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Rewards, sign-up bonuses, balance transfers, fees, protections, and card reviews. Pick the right card and collect more from it than it costs you.
Get the Spark 2% Cash over Capital One’s Spark 2% Cash Plus unless your business can charge $30,000 in the Plus’s first 3 months for its $2,000 bonus, or $150,000 a year to get its fee refunded. Both pay 2% cash back, and this card costs $95 a year after a free first year, against $150 for the Plus.
Pay at Costco with a Visa, the only credit card its U.S. warehouses take. Get the Costco Anywhere Visa if you buy gas there, since it pays 5% on up to $7,000 a year. In the warehouse its 2% only matches a no-fee 2% card, and Robinhood’s Gold card beats it at 3% for a $50 yearly membership.
Start with a no-fee business card that pays 2% on every purchase with no yearly cap, the best fit for most freelancers. Add a card with a higher rate on phone, internet, or gas only if those bills take a big share of your spending, since such cards pay 1% on everything else.
Choose the American Express card built for your biggest spending. Households wanting cash back should get a Blue Cash card, while the Gold and Platinum pay off only if you’ll use their credits and travel with the points. Business owners should start with a no-fee Blue Business card.
Get the Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Credit Card if you’re a USAA member who shops on base and fills up often. It pays 5% on your first $5,000 a year of military base purchases and your first $3,000 at gas stations, with no annual fee.
Get the U.S. Bank Business Shield® Visa® Card only if a U.S. Bank branch offers you more time at 0% than its online offer of 0% for 12 billing cycles. Online, the bank’s no-annual-fee Triple Cash Rewards business card gives the same 0% for 12 billing cycles on purchases and transfers and pays cash back on everyday business costs.
Get the Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash® Card if your business buys mostly in the U.S. It pays 2% cash rewards on every business purchase, with no cap or annual fee. Abroad, its 3% foreign transaction fee costs more than the 2% you earn, so use a card without that fee for those purchases.
Get the U.S. Bank Business Essentials™ Visa® Card if you want one no-fee business card that pays an uncapped 2% cash back on all your purchases. Move your business checking to U.S. Bank for the card’s 2.5% rate only if you’d keep $10,000 there anyway, since the extra 0.5% adds $50 a billing cycle at most.
If your credit is bad or fair and you can’t spare a deposit, start with a no-fee unsecured card like the Capital One Platinum. Check first whether you prequalify, since prequalifying won’t affect your credit score. Pay an annual fee only when its cash back covers the fee, or after pricing it against a secured card.
Get the Crypto.com Visa Signature® Credit Card if you already pay for Crypto.com’s Plus or Pro plan or keep $500 or more of CRO locked up there, since those tiers earn 3.5% or more with no card fee. On the free Basic tier it pays 1.5% in crypto, less than a no-fee 2% cash back card.
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