Best-Of Awards 2026 Methodologies

Best Small-Business Credit Card

How we picked the cards to evaluate:

NerdWallet reviewed more than 45 small-business credit cards. To be considered, a card had to be widely available and deliver an overall rewards rate in excess of 1%. That means either a flat rate of more than 1% or a base rate of 1% with bonus categories at rates of 2% or more. The cards we reviewed include products from NerdWallet partners, but this did not influence our selection of the winner.

How we chose the winner:

When choosing our best small-business credit card, we considered the following factors in descending order of importance:

• Reward rates (whether cash back or travel rewards).
• The categories that earn rewards at elevated rates.
• How much spending qualifies for elevated rates (aka “bonus caps”).
• Annual and other fees (including foreign transaction fees).
• Sign-up bonuses.
• Introductory and ongoing APRs.
• Redemption rules and options.

In the case of cards with annual fees, we looked at how much spending would be necessary before a business owner would come out ahead compared with no-fee options.

NerdWallet star ratings alone do not determine awards. Here's how our small business team distinguishes between star ratings and award selections:

• Star ratings are quantitative: We assess the features of a card, score those features according to how they compare with other options on the market and assign the card a rating of 1 to 5 stars based on those features. In general, a card that rates 4.5 stars will be a better value for more people than a card that rates 4.0 stars. However, the 4.0 card might be better than the 4.5 card for an individual consumer depending on that person’s circumstances.

• Selection for awards is both quantitative and qualitative: Star ratings play a role in award selection, but don’t dictate awards. Discussion among editorial team members also plays a role in award selection. NerdWallet’s small-business credit card experts weigh the merits of multiple 5-star cards, for example, to determine which delivers the greatest value to the greatest number of small business owners.

How we verified our data:

NerdWallet obtains credit card information from issuer websites, published credit card agreements, automated data feeds from issuers (when available) and interviews with issuer representatives.


See all methodologies