Best Business Credit Cards UK: Cashback, 0% and Travel Options Ranked
No single card fits every business. The right choice turns on whether you carry a balance, clear monthly, and whether your bank offers a card at all.
- Capital on Tap gives businesses a revolving credit line up to £250,000.
- 1% cashback on all spend with no annual fee on the free card.
- Check eligibility in minutes without affecting your credit score.
All Cards at a Glance
Compare key features side by side.
| Provider | Best For | Key Feature | Annual Fee | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limited companies needing £25k–£250k credit without switching bank | Cashback | £0 (free card) / £299 (Pro card) | View Deal → |
 | Limited companies wanting cashback without needing a specific bank account | Cashback | £0 | View Deal → |
 | None | £0 (no interest charges) | View Deal → | |
 | Businesses on Starling, Tide, Monzo, or any bank without its own credit card product | Cashback | £0 | View Deal → |
 | Growing businesses issuing 5+ employee cards who need granular spend controls | Cashback | Check provider | View Deal → |
 | Santander business customers issuing 3+ employee cards | Cashback | £30 per account | View Deal → |
 | Existing Lloyds customers who carry a balance and can hit the fee waiver threshold | None | £32 per cardholder | View Deal → |
 | NatWest business customers with regular overseas card spend | None | £30 per cardholder | View Deal → |
 | Existing HSBC business customers who want a low purchase rate | None | £32 per card | View Deal → |
 | Low-spend businesses near a Metro Bank branch that carry a balance | None | £0 | View Deal → |
 | Businesses spending £5k+/month that can clear the balance monthly and want flexible rewards | Membership Rewards | £0 yr 1, then £195/yr | View Deal → |
 | Businesses with frequent BA travel that want to earn Avios on all card spend | Avios | £250 | View Deal → |
 | High-spend businesses (£10k+/month) that travel frequently and value lounge access | Membership Rewards | £650/yr (+£295 supplementary) | View Deal → |
Rates verified against provider pricing pages, 20 March 2026. All variable rates may change after publication.
Top Business Credit Card Picks by Situation
| Situation | Card | Why It Wins | Key Trade-off | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Capital on Tap | Highest limits, 1% cashback, no bank switch | Limited companies and LLPs only | Check eligibility |
| Best if you carry a balance | Lloyds | Lowest representative APR at 15.95% | Requires Lloyds business account | Check eligibility |
| Best open access | Barclaycard Select Cashback | No account needed, no annual fee | Highest APR on this list (25.5%) | Check eligibility |
Every Business Credit Card Reviewed
Check if you can access the card at your bank first. Most readers can’t access the bank-locked options, so open-access cards appear first. Within each group, we’ve ranked by cost, then by the specific scenario where each card makes sense.
You need to know one thing before you scroll through. The biggest gap between advertising and reality in this market is Capital on Tap: they advertise rates “from 9.9%” but their own published credit agreement data shows the average rate actually offered to customers is 46.05% (Q4 2025).
You need to account for this gap—it’s material. The difference between the advertised 9.9% and the actual 46.05% average is the difference between a competitive card and one of the most expensive on the market. Where we found similar gaps on other cards, we’ve called them out.
If you carry a balance month to month, the rate gap between cards is not marginal. It is the difference between a manageable cost and a cash flow problem.
Capital on Tap Business Credit Card
Funding Circle Cashback Business Credit Card
Barclaycard Select Cashback Business Credit Card
Moss Business Credit Card
Santander Business Cashback Credit Card
Lloyds Bank Business Credit Card
NatWest Business Credit Card
HSBC Business Credit Card
Metro Bank Business Credit Card
American Express Business Gold Card
British Airways Accelerating Business Card
American Express Business Platinum Card
Charge Cards and Other Business Credit Card Options
Charge cards require you to pay the full balance every month. That makes them a different product from the revolving credit cards ranked above, so they’re listed separately here alongside niche and regional variants.
If you always clear your balance in full, a charge card removes the temptation to revolve. Worth something. But if you occasionally need to spread a large purchase over two or three months, a charge card won’t give you that flexibility. You pay in full every month, no exceptions.
Before you commit to a charge card, make sure your cash flow can cover the full balance on collection day. A large supplier invoice landing the same week your direct debit runs means you need enough in your account to clear both.
