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If you are a business owner, you know how easily business purchases can add up. What if we told you there was a way to take advantage of those costs? Business spending can be one of the quickest ways to rack up miles, even when working from home. Whether you’re buying office supplies, using your card to pay for shipping purchases and internet services, or buying digital advertisements, you can earn bonus miles on most purchases. It can also make doing your taxes much easier when you can keep your business spending separate.
Top Deal: 120,000 Offer on the Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
New Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card cardholders can earn 120k bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $1,200 cash back or $1,500 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠.
This is an exciting time to find the best business credit cards for airline miles because many of the cards listed below also have significant signup/welcome bonuses that can earn you plenty of rewards. Let’s take a look at what these cards have to offer.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Best Business Credit Cards For Airline Miles
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express – Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® bonus offer
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card – Earn 120,000 bonus points
- Capital One Spark Miles for Business – Unlimited 2x miles
- American Express® Business Gold Card – 4x Membership Rewards® points on select categories
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card – Earn up to 120,000 points
- The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express – 2x Membership Rewards® points on everyday business purchases, up to $50,000 annually
- United℠ Business Card – Earn 75,000 Bonus Miles
- CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® – Earn 65,000 miles
- Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card – Earn 55,000 bonus miles
What To Know About The Best Business Cards for Airline Miles
Airline miles are usually the most valuable credit card reward points you can redeem. This is especially true if you can transfer them directly to an airline and save them for business or first-class cabin tickets. Also, many of the cards listed are also some of the best credit cards for startups and are generally on some of the ‘best’ lists, including the best small business credit cards available.
Most of these cards offer point transfers and travel redemption bonuses. They also make it easy to earn bonus miles on common purchases and add extra value to the card.
The Business Platinum from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is the quickest way to earn the most miles when buying airfare. You get 5x Membership Rewards® points on all flights and hotels you book on AmexTravel.com.
You get 35% of your redeemed points back (up to 500,000 points per year) when booking any flight on the airline of your choice or a premium cabin seat on most airlines. Your points might be worth more by transferring them to 1:1 Membership Rewards airline partners, including Delta, Emirates, British Airways, or Singapore Airlines.
Cardholders earn 1.5x points (that’s an extra half point per dollar) on eligible purchases at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year.
Additionally, unlock over $1,000 in annual statement credits on a curation of business purchases, including select purchases made with Dell Technologies, Indeed, Adobe, and U.S. wireless service providers.
Plus, get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees charged by your one selected, qualifying airline to your Card.
Cardholders can get up to $189 in statement credits per calendar year on your CLEAR® Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when they use their Business Platinum Card®.
With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, with The American Express Global Lounge Collection®. You have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market as of 03/2023. Enrollment is required for some lounges.
Welcome Bonus Offer
Another reason this is one of the best business credit cards for airline miles is thanks to the welcome offer.
New The Business Platinum Card® from American Express cardholders can earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $20,000 in eligible purchases on their Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
The annual fee is $695 (See Rates & Fees).
Learn more about the welcome bonus as well as other card features in our in-depth Amex Business Platinum Card review.
Related: Is the Amex Platinum Card Worth the Annual Fee?
Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
The best Chase business credit card for airline miles is hands-down the Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. Why? For one, you earn 3x Ultimate Rewards on the first $150,000 in combined purchases annually for:
- Travel
- Shipping purchases
- Internet, phone, and cable services
- Search engine and social media advertising
Your points are worth 1.25 cents each when booking any award travel on the Expedia-powered Chase Travel℠. Each point is only worth 1 cent each for cash rewards. You can also transfer your points to several Chase travel partners at a 1:1 ratio including United, Southwest, British Airways, Emirates, and World of Hyatt. This gives you more flexibility versus having limited options with a co-brand airline credit card (though, that may be better for you—keep reading to see how).
You can read more details in our in-depth Ink Business Preferred Credit Card review or you may even want to compare cards, like in this comparison of the American Express Business Platinum vs Chase Ink Business Preferred.
New Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card cardholders can earn 120k bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $1,200 cash back or $1,500 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠.
The annual fee is $95 per year.
Related Article: Best Chase Checking and Banking Accounts
Capital One Spark Miles for Business
Earn unlimited 2x miles per $1 you spend with the Capital One Spark Miles for Business. Your miles are redeemable for travel statement credits, booking future travel, and transferring to Capital One travel partners. Also, Capital One has expanded its partner list and announced new airport lounges that give this card more value. Capital One also covers your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee, with a credit of up to $100.
New cardholders can earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles – equal to $500 in travel – once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
The annual fee is $0 for the first year and then $95. Check out our Capital One Spark Business Cards review for more details as well as details on the other Spark cards.
Learn more: Business Credit Cards
American Express Business Gold Card
If you don’t need fringe travel benefits like airport lounge access the Amex Business Platinum offers, you can still earn up to 4x Membership Rewards® points with the American Express® Business Gold Card.
You earn 4x points on the 2 select categories where your business spent the most each month (the 4x points apply to the first $150,000 in combined purchases annually, all other purchases earn 1x per $1 spent). Only the top two categories in each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap. Categories include:
- U.S. purchases at electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
- Monthly wireless telephone service charges that are made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.
- Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshares, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
- Purchases at U.S. media providers for advertising in select media (online, TV, and radio)
- U.S. purchases at gas stations
- U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
Additionally, American Express Travel purchases through amextravel.com will now earn 3x points per $1.
All annual spending above $150,000 for the bonus categories and all non-bonus spending earns an unlimited 1x point per $1.
American Express Business Gold cardholders also have access to a Pay Over Time Option that lets cardholders decide whether they want to pay for their eligible purchases in full each month or pay over time with interest.
Welcome Offer
New American Express® Business Gold Card cardholders can earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. The card comes in three metal designs: Gold, Rose Gold, and Limited Edition White Gold. White Gold design is only available while supplies last. New cardholders can make their selection when they apply. Terms apply.
The annual fee is $375 (See Rates & Fees).
This can be a better option when you can’t maximize the Business Platinum benefits. Still, you can compare the Amex Business Gold vs Amex Business Platinum if you are still undecided.
Not only is this one of the best business credit cards for airline miles, but it is also one of the best American Express business cards.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is part of the best Southwest credit cards family. This card is great if you fly Southwest often as you get 365 in-flight WiFi credits each year, up to four Upgraded Bookings, and a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit.
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card earns:
- 4x points on Southwest® purchases
- 3x points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners
- 2x points on rideshares
- 2x points on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services
- 1x points on all other purchases
Cardholders also get unlimited tier qualifying points (TQPs) that can be earned toward A-List status. There is also a $500 annual fee credit for Rapid Rewards points transfers.
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card offers the ability to earn up to 120,000 bonus Rapid Rewards points! New Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card card members can earn 80,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, earn an additional 40,000 points after spending $15,000 in 9 months, totaling 120,000 points.
Any bonus offer points, anniversary points, and purchase rewards count toward the 135,000 required points to get the Southwest Companion Pass®.
The annual fee is $199, but the ongoing card benefits and the 9,000-anniversary points can be well worth the fee. This is one of the best Southwest business credit cards.
The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express
Not all of the best business credit cards for airline miles have an annual fee. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express has a $0 annual fee (See Rates & Fees) and earns 2x Membership Rewards® points on the first $50,000 in annual everyday business purchases (1x point per $1 thereafter). When your other Amex business credit cards only earn 1x point per $1, use the Blue Business Plus instead.
Cardholders can also enjoy more flexibility to use their card for more purchases and rewards when buying above their credit limit. The amount you can spend above your credit limit is not unlimited. It adjusts with your use of the Card, your payment history, credit record, financial resources known to American Express, and other factors.
