When choosing a credit card as a startup, these criteria tend to matter most:
Low or no annual fee early on
High rewards in categories you spend most (e.g. travel, supplies, SaaS, dining)
Good sign-on bonus if you can meet the spending threshold
Introductory 0% APR period if you need to make big purchases before revenue is stable
Expense tracking / virtual cards to help with managing team spending
Flexible qualification (you might not yet have business credit, strong revenue or long history)
No personal guarantee (if possible) to keep personal risk lower
Top U.S. business credit cards for startups
Here are some cards that tend to be frequently recommended for new or growing businesses, along with what makes each one strong (and what to watch out for):
Card
What’s good
What to check / who it’s best for
Brex Card
You can apply using just an EIN (so less reliance on personal credit), no personal guarantee. Strong expense tools, virtual cards. Great if you want to separate personal exposure.
May require a minimum bank balance or other financial/activity prerequisites. High rewards usually come if you meet their requirements.
Ramp Visa Corporate Card
Excellent for automation, receipt capture, virtual cards, setting limits per employee, good for managing spend. Cash back on everything is simple and reliable.
It lacks travel perks compared to more premium cards. If travel or luxury perks are a priority, some other cards may offer more.
Ink Business Unlimited® (Chase)
Flat cash back across all purchases (1.5%) with no annual fee. Good for simplicity when your spending is across lots of different categories. Solid welcome bonus in many cases.
If you have very specific high spend categories (e.g. travel or advertising) you might get more value with a card specialized for those. Also, might miss on perks like travel.
Blue Business® Plus (American Express)
No annual fee, good for earning Membership Rewards points on everyday purchases. Also sometimes includes intro 0 % APR period.
The point-earnings rate may drop after certain thresholds; AmEx sometimes has stricter eligibility. If you carry a balance, interest after intro period can be high.
Capital One Spark Cash / Spark Cash Plus
Strong cash back, especially on travel / hotel bookings via Capital One portal. If you spend enough, the rewards make up for higher fees.
Annual fee can be steep; need to run the numbers based on how much volume you expect. If your business spends heavily internationally, check foreign transaction fees.
American Express Business Gold
Useful bonus categories (like advertising, travel, etc.), good rewards/points potential.
Annual fee needs to be justified by how much you can leverage the bonus categories. Also, terms/limits in those categories matter.
Here are suggestions depending on what your startup looks like and what your priorities are:
Startup Situation
What kind of card to go with
Example fit
You’re just getting started, cash flow is tight
Card with no or low annual fee + simple rewards on all purchases + maybe intro 0% APR
Ink Business Unlimited or Blue Business Plus
You spend heavily on travel / client meals / flights
Cards with strong travel perks, point multipliers in travel/dining & maybe lounge benefits
Capital One Spark Cash Plus or AmEx Business Gold
You want minimal personal liability
Look for cards that don’t require a personal guarantee; corporate or fintech cards like Brex may help
Brex
You need good expense management tools
Virtual cards, receipt automation, ability to set limits per employee, etc.
Ramp or Brex
Your credit is fair or you’re still building business credit
Secured or lower requirement cards; ones that accept weak or short credit history
Spark Classic (though rewards are lower) or smaller issuer offerings
