If you’re in real estate sales or have a business with online advertising expenses, there are lots of excellent credit cards that can earn you miles toward travel or cash back.
And several cards include online advertising as a bonus category. This means you can accumulate rewards faster by choosing the best card for a business purchase you were already planning to make.
I’ll share how you can earn credit card points for advertising online and other business expenses!
Keep Expenses Separate With a Small Business Card
Link: How to Qualify for a Small Business Credit Card (And Why You Should Get One!)
I’ve written how you can qualify for a small business card if you’re a real estate agent or online marketer. These can be quick small business ideas for folks looking to do something on the side to earn money and boost your miles & points balances.
Don’t forget, you can apply for a business card using just your Social Security number. It’s not a requirement to have a formal business entity or EIN (Employer Identification Number).
And having a small business card is an excellent way to keep your personal and business expenses separate! This can help you stay organized and focus more time on growing your business!
Paying for online advertising with platforms like Facebook, Google Adwords, Instagram, and Twitter can be a big expense for real estate agents and online marketers. But you likely have lots of other small business expenses such as:
- Office furniture
- Printer ink and paper
- Client gifts
- Computer hardware and software
- Office supplies like snacks and cleaning products
- Phone and internet bills
- Membership dues and continuing education classes
- Gasoline and transportation
- Restaurants for business meals
- Rent
- Travel and conference fees
The best card for your business will depend on your travel goals. You might consider having multiple cards. For example, one card to earn flexible points on advertising. And another to earn cash back on other purchases.
And if you have employees, you might consider adding them as authorized users. Because the points they earn on purchases will go into your account. But be sure to check out my post on controlling authorized user spending.
Here are my top card picks.
1. Chase Ink Business Preferred
Link: Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card
Link: My Review of the Ink Business Preferred Card
The Ink Business Preferred is amazing for folks who advertise on social media and search engines because you earn 3X Chase Ultimate Rewards points for every $1 you spend.
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.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points are my favorite flexible points. Because you can transfer points to fantastic airline and hotel partners like Hyatt, Southwest, and Singapore Airlines.
For example, in the past Emily and I transferred Chase Ultimate Rewards point to Hyatt for free nights at the Park Hyatt Goa in India, the Hyatt Regency in Maui, and the Grand Hyatt in Kauai!
Or you can book travel through the Chase travel portal. And points linked to your Ink Business Preferred are worth 1.25 cents each when you book this way.
2. Chase Ink Cash
Link: Ink Business Cash Credit Card
Link: My Review of the Ink Cash
Folks can earn cash back with the no annual fee Chase Ink Cash. With this card, you get:
- 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services each account anniversary year
- 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
So shopping at Staples or Office Depot for office snacks and supplies can be an easy way to earn 5% cash back. Or real estate agents can earn 2% cash back at gas stations when refueling between appointments or open houses.
Keep in mind, you can combine points from the Ink Cash with the below Chase cards to have the ability to transfer points directly to hotel and airline partners:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
- Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
- Chase Ink Plus (no longer available)
- Chase Ink Bold (no longer available)
And transferring points points from the Ink Cash to the above cards makes your points worth more when you redeem for travel through the Chase portal.
Moving points to your Sapphire Reserve card gives you the best value for of all your Chase Ultimate Rewards points through the Chase travel portal!3. AMEX SimplyCash Plus
Link: SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card from American Express
Link: My Review of the AMEX SimplyCash Plus Card
With the no annual fee (See Rates & Fees) AMEX SimplyCash Plus card, you get:
- 5% cash back at office supply stores in the US and on your US wireless phone bill (up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year); then 1%
- 3% cash back on eligible purchases (up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year) in one of the categories of your choice, including US purchases for advertising in select media; then 1%
- The ability to “buy above your credit limit”
So similar to the Ink Cash, you can shop at office supply stores to earn 5% cash back. But you don’t have the flexibility to transfer the rewards you earn to travel partners.
You can also take advantage of the benefits of AMEX ReceiptMatch, which allows you to link business expense receipts directly to credit card purchases.
This card is great for online marketers and real estate agents looking for buying power to make large one-time purchases. Because you won’t get charged fees for making a purchase more than your credit limit. And you earn cash back on the ENTIRE purchase amount.
But keep in mind, you must pay off the amount you spend over your credit limit in full each month.
So I wouldn’t recommend this card for folks looking for a pay over time option. Because any fees or interest you incur by not paying off the balance will more than offset the value of the cash back you earn.
Or Get a Personal Card With a Lucrative Sign-Up Bonus
Even if you’re eligible for a small business card, you might consider a personal card with a lucrative sign-up bonus. There are no restrictions when it comes to making business purchases with a personal card.
Note: I wouldn’t recommend using a small business card for personal purchases. According to Doctor of Credit, some folks with Chase small business cards received messages warning against putting personal spending on a business card.And combining your personal and business spending on 1 card might help you reach a large minimum spending requirement.
For example, you can currently earn up to 100,000 British Airways Avios points on the Chase British Airways Visa Signature Card. But you must make $20,000 in purchases during the first year to earn the full sign-up bonus.
The tiered minimum spending requirements are as follows:
- $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account (earn 50,000 British Airways Avios points)
- $10,000 (total) on purchases in the first year of opening your account (earn an additional 25,000 British Airways Avios points)
- $20,000 (total) on purchases in the first year of opening your account (earn another 25,000 British Airways Avios points)
And the Chase British Airways is NOT affected by the Chase “5/24” rule!
Check out my series on how to use British Airways Avios points for ideas on how to use the sign-up bonus!
Bottom Line
You can earn 3X rewards on advertising purchases with certain small business cards, which is great for online marketers or real estate agents who advertise listings on sites like Facebook.
For example, you’ll earn 3X Chase Ultimate Rewards points with Ink Business Preferred, which you can transfer directly to airline and hotel partners. Or earn straightforward 3% cash back with the AMEX SimplyCash Plus card when you select advertising as the 3X bonus category.
Having a small business card helps you separate expenses and stay organized. But you can also get a personal card to combine your personal and business spending to earn a lucrative sign-up bonus on a card with a large spending requirement.
For example, you can earn a total of 100,000 British Airways Avios points on the Chase British Airways card after meeting tiered spending requirements.
Which card do you use to earn points for advertising online?
For rates and fees of the SimplyCash Plus Business Card, please click here.