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Even the most seasoned entrepreneurs still fret over finances—any extra money is always welcome, which is why it’s important that you discover and use all the tools at your disposal. Making sure you have a business credit card that’s allowing you to earn the right rewards is an opportunity to cash in, sometimes quite literally. For businesses that spend a lot of time packing, weighing, and sending goods, you also probably spend time cringing at your shipping bill. Why not look into the best business credit cards for shipping to start earning on all of that spending?
We take a look at the best options out there so you can find your business’s perfect option. No matter what you’re looking for, you can find your best business credit card for shipping rewards so you can start earning even as you spend. We can’t promise trips to UPS will be any less painful—but maybe getting your credit card bill will be.
If you have the kind of business in which shipping costs are frequent budget line items, then any kind of relief to that high cost should be welcome, right?
Maybe you run a small business selling handmade crafts across the country on an Etsy alternative site, or you often need to send time-sensitive documents to your clients. Whatever the reason you’re spending a lot of money at your local UPS, FedEx, or USPS, you’ll want to consider one of the best business credit cards for shipping, which can start saving you money right away.
All of these cards offer bonuses when used for shipping, plus in other categories, too. Taking advantage of all the bonus offers you can get is a no brainer.
One thing bear in mind is that with most business credit cards, purchase eligibility is based on merchant codes—aka how the card issuer classifies purchases. So, shipping purchases would need to be made from vendors that focus on providing shipping services to show the most savings.
To make sure what you spend on the most is classified by a card issuer as a shipping purchase, you can can look through a merchant code directory—and some even allow you to sort digital locators by zip code—once you figure out which card you’re most excited about. (For instance, here is Visa’s supplier locator.)
Chase offers a few different business card options, including Chase Ink Business Cash, which offers cash back rewards and a long intro APR period. The Chase Ink Business Preferred differs in that you earn points on every dollar spent on shipping and receive a substantial welcome bonus after spending a certain amount in the first three months.
With the Ink Business Preferred, you’ll earn 3x points for every dollar spent on shipping (plus travel, internet, cable, phone and qualifying advertising) with the card up to $150,000 each year.
Additional rewards include:
This card has an annual fee of $95, and no foreign transaction fees. If any of your employees are authorized users and have a card of their own, any charges they make on shipping will accrue points as well.
With a significantly higher cap on how much you can spend per year and still earn points as well as the generous welcome bonus, the Ink Business Preferred is an excellent choice for a business shipping card.
So many small business owners start out with an American Express Business card, and there’s a good reason why. American Express offers multiple options, including the Business Platinum Card, the Plum Card, and the Blue Business Plus, too. All of these have their own unique benefits, but Amex’s best business credit card for shipping is the Business Gold Card.
With this card, you’ll earn 4x points per $1 spent on the 2 select categories where your business spent the most each month, up to $150,000 in purchases annually—which, of course, can be shipping. Categories include airfare purchased directly from airlines, advertising, gas stations, shipping (including UPS and FedEx services purchased in the US for courier, postal, and freight), and computing (hardware, software, and cloud services).
For a limited time, you’ll also get a generous welcome offer:
In addition, above the $150,000 cap, purchases in the five categories earn an unlimited 1x point per dollar spent. All other purchases also earn 1x point per dollar spent. What’s nice here is that if you find that you start spending more heavily in one category other than shipping, you don’t have to stick to shipping—which could open the possibility for some really flexible rewards.
There is a $295 annual fee, and it’s important to remember that because this is a charge card, the balance must be paid in full each month, so consider your cash flow carefully before signing up.
For the business owner who not only spends a lot of time at their local shipping center but also travels often, the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Business Credit Card has a unique appeal. It allows cardholders to earn high points both at participating SPG and Marriott Rewards hotels as well as on US purchases for shipping.
With this card, you’ll earn 4x points for every dollar of eligible US-based purchases on the card for shipping.
Other rewards for the traveler include:
There might be additional benefits as well, like Amex Offers, which as of this writing includes a FedEx Freight offer of 10% back as a statement credit (up to $1,000) each time you use your enrolled card on an eligible FedEx Freight purchase and a FedEx offer of 25% back as a statement credit (up to $1,000) each time you use your enrolled card to purchase qualifying services with FedEx Express & FedEx Ground.
These offers vary, so it’s always good to check the options frequently.
If you’re still not convinced that any of these cards are the right choice, you might just want to consider a straight cash back business credit card. With flat cash back on all purchases, you’ll have a card that is hard at work for you while you either take the time to consider your options—or just set it and forget it, if you know what we mean.
Here’s the two we recommend, if this approach sounds most you:
As we mentioned before, the Chase Ink Business Cash Card offers cash back rewards, no annual fee, and a long 0% intro APR period of 12 months before the variable APR sets in. Beyond its generous 0% intro APR period, this card is one of the best cash back rewards choices for general business spending, and has high rewards potential for office supplies, too:
Plus, you’ll earn a $500 cash back welcome bonus after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening. So, you’ll have to determine how much shipping you’re really doing to decide whether or not you want general cash back versus a credit card for shipping rewards specifically.
The Blue Business Cash Card from American Express offers multiple avenues from which to save. The lengthy 0% intro APR offers a perk on its own that really could make this card worth it—especially for business owners who have some outstanding debt already.
With this card, you’ll earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases, up to an annual maximum of $50,000. After that, it’s 1% cash back. If you use your card for $50,000-plus in shipping costs, this could be a lucrative little cash back kickback.
Unlike some of the aforementioned cards, this card also has no annual fee.
But purchases might not be eligible for more than 1% cash back if you use a mobile or digital wallet or a third-party payment system (like PayPal), or if the vendor uses a mobile or wireless card reader. Given the rapidly changing ways in which modern business is conducted, this is definitely something to consider carefully.
No matter your approach to finding your best business credit card for shipping, you’ll find that having a card that works for you will take some pressure off of your bottom line. It’s inevitable to have to spend money on shipping, of course—after all, your customers have to get their goods in hand. But it’s a whole lot easier to swallow the charges knowing you’re getting something in return.