The best purchasing cards, also known as p-cards, for businesses come with costs and terms that will work well with your company’s budget and buying habits. When choosing a p-card, find one that simplifies the purchasing process of your business and protects it from unauthorized charges. Your options include charge cards, debit cards, and prepaid cards with streamlined card management tools.
Here are our top seven choices for the best p-cards for business:
- Ramp Card: Overall best purchasing card with straightforward rewards
- Emburse Spend Card: Best for earning 1% cash back on all purchases
- American Express® Corporate Purchasing Card: Best for businesses with substantial expenses
- The Plum Card® From American Express: Best for early payment discount or extra days to pay
- JP Morgan Purchasing Card: Best for building long-term value
- One Card from Capital One®: Best for flexible expense management and rewards redemption
- Citi® Purchasing Card: Best for custom analysis and payment optimization strategy
Streamline Your Business Expenses with Rippling Spend |
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Overview of the Best P-cards
Best For | Annual Fee | Best Feature | ||
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 Ramp Credit Card | Overall best p-card with straightforward rewards | $0 | Offers up to 1.5% cash back on all eligible purchases | |
 Emburse Spend Card | Earning 1% cash back on all purchases | $0 | Can be loaded up to a maximum of $100,000 | |
 American Express® Corporate Purchasing Card | Businesses with substantial expenses | $0 | Offers four ways to use the card to help optimize spending | |
 The Plum Card® From American Express | Early payment discount or extra days to pay | $250 | Offers up to 1.5% cash back on eligible charges when you pay within 10 days of your statement closing date or up to 60 days to pay without interest | |
 JP Morgan Purchasing Card | Building long-term value | Undisclosed | Has a dedicated team to help analyze data and assess your program’s past performance and evolving needs | |
 One Card from Capital One® | Flexible expense management and rewards redemption | Undisclosed | Lets you earn cash back on your everyday expenses | |
 Citi Purchasing Card | Custom analysis and payment optimization strategy | None—but there may be customized costs for each business | Provides access to CitiManager Portal—allowing authorized users to manage and review account statements |
Ramp Card: Best for Straightforward Rewards Program
Ramp Credit Card
BEST FOR:
Those who are using Ramp as their main financial management tool
- Up to 1.5% cash back on purchases, regardless of spending categories
Pros
- Offers rewards for cardholders
- Does not charge additional fees
- Offers direct integrations to notable accounting tasks
Cons
- Requires paying balances in full each month
- Is unavailable to sole proprietors and unincorporated businesses
- Travel and emergency assistance services: Call the Benefit Administrator at (800) 397-9010 if you are in the United States or (303) 967-1093 if you are outside of the US if you need emergency assistance.
- Purchase security: Receive a maximum of $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per cardholder in cases of theft or damage to purchases made with your card.
- Auto rental collision damage waiver: When using this card for renting a car, you can be reimbursed for damages caused by theft or collision up to the Actual Cash Value of most rented cars. Note that rental periods of 31 consecutive days are covered.
- Extended warranty protection: Extend warranties for eligible purchases made with your covered account and/or rewards programs associated with your account.
- Up to 1.5% cash back on purchases, regardless of spending categories
Pros
- Offers rewards for cardholders
- Does not charge additional fees
- Offers direct integrations to notable accounting tasks
Cons
- Requires paying balances in full each month
- Is unavailable to sole proprietors and unincorporated businesses
- Travel and emergency assistance services: Call the Benefit Administrator at (800) 397-9010 if you are in the United States or (303) 967-1093 if you are outside of the US if you need emergency assistance.
- Purchase security: Receive a maximum of $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per cardholder in cases of theft or damage to purchases made with your card.
- Auto rental collision damage waiver: When using this card for renting a car, you can be reimbursed for damages caused by theft or collision up to the Actual Cash Value of most rented cars. Note that rental periods of 31 consecutive days are covered.
- Extended warranty protection: Extend warranties for eligible purchases made with your covered account and/or rewards programs associated with your account.
