Using Business Credit Cards

Summary: With demands that are on a continuous growth, many business owners employ the use of business credit cards but there are some tricks in using the appealing payment options. It is recommended that you contract credit with your local financial institution/bank. Once you have established a relationship with them, you should consider applying there for your business credit card so that you can continue to invest in that relationship. If your bank is familiar with you, you wil...

With demands that are on a continuous growth, many business owners employ the use of business credit cards but there are some tricks in using the appealing payment options. It is recommended that you contract credit with your local financial institution/bank. Once you have established a relationship with them, you should consider applying there for your business credit card so that you can continue to invest in that relationship. If your bank is familiar with you, you will get better deals. On the other hand, as they get to know you better, you will reap the fruits of this relationship when you apply for credit with them. Loyalty always pays off. You should carefully read your contract when getting your business credit card. Some companies tend to hide some rather significant details in the fine print. Look for the levels of interest rates and if you are required to pay an annual fee with your business credit card. Make sure that you fully read and understand all the terms and conditions. Do no be afraid to ask for more information, after all, it is your money you are putting on the line. You should also look into the services that the credit card company offers with the business credit card. Do not get swept away by offers that include frequent flyer miles or other discounts (although these to can help your business). On the long run, a more important part can be played by consumer services like detailed account reports or 24-hour customer service. Once you find a card that you are happy with, you should stick with that business credit card. This is the reason why you should carefully study the offers on the market before applying for one. It is better to think on a long term basis and predict your company needs on a longer period so that you will not have to change the business credit card in a year because it no longer suites your business needs. You will constantly receive offers that might look great at first, but you shouldn't switch if you are content with your current business card issuer. Switching will not look great on your credit profile when you will be on the look for funding. You should not mix your personal expenses with the business related ones. In case that you get audited, expenses that you cannot account for within the company will raise suspicion so even if you are tempted to always charge it on the company, don't. Try not to build up a collection of business credit cards. Using fewer credit cards will help you keep track of the business expenses and keep you away from any unpleasant surprises that may arise at the end of the month when all the accounts are cumulated. It is best to keep a positive activity on the credit account for obvious reasons. Before charging any expenses on the business credit card, you should question yourself if that expense is really necessary for the company.