The best credit cards for freelancers and independent contractors (2024)

As a freelancer or independent contractor, you can qualify for small business credit cards. While you don't always need a business card as a freelancer, there are advantages to opening one. It makes separating business and personal expenses easier, while earning rewards along the way. Plus, business cards offer additional perks and tools designed with a business owner or freelancer in mind.

CNBC Select analyzed the most popular credit cards to determine the best freelancer credit cards (see our methodology for more information on how we made this list). Keep in mind that although some of these cards have annual fees, the fees are tax-deductible as they are business expenses.

Who's this for? The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card is ideal for most freelancers because of its simple 1.5% return on all purchases and stellar welcome bonus for a no-annual-fee card. It's also excellent for those who have another Ultimate Rewards® card, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, as they'll be able to convert their cashback into fully transferrable Ultimate Rewards® points.

Standout benefits: In addition to having a solid cash-back rate on all purchases, the Ink Business Unlimited is also a great option for financing business expenses, like that much-needed laptop upgrade. New card members receive 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months from account opening (then 18.49%-24.49%).

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Who's this for? The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card is a good choice if you're searching for a rewarding business card without any complicated benefits to navigate. It has no annual fee (see rates and fees) and earns a flat 2% cash back on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year (then 1% back).

Standout benefits: This card is a great option for anyone starting their freelancing journey not just because it's simple, but because it can be helpful for financing your start-up costs. For the first 12 months from when you open the account, purchases qualify for 0% intro APR (then a variable 18.49%-26.49% APR applies; see rates and fees).

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Who's this for? If you want to earn travel rewards for your freelance expenses, the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is hard to beat. Plus, this card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, which are some of the most versatile travel rewards out there. Chase points can be redeemed for cash back, used to book travel through the Chase travel portal and transferred to 14 different airline and hotel loyalty programs.

Standout benefits: One of the best aspects of the Chase Ink Business Preferred card is its ability to earn rewards and earn them fast. Cardholders earn 3X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases on shipping; advertising expenses through social media and search engines; internet, cable and phone services; and travel. Those categories cover a broad swath of common purchases freelancers and independent contractors are likely to make.

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Who's this for? The U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card is a no-annual-fee cash-back business card that's stacked with useful perks, as well as a valuable welcome bonus offer.

Standout benefits: If you want a 0% intro APR offer, then this is the business card for you. It comes with a 0% introductory APR for 12 months for purchases (then a variable APR of 19.24%-28.24% applies).

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Who's this for? If you're having a hard time getting approved for other business credit cards, the *Capital One Spark 1% Classic might be a good fit for you. You can be approved for this card with an average or fair credit score, which is a FICO Score of 580 and up.

Standout benefits: The *Capital One Spark Classic provides an opportunity to earn cash back while you're building your credit. You'll earn 5% back on hotels and rental cars you book through Capital One Travel and 1% back on all other purchases.

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The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card is a no-annual-fee business card with a generous welcome bonus and rewards you'd typically expect to see with a card that has an annual fee.

Rewards

• 5% cash back on Lyft rides through March 2025
• 1.5% cash back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

The Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card is a cash-back card, but its rewards can be more valuable when paired with other Chase credit cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, which allow you to transfer your points to airline and hotel loyalty programs.

If you have a Chase card that enables transfers, the rewards you earn with the Ink Business Unlimited can be pooled onto that card. Experts generally value Chase points at two cents each when redeemed through transfer partners, essentially doubling the return you get with this card.

Card members benefit from various travel and purchase insurances. Eligible transactions qualify for purchase protection and extended warranty protection. When you're renting a car for business purposes, you'll get primary coverage for damage and theft. And you have access to roadside dispatch and travel and emergency assistance services.

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The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card stands out for its simplicity. You'll pay no annual fee (see rates and fees) and quickly earn easy-to-use cash-back rewards.

Rewards

• 2% cash back on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year
• 1% cash back on all purchases after the first $50,000 spent on your card per calendar year

Welcome bonus

None

Annual fee

$0 (see rates and fees)

Notable perks

Cardholders can take advantage of extended warranty coverage*, purchase protection* and rental car loss and damage insurance**. It's also free to add employee cards. (Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/ benefitsguide for more details.)

*Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
** Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related ServicesCompany, Inc.

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The Ink Business Preferred Credit Card is a low-cost card that offers useful benefits, valuable rewards and a generous welcome bonus.

Rewards

• 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2025
• 3X points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in select categories each account anniversary year (travel; shipping purchases; internet, cable and phone services; and advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines)
• 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 90k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 cash back or $1,125 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠.

Annual fee

$95

Notable perks

The Chase Ultimate Rewards® points you earn with this card can be redeemed in a variety of ways. Points are worth 25% more (1.25 cents each) when you use them to pay for travel you book through Chase Travel^SM. Using this option alone makes the card's intro offer worth $1,125 in travel.

You can potentially increase the value of your redemptions by transferring Chase points to a travel partner. You can book luxury hotels through World of Hyatt and posh business-class flights by transferring points to airlines such as Air Canada, United and Virgin Atlantic.

The Ink Business Preferred Credit Card also has top-notch built-in insurance coverage that automatically applies to eligible purchases, such ascell phone protection, purchase protection and extended warranty coverage. When you pay for eligible travel with the card, you'll also getinsurance for rental cars(collision only), trip delays, trip cancellations/interruptions and baggage delays.

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The U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card is a no annual fee card that earns cashback across multiple useful bonus categories.

Rewards

• 5% back on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly through the US Bank Rewards Center
• 3% cash back on eligible purchases at gas stations and EV charging stations, office supply stores, cell phone service providers and restaurants
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn $750 in cash back when you spend $6000 on the Account Owner's card in the first 180 days of opening your account.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

The U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card has a generous introductory 0% APR offer of 12 months on purchases (after, 19.24%-28.24% variable).

Plus, once every 12 months, you can earn a $100 statement credit for software services. To qualify for the $100 software credit, you need to make 11 consecutive months of eligible purchases directly with a software provider.

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You typically only need an average credit score (580+) to get approved for the *Capital One Spark 1% Classic, which makes it an accessible card for freelancers with weaker credit scores.

Rewards

• 5% back on hotels and rental cars you book through the Capital One Travel site
• 1% back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

None.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

The main appeal of the *Capital One Spark 1% Classic is that it's easy to get approved for and can help jumpstart the process of rebuilding your credit. It also has no foreign transaction fees and offers roadside assistance and extended warranty protection.

Cardholders also have access to various Capital One business benefits. These account management tools help you streamline accounting by letting you choose your due date, view recurring transactions and download purchase records to Quicken®, QuickBooks® and Excel®.

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To determine which cards are the best for freelancers, CNBC Select evaluated credit cards offered by the biggest banks, financial companies and credit unions that allow anyone to join. We compared each card on a range of features, including rewards, annual fee, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR, balance transfer fee and foreign transaction fees, as well as factors such as required credit and customer reviews when available.

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For rates and fees of the Blue Business® Cash Credit Card from American Express,click here.

*Information about the Capital One Spark 1% Classic Credit Cardhas been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.