Best Business Credit Cards for Employees (We Compare 6!) [2023]

When it comes to finding the right business credit card for your employees, it's likely you've faced a few issues:

  • Some companies charge high fees for each additional card.
  • Some cards don't enable easy expense reconciliation.
  • Many credit cards have a complicated UX, making it difficult to manage the spending of employees.
  • Many won't work with new businesses or startups.

Considering these factors, in this article we'll be comparing multiple credit card options in the US and the UK that issue business credit cards for employees:

  1. Jeeves’ business credit card for employees
  2. Top business credit cards for employees in the US
  3. Top business credit cards for employees in the UK

Want to apply for business credit cards for your employees right away? Click here to apply to Jeeves.

Best business credit card for multiple employees: Jeeves Credit Card

Since we're the ones writing the article, we thought we would start with ourselves.

As founders,  we designed the Jeeves company credit card specifically for high growth and new businesses, which means we can provide a line of credit to new and high growth companies that are financially healthy.

Some of the features of our business credit card for employees are:

  • £0 annual fee
  • 0% interest rate
  • No transaction fees
  • Additional cards for employees are free
  • Set spending limits on employee cards
  • Virtual business credit cards for employees that you can issue instantly
  • Physical business credit cards for employees that arrive in 3 business days
  • Up to 2% cashback in the first 90 days for all new Jeeves customers
  • 1.5% cashback on all transactions with special merchants (Google, Amazon, Meta)
  • 1% cashback on all other card spend thereafter
  • Online account management with spend management and expense reconciliation
  • Integration with Xero, QuickBooks, NetSuite and SAP

Note – a virtual card (v-cards) is usually a disposable card number you can use online. Most are good for one purchase only and offer very high levels of security. With Jeeves, you can issue one-time virtual cards or create virtual cards that you can use multiple times for as long as you want. Virtual cards are growing in popularity in the B2B space and payments made using them are expected to reach $553bn by 2024.

Build a better relationship with your employees (remote and in-person)

If only one employee has control over the company credit card, managing payments can get complicated very quickly.

If a few of your employees have cards, those who don’t might be irritated and feel left out. They may also feel additional resentment if accounts fail to reimburse them at the end of the month (we’ve all been there!).

With a Jeeves credit card, you can issue business credit cards to your employees the same day you’re approved for no additional cost. You can set spending limits from the dashboard, monitor their transactions in real time and then pay off their balance at the end of the month.

Jeeves spending limits and card settings

Have better control over day to day organisation

If your company is growing quickly, it’s a lot faster and more efficient to give employees and directors their own budgets and credit limits. There just isn’t the time to run every purchasing request past the board or the finance team.

But it often means staff members have to use their own credit cards when buying goods and services. And that’s not a perfect solution: employees get frustrated about running up balances on their cards and having to keep stacks of receipts with them. It also creates significant extra work as each receipt has to be logged and each member of staff reimbursed.

With Jeeves credit cards, your staff don’t have to use their personal cards anymore. Instead, they make business purchases on their own employee company credit card.

Founders, managers and employees will also have access to the Jeeves app with free expense management software, which makes it a lot easier to track employees’ spending and manage expenses even if staff work remotely around the globe.

And since it’s a company credit card, you won’t have to keep topping up their card every time your employee wants to make a purchase. You can increase each employee's credit limit in a click and set monthly or annual spending limits just as easily. Instead of topping up 10 different cards every month, you’ll just have one Jeeves balance to pay off every month!  

Jeeves corporate card
Jeeves business credit cards for employees (with expense management on app and desktop)

Set yourself up to go global with multi-currency support

Jeeves was built for global businesses, which means we’ll help you go global as well. We serve clients in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Canada, the UK, the US and Europe, with more regions coming soon.

You'll also be able to issue credit cards to employees in different countries, and allow them to spend in their own currency. If you’ve got agents in other countries or employees who purchase overseas, the Jeeves credit card is a good fit.

Our multi-currency support means you can request credit in up to 8 different currencies. So, if you operate in North and South America, you can request to receive your Jeeves credit in USD, CAD, MXN, CLP, COP or BRL.

You may also like: How To Scale A Business' Marketing Internationally: An Interview With Hanns Schempp

Implement better cash flow and financial management

With the Jeeves App, employees can use their mobile devices to capture receipts. Your CFOs and finance teams can use the same dashboard and app to see how much employees have spent to that point in the month. This means much greater financial visibility and a better understanding of your company’s true business finances.

You’ll also be able to find ways to rationalise your employee’s business expenses. If you find that one employee hires a car for £100 a day and another one hires a car for £200, you can identify the cheapest provider and tell all cardholders to use that supplier.

