Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Anyone with a small business or side hustle should have a small business credit card that earns bonus rewards in areas where they spend the most.
A major expense for many businesses is digital advertising, including platforms like Facebook, Google, Amazon and Twitter. If you're not maximizing the rewards you earn for your business's online advertising, you may be missing out on a major opportunity.
Below, CNBC Select has compiled a list of the best business credit cards for online advertising, including cards that earn travel rewards, airline miles and cash back. (See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best cards.)
Best business cards for online advertising
- Best for travel rewards: American Express® Business Gold Card
- Best for low annual fee: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (See rates and fees)
- Best for no annual fee: The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (See rates and fees)
- Best for cash-back: Capital One Spark Cash Plus
- Best for airline miles: Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (See rates and fees)
Best for travel rewards
The American Express Business Gold Card maximizes spending with flexible bonus reward categories based on where your business spends the most.
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- As High As 200,000 points. Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as 200,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $15,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points on the top two eligible categories where your business spends the most each month from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap.
- Earn up to $20 in statement credits monthly after you use the Business Gold Card for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx (through 10/01/2026), Grubhub, and Office Supply Stores. This can be an annual savings of up to $240. Enrollment required.
- Enroll and get up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year on U.S. purchases of ChatGPT Business* on the Business Gold Card. *Subject to auto-renewal.
- Enroll and get up to $150 in statement credits per calendar year for U.S. purchases with Squarespace. Subscription purchases subject to auto-renewal.
- Get up to a $12.95** statement credit back each month after you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Business Gold Card. **Up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes on one membership fee.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™.
- The Business Gold Card comes in three metal designs: Gold, Rose Gold and White Gold. Make your selection when you apply on Americanexpress.com.
- Terms Apply
- See Rates & Fees
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
None
The American Express® Business Gold Card stands out for its flexibility. Cardholders earn an impressive 4X Membership Rewards® points on the top two eligible categories where your business spends the most each month from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap. Terms apply.
The American Express Business Gold's bonus categories include U.S. purchases for advertising in select media and lots of other useful categories such as U.S. purchases at gas stations, restaurants, and more.
To qualify for the bonus rewards, American Express purchases must be made directly from U.S. media providers (online, TV, radio). This includes (but is not limited to) advertising purchases with companies such as Google, Facebook, Yahoo and CBS.
To learn more, read CNBC Select's Amex Business Gold Card review.
Best for low annual fee
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is an excellent business card with useful benefits, valuable rewards and a generous welcome bonus.
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
- Earn 5x total points on Lyft rides through 9/30/27.
- With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
- Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
- Go further when you book with Chase TravelSM. Enjoy competitive rates, seamless booking and premium benefits.
- Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
- Receive complimentary access to DashPass by DoorDash.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offers a reasonable $95 annual fee, a sizeable welcome bonus and generous returns. It earns 3X Chase Ultimate Rewards® points in useful categories for business owners, including travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines — for the first $150,000 in combined purchases each account anniversary — as well as 1X points for all other purchases.
Chase Ultimate Rewards® points are excellent travel rewards because they give you many options. You can redeem points for one cent each as cash back or book travel through Chase TravelSM at a higher rate. You can also transfer Chase points to 14 travel partners to book flights or hotels.
Other benefits include no foreign transaction fees, primary car rental insurance, cell phone protection, employee cards at no additional cost and more.
To learn more, read CNBC Select's Ink Business Preferred Credit Card review.
Best for no annual fee
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is a great option if you're starting a business because it's affordable, earns flexible travel rewards and offers an intro-APR on purchases for a year.
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership.
- 0.0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 16.74% - 28.49%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors at account opening. APR will not exceed 29.99%
- Earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. Terms and limitations apply.
- You've got the power to spend above your credit limit* with Expanded Buying Power. *The amount you can spend above your credit limit is flexible, so it adapts with your use of the Card, your payment history, credit record, financial resources known to us, and other factors. Just remember, the amount you can spend with Expanded Buying Power is not unlimited.
- No Annual Fee
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is an excellent no-annual-fee business credit card (see rates and fees). What makes this card so special is that you earn 2X American Express Membership Rewards® points on the first $50,000 in spending per calendar year, then 1X points — there are no bonus categories to keep track of. Terms and limitations apply.
