Best Employee Credit Cards of June 2025

Free employee cards are a common perk of business credit cards. The best options make it easy to keep an eye on employees’ transactions, while also earning you rewards for their spending.
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Best Small Business Credit Card 2025
Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card
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Best small-business credit card

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

on Chase's website

Best Employee Credit Cards

Credit card Best for NerdWallet rating Annual fee Rewards rate Intro offer Learn more
Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

on Chase's website

NerdWallet mini logo

BEST SMALL BUSINESS CREDIT CARD OF 2025

$0

1.5%

Cashback

$750

on Chase's website

Pros

  • High rewards rate
  • Intro APR period
  • No reward caps
  • New cardholder bonus offer

Cons

  • No bonus categories
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

on American Express' website

New businesses and small teams

$0

1%-2%

Cashback

$250

on American Express' website

Pros

  • High cash-back bonus rate
  • Intro APR period
  • New cardholder bonus offer

Cons

  • Spending caps on bonus rewards
  • Low rate after you hit bonus cap
Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

Travel rewards

$95

1x-3x

Points

90,000

Points

on Chase's website

Pros

  • New cardholder bonus offer
  • High reward redemption rate
  • Transfer partners

Cons

  • Does not include lounge access or travel credits
Bank of America® Business Advantage Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card

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

on Bank of America's website

Cash back on gas

$0

1%-3%

Cashback

$300

on Bank of America's website

Pros

  • No annual fee
  • High rewards rate in bonus categories
  • New cardholder bonus offer
  • Bonus rewards for qualifying Preferred Rewards for Business members

Cons

  • Requires excellent credit
  • Complicated rewards
  • Spending caps on bonus rewards
  • Multiple accounts, high combined balance required to get Preferred Rewards bonus
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

on American Express' website

Luxury travel rewards

$695

1x-5x

Points

150,000

Points

on American Express' website

Pros

  • Lounge membership
  • Transfer partners
  • Automatic elite status
  • Annual statement credit for travel, business expenses
  • New cardholder bonus offer

Cons

  • High annual fee
  • Low ongoing rewards rate
Capital on Tap Visa

Capital on Tap Business Credit Card

on Capital on Tap's website

Business owners with fair credit

$0

1.5%

N/A

on Capital on Tap's website

Pros

  • High rewards rate
  • No reward caps
  • Available with fair credit
  • No annual fee.
  • No foreign transaction fees.

Cons

  • Not available to sole proprietors, charities or nonprofits
  • Must enroll in automatic payments
  • Potential for very high APR
  • No new cardholder bonus offer
Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

on Capital One's website

Flexible cash back with no rewards cap

$150

2%-5%

Cashback

$2,000

on Capital One's website

Pros

  • High rewards rate
  • No preset spending limit
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • New cardholder bonus offer

Cons

  • High annual fee
  • Balance must be paid in full every month
  • High spending requirement to hit bonuses
  • Requires excellent credit
Credit card Best for NerdWallet rating Annual fee Rewards rate Intro offer Learn more
Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

on Chase's website

NerdWallet mini logo

BEST SMALL BUSINESS CREDIT CARD OF 2025

$0

1.5%

Cashback

$750

on Chase's website

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

on American Express' website

New businesses and small teams

$0

1%-2%

Cashback

$250

on American Express' website

Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

Travel rewards

$95

1x-3x

Points

90,000

Points

on Chase's website

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

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

on Bank of America's website

Cash back on gas

$0

1%-3%

Cashback

$300

on Bank of America's website

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

on American Express' website

Luxury travel rewards

$695

1x-5x

Points

150,000

Points

on American Express' website

Capital on Tap Visa

Capital on Tap Business Credit Card

on Capital on Tap's website

Business owners with fair credit

$0

1.5%

N/A

on Capital on Tap's website

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

on Capital One's website

Flexible cash back with no rewards cap

$150

2%-5%

Cashback

$2,000

on Capital One's website

Here are the best employee credit cards

Best of awards Nerdwallet's badge 2025 BEST CREDIT CARD SMALL BUSINESS

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Best for Sign-up bonus with no annual fee

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1.5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$750

on Chase's website

Best of awards Nerdwallet's badge

2025 BEST CREDIT CARD

SMALL BUSINESS

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Best for Sign-up bonus with no annual fee

