Small Business Owners: Make Credit Card Spending Work for You
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
In Points Intervention, I help people get their awards earning on track. In the episodes below, I worked with a New York City restaurant owner, helping him to maximize points and miles to get the best return for his business.
My second Points Intervention was with Christophe Carón, owner and manager of Délice and Sarrasin, an authentic French crêperie in New York City's West Village. The cafe, where Christophe's mother is the chef, has been open for four months, and he is curious to see if he should switch credit cards to maximize the business's future spending.
Episode 1: Saving on Foreign Transaction Fees
Christophe uses a Delta Platinum Card from American Express. Yes, the increasingly devalued Delta, because of its partnership with Air France.
After chiding him for his airline choice, we also got into the thorny world of foreign transaction fees. Christophe imports many of the cafe's ingredients directly from France every month, which can be brutal on the bottom line when foreign transaction fees are factored in. So in addition to trying to get him to jump the Delta ship, I'm challenged with finding him a good credit card for foreign purchases.
Episode 2: Using a Cash-Back Business Credit Card
In this episode, I made two card recommendations for Christophe based on how he runs his business, and his three goals: he wants travel perks, he's looking to avoid foreign transaction fees and he wants to add additional employees to whichever card he chooses.
If Christophe wants to stick with Delta, The Business Platinum Card from American Express OPEN currently offers 40,000 points after $5,000 spent within three months and features plenty of benefits, from lounge access at airports he uses often to perks at luxury hotels. If Christophe learns how to leverage these advantages, the Business Platinum card might make sense — but it costs $300 for each additional card holder, which can add up.
So my top recommendation for him was actually a cash-back credit card; Capital One has a Spark Cash for Business Card that gives you a cash bonus of $500 after $4,500 spent in the first three months just for signing up and meeting a minimum spend requirement — and additional cardholders are free.
Also, for every dollar you spend you get 2% back, which means that in addition to Christophe avoiding foreign transaction fees and adding cardholders with no additional annual fee, he can actually make the card work for him based on his spending.
Episode 3: Paying Bills with a Credit Card
For my final episode with Christophe, we talked about paying bills online via credit card. Christophe mentioned that if he doesn't pay certain vendors using Automated Clearing House (ACH), they charge him a fee.
So once again, it looks like the Capital One Spark Cash for Business is the winner in Christophe's case — and probably in the case of many other small business owners, too. With the 2% cash back on his spending, it would at the very least cover the fee, and anything else on top of that is gravy.
Do you or your small business need a Points Intervention? Be sure to email intervention@thepointsguy.com to share your detailed story.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.