Which Business Credit Card Has the Best Cash Back?

For many business owners, every penny counts. One way to improve cash flow is to use a business credit card that offers cash back on purchases. When these cards are used consistently and effectively by company owners, executives and other employees, a company can recoup some of its expenses.

Choosing a cash back credit card is not always the easiest decision to make: Many credit card companies regularly change their terms, so it's a good idea to monitor the current introductory offers and cashback rates that banks and cards provide.

Cash Back Business Credit Cards

Credit cards have been offering cash back on purchases for several decades. The premise is simple: Use your card to make a purchase and you'll earn a percentage of that purchase in cash back. In some cases, the cash back is just added as a credit on your card balance, though some banks will allow you to take your credit in the form of a check mailed to you or as a direct deposit to a bank account. For people who use their cards frequently, the amount of cash back earned over time can be signifcant.

What to Look for in a Cash Back Business Credit Card

When selecting a cash back business credit card, here are some things to pay attention to:

Fees

Cash back is great, but not if most of it is offset by high annual fees. While these may be tax-deductable, you'lll need to speak to your accountant as to whether you can claim them on your returns. Keep in mind that some card issuers waive annual fees for your first year with the card, but you could get hit with a hefty charge in subsequent years.

Interest Terms

The same holds true for APR: If you carry a balance on your cards, make sure that you've secured a low interest rate. Otherwise, any cash back benefit will be eaten-up by what you pay in interest.

Cash Back Payout Options

How do you prefer to get your cash back? Some would just like it credited to their account while others want to receieve a lump sum separately in the form of a check or bank deposit. Find out how you'll receive your cash back: Some cards offer multiple options!

Another thing to consider is that many cards rotate promotional cash back percentages. For example, a card may regularly offer 1% cash back on all purchases, but that number could increase to 5% or more on specific purchase categories, such as restaurants or travel, during some months of the year.

Cash Back Caps

Some cards set a cap on the amount of cash back you receive. Keep these caps in mind when choosing a card.

Foreign Transaction Fees

Does the card tack foreign transaction fees on to overseas purchases? If so, these fees will likely cost more than any cash back savings. If you don't have a workforce that travels overseas frequently or you don't make a lot of foreign purchases, this may be a non-issue. However, it is something to be aware of.

Other Benefits

Business credit cards offer many benefits that vary from card to card. These benefits may include:

• Integrations with accounting and expense reporting apps
• Travel perks, such as insurance coverage, global assistance hotlines, and reimbursements on TSA Precheck or CLEAR.
• Extended warranties and purchase protection

Keep in mind that some card issuers also offer business credit cards that offer reimbursement in the form of airline miles or hotel chain loyalty points. Crunch some numbers to determine whether these offers impact the total benefits offered by a card.

Best Business Credit Cards for Cash Back

Below are some of the best business credit cards for cash back currently on offer. Keep in mind that terms and promotions change regularly, so do investigate all your options at the time you make a decision about applying:

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

This option from Capital One is technically a charge card, not a credit card, so you can't carry a balance. Still, it offers a flat 2% cash back on all purchases: No caps or limits of any kind. This card is also known for offering extremely generous introductory bonus offers.

Ink Business Cash

This card from Chase gets high marks for its generous cash back offer on office supplies and services: 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent on Internet, phone service, and office supplies annually. 2% cash back is available on restaurants and gas. 1% on all other purchases. No annual fees and there are reports of very generous introductory offers.

American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

This card from American Express pays 2% cash back on all transactions up to $50,000 over a year. If you exeed this amount, the cash back drops to 1%. No annual fee, a low introductory APR, and benefits such as purchase protection and car rental insurance make this card a good deal for many businesses.

Discover it® Business Card

This business credit card from Discover offers 1.5% cash back on all purchases, along with an extremely attractive dollar-for-dollar cash back offer in your first year. Cash back rewards never expire. You can add up to 50 employee cards to your account and data from card usage can be easily dowloaded into most accounting software packages.

U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite™ Mastercard®

U.S. Bank offers this card that rewards businesses with 3% cash back on cell phone service, office supplies, restaurants, and gas station purchases. All other purchases earn you 1 % cash back. This makes this card extremely attractive to many business owners, particularly those who have a traveling workforce. There is a long introductory 0% APR offer as well.

Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card

This card from Bank of America is customizable in its cash back offer. Each month, you can choose one of six categories that make you eligible for 3% cash back. These include internet/wireless, computer services, office supplies, cable TV, travel, and business consulting. You always get 2% cash back on dining and other purchases earn you 1% cash back. There is a spending cap of $50,000 on the 2% and 3% cash back offers.

Wells Fargo Business Platinum Credit Card

If you prefer choice when it comes to credit card rewards, consider this one from Wells Fargo. 1.5% cash back on all purchases, or opt for rewards points instead. No foreign transaction fees, either. The downside? Cash back rewards are only issued quarterly.

Amazon Business Prime American Express Card

If your business does a lot of spending with Amazon, this Amex card might represent some real savings. You'll get 5% cash back on Amazon, Whole Foods, and Amazon Web Services (cloud). If you need time to pay off a purchase, you can choose a 90-day, 0% APR period to pay off your purchase.

Final Word

Business credit cards that offer cash back can help you keep expenses under control. The trick is to research the cards before apply so that you can take advantage of best introductory offers while also ensuring that cash back categories are right for the way you do business. It is also important to review card fees and terms so that you don't end up with a cash back deal that doesn't actually save you money.