Our Take
The bottom line:
The is best suited for businesses with high vehicle turnover, provided they stick with the General Motors brand. Even then, superior options exist with better rewards and more redemption options.
GM Business Card™
Annual fee
$0
Regular APR
19.24%-29.24% Variable APR
Intro APR
0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months.
Apply now
on Goldman Sachs' website
Pros & Cons
Pros
- No annual fee.
- Intro APR for the first 12 months; variable after.
- Welcome bonus when you meet spending requirements.
Cons
- Restrictive redemption options.
- Requires good/excellent credit.
Full Review
The
GM Business Card™
from Marcus by Goldman Sachs is a cash-back card with rewards that can’t really be redeemed for cash back. This makes an otherwise competitive card useful to a narrow slice of business owners — GM owners with a large fleet and/or frequent vehicle turnover — as rewards earned can only be redeemed on the purchase or lease of a new GM vehicle.Business owners in this niche will appreciate the card’s welcome bonus, intro APR offer and rewards rate:
Get 5% in Earnings on purchases of eligible GM parts, accessories and service at authorized GM dealers, 3% in Earnings on purchases at gas stations, restaurants and office supply stores, and 1% on all other purchases.
But it’s still worth looking closely at other cash-back business cards, like the Capital One Spark Cash Plus
card, which earns an unlimited 2% cash back, or the U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®
, which bests the GM Business Card on intro APR and rewards redemption.Key features
Card type: Small business.
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus:
Get $750 in Bonus Earnings towards the purchase or lease of eligible, new GM vehicles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first 5 months from account opening.
Rewards:
1%-5%
. Rewards can only be redeemed when buying or leasing an eligible GM vehicle. - 5% on GM dealership parts or service.
- 3% at gas stations, restaurants and office supply stores.
- 1% on all other eligible purchases.
Intro APR:
0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months, and then the ongoing APR of 19.24%-29.24% Variable APR based on creditworthiness.
Ongoing APR:
19.24%-29.24% Variable APR
. Foreign transaction fee: None.
Other benefits:
- Free employee cards (with unique spending limits).
- Discounts with various vendors, including Zoho, QuickBooks (Online and Payroll), Salesforce and ShopRunner.
Why you might want the GM Business Card
You frequently purchase or lease new vehicles
Cash back earned with the
GM Business Card™
can only be used to purchase or lease a new GM vehicle (from the current, previous or next model year). That’s not a fit for most businesses, but it may be appealing to general contractors, landscapers and other professionals who put a lot of miles on their business vehicle and can benefit from the cash-back bonus categories (3% at gas stations, 5% on GM dealership service and parts) and the card’s very specific redemption options.You have a fleet of GM vehicles
The
GM Business Card™
earns its highest rewards rate (5%) on GM dealership parts and service. While that may not pay off for a business with one or two GM vehicles, it could pay dividends for those with a large fleet in constant service. Plus, you can cash in your rewards when it’s time to upgrade one of your vehicles.Why you might want a different card
Extremely limited redemption options
The one main drawback of the
GM Business Card™
is a big one: The cash back you earn can only be redeemed on the purchase or lease of new GM vehicles, making this a niche card that really only suits businesses with high vehicle turnover.Business owners can earn more rewards (and snag a better sign-up bonus) with a general business rewards card. The
U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®
, for example, earns the same 3% back on gas stations, restaurants and office supply stores, with no annual fee, while offering a $500
sign-up bonus when you meet spending requirements and 0% introductory APR for the first 15
months (then 19.24%-28.24% Variable APR
). And the cash back you earn can be redeemed as a statement credit or deposited into a U.S. Bank checking, savings or money market account.Should you get the GM Business Card?
The
GM Business Card™
isn’t a fit for most businesses, largely due to its restrictive redemption options. Unless you regularly purchase or lease new vehicles, look to other business credit cards for better rewards, higher sign-up bonuses and more flexible redemption options. GM loyalists can also opt for the consumer-branded My GM Rewards Card, which offers higher rewards rates and more ways to cash out your cash back.Apply now
on Goldman Sachs' website