There is also a large cashflow benefit with using corporate credit cards instead of debit cards. As we mentioned above, a credit card means you won’t have to continuously top up your employee’s account. Instead, you can keep the cash in your business bank account and pay off employee expenses every month.

Jeeves transactions
Jeeves expense management software connects with all employee business credit cards

You may also like: 3 Ways to Get More From Your Jeeves Business Credit Card

Get approved quickly as a high growth company

We specifically built Jeeves for high-growth businesses, which means we can offer credit cards even if you don’t have 3 years of bank statements. If you’re not profitable but financially healthy (e.g. have received external investment), we’ll still be able to offer you credit (subject to approval).

We just need to see that you have a healthy financial standing and the ability to pay us back on a monthly basis.

As a fast-approval business credit card, we're able to give you a response within 24 hours. If you're successful, you can get started right away and issue cards immediately.

Interested in trying us out? Sign up to Jeeves for free! It only takes 5 minutes to apply.

Keep your admin costs low with cashback and perks

Jeeves’ clients can receive up to 2% cashback on all spend during their first 90 days, 1.5% cashback on spend with special merchants (Google, Amazon, Meta), and up to 1% cashback on all other spend thereafter.

That kind of cashback can make a difference on your profit margin. If you do the calculations, you’ll see it’s actually better for your company financially to pay its suppliers using Jeeves’ than it will be to do a bank transfer.

If your company is in the U.K. and spends £50,000 per month, you’ll get back £7,500 from Jeeves in the first year and £6,000 yearly after.

We also don’t charge annual account fees or card fees and interest remains free if you pay back your credit within 30 days. Pay the credit earlier, and it automatically resets.

You’ll also be able to enjoy up to $100,000 in benefits and partner perks through our various partnerships as well as gain access to over 1,300 airport lounges globally. Learn more about our benefits and perks.

jeeves partner rewards
Nine of the 20+ partner perks you can enjoy with Jeeves company credit cards

The Jeeves business credit card for employees is a great fit for companies scaling their business and expanding across the globe. However, not every company will have the same international reach.

Here are credit card provider alternatives if you're based in the U.S. or in the U.K. and prefer local options specific to your country.

Related reading: 14 best business credit cards in Canada

Business credit cards for employees in the US

1. Ink Business Preferred Credit Card (Chase)

With this Chase card you won't have to pay additional fees for employee credit cards, and you'll also get:

  • Annual fee of $95
  • Earn over $100,000 bonus points if you spend over $15,000 in the first 3 months of account opening
  • Travel insurance
  • Car rental insurance
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Extended warranty coverage
  • 3x points on certain business expense categories

The Ink Business Preferred Credit Card is ideal for small business owners with many employees and high spend per employee. High employee spend will translate into higher rewards, which with this card can be substantial.

2. American Express Business Gold Card

This card is another card that will offer high rewards for high spend, specifically:

  • 4x points on your top 2 spending categories each month
  • Pay for certain flights with Amex Travel and get 25% back
  • 70,000 points welcome bonus offer
  • Purchase protection and extended warranty protection
  • $295 annual fee
  • Requires spending $10,000 in the first three months of having the card

This is a card that works well for larger businesses with high spend and that spend a lot on flights.

3. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

This card was specifically designed with startups and smaller businesses in mind. The features are:

  • 2x membership rewards points on everyday expenditures throughout the year
  • No annual fee and no cost for up to 99 additional employees
  • 2.7% currency conversion fee
  • 15,000 bonus points welcome card offer if you spend over $3,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months
  • 0% intro APR

This card might work well for businesses with lower annual revenue that are looking for a credit card that can expand their buying power and allow them to issue cards to multiple employees.

Business credit cards for employees in the UK

business credit cards for employees UK

Notes:

  • [1] on non-sterling transactions
  • [2] first additional cardholder free, £285 per card thereafter
  • [3] Retailer discount scheme.
  • [4] As [3] plus access to more than 1,200 airport lounges across 130 countries. Earn 1 Membership Rewards® point for almost every full £1 you spend on the Card. Complimentary annual digital subscription to The Times and The Sunday Times, worth £312 per year.
  • [5] You must apply to take out cash from ATMs with certain cards. The current advertised rate is 3% of value withdrawn subject to a minimum of 3% (link)
  • [6] No annual fee for the first year
  • [7] Free accounting software with FreshBooks – worth £228 every year you’re a customer. Business rewards scheme.
  • [8] Non-sterling cash fee – 3% (minimum £3) plus 2.99% non-sterling transaction fee
  • [9] Reverts to 1% after 3 months
  • [10] Jeeves clients receive 1% cashback after the first 90 days and 1.5% on special merchant spending. Minimum spend of 10k monthly in USD for a maximum 1k per month of cashback in local currency.

