Small business credit cards give companies the purchasing power and flexibility they need from a payment tool. Business cards offer large credit lines, lower-than-average interest rates, and often they also earn rewards. However, they also provide some great benefits that average consumers may not be aware of. Here are some lesser-known business credit card perks you should keep an eye out for when applying for your next business card:
4 Lesser-Known Features of Business Credit Cards
Some of the best features of business credit cards are easy to imagine. Things like scalable credit lines, additional capital, and no annual fees are common features of business cards – but did you know there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to business credit cards? Here are four things to keep an eye out for when deciding on your next small business credit card:
Free Employee Cards
Business credit cards work best when your whole company can earn rewards for everyday business expenses – such as travel, office supplies, marketing costs, utilities, and more. Fortunately, many business credit cards offer free additional employee credit cards.
Providing additional business cards for employees is also a great way to track spending. Because the further free cards are tied to the same account, companies can spend less time reimbursing employees for business purchases while also enjoying a centralized statement highlighting each employee’s spending. Not to mention, employee cards allow your spending to be in more places at once, giving you more flexibility when handling your purchasing. One of the cool features of the Ramp Card, for example, is the ability to provide custom-branded employee cards at no additional cost. Having your brand design on all your employee cards? Now that’s a cool feature.
Expense and Spend Tracking Tools
Most business credit cards also offer annual and monthly reports on business expenses. Small business credit cards make it easy to download spending records and integrate into popular software programs like Quicken, QuickBooks, and Microsoft Excel.
Take the BILL Divvy Corporate Card – a corporate card – as an example. Businesses can take advantage of easy dispute resolution, report drill-downs, simple reimbursements, spending notifications, instant categorization, and a two-step review process. All data is stored and accessible in one place, making the BILL Spend & Expense program an end-to-end spend management platform allowing companies to control their business finances.
Travel Perks
Complimentary employee cards offer a great way of streamlining expenses. Still, travel perks are a business credit card feature that can save companies when employees hit the road to meet clients or oversee logistics. Some business cards come with no foreign transaction fees, a welcome bonus offer worth a free flight after you spend a certain amount within the first few months of card membership, and more.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is one of the best options for companies that frequently send employees on trips for business, conferences, and other events. The Platinum Card is a traveling juggernaut with plenty of travel perks to justify its substantial annual fee.
These perks include:
- Up to $200 each calendar  year in statement credits for checked baggage fees, lounge day passes, and more at one selected airline
- $189 CLEAR® statement credit. CLEAR® is available at more than 50 U.S. airports and stadiums
- Complimentary access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection®
- No foreign transaction fees
But what if your business travel takes you closer to home? In that instance, a business card like the GM Business Card from Marcus by Goldman Sachs makes more sense. The card is ideal for companies seeking to expand their fleet size, thanks to a lengthy 0% intro APR on purchases for the first year, and 5% in Earnings on GM dealership parts, accessories, or service purchases. But the card is also great for companies who plan to issue cards to employees – and expects a heavy fuel spend. The card earns 3% in Earnings on purchases at gas stations, restaurants and office supply stores, and 1% on purchases everywhere else – so no matter where your employees spend, you’ll earn towards new GM vehicles.
Business Savings
Travel statement credits and lounge access aren’t the only perks business credit cards provide. Business credit cards often include software savings, shipping discounts, and other similar offers. Typically, these features are provided by the payment network, with both Visa and Mastercard (the two largest networks in the industry) offering different benefits.
Mastercard, for example, offers businesses the following additional savings:
- Receive up to $100 in Uber vouchers when you make qualified purchases with an eligible Mastercard business card
- Earn up to $1,000 in Uber Freight load credit with an eligible Mastercard small business card
- Save 30% on QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Self-Employed, or QuickBooks Online Payroll for 12 months
Visa also provides exclusive savings for small businesses through its credit cards. The Visa SavingsEdge program enables statement credits when you use select Visa business cards at participating merchants, including names like Chevron, Auto Zone, Plastiq, Stamps.com, Mailchimp, and more.
Related Article: Top Business Cards You’ve Never Heard Of
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