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Best Employee Credit Cards of December 2024

By Rosalie Murphy
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.

Employee credit cards let workers make purchases on their company’s behalf using their own copy of a business credit card. By using employee credit cards, you can keep an eye on your employees’ spending, earn credit card rewards and reduce the need for expense and reimbursement claims.
All of our picks offer free employee cards, as well as tools for managing and tracking employee purchases. To choose the best option for your business, focus on what you value most — whether that’s cash back, travel points or something else — and whether the issuer caps those rewards. Remember: More employees spending on your card may mean you’ll hit those limits faster.
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 your business type to find the best options for you.

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.

Employee credit cards let workers make purchases on their company’s behalf using their own copy of a business credit card. By using employee credit cards, you can keep an eye on your employees’ spending, earn credit card rewards and reduce the need for expense and reimbursement claims.
All of our picks offer free employee cards, as well as tools for managing and tracking employee purchases. To choose the best option for your business, focus on what you value most — whether that’s cash back, travel points or something else — and whether the issuer caps those rewards. Remember: More employees spending on your card may mean you’ll hit those limits faster.
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 your business type to find the best options for you.

Our top overall picks

on Nerdwallet's secure site

Here are the best employee credit cards

Best forNerdWallet ratingAnnual feeRewards rateIntro offerLearn more

Sign-up bonus with no annual fee

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

New businesses and small teams

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

Travel rewards

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 on gas

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

Apply now

on Bank of America's website

3.9/5
$0

1%-3%

Cashback

$300

Apply now

on Bank of America's website

Luxury travel rewards

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

Apply now

on American Express' website

Rates & Fees

4.8/5
$695

1x-5x

Points

150,000

Points

Apply now

on American Express' website

Rates & Fees

Business owners with fair credit

Capital on Tap Business Credit Card

Apply now

on Capital on Tap's website

3.8/5
$0

1.5%

N/A

Apply now

on Capital on Tap's website

Flexible cash back with no rewards cap

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Apply now

on Capital One's website

Rates & Fees

5.0/5
$150

2%-5%

Cashback

$2,000

⏱️ New bonus offer

Apply now

on Capital One's website

Rates & Fees

Best forNerdWallet ratingAnnual feeRewards rateIntro offerLearn more

Sign-up bonus with no annual fee

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

New businesses and small teams

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

Travel rewards

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 on gas

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

Apply now

on Bank of America's website

3.9/5
$0

1%-3%

Cashback

$300

Apply now

on Bank of America's website

Luxury travel rewards

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

Apply now

on American Express' website

Rates & Fees

4.8/5
$695

1x-5x

Points

150,000

Points

Apply now

on American Express' website

Rates & Fees

Business owners with fair credit

Capital on Tap Business Credit Card

Apply now

on Capital on Tap's website

3.8/5
$0

1.5%

N/A

Apply now

on Capital on Tap's website

Flexible cash back with no rewards cap

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Apply now

on Capital One's website

Rates & Fees

5.0/5
$150

2%-5%

Cashback

$2,000

⏱️ New bonus offer

Apply now

on Capital One's website

Rates & Fees

I'M INTERESTED IN:

Our pick for

Sign-up bonus with no annual fee

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

New businesses and small teams

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

Our pick for

Travel rewards

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 on gas

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

Read Review
Apply now

on Bank of America's website

Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-3% Cashback
Intro offer
$300

Pros

  • No annual fee
  • High rewards rate
  • New cardholder bonus offer
  • Rotating bonus categories

Cons

  • Requires excellent credit
  • Complicated rewards
  • Foreign transaction fee
  • Spending caps on bonus rewards
  • Best rewards limited to certain customers

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

NerdWallet rating 

3.9/5
Apply now

on Bank of America's website

Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-3% Cashback
Intro offer
$300

Our pick for

Luxury travel rewards

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

Read Review
Apply now

on American Express' website

Annual fee
$695
Rewards rate
1x-5x Points
Intro offer
150,000 Points

Pros

  • Lounge membership
  • Transfer partners
  • Bonus categories
  • Automatic elite status
  • Premium travel protections

