The Best Business Points-Earning Credit Cards

Business reward cards can be a figurative gold mine in the right hands. Normal consumer credit cards generally don’t award you points on transactions of a business nature (e.g. paying a big supplier bill).

So if you happen to be an SME owner or even a sole trader with regular expenses, a business credit card is the way to go. Card applications are based on your business revenue rather than personal salary, except in the case of sole traders (criteria may vary between banks).

Depending on your preferences, you can choose between directly earning Qantas or Velocity Points in Australia, or perhaps opting for a flexible rewards program such as American Express Membership Rewards which gives you a wider range of partners.

Here is our updated list of some of the highest business points-earning cards on the market. We’ve included an overview table so you can compare earning rates and current sign up bonuses for new card applicants.

The highest-earning business credit cards

The offers displayed on this page are selected from a range of products across pointhacks.com.au as at the time of publishing this article. The use of terms “Best” and “Top” are derived from the highest bonus points offered.

What is the best business credit card for rewards points?

Find below a roundup of some business rewards points earning cards with noteworthy bonus offers to know about this month.

What are the best ways to earn rewards points with a business credit card?

As usual, there are two main ways to earn rewards points with a credit card.

1. Direct earn: These credit cards directly earn Qantas or Velocity Points on eligible spend for your business. Note that Qantas-branded business cards usually earn into a Qantas Business Rewards account first. But those points are transferable to any personal account (including your own) on a 1:1 basis.

2. Transfer from other rewards programs: If you take out an American Express Membership Rewards or a bank-affiliated business rewards card, you’ll most likely earn points into a flexible points program first. These usually allow transfers to partner airlines at varying rates once you’ve accumulated enough points.

The ‘effective earn rate’ is an important number which standardises the number of points you could earn from different flexible rewards programs, after earning rates for spend and transfer rates to those programs are taken into account. 

The numbers in this table are already calculated as ‘effective earn rates’, which means you can more easily compare those cards to ‘direct earn’ cards. 

What do I look for when searching for the best business rewards frequent flyer card?

In addition to the business card’s effective earn rate, you should also consider:

• Unique benefits offered, such as travel insurance for employees. Good business reward cards should also offer ancillary benefits for you and those working for you.
• Other transfer partners that flexible rewards programs have, apart from Qantas and Velocity Frequent Flyer. For example, if you fly to Asia often, transferring to Asia Miles or Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer could be beneficial.
• Whether free supplementary cards can be offered to your employees. This is useful if you want some of your employees to hold their own business rewards cards when making transactions on behalf of your business.
• Cash flow days and flexible payment options are useful for keeping your cash in your bank account for longer, before having to pay bills.
• Google and Apple Pay capabilities, which are becoming increasingly handy when you’re on the go and don’t necessarily have your card with you.

A large points signup bonus might be rewarding enough to help offset a lower earn rate or a higher annual fee on a card, so bear that in mind.

Each card offer and other information on this page should be up to date at the date of publication, however, please note that we update offers over time. If you need more information with comparing different cards, check out our overview table for detailed information on rewards.

What should I be mindful of with business rewards credit cards?

There are some restrictions and caveats with holding a business rewards credit card. You should consider the following when deciding which card is right for you.

• Annual fees on business rewards credit cards may be higher than those on comparable personal codes. Factor this cost into your decision.
• Minimum business revenue amounts that may apply (or personal income for sole traders). If you’re a smaller business that doesn’t turnover as much money each year (say, less than $75,000 p.a.), then you might not be eligible to apply for higher-tier business credit cards with greater rewards.
• ABN requirements and whether you need to be registered for GST. Business credit card holders require a valid ABN to apply, as a minimum. Some cards may need your business to also be registered for GST purposes.
• Credit card surcharge fees may be charged by your various suppliers compared to using a bank transfer.

How do I apply for a business credit card?

Done all the research? Now it’s time to apply. Here are some steps you could follow to get the process rolling.

1. Review the best business credit card offers on this page and pick one that is best suited to you.
2. Go to the card’s summary page on Point Hacks to learn more about various fees, benefits, sign-up bonuses and any catches to be aware of
3. If you’re ready to apply, follow the red button to go to the card issuer’s application page
4. Fill in the required business and personal details
5. The card issuer will assess your application and give you a response within their stated times

How can I earn business rewards points after I get my credit card?

Once you (and possibly your employees) have received the business rewards credit card, be sure to meet the minimum spend requirements to unlock the advertised sign-up bonus, if any. Then follow these strategies to keep on earning lots of points.

• Put all your business transactions on the card: from supplier’s bills to paying the Christmas party tab, if it’s work-related it should go onto your card.
• Save up and take advantage of transfer promos: if you earn into a flexible points program, it might be worth hoarding your points and waiting for a large transfer promo before sending those points to a frequent flyer partner. In some cases, you could end up with a 40% bonus or more!
• Consider using a third-party payment platform such as pay.com.au to make payments to suppliers through your rewards credit card, even if they only accept bank transfers.

Finally, although this guide is tailored to a specific American Express card, we have a four-part series on some of the benefits of holding a business rewards credit card. Some are specific to Amex, but some are universal across the other cards too.

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Summing up

The focus of this guide is to outline the highest-earning business credit cards out there on a per-dollar basis. With the right card, sole traders and small business owners alike can take advantage of great points-earning rates on business transactions.

Not only can you manage your cash flow more effectively with interest-free days, but flexible payment options and accounting integration offered by some cards will make your business life a lot more easier.

Some of the best business rewards cards will directly earn points into Velocity Frequent Flyer or Qantas Business Rewards at attractive rates. But flexible points programs such as American Express Membership Rewards can give you a lot more options when it comes to rewarding yourself and your employees.

Frequently Asked Questions