1. Amex Business Gold card

You can issue cards to up to 99 employees with the Amex Gold Card package.

  • £175 annual fee (waived for the first year)
  • 0% interest charge
  • 54-day cashflow
  • No cost for additional cards (99 maximum)
  • Physical cards for employees (no virtual cards)
  • 2.99% currency conversion fee
  • ATM withdrawals 3% (following request for switch-on)
  • Membership rewards program
  • Access to retailer discount scheme
  • Online account management

Companies benefit from up to £500 a year in discounts from popular retailers and additional rewards are available for international business spending. You can also spend your points with brands like Apple and Currys PC World.

2. Amex Business Platinum card

The Platinum card is suitable for international businesses and it offers a wide range of features:

  • £595 annual fee
  • 0% interest charge
  • 54-day cashflow
  • £285 for additional cards (first additional card free) (no maximum number)
  • Physical cards for employees (no virtual cards)
  • 2.99% currency conversion fee
  • ATM withdrawals 3% (following request for switch-on)
  • 0% cashback
  • Membership rewards scheme
  • Free airport lounge access (1,200 lounges in 130 countries)
  • Complimentary annual digital subscription to The Times and The Sunday Times, worth £312 per year
  • Purchase protection and refund protection
  • Online account management

Clients have access to dedicated account managers, a Premium Business Travel service offering complimentary benefits at 1,000 5-star resorts and a dedicated concierge service.

3. Barclaycard Select Cashback Business Credit card

  • £0 annual fee
  • 21.9% interest charge
  • 56-day cashflow
  • No cost for additional cards
  • Physical cards for employees (no virtual cards)
  • 5.99% currency conversion fee
  • ATM withdrawals 3%
  • Welcome offer of 2% cashback on all transactions for the first three months reverting to 1% thereafter
  • Online card account management
  • Free FreshBooks accounting and expense reporting software worth £228
  • Insurance and purchase protection
  • Business rewards scheme featuring Amazon Business and Avios

The Barclaycard Select Cashback Business Credit card is a good option for small businesses as you only need a turnover of a minimum of £10,000 to apply.

4. British Airways American Express Accelerating Business card

The British Airways American Express Accelerating Business card is suitable for new-start businesses whose employees do a lot of travelling.

  • £250 annual fee
  • 97% interest charge
  • No cost for additional cards (up to 99)
  • Physical cards for employees (no virtual cards)
  • 2.99% currency conversion fee
  • ATM withdrawals 3% (following request for switch-on)
  • Travel accident protection included
  • Online account management via dedicated app and website
  • Two reward schemes for flights and travel

The main draw for many British Airways American Express Accelerating Business cardholders is boosting their Avios (formerly Air Miles) balance to spend on hotels, car hire and flights.

5. Capital on Tap Business Rewards credit card

Capital on Tap is specifically designed for small businesses.

  • £99 annual fee
  • 22.9% interest charge
  • No cost for additional cards (up to 20)
  • Physical cards for employees (no virtual cards)
  • No currency conversion fees
  • No ATM cash advance fees
  • 1% cashback on all transactions
  • Turnover funding available
  • Online account management
  • Free transfers to your high street bank account
  • Avios and travel rewards

There is great integration with Quickbooks, Freeagent, Xero, Sage and other accounting and bookkeeping platforms with the Capital on Tap Business Rewards credit card.

Apply for Jeeves credit cards for employees

That’s our round-up of the current options for companies wanting business credit cards for employees. As mentioned above, getting company credit cards for your employees will help reduce costs, reduce admin, build a better relationship with employees and help your cashflow.

Interested in the Jeeves credit card? Apply below to join.

Written by Mark Fairlie

Sources:

  • https://www.fool.co.uk/personal-finance/credit-cards/reviews/american-express-gold-business-charge-card-review/
  • https://thepointsguy.co.uk/reviews/amex-business-platinum-review/
  • https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/benefits/upgrade/platinum-charge/
  • https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/campaigns/gold-business/ 
  • https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/business/business-charge-cards/platinum-business-card/
  • https://www.americanexpress.com/content/dam/amex/uk/legal/business/UK-Express-Cash.pdf
  • https://tinyurl.com/3xj8hevd
  • https://www.barclaycard.co.uk/content/dam/barclaycard/documents/business/cards-for-business/barclaycard_business_credit_card_tandc.pdf
  • https://tinyurl.com/59vhkwye
  • https://www.barclaycard.co.uk/business/cards/credit-cards/select-cashback
  • https://creditcards.chase.com/business-credit-cards/ink/business-preferred
  • https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/business/business-credit-cards/american-express-business-gold-card-amex/
  • https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/business/business-credit-cards/american-express-blue-business-plus-credit-card-amex/