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Best Credit Cards for Freelancers and Self-Employed of December 2024

By Kelsey Sheehy, Gregory Karp
Last updated on December 3, 2024
Edited by Ryan Lane
Fact checked and reviewed

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.

The best credit cards for freelancers and the self-employed offer straightforward rewards, no annual fee and perks to help with cash flow, such as a long 0% APR period or a generous welcome bonus.
Business credit cards with bonus categories also warrant a look, depending on your spending. For example, a card that offers 3% on gas is a great fit for delivery and rideshare drivers.

🤓 Nerdy Tip

Business credit cards typically come with bigger sign-up bonuses than personal cards. The difference can mean hundreds of dollars in rewards value.
Freelancers and gig workers can qualify for a business credit card the same as any company, even if your business is your side hustle and not your main gig. Approval is based on your personal credit and business cards typically require a FICO score of 690 or higher.
Note: Some of our selections can be applied for through NerdWallet, and some cannot. Below, you’ll find application links for the credit cards from our partners that are available through NerdWallet, followed by the full list of our picks.

Looking for a business credit card?

See our overall favorites, or choose a feature that will benefit your business spending the most.

Our top overall picks

on Nerdwallet's secure site

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.

The best credit cards for freelancers and the self-employed offer straightforward rewards, no annual fee and perks to help with cash flow, such as a long 0% APR period or a generous welcome bonus.
Business credit cards with bonus categories also warrant a look, depending on your spending. For example, a card that offers 3% on gas is a great fit for delivery and rideshare drivers.

🤓 Nerdy Tip

Business credit cards typically come with bigger sign-up bonuses than personal cards. The difference can mean hundreds of dollars in rewards value.
Freelancers and gig workers can qualify for a business credit card the same as any company, even if your business is your side hustle and not your main gig. Approval is based on your personal credit and business cards typically require a FICO score of 690 or higher.
Note: Some of our selections can be applied for through NerdWallet, and some cannot. Below, you’ll find application links for the credit cards from our partners that are available through NerdWallet, followed by the full list of our picks.

Looking for a business credit card?

See our overall favorites, or choose a feature that will benefit your business spending the most.

Our top overall picks

on Nerdwallet's secure site

Here are the best credit cards for freelancers

Best forNerdWallet ratingAnnual feeRewards rateIntro offerLearn more

Lucrative welcome offer

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Apply now

on Chase's website

5.0/5
$0

1.5%

Cashback

$750

Apply now

on Chase's website

Business travel card for freelancers

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Apply now

on Chase's website

4.7/5
$95

1x-3x

Points

90,000

Points

Apply now

on Chase's website

Cash back bonus categories + intro APR period

U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®

Apply now

on U.S. Bank's website

Rates & Fees

5.0/5
$0

1%-3%

Cashback

$750

Apply now

on U.S. Bank's website

Rates & Fees

Intro APR period for purchases, balance transfers

Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card

Apply now

on Bank of America's website

4.4/5
$0

1.5%

Cashback

$300

Apply now

on Bank of America's website

Business travel card with no annual fee

Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card

Apply now

on Bank of America's website

3.6/5
$0

1.5x

Points

30,000

Points

Apply now

on Bank of America's website

Overall business card for freelancers

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

Apply now

on American Express' website

Rates & Fees

4.7/5
$0

1%-2%

Cashback

$250

Apply now

on American Express' website

Rates & Fees

Best forNerdWallet ratingAnnual feeRewards rateIntro offerLearn more

Lucrative welcome offer

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Apply now

on Chase's website

5.0/5
$0

1.5%

Cashback

$750

Apply now

on Chase's website

Business travel card for freelancers

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Apply now

on Chase's website

4.7/5
$95

1x-3x

Points

90,000

Points

Apply now

on Chase's website

Cash back bonus categories + intro APR period

U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®

Apply now

on U.S. Bank's website

Rates & Fees

5.0/5
$0

1%-3%

Cashback

$750

Apply now

on U.S. Bank's website

Rates & Fees

Intro APR period for purchases, balance transfers

Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card

Apply now

on Bank of America's website

4.4/5
$0

1.5%

Cashback

$300

Apply now

on Bank of America's website

Business travel card with no annual fee

Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card

Apply now

on Bank of America's website

3.6/5
$0

1.5x

Points

30,000

Points

Apply now

on Bank of America's website

Overall business card for freelancers

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

Apply now

on American Express' website

Rates & Fees

4.7/5
$0

1%-2%

Cashback

$250

Apply now

on American Express' website

Rates & Fees

I'M INTERESTED IN:

Our pick for

Lucrative welcome offer

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Read Review
Apply now

on Chase's website

Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5% Cashback
Intro offer
$750

Pros

  • No annual fee
  • Intro APR period
  • No reward caps
  • New cardholder bonus offer

Cons

  • No bonus categories

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

NerdWallet rating 

5.0/5
Apply now

on Chase's website

Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5% Cashback
Intro offer
$750

Our pick for

Business travel card for freelancers

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Read Review
Apply now

on Chase's website

Annual fee
$95
Rewards rate
1x-3x Points
Intro offer
90,000 Points

Pros

  • New cardholder bonus offer
  • Bonus categories
  • Transfer partners

Cons

  • Has annual fee
  • No intro APR offer

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

NerdWallet rating 

4.7/5
Apply now

on Chase's website

Annual fee
$95
Rewards rate
1x-3x Points
Intro offer
90,000 Points

Our pick for

Cash back bonus categories + intro APR period

U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®

Read Review
Apply now

on U.S. Bank's website

Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-3% Cashback
Intro offer
$750

