5 Best Business Credit Cards for Sole Proprietorships

Sole proprietors and freelancers can use a business credit card to earn rewards, bridge cash flow gaps and finance larger purchases. Plus, they can help you establish and build your business credit history.
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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 Business Credit Cards for Sole Proprietorships

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

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

Sign-up bonus

$95

1x-3x

Points

90,000

Points

on Chase's website

Pros

  • New cardholder bonus offer
  • Transfer partners

Cons

  • Does not include lounge access or travel credits
Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card Credit Card

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

on Chase's website

Cash back on office spending

$0

1%-5%

Cashback

$350

on Chase's website

Pros

  • Intro APR period
  • New cardholder bonus offer
  • High reward rate in bonus categories

Cons

  • Low rate outside bonus categories
  • Spending caps on bonus rewards
U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card

U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card

on U.S. Bank's website

Intro APR + cash back on gas

$0

1%-5%

Cashback

$500

on U.S. Bank's website

Pros

  • High cash-back bonus rate
  • No cap on bonus rewards
  • Intro APR period on purchases and balance transfers
  • Reports to Dun & Bradstreet
  • New cardholder bonus offer

Cons

  • Low rate outside bonus categories
  • Activity on employee cards does not count toward bonus spending requirement
U.S. Bank Business Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card

U.S. Bank Business Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card

on U.S. Bank's website

Travel rewards

$0 intro for the first year, then $95

1x-5x

Points

60,000

Points

on U.S. Bank's website

Pros

  • New cardholder bonus offer
  • High bonus rewards rate
  • Annual fee waived for the first year
  • Reports to Dun & Bradstreet

Cons

  • No intro APR offer
  • Activity on employee cards does not count toward bonus spending requirement
Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card

Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card

on Capital One's website

Secured card to build your personal credit

$0

N/A

N/A

on Capital One's website

Pros

  • No annual fee
  • Qualify with limited/bad credit
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Report to three major credit bureaus

Cons

  • Requires minimum deposit
  • No rewards
  • High APR
Credit card Best for NerdWallet rating Annual fee Rewards rate Intro offer Learn more
Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

Sign-up bonus

$95

1x-3x

Points

90,000

Points

on Chase's website

Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card Credit Card

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

on Chase's website

Cash back on office spending

$0

1%-5%

Cashback

$350

on Chase's website

U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card

U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card

on U.S. Bank's website

Intro APR + cash back on gas

$0

1%-5%

Cashback

$500

on U.S. Bank's website

U.S. Bank Business Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card

U.S. Bank Business Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card

on U.S. Bank's website

Travel rewards

$0 intro for the first year, then $95

1x-5x

Points

60,000

Points

on U.S. Bank's website

Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card

Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card

on Capital One's website

Secured card to build your personal credit

$0

N/A

N/A

on Capital One's website

Here are the best sole proprietorship business credit card

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Best for Sign-up bonus

Annual fee
$95

Rewards rate
1x-3x

Points

Intro offer
90,000

Points

on Chase's website

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Best for Sign-up bonus

Annual fee
$95

Rewards rate
1x-3x

Points

Intro offer
90,000

Points

on Chase's website

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

Best for Cash back on office spending

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$350

on Chase's website

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

Best for Cash back on office spending

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$350

on Chase's website

U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card

Best for Intro APR + cash back on gas

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$500

on U.S. Bank's website

U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card

Best for Intro APR + cash back on gas

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$500

on U.S. Bank's website

U.S. Bank Business Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card

Best for Travel rewards

Annual fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $95

Rewards rate
1x-5x

Points

Intro offer
60,000

Points

on U.S. Bank's website

U.S. Bank Business Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card

Best for Travel rewards

Annual fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $95

Rewards rate
1x-5x

Points

Intro offer
60,000

Points

on U.S. Bank's website

Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card

Best for Secured card to build your personal credit

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
N/A

Intro offer
N/A

on Capital One's website

Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card

Best for Secured card to build your personal credit

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
N/A

Intro offer
N/A

on Capital One's website

Other picks: Best business credit cards for sole proprietors

The following cards are not available through NerdWallet. Before applying, confirm details on the issuer’s website.

Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash℠ Card

Our pick for: Flat-rate cash back
NerdWallet star rating: 5
If you're looking for a cash-back business card, the Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash℠ Card checks virtually every box. High rewards rate? Check. No annual fee? Check. Intro APR period? Check. Welcome offer? Check. In fact, it's hard to find something not to like about the Signify Business Cash, which is the only business credit card on our list to offer unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases with no annual fee. Read our full review.

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

Our pick for: Secured card to build business credit
NerdWallet rating: 4.4
The Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® Secured credit card earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases, with no cap or expiration date on the rewards you earn. The card has a minimum security deposit of $1,000, which is equal to your credit limit and subject to credit approval. Bank of America® will periodically review your secured card and may upgrade you to an unsecured card if and when you qualify. This card has no annual fee. Read our full review.

How to apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor

Here’s what you’ll need to apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor:
  • Business name: Use your own name if you don’t have a formal business name.
  • Business contact information: Use your personal address and phone number if you don’t have a dedicated office or business phone.
  • Federal Taxpayer Identification Number: Use your Employer Identification Number. Don’t have one? Your Social Security number will also work.
  • Industry type: Note what field you work in, whether it’s retail, professional services or deliveries.
  • Annual revenue: Your total business income for the previous year before taxes and expenses. New businesses with no prior revenue can put $0.

Do sole proprietors need business credit cards?

Not necessarily. There’s no rule against using a personal credit card for business purposes. However, if you do so, keep one card dedicated for your sole prop’s use and a separate one for personal spending. Mixing the two can cause accounting and tax headaches.
There are additional drawbacks to be aware of if you go that route as well:
  • A personal credit card will not build your business credit history. Business and personal credit are two separate things. A sole proprietor can have excellent personal credit but no business credit history. Opening a business credit card is one way to establish and build your business credit history — which may make it easier to get a business loan or line of credit in the future — as a sole proprietor.
  • But a personal card will definitely affect your personal credit. When you use a personal credit card, issuers report lots of information to the three personal credit bureaus. If you put a bunch of business expenses on this card, that could affect your personal debt-to-income and credit utilization ratios — which in turn could affect your credit score. With business credit cards, on the other hand, credit card companies typically only report late payments to consumer credit bureaus.
Notes from card issuers
The information related to the Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash℠ Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.
Last updated on June 23, 2025

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, sole proprietors can open business credit cards. Approval for most small-business credit cards largely depends on your personal credit history, not factors like your time in business or annual revenue. You typically need a personal FICO score of at least 690, though there are some fair-credit business credit cards (630-689) that have fewer bells and whistles. Business owners with bad credit (a FICO score between 300-629) can use a secured credit card to build credit history. These cards require a deposit, typically equal to your requested credit limit.
Yes, sole proprietors can open business credit cards. Approval depends largely on your personal credit history rather than factors like your time in business or annual revenue. You need a personal FICO score of at least 690 to qualify for most business credit cards.
Sole proprietors can get lines of credit in the form of business credit cards. They can also apply for business lines of credit, which may offer higher credit limits and longer payback periods than business credit cards. However, business lines of credit also have more stringent qualification requirements — they’ll consider your time in business and annual revenue alongside your personal credit score, whereas business credit cards may only consider your credit score.
Yes, you can apply for a business credit card without any business income. You’ll just need to provide your business name (sole proprietors can use their own names), federal tax ID (sole proprietors can use their Social Security numbers) and a description of your business.
If you use your business credit card only for your business expenses, then the annual fee will generally be tax-deductible — along with late fees, balance transfer fees, and potentially interest and credit card processing fees. Learn more about which business credit card fees are tax-deductible.

Methodology

NerdWallet's business credit card team selects the best small-business credit cards without outside input from partners or other business interests. We evaluate business cards based on value and simplicity, weighing fees, sign-up bonuses and reward rates, alongside perks like interest-free periods, statement credits and elite status (for travel cards). Business cards that earn the highest scores deliver the most value to the greatest number of business owners.
Notable changes to our methodology for 2025 include factoring in whether spending on employee cards earns rewards and counts toward the welcome offer requirements. We also now consider what information the card issuer reports to consumer credit bureaus. Learn how NerdWallet rates small-business credit cards.