The Best Business Credit Cards for Advertising in 2025

Are you overspending on ad campaigns or struggling to adhere to budgets? A business credit card might be the solution.

Over 44% of UK medium and large businesses use this option to finance regular business-related expenses, including advertising. Advertisers seek media buying payment solutions to control their constantly rising costs more effectively.

A business credit card emerges as a valuable tool for marketers who want to streamline their ad campaigns, save costs, and improve their advertising expense management to control spending better. 

Let’s learn more about this payment method and determine which card solution is the best option for advertising.

What Is a Business Credit Card?

Business credit cards are credit cards that you can predominantly use for business expenses. Like your personal credit card, it allows you to spend costs on goods and services within a set credit limit. However, with business cards, your company only finances business-related purchases. Like with a purchase card, you can pay for supplies, rent, advertising, business travel, concierge service, and other company day-to-day expenses. 

Unlike credit cards that individuals use, financial institutions provide business cards with higher credit limits and considerable rewards for companies. You need a good credit history to obtain this type of card. If you own a personal credit card, your credit record may influence whether you should provide yourself with a business card or not. But in most cases, your individual credit history doesn’t affect your business credit score. If you use business credit cards properly and repay any borrowing on time, you can improve your credit rating. Then, when you have an excellent credit history, you can apply for a business loan.

Credit cards have higher interest rates because they are more risky and unsecured. However, a business card often comes with flexible rewards or bonuses, such as cashback, no transaction fees, or discounts on some goods and services. Businesses provide their employees with business credit cards, which they can use up to a particular credit limit. A large enterprise or a small business can choose individuals who can use such cards and set spending limits for each user.

Along with the best business credit cards, banks and other financial institutions offer business expense tracking tools or integrations with accounting software, such as QuickBooks, Xero, and SAP.

How Does a Business Credit Card Work?

You can use a bank card anywhere credit card payments are accepted. The credit card provider sends you a monthly statement mentioning your outstanding balance, outflows, and inflows. Such a report also contains information on how much you need to pay off in case you have a debt. 

You can choose to pay fully or spread payments over a specific period. Usually, financial institutions require repaying a minimum amount each month until your debt is paid off completely. However, paying only a minimum sum can lead to overspending using borrowed money for a long time, leading to higher interest payments.

Besides interest rates or annual percentage rates (APR), financial organisations provide credit cards with transaction and annual fees. If you use a business credit card for foreign transactions, you may also pay foreign exchange transaction fees. Some organisations offer an interest-free period and no annual fee for the introductory period.

All credit card providers must mention representative APR to reflect the pricing complexity. Any card provider displays a short example showing how much you will pay if you borrow a certain amount. Representative APR usually encompasses all charges, including interest rates, annual fees, and transaction fees.

However, maintaining a business card may be a pleasant deal. Numerous institutions offer rewards for spending specific amounts on particular payments. Credit card users can earn cashback, discounts or the first year without annual fees, which can be a good option for small businesses. 

Types of Business Credit Cards

Card providers tailor their offers to specific business needs. That is why particular kinds of the best business credit cards are suitable for one business but irrelevant for another. So, let’s describe common types of this card solution: 

Purchase Business Credit Cards

This credit card will be an excellent choice for businesses paying considerable amounts for supplies monthly. This card type usually doesn’t have annual fees or transaction fees, so interest rates are low. Business credit cards for purchases also come with an interest-free period, which generally doesn’t exceed 56 days. You won’t need to pay interest when you pay off your debt within this timeframe.

Business Credit Card for Travel

Companies operating in different countries or with employees who travel a lot will likely use this card. Such credit cards can come with no or little foreign transaction fees. Some card providers may offer no annual fees or discounts based on air miles or spending, while others include travel insurance in their packages.

Business Credit Cards With Rewards

Rewards business credit cards offer bonuses or points for businesses that make many purchases, including office supplies, fuel, stationery, accommodation, tickets, and other purchases. Сompanies can earn cashback or discounts on certain products. This type of business card usually has a higher APR, which includes transaction fees, annual fees, and other charges.

Balance Transfer Credit Cards 

This payment tool is a lifeline for those who struggle with debt payments. You can transfer existing debt to the card balance of the other card issuer. Such credit cards have the lowest interest rates and the most extended interest-free period. A card provider can offer new clients a 0% introductory period or other sign-up bonus.

Virtual cards

Virtual cards are digital payment methods for online services like TikTok, Google, and Facebook Ads. They function like credit or debit cards but are used for online transactions without a physical card. Typically linked to a bank account or traditional card, virtual cards are great for one-time purchases and offer enhanced security against fraud.