Pros

  • Bonus cash back categories
  • No annual fee
  • Intro APR period on purchases

Cons

  • Requires good/excellent credit
  • Low rate outside bonus categories

U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®

NerdWallet rating 

5.0/5
Apply now

on U.S. Bank's website

Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-3% Cashback
Intro offer
$750

Our pick for

Intro APR period for purchases, balance transfers

Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card

Read Review
Apply now

on Bank of America's website

Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5% Cashback
Intro offer
$300

Pros

  • No annual fee
  • New cardholder bonus offer
  • High cash back rate

Cons

  • Has foreign transaction fee
  • Requires excellent credit

Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card

NerdWallet rating 

4.4/5
Apply now

on Bank of America's website

Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5% Cashback
Intro offer
$300

Our pick for

Business travel card with no annual fee

Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card

Read Review
Apply now

on Bank of America's website

Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5x Points
Intro offer
30,000 Points

Pros

  • No annual fee
  • New cardholder bonus offer
  • No reward caps
  • No foreign transaction fees

Cons

  • Requires excellent credit

Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card

NerdWallet rating 

3.6/5
Apply now

on Bank of America's website

Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5x Points
Intro offer
30,000 Points

Our pick for

Overall business card for freelancers

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

Read Review
Apply now

on American Express' website

Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-2% Cashback
Intro offer
$250

Pros

  • No annual fee
  • High rewards rate
  • Intro APR period
  • Cash rewards

Cons

  • Spending caps on bonus rewards
  • Requires good/excellent credit

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

NerdWallet rating 

4.7/5
Apply now

on American Express' website

Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-2% Cashback
Intro offer
$250

NerdWallet's editorial picks: Best business credit cards for freelancers, self-employed

Click the card name to read our review. Before applying, confirm details on the issuer’s website.
Our pick for: Overall business card for freelancers
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
boasts one of the better introductory APR offers among business credit cards. Beyond that, you earn a solid cash-back rate (at least for a while — the rate drops after you hit a spending threshold). There's also a
$0
annual fee. Terms apply. Learn more and apply.
Our pick for: Lucrative welcome offer
The
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
earns a simple, flat cash-back rate on every purchase, with no limit on how much you can earn. The sign-up bonus is outstanding for a cash-back card, particularly one with no annual fee, and there's an intro APR period for purchases. Learn more and apply.

U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®

Our pick for: Cash back bonus categories + intro APR period
The
U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®
is a solid cash-back card for business owners.
Earn 3% cash back on eligible purchases at gas stations and EV charging stations (transactions of $200 or less)*, office supply stores, cell phone service providers and restaurants (*excludes discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs). Earn 1% cash back on all other eligible net purchases. Earn 5% cash back on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Rewards Center.
Plus, the card offers a competitive welcome bonus and
0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 billing cycles, and then the ongoing APR of 18.24%-27.24% Variable APR
— all with a $
0
annual fee. Learn more and apply.

Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card

Our pick for: Intro APR period for purchases, balance transfers
If your spending doesn't align with typical bonus categories, consider the
Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card
. This card offers
1.5%
cash back on all purchases with no annual cap. Rewards can climb even higher for Bank of America® customers who qualify for the bank's Preferred Rewards for Business program — up to 2.62%, depending on the tier — which is tough to beat among flat-rate cash-back business credit cards. Learn more and apply.
Our pick for: Business travel card for freelancers
The
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
starts you off with one of the biggest sign-up bonuses of any credit card anywhere:
Earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
You also get bonus rewards on travel expenses and common business spending categories, like advertising, shipping and internet, cable and phone service. Points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel booked through Chase, or you can transfer them to about a dozen airline and hotel partners. Learn more and apply.
Our pick for: Business travel card with no annual fee
The
Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card
pays solid rewards on every purchase and gives you wide flexibility in redeeming your points for any travel purchase, without the restrictions of branded airline and hotel cards. Learn more and apply.

Can freelancers get business credit cards?

If you drive a rideshare part time, regularly resell on eBay or do any other kind of freelance work, you may qualify for a business credit card. You don’t need to have a storefront, employees or an LLC. In fact, your business doesn’t even need to make a profit, and you can say so on the application. If you don’t have a separate tax ID for your business — many self-employed sole proprietors don’t — you can use your Social Security number to apply.
Approval for a small-business credit card is typically based on your personal credit history. Credit scores of 690 or above are generally eligible, although issuers have their own approval criteria, which can vary by type of card.

Should freelancers get a personal or business credit card?

A separate credit card for business spending can help freelancers with expense tracking, running financial reports and gathering tax-return information. There's no rule that this has to be a business credit card, but they do have some distinct advantages over personal cards in these regards, including:
  • Larger sign-up bonuses — though you'll also have to spend more to get them.
  • Free employee cards, if more than one person will purchase items on behalf of your business.
  • Reward categories tailored to self-employed business owners, such as extra cash back on things like office supplies and telecommunications services.
  • Higher spending limits.
  • Establishing and building your business credit score.
Whatever card you choose, make sure it fits your needs and spending patterns as a freelancer.
To view rates and fees of
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
, see this page.
Last updated on December 3, 2024

Methodology

NerdWallet's Credit Cards team selects the best credit cards for small business based on overall consumer value, as evidenced by star ratings, as well as their suitability for specific kinds of small-business operators. Factors in our evaluation include annual and other fees, rewards rates, the earning structure (for example, flat-rate rewards versus bonus categories), redemption options, bonus offers for new cardholders, introductory and ongoing APRs, and other noteworthy features such as special financing arrangements, free cards for employees or tools for managing business expenses. Learn more how NerdWallet rates credit cards.