How to Fill Out a Business Credit Card Application
If you’re new to points and miles and you work a typical 9-5 job with an hourly wage or annual salary, you may think that you need to stick with opening personal credit cards. While there are plenty of great personal card options and bonuses out there, I’m here to tell you that you are missing out on serious travel rewards if you completely write off business credit cards. Chances are, you already qualify for a business credit card and you just don’t realize it.
If you have ever had any kind of side hustle you will most likely qualify for a business card.
Why should I open a business credit card?
Now why should you consider applying for a business credit card over a personal credit card? The truth is business credit cards open up so many more possibilities when it comes to earning points for travel! When I applied for my first business credit card in 2018, I had only made a couple hundred dollars selling items on Facebook Marketplace that year. But by taking the leap to open this card I earned over $10,000 worth of free travel that year from business cards alone. Just because you don’t consider those little hobbies to be a business, the bank might!
Another reason is that they typically do not count toward your 5/24 with Chase. (Have no idea what that is? Check out my Quick Start Guide).
To help make the process of applying for your first business credit card a little less intimidating, I am going to give you some easy to follow tips and instructions…
What qualifies as a business?
Having any side job/side hustle that earns you money qualifies you for a business card. Here are just a handful of activities that would qualify you, a few of which are in this post about how to build your travel budget.
- Reselling items online (think Poshmark, Mercari, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, etc.)
- Mowing your neighbor’s lawn
- Babysitting
- Coaching
- Tutoring
- Photography
Even if your side hustle income is just a couple hundred dollars for the year, you can still apply! I’ve spoken with people in my Instagram DM’s who qualified with just $50 in annual business revenue! So don’t let your seemingly small business revenue hold you back from applying.
How to Apply for a Business Credit Card Without an LLC
There are just a few simple questions that you will have to answer when you apply and when you first see them it may feel a little scary… but here’s a step by step rundown.
Personal Questions:
- Name
- Date of Birth
- Mothers Maiden Name
- Social Security Number
- Address
- Total gross income: Include all household income including your spouses.
And next you will have the business information questions. Here are the answers you will put for a business like the one I described above (no LLC).
- Officer title: Owner
- Legal business structure: Sole Proprietor
- Business legal name: Use your first and last name as the name of the business
- Desired business name on card: Your name
- Tax ID number: Use your Social Security number as the Tax ID (unless you have an EIN, you can use that as well)
- Business address: Your home address
- Number of employees: 0
- Business phone number: Your home or cell number
- Business established date: The month/year you started your side hustle (you an estimate)
- Annual business revenue: What do you expect to make this year? Be honest, it’s ok if it’s only $100
- Business category: Choose the closest option, don’t overthink it
- Estimated monthly spend: Just an estimate, again, don’t overthink it
- Would you like employee cards?: I always choose no and add the card to my husband’s digital wallet instead.
My Favorite Business Credit Card Recommendations
Since I normally recommend focusing on Chase credit cards when you’re first starting out, a great place to start with your first business card is one of the Chase Business Ink cards. There are 4 different kinds of Ink cards, but 2 of them have no annual fee and a pretty generous welcome bonus.
The points earned on these credit cards can be combined with points earned on a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, a Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or a Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card where you will get 25%-50% more value for your points when booking with Chase Travel℠. Moving your points to one of these 3 cards will also allow you to transfer your points to Chase travel partners and potentially get even more value for your points!
You can read more about the importance of transfer partners in my Quick Start Guide to Traveling with Points and Miles.
Final Thoughts
I hope these tips help you to feel confidant applying for your first business credit card. Business cards can open up a whole new world of points possibilities. There are so many great offers with business credit cards that can help you and your family travel for free! If you need a recommendation for a business card beyond the favorites I recommend above, see my Favorite Offers page or send me a direct message on Instagram or Facebook.
More on our families free travels!
Family vacations were a near impossibility for us not that long ago. But about 5 years ago we discovered credit card points and miles and now traveling several times a year is the norm for us! If you want to learn more about how our family travels for next to nothing, I would love for you to check out my Quick Start Guide to Traveling with Points and Miles. It is a hobby that has forever changed our lives and given us the opportunity to see the world!
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- Points and Miles for Beginners: How to Take Your Family on Vacation for Free
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- How to Survive Airport Security With Kids
- How to Stay at the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve in Puerto Rico for free!
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