Virtual cards are often called digital cards or e-cards. Banks or financial institutions issue them, allowing users to make online payments efficiently. This tool empowers marketers to manage and track ad spending easily, minimising the risks associated with traditional payment methods. Overall, virtual cards provide valuable control and insights for advertising campaigns.

Why Do I Need a Business Credit Card for Advertising Purchases?

Business credit cards are suitable for separating personal credit card spending from business expenses. You can also consider credit cards to manage and control payments made by your employees. Expense tracking is another helpful feature you can leverage when using this card type. Some credit cards offer fraud protection and misuse insurance, which is also beneficial. 

Of course, you can apply those cases to any business expenses. But what about advertising mainly? Here are the core three reasons why you need such type of card for ad spend:

Easily Automate Your Ad Campaigns With a Business Credit Card

You can assign the credit card to a particular ad campaign, and the business’s finances will be automatically debited from your accounts. You can also use virtual business credit cards. You can give access to these cards to an unlimited number of employees. Then, you can link your virtual card to each advertising campaign. This way, you can track each advertising campaign separately. This will give you more control over your expenses and help you prevent overspending and excessive financial costs.

Virtual cards are usually issued instantly. At Wallester, virtual cards are available for different media platforms, such as Facebook ads, TikTok, Google ads, YouTube, and many more. This is a significant benefit because you don’t need to wait for a plastic company credit card to be issued. This is especially true for advertising, where money is spent daily and needs diligent accounting and management. 

Earning Cash Back on Advertising Purchases

Another advantage of using business credit cards is the opportunity to earn rewards, such as cashback. Cashback is usually a smaller amount than spending and is 1-3%. Many business credit cards offer such bonuses. Nevertheless, you can save costs and improve your cash flow each month. At the end of the year, you can economise a solid amount to spend on advertising or other business expenses. 

You can also get a specific number of credit cards for free as a bonus. By the way, Wallester provides the first 300 cards free.

Scalable Advertising With High Credit Limits

Higher credit limits and endless virtual business credit cards allow you to scale your business faster. The latest statistics prove that most customer spending falls on the weekends. Between January 2019 and June 2024, 29% of weekly expenditures and 28% of weekly transactions occurred on weekends. You can tailor credit limits to your needs and control ad spending on weekends or other dates vital to your business.

Reporting tools can help you analyse your expenses in detail. You can adjust your campaigns according to your goals, business, and campaign indicators. Optimised promotions save you costs and bring you more money, improving your cash flow compared to unadjusted or unthoroughly analysed campaigns. 

The Best Credit Cards for Advertising Purchases

Here, we’ve picked a few examples of card issuers that are worth your attention if you want the best business credit cards for advertising expenses.

Wallester Virtual Cards (Best for Online Media Buying)

Overview:

Wallester Virtual Cards is a go-to solution for advertising agencies dealing with multiple products on various markets. The Wallester platform offers an unlimited number of physical and virtual cards for an unlimited number of users. 300 virtual cards are available for free. All virtual cards are issued instantly.

Managers can create a considerable number of ad campaigns and manage each of them with a separate virtual card. With Wallester Virtual Cards, you can purchase ads on any media buying platform, including Facebook, Google, YouTube, TikTok, and others.

The platform’s interface is intuitive. It has expense tracking functionality, which allows you to set individual limits for each card and control spending. Detailed real-time reports are available for export to your system with the help of flexible API integration. 

Wallester offers 3DS merchant whitelisting to maintain security and ease access to trusted merchants simultaneously. The platform also supports payments in 10 currencies, which is vital for worldwide marketing agencies.

Pricing plans are flexible and mainly depend on the number of virtual cards in the package.

Features:

• You can get an unlimited number of physical and virtual cards. 
• Virtual cards are available instantly; you can use them to purchase ads immediately. Up to 300 virtual cards are free of charge.
• Plans include an unlimited number of users.
• Expense monitoring allows you to set individual limits for each card, considering ad campaign parameters.
• Virtual cards support launching numerous campaigns. Manage each ad campaign with a separate virtual card.
• All online media platforms, including Facebook, TikTok, Google, etc., accept Wallester Virtual Cards.
• Reporting tools allow you to get instant transaction notifications and easily export expense reports into your accounting system.
• Multi-currency support (10 currencies) is available.
• Flexible API integration connects payment management directly with your technological infrastructure.
• BIN Sponsorship optimises payment processing, ensuring seamless transactions for media buying on social platforms.

