- The best credit cards for employees
- At a glance: Comparing the best employee credit cards
- What is an employee credit card?
- How do employee credit cards work?
- How to choose the best company card for your employees
- Best practices for issuing company credit cards to employees
- Why growing businesses choose Ramp for their employee cards
- Choose the best employee credit card
Employee credit cards let your team make purchases on your company’s behalf using their own physical or virtual copy of your business credit card. They’re a useful tool to help you control spending, earn rewards, and limit or even eliminate employee expense reimbursements.
We compiled our list of the best credit cards for employees based on these factors and more, including advanced expense management capabilities and virtual card offerings:
- Ramp Business Credit Card
- U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa Business Credit Card
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card
- Chase Ink Business Premier Credit Card
- Bank of America Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard
We cover these cards in detail below, as well as advice on how to choose the best credit card for your employees and best practices for how to roll out your corporate card program.
The best credit cards for employees
Ramp Business Credit Card
- Customizable spend controls
- Automated expense reporting
- Accounting integrations
- Integrated travel management platform
- No annual fees or interest charges
- Built-in expense management automation tools
- Spending limits up to 30x higher than traditional business credit cards
- Requires full balance payments monthly
- Must be a corporation, LLC, or LP with $25,000 in a U.S. business bank account
- Must have most of your operations and corporate spend in the U.S.
The Ramp Business Credit Card is designed to save businesses time and money. It offers cashback on purchases and advanced tools for tracking and controlling employee expenses.
Ramp lets you issue unlimited free physical and virtual employee credit cards with customizable spend limits at the card, employee, and vendor level. There are no fees or interest charges, and Ramp nets you even more savings with up to $350,000 in partner rewards and discounts.
Ramp is more than just an employee credit card: It’s an all-in-one financial operations platform with robust automation features, including receipt matching and expense categorization. It integrates directly with popular accounting tools, helping you track spending and close your books faster.
Businesses can get approved for Ramp’s business credit card in less than 48 hours, with spending limits up to 30x higher than traditional business credit cards.
Key features:
- Unlimited free physical and virtual employee cards with spending controls
- Cashback rewards on purchases
- Automated expense tracking and cost-saving insights
- Seamless integration with accounting tools
- No fees or interest charges
- Businesses save an average of 5% a year across all spending
U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards Visa Business Credit Card
- High rewards in key categories
- No foreign transaction fees
- Statement credit for software subscriptions
- Limited reward categories
- High standard APR
The U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards Visa Business Credit Card is ideal for businesses seeking cashback rewards across multiple categories. It offers up to 3% cashback on select purchases and a $100 annual statement credit for software subscriptions. The card includes a 0% introductory APR period, which is helpful if you’re planning a large upfront investment.
While the card offers strong category-specific rewards, not all purchase categories qualify. Additionally, the standard APR after the introductory period is relatively high, and there’s no option to generate virtual employee cards.
Key features:
- Up to 3% cashback on select categories, including gas, office supplies, and more
- Annual $100 statement credit for software subscriptions
- 0% introductory APR for 12 months
- Foreign transaction fee of 3%
Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card
- Strong travel perks for Delta flyers
- High rewards for Delta-related expenses
- No foreign transaction fees
- High annual fee
- Rewards focused primarily on Delta purchases
- Rules around lounge access can be confusing
The Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card is tailored for frequent Delta travelers and offers exclusive benefits such as complimentary Sky Club access, priority boarding, and baggage insurance.
Cardholders earn 3x miles on Delta purchases, 1.5x miles on select categories, and 1.5x miles on all spending after hitting $150,000 in annual purchases. The card offers a welcome bonus of 80,000 miles if you spend $10,000 within the first six months.
The card’s annual fee of $650 may deter some users, and the APR can be extreme on the high end, which could be costly if you plan to carry a balance. On top of that, the rewards program is heavily focused on Delta spending, limiting its appeal to non-Delta travelers.
Key features:
- Complimentary Delta Sky Club access, though only up to 15 visits per year
- 80,000 bonus miles after meeting spending requirements
- 3x miles on Delta purchases
- Priority boarding and baggage insurance on Delta flights
- Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck enrollment
Chase Ink Business Premier Credit Card
- $1,000 bonus cashback if you spend $10,000 in your first 3 months
- No foreign transaction fees
- Elevated cashback rewards on large purchases over $5,000
- "Flex for Business" provides payment flexibility on eligible purchases
- High annual fee
- Requires significant spend to unlock welcome bonus
- Limited expense management features
- Requires full balance payments each month
- "Flex for Business" only available on specific purchases
The Chase Ink Business Premier Credit Card is an attractive option for businesses looking to maximize cashback rewards. It offers 2.5% cashback rewards on purchases of $5,000 or more, and unlimited 2% cashback on all other business purchases. The card also provides free physical employee credit cards with customizable spending limits at the card level.
