In today’s economy, many businesses are reducing their travel budgets and other expenditures. This leads many business owners to look for a credit card that rewards you for everyday business purchases. And what better reward than cash back?

We evaluated dozens of cash back credit cards for business to find the best. It should be noted that excellent credit is required to qualify for any of the cards covered here.

In a post written a little over a year ago, CreditShout recommended the American Express SimplyCash Business Card as “among the best of the best,” noting that its cash back program is tops in the industry. That assessment still stands.

The card offers some of the most generous cash rewards of any card of this type, with up to 5 % cash back on items business owners really need, even when budgets are down.  You’ll earn:

• 5 % cash back on gas, office supplies and wireless services
• 1 % cash back on other purchases

The card has no annual fee, a 0% introductory APR and an APR as low as 6.99% after that. Unlike many American Express cards, this card offers the flexibility to pay in full with each statement or to carry a balance. The cash back is credited to your account when you receive that month’s statement – no waiting for checks or keeping track of points.

The only negative I could see is that employee purchases on secondary cards are only worth 1% cash back, regardless of the purchase type. But this seems standard with business cards, and is certainly minor compared to all the benefits, which include the American Express OPEN Savings program, purchase protection, the Global Assist Hotline, and more.

Decades ago, Discover was the first credit card issuer to offer cash back rewards.  Their Discover Business Card still offers some of the better cash rewards in the industry. You’ll earn:

• 5 % cash back on office supplies
• 2 % cash back on gas purchases
• 1 % cash back bonus on most other purchases
• 5 – 20% cash back bonus through ShopDiscover

The card has no annual fee, an introductory APR of 0 % for the first year, and a 13.99 % variable APR after that.

Unlike the American Express card, you have the option of balance transfers at a low introductory APR of 3.99%. Discover also offers fee-free purchase checks.

If you typically carry a balance, you might be able to do better than the 13.99 % APR by considering other cash back business cards, but if you pay off your balance at the end of each billing period, the Discover card offers cash back rewards that are second to none.

TrueEarnings Business Credit Card from Costco and American Express

• No annual fee for Costco members
• 0 % introductory APR for 3 mos.
• 5 % cash back for buying gas
• 3 % for eating out
• 2 % for travel
• 1 % everywhere else

Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card, issued by Chase

• No annual fee
• Reward points redeemable for cash
• Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on Amazon.com
• Earn 2 points for every $1 at gas stations, restaurants and drugstores
• Earn 1 point for other purchases

CitiBusiness Card with ThankYou Network

• No annual fee
• 6 month 0 % introductory APR
• Earn 10,000 bonus points after $250 in purchases, redeemable for a $100 gift card
• Earn 2 ThankYou® Points for every $1 spent for 12 months
• Earn 1 ThankYou point per dollar after that.

AT&T  Universal Business Rewards Card

• 0 % introductory APR on balance transfers
• Relatively low 9.25 % purchase APR
• No annual fee
• 5 ThankYou Points for every dollar on most AT&T products and services
• 3 ThankYou Points per dollar at specific merchants and gas stations
• 1 ThankYou Point per dollar on other purchases

It’s easy to see that the American Express SimplyCash Business Card and the Discover Business card are tops in the category by a landslide. All four runners-up trail behind, but are similar to each other. The rest of the cards we looked at in this category offer either high APRs, annual fees, or less desirable rewards.

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