Here’s the risk most charge card guides skip. On Amex Business Gold and Platinum, a missed payment triggers a £12 fee. Miss a second within 60 days and Amex can suspend your account; reinstatement costs £95 (source: americanexpress.com).
Most credit cards add interest on late balances. Amex can close you out entirely. That is a different kind of consequence.
Lloyds Bank Business Charge Card
Barclaycard Select Charge Card
NatWest Business Plus Credit Card
RBS Business Plus Credit Card
How Much Does a Business Credit Card Actually Cost?
We ran the numbers on every card at different spending levels, and the results are worth seeing before you compare headline rates. A “free” card can cost you more than a card with a £195 annual fee, depending on how you use it.
If you spend £3,000 a month and clear the balance in full, your APR is irrelevant. You pay zero interest.
In that scenario, a no-fee card like Barclaycard costs you nothing, while an Amex Business Gold card costs £195 per year but earns you roughly £360 in Membership Rewards points. The Amex is cheaper in net terms, even with the fee.
If you carry £5,000 of revolving debt, the APR is everything. At Lloyds’ 14.9% purchase rate, you’d pay roughly £745 a year in interest. At Barclaycard’s 25.5%, that same £5,000 balance costs you £1,275 a year.
At Capital on Tap’s average offered rate of 46.05%, you’re looking at £2,303. The difference between the cheapest and most expensive option is £1,558 a year on the same balance.
You’re more likely to carry a balance than most guides admit. Around 84% of micro-businesses clear their card monthly, but that average masks sharp sector differences: in construction, only 35% clear monthly.
If your business is in construction or similar sectors, you carry a balance because project payment terms run 30–60 days and the card bill arrives before the client pays.
When your cash flow is lumpy, the APR isn’t theoretical. It’s the cost of the gap between when you spend and when you get paid.
If you do regular overseas business, foreign exchange fees add another layer. At HSBC’s 2.99% FX rate, £1,000 a month in overseas spend costs £359 a year.
If you spend abroad regularly, NatWest and Capital on Tap charge zero FX fees on purchases. The FX saving on NatWest could outweigh a lower APR elsewhere.
| Scenario | Lowest cost card | Annual cost | Highest cost card | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear £3k/month in full, no overseas spend | Barclaycard (no fee) | £0 | Amex Platinum (£650 fee) | £650 |
| Carry £5k balance, no overseas spend | Lloyds (14.9% purchase rate) | £777* | Capital on Tap (avg 46.05%) | £2,303 |
| Clear monthly, £1k/month overseas | NatWest (0% FX) | £30 fee | HSBC (2.99% FX) | £391 |
| Clear £6k/month, want rewards | Amex Gold (net of rewards) | Earns ~£525 | No-reward card | £0 earned |
*If you’re considering Lloyds, account for: £32 annual fee (waived at £6k+ annual spend). Interest calculated on £5,000 at 14.9% purchase rate.
You need to compare cards on more than APR alone. It’s like comparing cars on engine size. Your total cost depends on whether you carry a balance, how much you spend overseas, and whether you earn enough rewards to offset a fee.
Your total cost across all three factors is reflected in the rankings on this page.
The Bank Account Barrier: Why Most Cards Are Off-Limits
Your bank eligibility matters more than any rate comparison. Seven of the twelve cards require an existing business current account with that bank, yet most comparison sites bury this in eligibility footnotes. There’s no point comparing twelve cards if you can only access four.
If you bank with Starling, Tide, Monzo, or any challenger, five of the cheapest options on this page are invisible to you. Lloyds, HSBC, NatWest, Santander, and Metro Bank all require a business current account with them before you can even apply.
Without switching banks (verified March 2026), your options narrow to: Barclaycard, Capital on Tap, Moss, Funding Circle, and the three Amex cards. Everything else requires a specific banking relationship.