Pricing:

Representative APR: N/A

Annual Fee: $0

Fees: €0.20/month per 1 card (3,000 Virtual cards package) or €0.10/month per 1 card (15,000 Virtual cards package)

Credit Recommended: N/A

Pros:

• No monthly or annual fee
• An unlimited number of physical cards and up to 300 virtual cards are free
• No fees for extra physical and virtual cards
• An unlimited number of users are already included in the plan
• There are no fees for extra users
• Convenient reporting tools
• The platform supports media buying on any platform
• Support multi-currency transactions
• Seamless integration with your system.

Cons:

• Only 300 virtual cards are for free.

Amex Business Gold Card (Best for Google and Facebook Ad Spend)

Overview:

The American Express Business Gold Card is ideal for maximising rewards on business expenses. This card offers 4x points per $1 spent in the two highest spending categories (from a list of 6) each month without needing to preselect categories.

For example, if shipping and radio advertising are your most significant monthly expenses, you earn 4x points in those categories. Next month, if airline tickets and computer hardware become your top costs, those will earn 4x instead. This ensures your most significant expenses yield the most rewards.

This company credit card is an excellent option if your business spends heavily on ads, especially on platforms like Google and Facebook. Maximising the $150,000 annual credit limit in 4x earning categories can earn you up to 600,000 Membership Rewards points yearly.

Note that Amazon advertising isn’t currently a qualifying expense. The business credit card is best for qualifying online ads and television and radio advertising in the US.

Amex points can be redeemed for different purposes to improve your cash flow.

Features:

• Welcome Offer: Accumulate 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after making $15,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months with the Business Gold Card.
• Enjoy an interest-free period called 0% Intro APR on qualifying purchases for the first 6 months, then an APR ranging from 18.74% to 27.74% variable.* 
• Receive 4X Membership Rewards® points on your two highest eligible spending categories each month (chosen from 6 categories), up to $150,000 per year (then 1X). 
• Enrollment is necessary to obtain up to $20 monthly statement credits for qualifying US purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and Office Supply Stores (up to $240 per year).
• For a Walmart+ membership purchased with your Business Gold Card, you can receive a $12.95 monthly statement credit. This does not include applicable taxes on one membership fee.

Pricing:

Representative APR: 18.74% – 27.74% variable 

Annual Fee: $375

Fees: 0% on purchases for 6 months from the date of business current account opening

Credit Recommended: Good to Excellent (670-850)

Pros:

• High credit limits
• Earn 4x points per dollar with a Business Gold Card on your top 2 purchase categories each month, up to $150,000 annually, including US media advertising (online and traditional).

Cons:

• High annual fee – $375 
• There are no premium perks like with a business platinum card.

Amex Blue Business Cash Card (Best for Consistent Cashback)

Overview:

With the Amex Blue Business Cash card, you can take control of your cashback. Earn 2% cash back on up to $50,000 in annual cost of purchases.

This card is ideal for managing office supplies and travel expenses while clearly showing your business spending. If advertising is your top expense, you can earn 2% cashback on eligible purchases, including Google Ads, Yahoo Ads, Facebook Ads, NBC TV, and CBS Radio. After reaching the $50,000 credit limit, you earn 1%.

Cashback is a straightforward way for businesses on a tight budget to reinvest in their operations. With this card solution, earnings automatically apply to their statement, helping to improve their bottom line and cash flow.

Features:

• Earn a $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 on your credit card in the first 3 months. 
• Enjoy an interest-free period on purchases for 12 months, followed by a variable rate of 17.74% — 25.74% based on creditworthiness. 
• Earn 2% cash back on eligible purchases up to $50,000 annually, then 1%. 
• Cashback is automatically credited to your statement. 
• Benefit from Expanded Buying Power, which allows flexible spending beyond your credit limit based on your usage, payment history, and credit factors. However, it is not unlimited.

Pricing:

Representative APR: 17.74% – 25.74% variable, 0% on purchases for 12 months from the date of business current account opening

Annual Fee: No annual fee

Foreign transaction fees: 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars

Credit Recommended: Good to Excellent (670-850)

Pros:

• Earn 2% cash back on spending up to $50,000, followed by 1%, which the business spends on different business-related purposes. 
• There is no annual fee associated with this company credit card. 
• It offers travel insurance.

Cons:

• It is not the best choice for individuals who frequently spend a significant amount in categories such as groceries or fuel.
• It doesn’t provide advanced perks like a business platinum card.

Ink Business Preferred Card (Best for Travel Rewards)

Overview:

The Ink Business Preferred Credit Card offers a significant welcome bonus and 3x points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in various business categories, making it ideal for business owners, particularly those who frequently advertise.