Why We Like It
This corporate card is our overall best purchasing card because it comes with a straightforward rewards program. You can earn fixed-rate cash back on your purchases without having to keep track of spending categories. It also charges $0 annual, setup, or replacement fees and offers up to 20x higher credit limits than most traditional business credit cards.
Additionally, it offers advanced financial management tools with its seamless platform and integrates directly with accounting software like QuickBooks, NetSuite, Xero, and Sage Intacct. It is also our top-recommended corporate card.
Emburse Spend Card: Best for Earning 1% Cash Back on All Purchases
Emburse Spend CardBEST FOR: Earning unlimited cash back rewards | |
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Why We Like It
This prepaid card, issued by Celtic Bank (member FDIC), lets you earn fixed-rate cash back on all eligible purchases, regardless of spending categories. It also allows you to create multiple virtual and physical cards at no additional cost. You can deposit up to $100,000 to your Emburse Spend account—but if you need more, you may request an increase, subject to approval.
On top of it all, it charges $0 monthly and annual fees, making it generally free to use. These are a few of the reasons why it is chosen as our leading business prepaid card.
American Express® Corporate Purchasing Card: Best for Businesses With Substantial Expenses
American Express® Corporate Purchasing CardBEST FOR: Those with substantial expenses | |
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Why We Like It
The card lets you control your company spending and provides visibility into costs through its streamlined platform with detailed monthly reports. It charges $0 annual fees and comes with the American Express® App, which makes it easy for you to access and manage your account, view transactions, set up alerts, and dispute charges.
On top of that, you can use the card in various ways, including:
- Individual Card: For traditional end-user buyers
- Supplier Card: To pay designated suppliers
- Department Card: For employees within a department
- Accounts Payable Card: To pay for approved invoices
The Plum Card® From American Express: Best for Early Payment Discount or Extra Days to Pay
The Plum Card® from American Express
BEST FOR:
Accessing early pay discounts or 60 days of no interest
- Paying early pays off: earn an unlimited 1.5% Early Pay Discount on eligible charges paid within 10 days of your statement closing date and see the discount applied to your next statement when you pay at the least the Minimum Payment Due by the Payment Due Date.
- Take up to 60 days to pay with no interest‡, when you pay your minimum due by the Payment Due Date.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.‡
- Terms Apply. Learn More.
Pros
- No preset spending limit
- Doesn‘t charge foreign transaction fees
- Offers early pay discount
Cons
- Balance is due either monthly or every 60 days
- No 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers
- Cash advance & balance transfers aren’t allowed
- Car rental loss and damage insurance: You can be covered for damage to or theft of a rented vehicle in a covered territory when using this card to pay for the entire rental. You have to decline the collision damage waiver offered by the rental company.
- Extended warranty: Terms of the original manufacturer’s warranty can be extended up to one additional year.
- Purchase protection: Protect eligible purchases for up to 90 days from the covered purchase date if they are stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited to up to $1,000 per occurrence, and up to $50,000 per card member, per calendar year.
- Global Assist® hotline: Available for 24/7 emergency assistance and coordination service―including medical and legal referrals, emergency cash wires, and missing luggage assistance.
- Paying early pays off: earn an unlimited 1.5% Early Pay Discount on eligible charges paid within 10 days of your statement closing date and see the discount applied to your next statement when you pay at the least the Minimum Payment Due by the Payment Due Date.
- Take up to 60 days to pay with no interest‡, when you pay your minimum due by the Payment Due Date.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.‡
- Terms Apply. Learn More.
Pros
- No preset spending limit
- Doesn‘t charge foreign transaction fees
- Offers early pay discount
Cons
- Balance is due either monthly or every 60 days
- No 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers
- Cash advance & balance transfers aren’t allowed
- Car rental loss and damage insurance: You can be covered for damage to or theft of a rented vehicle in a covered territory when using this card to pay for the entire rental. You have to decline the collision damage waiver offered by the rental company.
- Extended warranty: Terms of the original manufacturer’s warranty can be extended up to one additional year.