The Blue Business Plus card's simplicity makes it a great card for anyone starting a side hustle or small business. Plus, you can invest in your business by financing new purchases with a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then 16.74% - 28.49% variable APR thereafter. APR will not exceed 29.99%. (See rates and fees). However, as your business grows, you may want to look at other cards once your credit card expenses exceed $50,000 a year.
To learn more, read CNBC Select's Amex Blue Business Plus review.
Best for cash back
The Capital One Spark Cash Plus is especially rewarding for businesses with a lot of credit card spending. It offers an additional bonus the first year and an ongoing annual fee refund, but both benefits have six-figure spending requirements.
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn a one-time cash bonus of $2,000 once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months
- Earn an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year. You can earn this bonus multiple times over the course of year 1!
- Earn unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Enjoy big purchasing power so you can spend more and earn more rewards. The Spark Cash Plus card has no preset spending limit, so it can adapt to your needs based on your spending behavior, payment history, credit profile and other factors
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel
- Streamline your accounts payable process, employee spending, and more from your online account with free business management tools
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while you earn rewards from their transactions with free employee and virtual cards
- $150 annual fee - Spend $150,000 annually and Capital One will refund this fee every year
- Your card is designed to be paid in full. However you have the option to carry over a portion of your balance with interest if needed. Pay at least the minimum payment amount by your payment due date, otherwise you'll be charged a 2.99% late fee
- For businesses that need large spending capacity and want to maximize cash back
- Top rated mobile app
The *Capital One Spark Cash Plus removes the headaches of earning and redeeming credit card rewards. It earns an unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, and it's a charge card with no preset spending limit, so you'll need to pay it off in full each month.
The Capital One Spark Cash Plus is ideal for anyone looking for a set-it-and-forget-it card because there are no complicated benefits or rewards to navigate. It does have a $150 annual fee, but you can get it refunded after spending at least $150,000 on the card in a year. It's also free to add employee cards that earn 2% cash back and there are no foreign transaction fees.
To learn more, read CNBC Select's Capital One Spark Cash Plus review.
Best for airline miles
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 9,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary.
- Earn 4X pts on Southwest® purchases.
- Earn 2 points for every $1 you spend at gas stations and restaurants
- Earn 2X points on hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel
- Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- First checked bag free for Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation.
- Cardmembers and up to 8 passengers in the same reservation will board with Group 5 giving them earlier access to overhead bins
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater.
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is great for business owners who prefer to earn rewards with an airline. This card earns 2X Rapid Rewards points on gas station and restaurant purchases and 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
Southwest has a simple loyalty program that allows you to book any seat with points because the price of an award ticket is tied to the cash price. This is helpful for business travelers whose schedules may be less flexible. Plus the card has a host of other benefits, including a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit (worth up to $120), 365 inflight Wi-Fi credits per year, and more*. Plus, the Southwest points you earn with this card count toward earning the Southwest Companion Pass.
To learn more, read CNBC Select's Southwest Performance Business credit card review.
FAQs
How to choose a business credit card for advertising
To choose the best business credit card for your advertising expenses, you'll want to take a look at all of your business expenses. By understanding where your business spends the most money, you may be able to open a small business card that rewards you for advertising and other business purchases, such as shipping or cell phone service.
Are business credit cards for advertising worth it?
Which credit card is best for Facebook ads?
The most rewarding business credit card for Facebook ad spending is the American Express Business Gold Card. It earns 4X points on the top two categories where you spent the most each billing cycle, including on select advertising with companies like Google, Facebook and Yahoo (4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap).
Find the best credit card for you by reviewing offers in our credit card marketplace or get personalized offers via CardMatch™.
Bottom line
Online advertising is a common expense for many businesses, and with the right business card, you can maximize the rewards you earn for this type of purchase. You can also choose a card that earns the type of rewards that will be most useful to you, whether that's straight cash back, airline miles or travel rewards. Plus, many of the cards on this list earn bonus rewards for a variety of other purchases as well, so your business can be rewarded for more than just its spending on ads.
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Why trust CNBC Select?
At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card list is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best small business credit cards.
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Our methodology
To determine which business cards offer the best value for online advertising, CNBC Select analyzed the most popular credit cards available to U.S. business owners. We compared each card on a range of features, including the annual fee, employee card fee, rewards, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR and foreign transaction fees, as well as factors such as required credit and customer reviews when available. We also considered additional perks, the application process and how easy it is to redeem points.
For rates and fees of the Business Gold Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.