Cons

  • High annual fee
  • Complicated rewards
  • Requires good/excellent credit

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

NerdWallet rating 

4.8/5
Apply now

on American Express' website

Annual fee
$695
Rewards rate
1x-5x Points
Intro offer
150,000 Points

Our pick for

Business owners with fair credit

Capital on Tap Business Credit Card

Read Review
Apply now

on Capital on Tap's website

Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5%
Intro offer
N/A

Pros

  • Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases
  • 24/7 customer service

Cons

  • Not available to sole proprietors, charities or nonprofits
  • Must enroll in automatic payments

Capital on Tap Business Credit Card

NerdWallet rating 

3.8/5
Apply now

on Capital on Tap's website

Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5%
Intro offer
N/A

Our pick for

Flexible cash back with no rewards cap

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Read Review
Apply now

on Capital One's website

Annual fee
$150
Rewards rate
2%-5% Cashback
Intro offer
$2,000

⏱️ New bonus offer

Pros

  • Earns cash back on primary and employee cards
  • No foreign transaction fees

Cons

  • Balance must be paid in full every month
  • Has annual fee
  • High spending requirement to hit full welcome bonus, annual bonus offers

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

NerdWallet rating 

5.0/5
Apply now

on Capital One's website

Annual fee
$150
Rewards rate
2%-5% Cashback
Intro offer
$2,000

⏱️ New bonus offer

🤓 Nerdy Tip

Have a lot of employees who need your business credit card? Consider a corporate credit card. These cards are issued to your company, eliminating your personal liability. But they typically require several million dollars in annual revenue to qualify.

NerdWallet's editorial picks: Best employee credit cards

Before applying, confirm details on the issuer’s website.

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Our pick for: Sign-up bonus + no annual fees
NerdWallet star rating:
5
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.

American Express Blue Business Cash

Our pick for: New businesses + small teams
NerdWallet star rating:
4.4
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
boasts one of the better introductory APR offers among business credit cards, which makes it a good financing option for new businesses. Beyond that, there are solid rewards:
Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement. Terms Apply.
It's less likely to be a fit for businesses with larger staffs who may hit that spending limit sooner. Learn more and apply.

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Our pick for: Travel rewards
NerdWallet star rating:
4.7
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.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

Our pick for: Luxury travel rewards
NerdWallet star rating:
4.8
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
comes with a big annual fee. But business travelers who prefer to go in style will find plenty that appeals to them: high rewards on certain travel purchases, bonus rewards on larger nontravel purchases, a superb newcomer welcome offer, extensive airport lounge access, elite hotel status, hundreds of dollars a year in available credits and a list of perks as long as your arm. It's not cheap, but luxury never is. Terms apply. Learn more and apply.

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Our pick for: Flexible cash back with no rewards cap
NerdWallet star rating:
5
The
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
is an excellent option for business operators whose expenses don't fall into the bonus categories on other business credit cards. There's no preset spending limit and you get a high, flat rewards rate on every purchase. Plus, you can earn a welcome bonus if you hit certain spending requirements. Just make sure that you can pay off your spending in full each month, as this is a charge card that doesn't let you revolve a balance. (See rates and fees.) Learn more and apply.

Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard®

Our pick for: Cash back on gas
NerdWallet star rating:
3.9
The
Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card
gives entrepreneurs a little control over their credit card rewards by letting them choose which category earns the highest cash-back rate. Options include gas (EV charging stations qualify as well), office supplies, travel, computer services and more. There are also bonus rewards on dining and no annual fee. Learn more and apply.

Capital On Tap

Our pick for: Business owners with fair credit
NerdWallet star rating:
3.8
Capital on Tap says applicants with a FICO score of 670 or higher have the best chance of approval, but the card is available to business owners with fair credit (typically considered a score from 630 to 689). The
Capital on Tap Business Credit Card
issued by WebBank offers
1.5%
cash back on all purchases, no annual fee and the potential for a low APR. One important note: This card is not available to sole proprietors, which excludes the majority of businesses. Learn more and apply.

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 will 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 issues allow a large or unlimited number of additional cards, and they tend to be free.
  • 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.
  • 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 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 about how we rate business credit cards.
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