Editor’s note: This is a recurring post with regularly updated card details.
The best purchasing cards for businesses, also known as p-cards, 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 nine choices for the best p-cards for business:
- U.S. Bank Commercial Rewards Card: Overall best purchasing card with rebates and low costs
- Citi Purchasing Card: Best for custom analysis and payment optimization strategy
- One Card from Capital One®: Best for flexible expense management and rewards redemption
- American Express® Corporate Purchasing Card: Best for businesses with substantial expenses
- JP Morgan Purchasing Card: Best for building long-term value
- Emburse Spend Card: Best for earning 1% cash back on all purchases
- Brex Card: Best for daily or monthly payment options with all-in-one functionality and up to 8x points rewards.
- Ramp Credit Card: Best for a straightforward rewards program
- Bento for Business Visa® Debit Card: Best for spend limit of $25,000 per day, per card
A p-card, also called a procurement or payment card, works like a business charge card, debit card, or prepaid card. It is linked to the organization’s account, and the business owner controls where it can be used and determines its daily or weekly dollar limits.
If the p-card is a charge card, expenses are drawn from a line of credit, and the full balance must be paid each month. If it’s a debit card, the transaction amount will be deducted directly from the company’s bank account. If it’s a prepaid card, the company needs to load money on the card before it can be used.
Best P-cards At a Glance
Best For | Annual Fee | Best Feature | ||
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 U.S. Bank Commercial Rewards Card | (Best overall) rebates and low costs | $0 | Provides rebates on purchases with low spend | |
 Citi Purchasing Card | Custom analysis and payment optimization strategy | None—but there may be customized costs for each business | Access to CitiManager Portal—allowing authorized users to manage and review account statements | |
 One Card from Capital One® | Flexible expense management and rewards redemption | Undisclosed | Lets you earn cash back on your everyday expenses | |
 American Express® Corporate Purchasing Card | Businesses with substantial expenses | $0 | Offers four ways to use the card to help optimize spending | |
 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 | |
 Emburse Spend Card | Earning 1% cash back on all purchases | $0 | Can be loaded up to a maximum of $100,000 | |
 Brex Card | Daily or monthly payment options with all-in-one functionality up to 8x points rewards | $0 | Can be used for different purposes, not just for procurement | |
 Ramp Credit Card | Straightforward rewards program | $0 | Unlimited 1.5% cash back on all eligible purchases | |
 Bento for Business Visa® Debit Card | Spend limit of $25,000 per day, per card | None, but charges a monthly fee starting at $29 | Offers physical spend-limit and fixed-limit cards |
U.S. Bank Commercial Rewards Card: Overall Best Purchasing Card With Rebates & Low Costs
U.S. Bank Commercial Rewards CardBEST FOR: Those who want rebates and low costs | |
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Who Should Consider the U.S. Bank Commercial Rewards Card
This card is our best p-card thanks to its low costs, lucrative rebates, and ability to scale with your business. It has no annual or platform fees, so it is essentially free to use as long as you pay your balance in full each month to avoid penalties.
What’s more, you can earn rebates on your expenses, requiring lower spending thresholds than most other traditional corporate cards. For this reason, it is our top-recommended corporate card. Note that rebate rates may vary depending on your expenses.
Other benefits:
- Single, intuitive platform: Access its expense and travel management platform powered by TravelBank so you can better manage cash flow and streamline your business’s expense processes.
- Seamless accounting integration: Take advantage of a system that easily integrates with accounting platforms, such as QuickBooks Online, Xero, and NetSuite.
- Integrated policies: Customize card controls and built-in policies for expense and travel based on your company’s unique needs.
- Cost savings: Use the card and its card management and basic expense and travel platform for free.
Important Considerations:
- It does not offer rewards for its new and existing cardholders.
- You are required to pay off your balances in full each month.
- This purchasing card is viable for businesses with $10 to $150 million in annual revenue
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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Who Should Consider the Citi® Purchasing Card
This is a great purchasing card for businesses wanting to remove purchase orders, invoices, and other inconvenient paperwork. It offers robust spending controls and streamlined 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.
Other benefits:
- Dynamic online reporting tools: Gain access to CitiManager Portal, which allows you to manage accounts and review account statements. Authorized users can set individual card account limits and review and reconcile payments.
- Dedicated account manager: Get a dedicated account manager to support you on ongoing card management, implementation, and consultative advice suited to your business’s needs.
- ATM withdrawals: Make cash withdrawals from any of the 2.1 million ATMs within Citi’s global network.
- Fraud protection: Citi protects its cardholders from a potentially fraudulent transaction, allowing cardholders to take action even while on the go.
Important Considerations:
- It does not offer rewards.
- Potential costs will be customized for each business.
