When I started by business, I researched business credit cards. I was hoping to find one with juicy sign up bonuses.
Alas, credit cards weren’t as generous as they are today.
Many offered cash back with slightly higher percentages on business related charges. Those included travel, office supplies, and telephony bills (cell phone, internet).
I settled for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Business credit card because it gave me Rapid Reward points. Those points helped me earn the 110,000 points needed for Companion Pass.
BUT… things have changed.
As my business grew, I was spending more on advertising with Google Adwords, Facebook, Pinterest, and others.
It turns out, credit cards noticed. There’s a new(ish) crop of credit cards that give you higher cashback and point bonuses for that kind of spending.
So I switched… and here’s why.
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Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
This is the card I use today. It has the highest cap on annual spend and you earn points in the most lucrative rewards system.
Of the cards that offer higher cashback, the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card is my favorite for a few reasons.
You earn 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent on typical business expenses, which includes “Advertising on search engines and social media sites.” (the cards below have lower caps)
You also earn 3 points per dollar on travel, shipping, internet, cable and phone charges too… but it’s the advertising on Google Adwords, Facebook, and others that makes this card sing.
That’s 3X what other cards are offering. When you consider the value of Chase Ultimate Rewards, it’s more than 3% back.
There is also generous sign-up bonus. Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening in the .
Finally, if that wasn’t enough, it’s a Visa Signature card. You get all the perks associated with Visa Signature. This includes auto rental collision damage waivers, warranty extention, roadside dispatch, travel and emergency assistance, lost luggage reimbursement, global entry statement credit, lounge access, and more.
And the annual fee is only $95. That’s why it’s in my wallet.
👉 Learn more about the Chase Ink Business Preferred Card
The American Express® Business Gold Card
The American Express® Business Gold Card is another card that gives you four Membership Rewards points per dollar spent from airfare, advertising in select media, gas stations, shipping, and computer technology and services (hardware, software, cloud, etc.).
The difference is that of those six categories, you earn 4X on your top two by spend. You don’t earn 4X on them all. You earn 1X on the others. Plus, on the two categories, you get the higher rate on your first $150,000 in spending.
Their welcome offer is good – earn 70,000 Membership Rewards after you spend $10,000 in purchases within the first three months of Card membership. Terms Apply. As an added perk, .
The American Express® Business Gold Card has $295 annual fee.
(If you can’t get the Ink Business card, this is a great alternative)
👉 Learn more about The American Express® Business Gold Card
What counts as “advertising in select media?”
For the American Express cards, you can earn higher bonuses in “advertising in select media” – but with social media and online companies appearing and disappearing all the time, what counts?
American Express offers this guidance:
U.S. Advertising in Select Media
To earn additional rewards for advertising, purchases of online, television and radio advertising must be purchased in the U.S. directly from media providers in order to promote a business.
Examples of merchants that accept the Card and where you can earn additional rewards include:
– Yahoo
– NBC National Broadcasting
– CBD Radio
* This is not a complete list
You will NOT earn additional rewards for direct mail services including list/lead generation.
It seems like advertising with a major corporation is safe. If you spend it on a smaller company, it may not be in their systems to count it as advertising.
I expect Chase’s categories for “Advertising on search engines and social media sites” to be structured in the same way.