This card provides flexible redemption options, allowing you to maximise the value of your membership rewards points. The corporate card provides valuable protection, including cell phone insurance and purchase protection.

All business spending automatically falls under 3x earning categories, including advertising on platforms like Google, Amazon, and social media. After reaching the $150,000 credit limit, earnings drop to 1 point per dollar.

The Ink Business Preferred card is an excellent choice for businesses that spend heavily on advertising. With this business credit card, maximising the 3x credit limit can generate $5,625 in travel value, improving your cash flow.

Features:

• Receive 90,000 membership rewards points after spending $8,000 within the first three months, equivalent to $900 cash back or $1,125 for travel through Chase Travel℠. 
• Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on the first $150,000 in selected business categories each year and 1 point on other eligible purchases. 
• Benefit from 24/7 monitoring for unusual transactions and enjoy Zero Liability for unauthorised charges. 
• You can redeem points for cash back and other rewards. Points remain valid as long as your business bank account is active. 
• When redeeming for travel through Chase Travel℠, membership rewards points are valued at 25% more. 
• Purchase Protection safeguards new purchases against damage or theft for 120 days. It covers up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per business bank account. 

Pricing:

Representative APR: 20.74% – 26.74% variable

Annual Fee: $95

Foreign transaction fees: $0

Credit Recommended: Good to Excellent (670-850)

Pros:

• Earn 3x Ultimate Rewards points for every $1 spent on up to $150,000 in total purchases across internet, cable, phone services, shipping costs, travel, air miles, and advertisements bought through search engines or social media platforms. 
• Coverage for cell phone damage or theft. 
• Protection for purchases made.
• Low annual fee

Cons:

• There are no premium perks like with a business platinum card.
• No interest-free period.

Choosing a Business Card for Ad Spend

Before applying for a bank card, you should do some homework. Here are the main steps you need to take to choose the best business credit card for advertising:

1. Check your eligibility:If you are 18 years and over, reside in the UK, and are at least a director of a registered business, you can apply for a business card program. Your company must be registered at the Companies House. Small businesses and sole traders can join. If you are a limited company, you can also participate. Consider minimum turnover criteria, your business structure and whether you need a business bank account.
2. Define what type of card you need:Determine your budget, how often you would use such cards, what advertising platforms you use, and what credit limit, how much interest you will pay, credit facility and card payments you can afford. You can also decide if you need cards with rewards. How will your business spend cashback or other reward if you need them? Consider how many cards you need for employees and what limits you can set for each employee. 
3. Consider features, pros and cons of cards from different card providers: Analyse deals from several financial institutions. Compare the most important features of business credit cards, such as a representative APR, annual fee, transaction and foreign exchange fees, interest-free period, how many cards are available for employees, business rewards and scope, and other meaningful factors for your business. 
4. Check personal andbusiness creditscores: Credit card providers can organise credit checks of your credit history through credit reference agencies. Card issuers may review your personal and business credit score. Using a personal credit card, you can check your credit record or individual credit score by applying to free credit reference agencies such as Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion and platforms like ClearScore and Credit Karma. Experian and Equifax also calculate business credit scores. Apply to agencies before submitting your application to banks or other institutions. In such a case, you will know what to expect and whether your applications will be accepted, and you can use business credit cards for your benefit. 

Whether you are choosing the right business credit card for a small business or limited company, consider the abovementioned factors before applying to any provider.

What Counts as Advertising on These Cards?

Whether advertising will be counted on your business card depends on the credit card provider. For instance, Chase emphasises the merchants who advertise directly through social media and online search engines that promote products, services, businesses, or brands. Third-party websites and affiliates are not qualified as advertisements.

American Express, in turn, involves any online television and radio advertising on the US business media providers who buy to promote business in the ad spend category. Hence, you can include Google, Facebook, and Yahoo among such merchants.

Streamline Your Ad Campaigns With Wallester Business Credit Cards

Media buying has never been easier than with Wallester. With our virtual cards solution, you can issue an unlimited number of virtual cards instantly. Assign a credit card to each ad campaign and manage and control your business finances. Cards apply to any media platform, including Google, Facebook, TikTok, etc. 

Set spending limits for your employees and monitor your payments using a convenient application. You only need to issue a virtual card to share usage and give access to selected employees. 

Partnering with VISA, the worldwide card issuer, our solution suits any business anywhere. With unlimited virtual cards, you can quickly scale your business and improve your cash flow, ensuring its rapid growth with ad campaigns at your complete control. 

Gain more control over your advertising costs and let your business grow. Sign up today and get 300 free virtual cards for your ad campaigns!