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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Who Should Consider the One Card from Capital One®
This is a great purchasing card for businesses if you are looking for a 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. Also, you can save 1% to 4% on more than 30,000 qualifying merchants with Mastercard Easy Savings®.
Other benefits:
- Online management tools: These tools allow you to manage expenses, schedule automated reports, view expense reporting, and access up to 36 months of transactions.
- Accounting software integration: You can easily connect your transactions to accounting software, such as QuickBooks and Quicken.
- Corporate liability: Capital One protects you by keeping your personal liability separate when using the card and its payment solutions.
Important Considerations:
- It does not disclose any fees that may be charged when using the card.
- While you can earn rewards, it does not state how much cash back you can earn when using the card for your business purchases.
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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Who Should Consider the American Express® Corporate Purchasing Card
This p-card is ideal for those with 10 or more employees and at least $250,000 in spending, as it qualifies you to access program optimization reports, which provide in-depth expense details. It also lets you control and monitor spending, allowing you to understand your expenses and company spending patterns. Plus, it makes payments more efficient by reducing the need for checks and automating payments to suppliers.
Other benefits:
- American Express @ Work® Reporting: Benefit from this customizable reporting tool that allows employees to create reports that can run automatically at scheduled intervals.
- Optimize spending: Choose to use the card to help support your program strategy. You can use the card in four ways:
- Individual cards for employees
- Supplier cards for use with designated suppliers
- Department cards for employees within a department
- Accounts payable cards to pay approved invoices
- Concur® Expense and AXP Program Optimization: Use quarterly reports that provide detailed data, allowing you to spot spending trends and savings opportunities. This tool is available to companies with at least 10 employees and $250,000 in spending.
- Monitor transactions: You can use the card to help:
- Allocate all charges to their appropriate cost center
- Monitor employees’ usage of preferred suppliers
- Track suppliers used for different types of purchases
- Identify whether purchased goods are within policy guidelines
- Create sound arguments using the insights generated with supplier negotiations
Important Considerations:
- It charges foreign transaction fees.
- It does not offer rewards.
- You must have at least $4 million in annual revenue to qualify.
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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Who Should Consider the JP Morgan Purchasing Card
This p-card is viable for those wanting to build long-term value for your business—as it can help companies 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.
Other benefits:
- Enhanced spending control: The JP Morgan Purchasing Card allows you to track spending before and after it happens. You can also set account controls to determine which purchases are allowed.
- Optimized payables process: It offers online and accounting management tools that can integrate with your financial system. With this, you get the necessary insights to make informed decisions.
- Contactless solutions: JP Morgan also provides contactless p-cards, allowing employees to securely make payments and purchases while on the go. It allows you to add the card to Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay for fast and secure purchases made online or in person.
Important Consideration:
- You will need to contact a JP Morgan representative to learn more about the costs and other relevant information about the 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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Who Should Consider the Emburse Spend Card
Emburse Spend Card, issued by Celtic Bank (member FDIC), is an ideal p-card for those who want to earn fixed-rate cash back rewards on all eligible purchases, regardless of spending categories. It is also a good option if you need to create multiple virtual and physical cards at no additional cost. Its unlimited cash back rewards and no additional fees are why it is one of our top business credit cards for bad credit and best cash back business credit cards.
Reward:
- Unlimited 1% cash back on all purchases
Other benefits:
- Options to transfer funds: Load the card through ACH transfer or connect to any bank in the US and use the account and routing number to transfer funds.
- Expense management system: Emburse Spend is available on iOS and PC (Windows and Mac). You can track real-time expenses, categorize vendors, and approve or reject transactions. The system is free to use if your company has fewer than 100 employees, but it also has a premium version—which you can request for a demo to ask for more information.
- Amount restrictions: You can set amount restrictions depending on your business needs. There are four modes, namely: Budget, Daily, Weekly, and Monthly.
- Accounting integrations: Capture receipt and expense details in real time to reconcile on the spot and manage transactions through your business’s accounting system, including NetSuite, Intacct, QuickBooks Online, and Xero.
Important considerations:
- It is incapable of making ATM withdrawals.
- It does not have a sign-up bonus for new account holders.
- It cannot be used to build business credit.
Brex Card: Best for Daily or Monthly Payment Options With All-in-One Functionality & Up to 8x Points Rewards
 Brex CardBEST FOR: Those who want daily or monthly payments | |
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Who Should Consider the Brex Card
Brex Card is an excellent purchasing card for businesses as it can work in multiple ways, which depend on your business needs. It works as a travel and expenses card, vendor card, benefits card, and purchasing card. It also lets you earn premium points on your purchases, which can be redeemed for cash back, credits, rebates, and billboards. For these reasons, it earned a spot on our lists of the best credit cards for startups and top-recommended corporate cards.