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1.5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$750

on Chase's website

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

Best for New businesses and small teams

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-2%

Cashback

Intro offer
$250

on American Express' website

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

Best for New businesses and small teams

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-2%

Cashback

Intro offer
$250

on American Express' website

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Best for Travel rewards

Annual fee
$95

Rewards rate
1x-3x

Points

Intro offer
90,000

Points

on Chase's website

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Best for Travel rewards

Annual fee
$95

Rewards rate
1x-3x

Points

Intro offer
90,000

Points

on Chase's website

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

Best for Cash back on gas

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-3%

Cashback

Intro offer
$300

on Bank of America's website

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

Best for Cash back on gas

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-3%

Cashback

Intro offer
$300

on Bank of America's website

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

Best for Luxury travel rewards

Annual fee
$695

Rewards rate
1x-5x

Points

Intro offer
150,000

Points

on American Express' website

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

Best for Luxury travel rewards

Annual fee
$695

Rewards rate
1x-5x

Points

Intro offer
150,000

Points

on American Express' website

Capital on Tap Business Credit Card

Best for Business owners with fair credit

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1.5%

Intro offer
N/A

on Capital on Tap's website

Capital on Tap Business Credit Card

Best for Business owners with fair credit

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1.5%

Intro offer
N/A

on Capital on Tap's website

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Best for Flexible cash back with no rewards cap

Annual fee
$150

Rewards rate
2%-5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$2,000

on Capital One's website

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Best for Flexible cash back with no rewards cap

Annual fee
$150

Rewards rate
2%-5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$2,000

on Capital One's website

What is an employee credit card?

An employee credit card is a business credit card that employees can use on the owner’s behalf. You can add specific employees as authorized users, and each gets their own physical credit card.
Employee credit cards extend the benefits of business credit cards to your team. If your business credit card offers cash back rewards, for instance, adding employee cards means that your team’s purchases may generate rewards too.
But the risks of using credit cards are extended, too. If an employee spends more than you expect, you’ll be on the hook for paying off that debt.
You can request employee credit cards from your business credit card issuer. There’s generally no charge for employee cards, and you may be able to have an unlimited number.

How do employee credit cards work?

Here’s what happens if you want an employee credit card:
  • Add the employee as an authorized user and order them a card. Most card providers allow a large or unlimited number of additional cards, and they tend to be free. Some may let you issue your team one-off virtual cards as well, which can help with spend management.
  • Set up your employee’s constraints. You may be able to cap how much an employee can spend on their card or get notified when they make a purchase outside a designated category. This can help you react quickly in case of potential fraud.
  • Set up alerts. Your credit card issuer may be able to ping you whenever an employee makes a purchase, when they go over their spending limit or when a purchase looks fraudulent. You can lock employee cards and report fraud as needed.
  • Earn rewards — but watch out for caps. Let’s say you’re using The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, which offers 2% cash back on your first $50,000 in eligible spending, then 1% after that. Terms apply. As employees put more purchases on your credit card, you may hit that spending cap faster — which may mean it’s time to shop for a card without them.
  • Know other rules, too. Employee card spending may not count toward a business credit card's sign-up bonus requirements. This is the case with U.S. Bank business credit cards, for instance.
  • Beware credit limits, too. While you can set spending caps for each employee, every card will count toward the same credit limit. Keep a close eye on your spending and pay down your balance regularly if needed to avoid reaching the limit.
  • Designate another account manager, if needed. If someone else manages your day-to-day business finances, you may want to add them as an account manager so they can add additional authorized users and approve spending. 

Should you get employee credit cards?

If you have multiple employees responsible for making purchases, it may make sense to give each person their own credit card.
Some advantages of employee credit cards for small and midsize teams include:
  • Limit reimbursements and combine statements. When employees use your business credit card, you’ll be able to see more of your business’s spending on one monthly statement or in one online account. Plus, you may be able to limit the number of reimbursements you have to process. 
  • Earn more rewards on your business spending. If your workers are making purchases on your business’s behalf, they can use an employee credit card to help you earn cash back, points or other rewards. They may appreciate not having to tap into their own cash or credit as well. 
  • Monitor and limit each employee’s spending. Many cards allow you to cap how much individual employees can spend and get alerts if they go over those limits. Some issuers offer category-specific spending notifications, too.
  • Easily track expenses. Instead of having to categorize each reimbursement expense, most business credit cards will sync automatically with your accounting software.
But be wary of these potential drawbacks:
  • You may reach rewards caps sooner. It’s fairly common for cash-back cards to offer rewards only up to a certain amount of spending. If you and your employees’ combined spending results in you hitting those caps, you may want to shop around for cards that offer unlimited cash back or other rewards, like Capital One Spark Cash Plus or Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card.
  • Employees might misuse their cards. Employee cards get the same fraud protection as the main business credit card, and you can lock or freeze users’ cards at any time if you think they’ve been lost or stolen. But if your employee purchases something they shouldn’t have and your credit card issuer does not think it was fraudulent, you’ll still be on the hook for paying off that purchase.
To view rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, see this page.
To view rates and fees of The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, see this page.
Last updated on May 29, 2025