You need to account for the cost of that lock-in. On a £5,000 carried balance, Lloyds at 15.95% versus Barclaycard at 25.5% is roughly £40 a month in extra interest. Switching business bank accounts takes 2–4 weeks and requires a clean credit history.
| Card | Bank account required? | Which bank? |
|---|---|---|
| Capital on Tap | No | Any |
| Barclaycard Select Cashback | No | Any |
| Funding Circle | No | Any |
| Moss | No | Any |
| Amex Business Gold / BA Amex / Platinum | No | Any |
| Lloyds | Yes | Lloyds BCA |
| HSBC | Yes | HSBC BCA |
| NatWest | Yes | NatWest BCA |
| Santander | Yes | Santander 1|2|3 BCA |
| Metro Bank | Yes | Metro Bank BCA |
If you already bank with one of the big five, you should check their card first. You’ll almost certainly get a lower APR than the open-access alternatives. If you don’t, skip straight to the open-access cards section and save yourself the comparison.
If your supplier invoices land before your client pays and you need to bridge the gap on your card, the bank account you opened two years ago may be costing you hundreds in avoidable interest.
Business Credit Card Limits: What You Can Actually Get
Your actual credit limit won’t match the advertised range. They’re almost meaningless on their own. Capital on Tap says “up to £250,000”; most traditional banks say “£500 to £25,000.” Traditional bank cards (Lloyds, HSBC, NatWest, Santander, Metro Bank) all cap at £25,000 per card.
What you’ll actually be offered depends on your turnover, trading history, credit profile, and the provider’s risk appetite.
If you’re a limited company with £200k turnover and clean credit, you might expect a limit in the £5,000 to £15,000 range. A sole trader with £50k turnover is more likely to see £1,000 to £5,000.
Capital on Tap is the outlier: their published ceiling is £250,000, and they explicitly market to businesses that need facilities above the £25k bank card ceiling. But the minimum turnover requirement is £24,000, and the limit you’re offered is algorithmically determined.
If you choose an Amex charge card, you won’t see a pre-set spending limit, but don’t assume it’s unlimited. Amex sets a ceiling based on your spending history, payment reliability, and account standing.
How much credit do you actually need? That’s the question to answer first. If you need more than £25,000 in revolving credit, your options are Capital on Tap or a commercial credit facility from your bank (which is a different product entirely).
If you need £5,000–£15,000, most cards on this list can accommodate that. If you need less than £5,000, almost any card will do, and your decision should be driven by APR and fees, not limits.
Applying for a Business Credit Card: What to Expect
When you apply for a business credit card, the provider will run a credit check, usually a hard search on both your personal credit file and your business credit file. That hard search leaves a mark that other lenders can see for 12 months.
Multiple applications in quick succession reduce your approval odds because each subsequent lender sees the previous searches. We confirmed this with Experian’s business credit guidance in March 2026.
Use soft-search eligibility checkers before you formally apply. Capital on Tap, Funding Circle, and some Amex products offer pre-checks that tell you whether you’re likely to be approved. A soft search doesn’t affect your credit file.
Your recent history matters. If you’ve recently moved house, changed your business address, taken out other credit, or missed payments, your approval odds drop. Lenders want stability.
Your trading history will impact your rates and limits. A business with two or more years’ history, at the same address, with clean credit will get better rates and higher limits than one that incorporated six months ago.
As a sole trader, you get the worst deal in this market. There are approximately 4.1 million sole traders in the UK, the largest business demographic by number, yet they have the fewest credit card options. Capital on Tap and Funding Circle both exclude sole traders entirely.
On Tide or Starling as a sole trader? Your revolving credit options narrow to two: Barclaycard at 25.5% and whatever rate Amex offers.
If you’re a limited company, expect different criteria: providers will check both your personal credit and the company’s credit file at Companies House. Most cards require a personal guarantee, which means you’re personally liable for the balance if the business can’t pay.
Speed matters to you? Capital on Tap and Moss offer instant decisions online, with virtual cards issued immediately. Traditional bank cards take 5–10 working days (Lloyds, HSBC), while Metro Bank requires an in-branch appointment and Amex typically takes 2–5 working days.
What Business Credit Card Comparison Sites Miss
You need more than APR or cashback comparisons. Every other UK business credit card comparison we reviewed ranks by rate and stops there, missing three things that actually determine whether you end up with a useful card or an expensive mistake.
Your bank eligibility eliminates more options than any rate difference. The gap between advertised and actual rates means the number on the page isn’t the number on your statement. And Section 75 exclusion means your business card carries less legal protection than your personal card.