Rewards:
Variations of the Brex Exclusive Program | Specific Rewards |
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Brex Exclusive Life Science Rewards |
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Brex Exclusive Daily Payments Rewards | Advertising
Software
Life sciences
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Brex Exclusive Custom Rewards | This is for companies that have more than 50 Brex users and that can meet minimum spending commitments. Contact any Brex Sales Representative to learn more about it. |
Other benefits:
- Sign-up bonus: Receive 10,000 points after spending $3,000 within the first three months after account activation.
- Brex expense management system: A free system that lets users track expenses, matches receipts automatically, and identifies excess spending.
- Accepted in more than 100 countries: Get physical and virtual cards with multi-currency visibility, which are accepted in over 100 countries.
- No additional fees: Enjoy the benefits of using Brex Card without additional setup and installation fees.
Important Considerations:
- It requires a Brex Business Account.
- Its rewards are not as inclusive compared to other business credit cards.
- It does not allow ATM withdrawals.
Ramp Credit Card: Best for Straightforward Rewards Program
Ramp Credit Card
BEST FOR:
Those who are using Ramp as their main financial management tool
- Unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases, regardless of spending categories
Pros
- Offers rewards for new and existing cardholders
- Does not charge additional fees
- Offers direct integrations to notable accounting tasks
Cons
- Requires paying balances in full each month
- Ramp is not available to sole proprietors and unincorporated businesses
- Travel and emergency assistance services: Call the Benefit Administrator at (800) 397-9010 if you are in the US 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.
- Unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases, regardless of spending categories
Pros
- Offers rewards for new and existing cardholders
- Does not charge additional fees
- Offers direct integrations to notable accounting tasks
Cons
- Requires paying balances in full each month
- Ramp is not available to sole proprietors and unincorporated businesses
- Travel and emergency assistance services: Call the Benefit Administrator at (800) 397-9010 if you are in the US 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.
Who Should Consider the Ramp Credit Card
This is an ideal purchasing card for businesses that want a straightforward rewards program. This card also does not charge annual, setup, or replacement fees. Additionally, it offers advanced financial management tools with its seamless platform and integrates directly with accounting software like QuickBooks, NetSuite, Xero, and Sage Intacct.
Reward:
- 1.5% cash back on all purchases
Other benefits:
- Sign-up bonus: It offers a $250 welcome offer with no minimum spend required
- Higher credit limits: Get up to 10 to 20 times higher credit limits compared to most other corporate or business credit cards, making it a great option if your company has substantial purchases.
- Unlimited corporate cards: Get unlimited virtual and physical cards at no additional costs.
- Robust controls: Set spending controls on every card, block certain merchants, and monitor expenses in real time using Ramp’s seamless platform.
Important Considerations:
- It requires you to pay your balances in full each month.
- Ramp is unavailable for sole proprietors and unincorporated businesses.
Bento for Business Visa® Debit Card: Best for Spend Limit of $25,000 per Day, per Card
Bento for Business Visa® Debit CardBEST FOR: Spend limit of $25,000 per day, per card | |
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Who Should Consider the Bento for Business Visa® Debit Card
Bento for Business Visa® Debit Card, issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. (Member FDIC), is a viable purchasing card for businesses that need a maximum spend limit of 25,000 per day per card. It comes with a straightforward fee structure that will be based on how many cards you need, offers a high maximum spend limit of $25,000 per day, and doesn’t charge fees for domestic and international transactions, making it one of our leading business prepaid cards and best business credit cards for fair credit.
It offers virtual and physical cards. Its physical cards have two options:
- Spend limit card: Allows you to set limits that can be used for everyday purchases
- Fixed-limit card: Can be used for one-time payments or transactions that don’t require monitoring, such as per diem for employees
Other benefits:
- Expense management system: Bento’s expense management system allows you to monitor and control your transactions, access analytics and reporting, capture receipts, customize alerts, and change card status.
- Accounting integration: You can connect any accounting software to Bento, allowing you to reconcile your transactions seamlessly.
- Several ways to transfer funds: You can load your Bento account via direct Bento transfer, automatic deposit via Bento, bank transfer through ACH, and wire transfers.
- Bento Pay™: You can pay invoices digitally using only your vendors’ email addresses. Vendors don’t need to sign up for Bento—plus, they can choose when and how they get paid. It also allows business owners to send business-to-business (B2B) payments at any time while tracking all payments and payees in one place.
Important Considerations:
- It charges fees depending on the number of cards you need for your business.
- It does not offer rewards for its new and existing cardholders.
How We Selected the Best Purchasing Cards
When researching the best purchasing cards, we took various factors into consideration, 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 that you 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.
Read our comparison of small business credit cards vs purchasing cards for more information on their differences.
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.
