Sole proprietors and freelancers can use a business credit card to earn rewards, bridge cash flow gaps and finance larger purchases. Could a personal credit card check those boxes? Sure. But business credit cards often offer bigger signup bonuses and reward categories more relevant to business owners, including shipping, advertising and office supplies. Plus, they can help you establish and build your business credit history — a must if you'll need a business loan down the line.
Best business cards for sole proprietors
- Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® Secured credit card: Best for secured card to build business credit.
- Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card: Best for secured card to build your personal credit.
- Ink Business Cash® Credit Card: Best for cash back on office spending.
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: Best for travel rewards + sign-up offer.
- Ink Business Premier® Credit Card: Best for up to 2.5% cash back and no preset spending limit.
- U.S. Bank Business Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card: Best for travel rewards.
- U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card: Best for intro APR period + cash back of gas.
- Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash℠ Card: Best for flat-rate cash back (2%).
While all of our picks for high-limit business gas cards are chosen by our editorial team without outside input, the cards highlighted below are those available from our partners. You can see a full list of our editorial picks below, including options not currently available through NerdWallet.
250+ small-business products reviewed and rated by our team of experts.
80+ years of combined experience covering small business and personal finance.
Objective comprehensive business credit card ratings rubric (Methodology).
NerdWallet's business credit card content, including our ratings, reviews and recommendations, is overseen by a team of writers and editors who specialize in business credit cards. Their work has appeared in The Associated Press, Washington Post, MarketWatch, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur, ABC News, MSN and other national and local media outlets. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet's strict editorial guidelines to ensure fairness and accuracy in our coverage. We independently evaluate and rate dozens of small-business credit cards, scoring them on fees, rewards rates, bonus offers and other features to help you choose the best business card for your company.
» Resources for sole proprietors: Bank accounts for sole proprietors | Do sole proprietors need EINs? | Insurance for sole proprietors
Sole proprietors and freelancers can use a business credit card to earn rewards, bridge cash flow gaps and finance larger purchases. Could a personal credit card check those boxes? Sure. But business credit cards often offer bigger signup bonuses and reward categories more relevant to business owners, including shipping, advertising and office supplies. Plus, they can help you establish and build your business credit history — a must if you'll need a business loan down the line.
Best business cards for sole proprietors
- Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® Secured credit card: Best for secured card to build business credit.
- Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card: Best for secured card to build your personal credit.
- Ink Business Cash® Credit Card: Best for cash back on office spending.
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: Best for travel rewards + sign-up offer.
- Ink Business Premier® Credit Card: Best for up to 2.5% cash back and no preset spending limit.
- U.S. Bank Business Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card: Best for travel rewards.
- U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card: Best for intro APR period + cash back of gas.
- Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash℠ Card: Best for flat-rate cash back (2%).
While all of our picks for high-limit business gas cards are chosen by our editorial team without outside input, the cards highlighted below are those available from our partners. You can see a full list of our editorial picks below, including options not currently available through NerdWallet.
250+ small-business products reviewed and rated by our team of experts.
80+ years of combined experience covering small business and personal finance.
Objective comprehensive business credit card ratings rubric (Methodology).
NerdWallet's business credit card content, including our ratings, reviews and recommendations, is overseen by a team of writers and editors who specialize in business credit cards. Their work has appeared in The Associated Press, Washington Post, MarketWatch, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur, ABC News, MSN and other national and local media outlets. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet's strict editorial guidelines to ensure fairness and accuracy in our coverage. We independently evaluate and rate dozens of small-business credit cards, scoring them on fees, rewards rates, bonus offers and other features to help you choose the best business card for your company.
» Resources for sole proprietors: Bank accounts for sole proprietors | Do sole proprietors need EINs? | Insurance for sole proprietors
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Here are the best sole proprietorship business credit card
Here are the best sole proprietorship business credit card
Sort By
Annual fee
$95
Rewards rate
1x-3x
Points
Intro offer
90,000
Points
Apply now
on Chase's website
Rates & Fees
Pros
- New cardholder bonus offer
- High reward redemption rate
- Transfer partners
Cons
- Does not include lounge access or travel credits
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Best for Sign-up bonus
Annual fee
$95
Rewards rate
1x-3x
Points
Intro offer
90,000
Points
Apply now
on Chase's website
Rates & Fees
Pros
- New cardholder bonus offer
- High reward redemption rate
- Transfer partners
Cons
- Does not include lounge access or travel credits
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-5%
Cashback
Intro offer
$350
Apply now
on Chase's website
Rates & Fees
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
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
Best for Cash back on office spending
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-5%
Cashback
Intro offer
$350
Apply now
on Chase's website
Rates & Fees
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
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-3%
Cashback
Intro offer
$750
Apply now
on U.S. Bank's website
Rates & Fees
Pros
- High cash-back bonus rate
- No cap on bonus rewards
- Intro APR period on purchases
- 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 Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card
Best for Intro APR + cash back on gas
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-3%
Cashback
Intro offer
$750
Apply now
on U.S. Bank's website
Rates & Fees
Pros
- High cash-back bonus rate
- No cap on bonus rewards
- Intro APR period on purchases
- 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
Annual fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $95
Rewards rate
1x-5x
Points
Intro offer
60,000
Points
Apply now
on U.S. Bank's website
Rates & Fees
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
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
Apply now
on U.S. Bank's website
Rates & Fees
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
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
N/A
Intro offer
N/A
Apply now
on Capital One's website
Rates & Fees
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
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
Apply now
on Capital One's website
Rates & Fees
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
NerdWallet's editorial picks: Best business credit cards from sole proprietors
Select the card name to read our review. 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.
U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card
Our pick for: Intro APR + cash back on gas
NerdWallet star rating:
4.4
The
U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card
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 17.99%-26.99% Variable APR
— all with a $0
annual fee. Learn more and apply.Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
Our pick for: Cash back on office spending
NerdWallet star rating:
4.6
If your business's spending matches the bonus categories on the
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
, including 5% cash back on spending at office supply stores, you can rack up some serious cash back. (If not, then look elsewhere.) There's an excellent sign-up bonus for a no-annual-fee cash-back card, plus an introductory APR period for purchases. Learn more and apply.U.S. Bank Business Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
Our pick for: Travel rewards
NerdWallet star rating:
4.5
The
U.S. Bank Business Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
delivers impressive rewards on travel, no matter where you book it. You'll earn 4x points on your first $150,000 in combined annual travel spend each year — plus, 5x points on hotels and rental cars booked directly with U.S. Bank's Rewards Portal. There's also a solid welcome offer and no annual fee for the first year ($95
after that). Learn more and apply.Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Our pick for: Sign-up bonus
NerdWallet star rating:
4.8
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.Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card
Our pick for: Secured card to build your personal credit
NerdWallet star rating:
4.8
The
Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card
requires a security deposit, as do all secured credit cards. But while most cards require you to put down a deposit equal to your credit line, this one allows some qualifying applicants to get a $200 credit line with a deposit starting at $49. Further, you can be automatically considered for a higher credit line with no additional deposit in as little as six months (see rates and fees). Read our 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.
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 April 25, 2025
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.
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.