The $195 annual fee and convoluted Flex for Business program may turn off some potential applicants. It also doesn’t offer virtual employee cards, or merchant or category restrictions.
Key features:
- $10,000 minimum credit limit
- 2%–2.5% cashback rewards on qualifying purchases
- Free physical employee cards with spend controls
- Includes travel and purchase protections
Bank of America Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard
- No annual fee
- Simple points-based rewards
- Attractive welcome offers
- Potential to boost earnings as a Bank of America business account owner
- No bonus categories
- No lounge access or travel credits
The Bank of America Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard provides straightforward points-based rewards suited for small businesses looking for simplicity. It offers a consistent rate of 1.5x points per dollar on all purchases, including travel, with the flexibility to redeem points either as a statement credit or through the Bank of America Travel Center.
While it doesn’t include elite status perks or airport lounge access like the Delta Amex, its strong rewards structure and lack of an annual fee make it a practical choice for businesses focused on maximizing value without added costs.
Key features:
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees
- Rewards on all business expenses, not just travel
- Redeem points for statement credit or travel expenses
- Elevated rewards rate for businesses that meet specific criteria
At a glance: Comparing the best employee credit cards
Card feature comparison
Annual Fee
$0
APR
N/A
FX Fees
$0
Rewards
Cashback
U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards Visa Business Credit CardAnnual Fee
$0
APR
17.99%–26.99% variable
Foreign Transaction Fees
3%
Rewards
Cashback
Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express CardAnnual Fee
$650
APR
19.99%–28.99% variable
FX Fees
$0
Rewards
Miles
Chase Ink Business Premier Credit CardAnnual Fee
$195
APR
18.49%–26.49% variable with Flex for Business
FX Fees
$0
Rewards
Cashback
Bank of America Business Advantage Travel Rewards World MastercardAnnual Fee
$0
APR
17.49%–27.49% variable
FX Fees
$0
Rewards
Points
What is an employee credit card?
An employee credit card is an authorized payment card your employees can use to make purchases on your company’s behalf. The card draws from your company’s line of credit, so employees don’t need to use their personal funds for business expenses
Employee credit cards can help eliminate the need for expense reimbursements and make it easier to track business spending. Some business credit cards, like corporate cards, include other features like custom spending limits and vendor restrictions. These cards also come with expense management features that allow you to automate expense reporting.
How do employee credit cards work?
Employee credit cards function differently from traditional credit cards in a few key ways. Most importantly, you don’t need to apply for an employee credit card, and it isn’t tied to your personal credit history. Rather, businesses issue cards at their discretion, and they’re all linked to a central business account.
Here’s how the setup process works for businesses:
- Apply for a business credit card: The first step is to apply for a business credit card. Be aware that some cards require a hard personal credit check and personal guarantee. Some corporate cards, like Ramp, let you apply with your EIN only and don’t ask you to put up a personal guarantee. Make sure you know the requirements before applying.
- Add employees as authorized users: Once approved, you can request additional cards to issue to your employees. The best employee credit cards offer unlimited free physical and virtual cards that you can roll out to all the employees who need to make business purchases on your behalf.
- Implement spend controls: Most employee cards let you set spending limits at the card level to help control and track business expenses. Ramp lets you go even further by offering customizable spend limits not just at the card level, but at the merchant and category level as well to give you even more control.
- Set up alerts: Your card should allow you to trigger alerts based on when employees make purchases, when a transaction is over a certain limit, or when a purchase looks like credit card fraud. For example, Ramp can automatically flag purchases made over the weekend and offers features to lock employee cards based on certain triggers.
- Integrate with accounting or reporting software: Finally, integrate your employee credit cards with your accounting or credit card expense management software to get detailed analytics for business decision-making. Ramp syncs with your accounting software or ERP and automatically categorizes transactions, saving your team time.
How to choose the best company card for your employees
There are plenty of benefits of business credit cards. Here’s what you should look for when you choose a new credit card for employees:
- Unlimited cards: Look for options that offer free unlimited physical and virtual cards for authorized users. Some providers charge fees for each additional card, and others may not offer virtual cards.
- Spending controls: Some cards allow you to create employee spending limits, and more advanced cards like Ramp let you set vendor and expense category restrictions. These limits can reduce business expenses by ensuring cardholders follow your company’s spending policy.
- Real-time tracking: Some providers let you track spending on corporate credit cards in real time. This means you always have an accurate view of how your actual spend is tracking against projected budgets.
- Additional perks: Many business credit cards come with extra perks, like travel benefits, cashback, or rewards points. These perks help you get the most bang for your buck as you spend to grow your business.
