Business Credit Cards - Providing Advantages for Small Business

Summary: This article describes the use of business credit cards and their advantages for small business owners as well as corporate executives.

Personal credit cards are the most carried credit cards found today. But the benefits of business credit cards are largely misunderstood by the general public. The advantages of a business credit card are numerous and can include access to car insurance, free travel, higher credit limits and much, much more. Another advantage of some business credit cards is that they will allow you to keep your personal and business expenditures separate while simultaneously enjoying the benefits of the corresponding reward programs. Small businesses, in particular, have discovered that maintaining a company credit card can help in expensing daily purchase items very easily. With the advent of the Internet, applying for a business credit card, whether you are a small business owner or an employee of a large corporation, is very easy. There are a number of advantages that are found in business credit cards today that often times personal credit cards will not offer. Business credit cards offer additional benefits that include expense management reporting that small businesses in particular find very useful. When comparing business credit cards side by side, several of the very best cards allow cardholders to create customized reports with online expense managment tools. This gives business owners the ability to login to their accounts at any time to review and download expense activity anywhere that Internet access is available. You can view recent account activity, pay your bill online, check on reward points, and even receive account alerts by e-mail, cell phone, PDA or pager notification. Accounts can be setup to pay expenses and ongoing bills automatically with a commonly used Bill-Pay option offered by a few of the leading card issuing companies. Several card offers also feature the ability to download and integrate card statement information directly into QuickBooks, a commonly used accounting program for small business owners. If cardholders ever need to dispute a questionable charge, it can be done online or over the phone with no paperwork. Lastly, many business credit cards offer the ability to access credit lines from their existing account that provides significant financing flexibility for short-term cash requirements that will not require collateral as would a traditional bank loan. In addition to this, many small business credit cards also offer significant reward programs that include cash back rebates, office supply and merchant discounts and air & travel rewards. Applying for a business credit card can be done in 3 easy steps. First, applicants should take the time to search and compare the variety of business credit cards online utilizing the Internet where consumers can find a vast array of resource and comparison sites to aid in the selection process. After thoroughly comparing offers and selecting a card based on your specific criteria, cardholders can simply and easily apply for the selected credit card by filling out an online credit card application. Credit card issuers offer a safe and secure environment for cardholders applying online, which also allows cardholders to expedite the application process without any significant delays.