Did you know you can earn bonus cash back or miles and points to use toward free travel by paying for online advertising with certain credit cards?
This can be extremely helpful to folks with a start-up business advertising a new product or service on Facebook or Google. Or if you work in a direct sales role selling things like real estate, beauty products, or nutritional supplements.
You can earn up to 3X points or 3% cash back per $1 you spend on advertising with certain credit cards. I’ll show you how!
Don’t Miss Out on Points or Cash Back With Online Advertising Purchases!
Link: How to Qualify for a Small Business Credit Card (And Why You Should Get One!)
If you’re already paying for online advertising with platforms like Facebook, Google Adwords, Instagram, and Twitter, there’s a good chance you can qualify for a small business card. This goes for real estate agents and folks who are online marketers.
Remember, you can apply for a business card as a sole proprietor using just your Social Security number. Banks don’t require you to have a formal business entity or EIN (Employer Identification Number).
If you’re wondering if applying for a new card will impact your credit score, I recommend checking out our post with 11 credit card myths. Using credit cards responsibly and paying your balances in full each month can actually boost your credit score. That’s one reason many Million Mile Secrets team members keep 10+ cards in their wallets!
Another perk of opening small business cards is most do NOT appear on your personal credit report. This is true for cards issued by AMEX and Chase who both have cards with lucrative sign-up bonuses and bonus multipliers for spending in certain categories, like advertising.
Deciding on cards that earn straightforward cash back or flexible points will depend on your goals. If you don’t have upcoming travel plans, earning cash back is like saving money on purchases you’re already making!
And folks running a big business with large advertising expenses might consider using multiple cards. Because after you hit the spending cap in a bonus category, you’ll stop earning extra points or cash back. So splitting your bonus spending across more than one card can help you always earn extra rewards!
Here are our top card picks for folks who pay for online advertising.
| Card | Bonus for Online Advertising Spending | Bonus Spending Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Chase Ink Business Preferred | 3X Chase Ultimate Rewards points (3% cash back) per $1 | $150,000 in combined purchases in the 3X bonus category per account anniversary year |
| The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN | 3X AMEX Membership Rewards points per $1 when you select US purchases for advertising in select media as your bonus spending category | $100,000 per calendar year |
| SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card from American Express | 3% cash back per $1 when you select US purchases for advertising in select media as your bonus spending category | $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1% |
| Capital One Spark Cash for Business | 2% cash back per $1 on all purchases | None |
1. Chase Ink Business Preferred
Apply Here: Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card
Our Review: Review of the Ink Business Preferred Card
The Ink Business Preferred is a fantastic option for business owners who advertise on social media and search engines. Because you earn 3X Chase Ultimate Rewards points for every $1 you spend. And you can redeem points for cash back, so it’s like earning 3% cash back for your purchase!
The 3X bonus category also includes travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable, and phone services. You can earn bonus points in the 3X category up to a maximum of $150,000 in combined purchases per account anniversary year. After that, you’ll earn 1 Chase Ultimate Rewards point per $1, with no maximum.
If you spend the maximum in the 3X bonus category, you’ll earn 450,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points. That’s worth $4,500 in cash back!
Chase Ultimate Rewards points (our favorite flexible points!) give you lots of redemption options. You can choose cash back, use points toward travel through the Chase portal, or transfer points directly to airline and hotel partners.
When you sign-up for the Ink Business Preferred, you’ll earn 80,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points (worth $800 in cash back or more if you redeem for travel) after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. This is currently the highest sign-up bonus of any Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card.
The card has a $95 annual fee, which is NOT waived the first year. And the card is impacted by Chase’s tougher application rules. So if you’ve opened 5+ cards from any bank (NOT counting Chase business cards and these other business cards) in the past 24 months, it’s unlikely you’ll be approved for this offer.
2. AMEX Business Gold Rewards Card
Apply Here: The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN
Our Review: Review of the AMEX Business Gold Rewards Card
You can earn 3X AMEX Membership Rewards points per $1 with the AMEX Business Gold Rewards card if you select US purchases for advertising in select media as your 3X bonus category. Select media includes online ads like Facebook, Google Ads, and Yahoo.
If you choose advertising as your 3X bonus category, you’ll earn 2X AMEX Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on these 4 other categories:
- Airfare purchased directly from airlines
- US purchases at gas stations
- US purchases for shipping
- US computer hardware, software, and cloud computing purchases made directly from select providers
You’ll earn bonus points on purchases up to $100,000 in each of the 5 categories per calendar year. After that, you’ll earn 1 point per $1. You can read our step-by-step guide to selecting your 3X bonus category.
If you spend the maximum in the 3X bonus category, you can earn 300,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points. You can use these points to get $3,000 worth of gift cards through the AMEX portal.
You can also redeem AMEX Membership Rewards points for a statement credit, but you’ll only get 0.6 cents per point. So 300,000 points are worth $1,800 in statement credits. You can read why we typically don’t recommend using points this way.
Instead of gift cards, you can get lots of travel flexibility using AMEX Membership Rewards points. Because the program has 19 direct airline and hotel partners, including Delta, Singapore Airlines, and Hilton.
And when you sign-up for the AMEX Business Gold Rewards card, you’ll earn 50,000 American Express Membership Rewards points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account.
The card’s $175 annual fee is waived for the first year. And there are no foreign transaction fees, so it’s a good card to use when you travel abroad
3. AMEX SimplyCash Plus
Apply Here: SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card from American Express
With the no annual fee AMEX SimplyCash Plus card (See Rates & Fees), you can earn 3% cash back on eligible purchases (up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1% thereafter) in 1 of 8 categories of your choice. And one option in the 3% cash back category is US purchases for advertising in select media.
If you spend the maximum in the bonus category, you can earn $1,500 cash back every year ($50,000 in advertising spending X 3% cash back)! Using this card can be an easy way to save money for your business.
4. Capital One Spark Cash for Business
Apply Here: Capital One Spark Cash for Business
Our Review: Review of the Capital One Spark Cash Card
Online advertising isn’t a designated bonus category for the Capital One Spark Cash card. But you can earn unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases with this card!
Folks love the Capital One rewards program because it’s so simple. You can request a check or statement credit, any time, with no minimum redemption amount. Or you can set-up an automatic redemption, like $25 per month, for example.
Plus, with this card, you don’t have to worry about selecting a bonus category or any spending caps.
And with the Capital One Spark Cash for Business, you can earn a $500 sign-up bonus after spending $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
The $95 annual fee is waived the first year, and the card does NOT have foreign transaction fees. Keep in mind, Capital One reports business cards to personal credit bureaus, unlike AMEX and Chase.
Bottom Line
Whether you’re a start-up or an experienced direct sales person, you can easily earn bonus rewards by using the right credit card to pay for online advertising. This includes marketing your business on sites like Facebook, Google, Instagram, and Twitter.
Our top pick is the Chase Ink Business Preferred. Because you earn 3X Chase Ultimate Rewards points for every $1 spent on advertising on social media and search engines. That’s like earning 3% cash back for your purchase! And you’ll have the flexibility to redeem these points for free travel!
Or for a simple to use rewards program, you might consider the Capital One Spark Cash card. You earn unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases!
Remember, it’s easy to qualify for a small business card. And applying for new cards and using them responsibly is an easy way to boost your credit score!
For rates and fees of the SimplyCash Plus card, please click here.