Kelsey Sheehy is a senior writer and NerdWallet authority on small business. She started at NerdWallet in 2015 and spent six years as a personal finance writer and spokesperson before switching gears to cover the financial decisions and challenges faced by small-business owners. Kelsey’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Nasdaq and MarketWatch, among other publications. Kelsey has appeared on the "Today" show, NBC News and ABC’s "World News Tonight" and has been quoted by the Los Angeles Times, CNBC, American Banker, NPR and Vice, among other publications. Prior to joining NerdWallet, Kelsey covered college (and how to pay for it) for U.S. News & World Report. She is based in Washington, D.C.
Assigning Editor Ryan Lane
Assigning Editor | Small business, student loans
Ryan Lane is an editor on NerdWallet’s small-business team. He joined NerdWallet in 2019 as a student loans writer, serving as an authority on that topic after spending more than a decade at student loan guarantor American Student Assistance. In that role, Ryan co-authored the Student Loan Ranger blog in partnership with U.S. News & World Report, as well as wrote and edited content about education financing and financial literacy for multiple online properties, e-courses and more. Ryan also previously oversaw the production of life science journals as a managing editor for publisher Cell Press. Ryan is located in Rochester, New York.
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American Express offers a suite of business credit cards with different features. But they all share one thing: To qualify, you typically need good personal credit (a FICO score of at least 690). That means no AmEx business card is necessarily easier to get than another.
It won’t take long to find out if you can get a card or not. AmEx says it can make application decisions in under a minute. If you want to help ensure an easy approval, the best path is to understand what American Express is looking for — and general business credit card requirements — before you apply.
American Express business cards aren’t harder to get than other options. If you have good credit, you can get approved for most business credit cards. That includes premium cards like The Business Platinum Card® from American Express .
Entrepreneurs may even find getting an AmEx business card easier than obtaining select cards from other issuers.
For instance, most Bank of America business cards require excellent credit — a FICO score of at least 720. Capital One has similar criteria for the Capital One Spark Cash Plus , Capital One Venture X Business and Capital One Spark Cash Select for Excellent Credit .
However, unlike AmEx, those banks have products for other credit tiers as well. The Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business is one of the few business cards for entrepreneurs with fair credit (a FICO score from 630 to 689). And the Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® Secured credit card is potentially available to those with FICO scores below 630.
You typically need a personal FICO score of 690 or higher to qualify for an AmEx business card. Beyond that, AmEx also considers factors like your business credit score and annual business revenue. But even new businesses with no established revenue or business credit history can be approved for an AmEx business card provided they have some level of personal income or assets.
American Express business credit card applications ask for basic business and personal information:
Business name and DBA name (if applicable). Business address and phone number. Industry type. Company structure: corporation, partnership or sole proprietor. Years in business. Number of employees. Annual business revenue and estimated monthly spend.Employer identification number (EIN). Sole proprietors can use their Social Security number if they don’t have an EIN.
Name, home address and phone number (home and cell phone). Social Security number. Date of birth. Total annual income, including any investments. Non-taxable income, such as Social Security or disability, if applicable. AdvertisementInk Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
NerdWallet ratingNerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula incorporates coverage options, customer experience, customizability, cost and more.
NerdWallet ratingNerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula incorporates coverage options, customer experience, customizability, cost and more.
NerdWallet ratingNerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula incorporates coverage options, customer experience, customizability, cost and more.
18.49%-24.49% Variable APR
18.49%-24.49% Variable APR
18.49%-26.49% Variable APR
0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months
0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months
0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening
Recommended credit score
(Good - Excellent)Recommended credit score
(Good - Excellent)Recommended credit score
(Good - Excellent)No one AmEx business card is easier or harder to get than another. So instead of approval odds, choosing an AmEx business card for your company should come down to three things:
Where your business spends the most (flights, hotels, advertising, restaurants, shipping, office supplies, etc.).
What type of rewards you want — cash back or AmEx Membership Rewards points.How much of an annual fee you can stomach. Annual fees for AmEx business cards range from $0 to $ 695 .
The annual fee on your business credit card is tax deductible if you use the card solely for business expenses.
These are the top-rated American Express business cards across popular categories: cash back, travel rewards, hotel and airline cards. But AmEx has many other excellent cards to choose from. See our full list of best American Express business cards .
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
NerdWallet RatingNerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.
Annual Fee Read ReviewThe American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card boasts one of the better introductory APR offers among business credit cards. Beyond that, you earn a solid cash-back rate (at least for a while — the rate drops after you hit a spending threshold). There's also a $0 annual fee. Terms apply. Learn more and apply .
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
NerdWallet RatingNerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.
Annual Fee Read ReviewThe Business Platinum Card® from American Express comes with a big annual fee. But business travelers who prefer to go in style will find plenty that appeals to them: high rewards on certain travel purchases, bonus rewards on larger nontravel purchases, a superb newcomer welcome offer, extensive airport lounge access, elite hotel status, hundreds of dollars a year in available credits and a list of perks as long as your arm. It's not cheap, but luxury never is. Terms apply. Learn more and apply .
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card
NerdWallet RatingNerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.
Annual Fee Read ReviewThere are splashier Delta AmEx cards, with annual fees to match. But the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card delivers a welcome balance of perks vs. fees. You’ll earn bonus points on shipping, advertising and restaurants, as well as Delta flights. There’s also a $200 annual Delta flight credit when you spend at least $10,000 in a calendar year. And the $ 150 annual fee is waived for the first year. Terms apply. Learn more and apply .
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
NerdWallet RatingNerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.
Annual Fee Read ReviewThe Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card can pay for itself just with the automatic Free Night Award every year. Add in the included elite status, generous rewards, a dandy welcome offer and more, and it's hard to go wrong. Terms apply. Learn more and apply .
To view rates and fees of The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card , see this page . To view rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express , see this page . To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card , see this page . To view rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card , see this page .The information related to the Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business credit card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.
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Kelsey Sheehy is a senior writer and NerdWallet authority on small business. She has appeared on the "Today" show and NBC News, and her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Nasdaq and MarketWatch, among other publications. See full bio.
On a similar note.
on Chase's website
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card NerdWallet RatingNerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.
Rewards rate Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business Intro offerEarn $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Best Business Credit CardsInk Business Cash® Credit Card
NerdWallet RatingNerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.
on Chase's website
Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year, Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year, Earn 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn
Earn $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening.
on Chase's website
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
NerdWallet RatingNerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.
on Chase's website
Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your businessEarn $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
on Chase's website
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
NerdWallet RatingNerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.
on Capital One's website
Earn unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions. Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
Earn a one-time cash bonus of $2,000 once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months and an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year.
on Capital One's website
Compare Best Business Credit cards MORE LIKE THIS Small Business Small-Business Credit CardsCompare the top business credit cards for cash back, travel rewards and more. Plus, find advice from NerdWallet's business credit card experts to help choose and use your business card.
Plan to provide specifics about your business income, as well as personal details like your Social Security number.
Business credit scores tell lenders and suppliers how likely you are to repay them in a timely fashion.
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