Been following the site for a while and have recently come into the need to get a business credit card. As such, I was looking to maximize the opportunity through the various sign on bonuses for a reward card.
I saw The Qantas American Express Ultimate Card is offering 100,000 sign on bonus points with a $450 annual fee (offset by the free domestic flight each year). However this is a personal card.
I am struggling to find any business cards with similar offers (without an exorbitant fee - The American Express® Platinum Business Card has 100,000 Amex points but no free flight and a $1,500 annual fee).
I could take this card out personally, however I have 2 personal credit cards (no debt), and will be looking for a mortgage later this year and am worried an additional $20k personal credit card will hurt me when applying for mortgages.
Any tips?
Can i take out a personal card as a business etc?
Of course I can’t offer personal financial advice, but can share my experiences. Last year I took out a mortgage with a partner to fund a renovation buy and sell job. At the time I had 5 personal cards open totallng around 40k in credit. We went through a financial agent to secure a mortgage and had no problem acquiring funds.
I have used personal cards for business purposes, but always make sure Idon’t mix personal and business spending when doing this. Also when thinking about bonuses you should be aware lots of providers exclude business spend from counting to minimum thresholds on personal cards.
Lastly have you considered the westpac business card that earns acquire points, could that work for your business? Keith has a guide to the acquire program.
Many business cards are assessed personally (i.e. touch your personal credit record), unless they are a true corporate card (in which case the points earn rates are usually lower, or more convoluted at least).
Beyond that, what features, if any, of a business-specific card are you looking for? If you can live without the business-specific features (e.g. insurances, cardholder numbers, account management) then personal cards that allow business expenses become an option for ongoing use, if you are OK with applying for more credit personally (which it sounds like you are not).
Talking generally though, if it’s about earning the most points then some personal cards with high points earn rates allow business expenses. Some don’t. We don’t have a consolidated list but Amex-issued personal cards for one do permit business expenses on the card - they just promote their business cards to businesses for other features, not just points. Many others cards don’t permit business use in their terms. Best to read the PDS and see whether the product meets that need for you.
That’s not a clean answer to your question, sorry, but hope it helps a little.