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Do you run your own small business? If so, you will want to maximize your travel rewards and points earning with small business credit cards. If you are wondering why? Then read on to find out why splitting your business from personal spending can significantly improve your points earning potential. And make sure that the next time your drop some cash on a printer cartridge, you are getting closer to your next vacation as well!
Spending Categories are the key
There are multiple reasons why you should split up your spending between personal cards and small business credit cards. The first and most obvious one is simplicity and cost. By splitting up your spending, you can easily track your different spending streams, making your accounting process more manageable. While this saves you time, it does not gain you more points, but time is money after all!
The second and most important reason is spending category bonuses. Whether travel, restaurants, gas stations, mobile and internet, and many more, dedicating spending for a category on a specific card can yield an excellent bonus. The key to maximizing your travel rewards is by maximizing your points earning with small business credit cards as well as personal ones. That way you ensure that you are earning the maximum number of points for your dollar every time you spend. While most consumer cards have the basic activities covered, like travel restaurants, groceries, and such. Small business credit cards can open up a whole group of new categories.
Business expenses tend to fall into different categories, and small business credit cards tend to reflect. Categories commonly found on business cards include telephone, internet, shipping purchases, social media advertising, office supplies, and more. If you pay cash for these services or with a personal credit card, typically, you will only earn 1X per dollar on them. Using the right small business credit card can earn you 3X or even 5X per dollar. That is an outstanding 300% to 500% better return on your spending just by using an appropriate credit card.
Third and finally, a large number of small business credit cards allow you to issue employees with their own cards at no additional cost. This means that you are now earning points and miles for their spending instead of simply reimbursing their expense in cash and passing up on those points and miles! If you run a small business, getting a small business credit card to split up your spending is a no-brainer and will help you reach your travel reward goals quicker. Which card you get is the question!
Points Earning with Small Business Credit Cards
The Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
An outstanding performer, the Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card is our champ of small business credit cards. The card provides business users with excellent earning rates, a generous welcome bonus, and a high degree of protection against misuse for an affordable annual fee. Feature of the card include:
- Receive a 100,000-point bonus after you spend $15,000 in the first 3 months of card membership.
- Earn 3X per dollar on travel and select business categories- up to a maximum of $150,000 spending per account anniversary year.
- Earn 1X on all other spending.
- Purchase Protection on new purchases against theft or damage in the first 120 days- up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
- Zero liability for unauthorized use of the card or account information.
- The card carries a $95 annual fee.
The star turn of the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card is its outstanding earning rate on travel. If you are on the road regularly, the 3X earning on travel is industry-leading for a Chase card. The other Chase card offering your 3X earning on travel is the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, which comes with an annual fee of several hundred dollars. Earning 3X on travel with a card that carries a $95 annual fee is simply awesome!
The Ink Business Cash Credit Card
For small businesses, the Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card is one of our favorite credit cards. The card delivers a wide range of benefits yet comes with no annual fee. Feature of the card include:
- Receive a $750 cashback welcome bonus when you spend $7,500 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- Earn 5% cashback on spending at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services- up to a maximum combined spending of $25,000 per account anniversary year.
- Earn 2% cashback on spending at gas stations and restaurants- up to a maximum combined spending of $25,000 per account anniversary year.
- Earn 1% cashback for all other spending.
- Active Fraud Protection with real-time monitoring for suspicious transactions.
- Zero liability for unauthorized use of the card or account information.
- $0 annual fee.
Before you dismiss the Ink Business Cash Credit Card as just another low fee card amongst many small business credit cards, remember it has one great trick up its sleeve. If you hold a premium fee paying Ultimate Rewards card like the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred, or the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, you can convert the cashback earned from your card into Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Cashback is converted to points at a ratio of 1 cent per point.
This ability can turn your everyday business expenses into a Chase Ultimate Rewards points machine. Maximizing your 5% earning every year would yield you $1,250 in cashback (Max spending of $25,000 X 5% cashback). Converting that amount to Ultimate Rewards points would yield an impressive 125,000 points. You can then take advantage of Chase’s many transfer partners to leverage your points for a much greater value than $1,250!
Both chase business cards are excellent options, and choosing whether to get one or both can be challenging since they both offer so much. The deciding factor on which one is the right one for you will depend on the size of your small business, your expense patterns, and other earning opportunities you may have.
Final Thoughts
The ability to split up your spending into business and personal is ideal, but you still need to remember one crucial thing. Regardless of how you split your spending, it should always be done to maximize your benefit. After all, maximizing your points earning with small business credit cards should be your goal. Try and always use the method that gives you the biggest earning multiplier to make a purchase in a given category! This will maximize your earning for that purchase. Even if things get a little muddled, so be it; you can always do the accounting later!
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