- Purchase protection: Protect eligible purchases for up to 90 days from the covered purchase date if they are stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited to up to $1,000 per occurrence, and up to $50,000 per card member, per calendar year.
- Global Assist® hotline: Available for 24/7 emergency assistance and coordination service―including medical and legal referrals, emergency cash wires, and missing luggage assistance.
Why We Like It
It offers you the option to pay within 10 days of your statement closing date and earn unlimited cash back or carry your balance for up to 60 days with no interest. This gives you the flexibility that you need based on your cash flow. What’s more, you can choose your billing cycle based on your business’s convenience.
Another notable feature is that the card has no spending limit, giving you purchasing power that varies based on your purchase, payment, and credit history.
JP Morgan Purchasing Card: Best for Building Long-term Value
One Card from Capital One®BEST FOR: Building long-term value | |
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Why We Like It
This card can help you build long-term value for your business—companies can streamline payments and purchases and set controls for transaction limits and other parameters. With a dedicated team of experts who can help analyze data, the provider will assess your past performance and evolving needs. Its team also helps build a business case for strategic payments and assists you with implementing industry best practices.
One Card from Capital One®: Best for Flexible Expense Management and Rewards Redemption
 One Card from Capital One®BEST FOR: Those who want flexible expense management and rewards redemption | |
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Why We Like It
It offers flexible expense management and rewards redemption. While the cash back rate is undisclosed, it was noted that there is no maximum limit on the amount of cash back you can earn, and your rewards will not expire. Rewards can be redeemed through a statement credit, gift cards, merchandise, and travel.
Citi® Purchasing Card: Best for Custom Analysis & Payment Optimization Strategy
Citi® Purchasing CardBEST FOR: Those who need custom analysis and payment optimization strategy | |
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Why We Like It
This card streamlines your business processes by eliminating the need for purchase orders, invoices, and other inconvenient paperwork. It offers robust spending controls and simplified purchasing and payment processes. It also lets you manage large expenses with effective tools that allow you to allocate expenses across multiple general ledgers or cost centers accurately.
How We Selected the Best Purchasing Cards
When selecting the best purchasing cards, we considered various factors, such as cost, terms, qualifications, and control. We also looked at access to reporting and analytics and the convenience of their online account management system.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Small business credit cards: Small business credit cards allow you to float expenses while growing your business. The best credit cards help you grow your credit score and come with low introductory and ongoing interest rates and relevant rewards.
- Prepaid business cards: A prepaid business card requires you to preload funds into the card whenever the total available funds become low. It has lower qualifications than a small business credit card.
- Secured business credit cards: Secured business credit cards are a good option for those who cannot qualify for a nonsecured card because of poor credit, low credit score, or lack of credit history.
The major difference between small business credit cards and purchasing cards is how the terms are set up. A business credit card allows you to carry a balance with APR while purchasing cards are either a charge card (meaning your balance is due in full every month) or a prepaid or debit card, which means you need to preload funds into your card before you can use it. Both can be used to pay for business expenses, but purchasing cards are designed specifically to streamline the purchasing process for business-to-business (B2B) transactions.
You can use purchasing cards when creating a purchase order, check request, or petty cash that needs to be processed with any vendor that accepts credit cards. You can benefit from using purchasing cards due to their convenience and lower transaction costs and by using them as an alternative to petty cash.
When deciding which purchasing card is best for your business, consider the following:
- Payment terms: Do you want to pay your balance after each month, or do you want your purchase transactions to be directly deducted from your account balance? This can help you decide which card to use—either a corporate charge card or a prepaid purchasing card.
- Rewards: If your company prefers to earn rewards on purchases, select a card that offers rewards in the form of cash back, points, or rebates.
- Software: All purchasing cards come with business tools and reporting software that makes it easier for your company to track and reconcile transactions. Choose one with software that integrates with your accounting system and allows you to set the controls that you want.
Bottom Line
The best purchasing cards for business allow you to control spending and streamline the purchasing process. This results in a more efficient payment method and better accountability. When choosing a p-card, consider the costs, terms, features, and qualification requirements.
