue, then see a large spike when a sale is finalized.

While it’s exciting to see large numbers come in all at once, it can be stressful in the meantime to pay bills, salaries, and other expenses with little to no income.

Credit cards offer business owners the ability to spend money that they haven’t made yet, capitalizing on future sales right now.

While you absolutely need to be careful about spending money you don’t have, this is a method that businesses can use to keep the doors open between sales cycles.

Credit Card Rewards

There are two main types of business credit card rewards: cash back and travel rewards.

Cash Back Rewards

There are multiple ways a small business can get the most out of cash back rewards programs.

For each dollar that your small business spends with these credit cards, you can get some money back. Some cards even have higher rates for specific purchases.

For example, businesses that do a lot of road travel can maximize their driving costs with a card that offers cash back on gas purchases.

Other businesses may require a lot of office supplies and can find a cash back or points program that rewards them for these costs or others like telecommunications, advertising, shipping, and more.

Finally, most cash back cards offer a flat percentage rate back on general purchases.

Travel Rewards

On the other hand, businesses that fly to visit conferences, do on-site visits with clients, or any other activities that usually involve airline trips or hotel stays can benefit from general or brand-specific travel rewards.

These usually come in the form of points or mileage rewards, where for every dollar you spend, miles you fly, nights you stay, or any other qualifying action you take, you’ll get rewarded. These build up and can be spent on upgrades, free nights and flights, and more.

Finally, there are typically premium versions of these cards that cost more in terms of annual fees but have more luxurious rewards such as access to airport lounges, events, and activities most people wouldn’t have access to.