New The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express cardholders can earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after they spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within their first 3 months of Card Membership.
With The Amex Blue Business Plus, your points are worth 1 cent each when booking award flights through AmexTravel. You can also transfer your points on a 1:1 basis to the Membership Rewards transfer partners.
Check out the other best business credit cards with no annual fee for more examples.
United Business Card
United℠ Business Card cardholders earn 2x miles per $1 spent on United® purchases, dining (including eligible delivery services), at gas stations, office supply stores, and on local transit and commuting. Earn 1x mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.
New United℠ Business Card cardholders can earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, enjoy a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99.
Additionally, get a $100 United® travel credit after 7 United flight purchases of $100 or more each anniversary year.
Other United travel benefits this card offers include:
- The first checked bag is free for you and one companion
- Priority boarding
- Premier upgrades for MileagePlus Premier members (when available)
- 2 United Club one-time passes per year
Also, cardholders can receive a 5,000-mile “better together” bonus each anniversary when they have both the United℠ Business Card and a personal Chase United® credit card.
As you can see, there are several annual benefits that can be beneficial to United flyers (it is one of the best United credit cards). The benefits can easily offset the annual fee. Award flights start at 12,500 for domestic flights. There are no foreign transaction fees.
CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard
The information for the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
American Airlines also has a co-brand card with Citi Bank. The CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® comes with the first checked bag free for you and up to four travel companions, priority boarding on AA flights, and 25% in-flight AA savings on Wi-Fi, food, and beverage purchases on AA flights when you use your card to pay.
This is one of the best Citi business cards and the best business credit cards for American Airlines. It also happens to be one of the best business credit cards for airline miles.
Cardholders earn 2x miles on every $1 spent on:
- Cable and satellite providers
- Eligible American Airlines purchases
- Gas stations
- Select telecommunications merchants
- Car rentals
Cardholders also earn 1 mile for every $1 spent on other purchases. Additionally, you may earn an American Airlines Companion Certificate for domestic travel after $30,000 in purchases each cardmembership year and cardmembership is renewed. Fees apply.
Plus, earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases.
New CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard cardholders can earn 65,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening.
The annual fee is $99, but it is waived in the first 12 months of the account opening. There are no foreign transaction fees.
Related Article: Is 7 Credit Cards Too Many? Here’s What the Average American Has
Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card
If you are loyal to Delta and Delta’s partners, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card might work perfectly for you.
Cardholders can earn:
- 2x Miles per $1 spent on eligible purchases at U.S. shipping providers and eligible U.S. providers for advertising in select media, on up to $50,000 of purchases per category per year
- 2x Miles per $1 spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta
- Plus, 2x Miles on every eligible dollar spent at restaurants
- 1x Mile on every eligible dollar spent on other purchases
Cardholders can also check or stow their bag with ease by getting their First Checked Bag Free on Delta Flights plus Priority Boarding. They also get a 20% savings (in the form of a statement credit) on eligible in-flight Delta purchases.
Additionally, receive a $200 Delta Flight Credit for future travel after spending $10,000 in purchases in a year. Plus, get an annual statement credit of up to $150 after using your Card to book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays on delta.com.
New Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card cardholders can earn 55,000 Bonus Miles after spending $4,000 in purchases on their new Card in their first 6 months of Card Membership.
There is a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (See Rates & Fees).
It is one of the best Delta credit cards.
Summary
When you want to earn the most valuable credit rewards points, the best business credit cards for airline miles are a great starting point. These cards make it easy to redeem your points for more than 1 cent each, which is the average redemption value for credit card points. Being able to earn bonus points on multiple business purchases (not just travel purchases) is another reason to consider these cards.
Related Articles:
- 7 Best Credit Cards for Shipping Purchases
- Best Airline Miles Credit Cards
- Best Metal Business Credit Cards To Earn Rewards & More
And For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, please click here.
And For rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, please click here.