Best practices for issuing company credit cards to employees
Before you begin issuing employee cards, make sure you consider factors like training employees, auditing transactions, and tracking and reporting on spending:
- Create a clear policy: Write a comprehensive corporate credit card policy that outlines approved purchases, documentation requirements, and consequences for misuse
- Training: Provide annual training to cardholders regarding acceptable use and company expectations, and make your policy readily available for easy reference
- Regular audits: Implement a schedule for reviewing card activity to identify patterns and look for opportunities to reduce spending
- Receipt management: Require employees to submit receipts for all transactions, either physically or through a receipt scanner app, so you don’t run afoul of IRS rules
- Expense reporting: Implement simple processes for employees to categorize and report expenses—or, better yet, choose a card like Ramp that does it automatically
Common challenges and solutions
Unauthorized spending, unclear policies, and clunky receipt management are common challenges for businesses that issue employee credit cards. Here’s how to overcome them:
Challenge | Solution |
|---|---|
Unauthorized spending | Set spend limits, category restrictions, and real-time alerts |
Lost or stolen cards | Choose a card that lets you easily lock employee cards |
Receipt management | Use a digital receipt capture system |
Unclear policies | Develop a detailed cardholder agreement and train employees on acceptable use |
Why growing businesses choose Ramp for their employee cards
Ambitious companies choose Ramp because it combines high-limit corporate cards with an all-in-one finance operations platform that includes expense management automation, bill pay, corporate travel booking, accounting automation features, and more. Ramp lets you issue as many physical or virtual corporate cards as your team needs for free.
Eventbrite, the global ticketing and event technology platform, struggled with a fragmented, labor-intensive process for getting corporate cards for employees. “We had a very poor experience for the cardholders and approvers,” says Laura Morenno, Director of Global AP & FSO at Eventbrite. “It was a very painful process, with labor-intensive administration.”
Any time an employee requested a new credit card via email or Slack, it took about three weeks to enroll, receive, and activate the new card. And once employees actually had their cards, the approval process for reporting expenses was also painful. “Everything was manual, and you’d have to save the email for internal audit requests,” says Laura.
All that changed with Ramp. “People can just go into Ramp and request a new card, and the approval workflow is built in there,” Laura says. One feature the team found especially helpful was Ramp’s ability to safely, securely, and quickly issue virtual cards. “If employees have an urgency, they have a fully approved virtual card right away.”
Now, Eventbrite employees can access the cards they need in Ramp in a single day rather than the 3 weeks it took with their previous card provider. Ramp has improved the user experience for employees, increased visibility into spending for the finance team, and helped the whole organization operate more efficiently.
Choose the best employee credit card
Employee credit cards should do more than just let your staff spend up to a certain limit. That’s where Ramp stands out as the best option for growing businesses.
Ramp’s corporate cards come paired with built-in employee expense management software and a whole lot more:
- Automated receipt matching: Employees can submit receipts via SMS the instant they make a purchase. Ramp automatically matches receipts with purchases and codes them to the correct expense category, saving time on both the front and back end.
- Real-time expense tracking: Monitor every business expense you in real time. Analyze spending by department, location, merchant, and more to help you spot trends and find opportunities to improve cash flow.
- More than $350,000 in partner rewards: Ramp offers exclusive discounts and credits on purchases with common business vendors like UPS, Amazon Business, and others.
Ramp is more than an employee credit card. Try an interactive demo and learn why Ramp customers save an average of 5% a year across all spending.
FAQs
Don't miss these
“We’ve simplified our workflows while improving accuracy, and we are faster in closing with the help of automation. We could not have achieved this without the solutions Ramp brought to the table.”
Kaustubh Khandelwal
VP of Finance, Poshmark
“Our previous bill pay process probably took a good 10 hours per AP batch. Now it just takes a couple of minutes between getting an invoice entered, approved, and processed.”
Jason Hershey
VP of Finance and Accounting, Hospital Association of Oregon
“When looking for a procure-to-pay solution we wanted to make everyone’s life easier. We wanted a one-click type of solution, and that’s what we’ve achieved with Ramp.”
Mandy Mobley
Finance Invoice & Expense Coordinator, Crossings Community Church
“We no longer have to comb through expense records for the whole month — having everything in one spot has been really convenient. Ramp's made things more streamlined and easy for us to stay on top of. It's been a night and day difference.”
Fahem Islam
Accounting Associate, Snapdocs
“It's great to be able to park our operating cash in the Ramp Business Account where it earns an actual return and then also pay the bills from that account to maximize float.”
Mike Rizzo
Accounting Manager, MakeStickers
“The practice managers love Ramp, it allows them to keep some agency for paying practice expenses. They like that they can instantaneously attach receipts at the time of transaction, and that they can text back-and-forth with the automated system. We've gotten a lot of good feedback from users.”
Greg Finn
Director of FP&A, Align ENTA
“The reason I've been such a super fan of Ramp is the product velocity. Not only is it incredibly beneficial to the user, it’s also something that gives me confidence in your ability to continue to pull away from other products.”
Tyler Bliha
CEO, Abode