If your comparison doesn’t account for access, actual rates, and protection, it’s not a comparison—it’s a rate list.
Which Business Credit Card Fits Your Situation?
Start with your bank eligibility—it’s the single most useful filter. Most readers don’t realize that seven of twelve cards require an existing business current account with that specific bank.
If you’re considering Amex for rewards or Avios, note that around 40% of UK merchants still don’t accept American Express (source: Amex published acceptance data). Most businesses choosing Amex will still need a second Visa or Mastercard for suppliers who don’t take it.
| Your situation | Best starting point |
|---|---|
| You carry a balance and want the lowest rate | Check if your bank offers a card first (Lloyds 15.95%, HSBC 22%). If not, Barclaycard at 25.5% is your open-access option. |
| You clear monthly and want cashback | Funding Circle (2% intro, then 1%) or Capital on Tap (1%). Both open-access. |
| You bank with a challenger (Tide, Starling, Monzo) | Barclaycard, Capital on Tap, Moss, or Funding Circle. The five bank-locked cards are off-limits without switching. |
| You need cards for multiple employees | Santander (£30 flat fee covers all cards) or Moss (spend controls built in). |
| You fly BA regularly and want Avios | BA Amex Accelerating. But confirm your suppliers accept Amex first. |
| You need £25k+ credit | Capital on Tap (up to £250k) or a commercial credit facility from your bank. |
Business Credit Card FAQs
Can I get a business credit card as a sole trader?
Yes, but your options narrow considerably. Barclaycard, Lloyds, HSBC, NatWest, Santander, Metro Bank, and all three Amex cards accept sole traders. Capital on Tap and Funding Circle both exclude them: both require a limited company. See: best business credit cards for sole traders.
Do I need a business bank account to get a business credit card?
For most traditional bank cards, yes. Five of the six bank-issued cards on this list require a business current account with that bank. The exceptions are Barclaycard, all fintechs (Capital on Tap, Moss, Funding Circle), and Amex. If you bank with Starling, Tide, or Monzo, those are your only options.
What credit limit can I get on a business credit card?
Traditional bank cards typically offer £500–£25,000. Capital on Tap offers up to £250,000 for qualifying businesses. Amex charge cards don’t have a pre-set spending limit. The limit you’re offered depends on turnover, trading history, and the provider’s credit assessment.
Should I get a credit card or a charge card?
If you need to spread payments over time, you need a credit card. If you can always clear the balance monthly and want rewards, a charge card avoids the temptation of revolving debt. We cover this in detail: business credit cards vs charge cards.
How long does it take to get a business credit card?
Capital on Tap and Moss can give you an instant decision with a virtual card issued immediately. Traditional bank cards take 5–10 working days. Amex is typically 2–5 working days for a decision. If speed matters, fintech providers are your best option.
Can I use a personal credit card for business expenses?
Technically, yes. But mixing personal and business spending complicates bookkeeping. If you’re a limited company, HMRC expects clear separation. A dedicated business card also builds your business credit history. Below £500/month in business expenses, a personal card is workable short-term.
Does Section 75 protection apply to business credit cards?
No. Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act applies to personal credit cards only. Business cards are excluded. If a supplier fails, your recourse is chargeback through Visa or Mastercard: a voluntary scheme, not a legal right. Time limits and success rates differ. Most comparison sites don’t flag this gap.
What credit score do I need for a business credit card?
No UK provider publishes a minimum threshold. Factors that help: being on the electoral roll, no missed payments in the last 12 months, low credit utilisation, and 12+ months’ trading history. If your credit is poor, see our page on business credit cards for poor credit.
Explore Business Credit Cards by Category
If you already know what you need, use one of these category pages to narrow down faster than reading every review on this page.
- Best low APR business credit cards: if carrying a balance, start here
- Best cashback and reward cards: if you clear monthly and want to earn
- Best cards for sole traders: filtered for sole trader eligibility
- Best cards for start-ups: newer businesses with limited trading history
- Best interest-free cards: 0% intro offers and balance transfers
- Best cards for travel: FX fees, insurance, and travel perks
- Best cards for Avios and air miles: BA Avios earning compared
- Instant approval cards: if you need a card this week
- Best charge cards: pay-in-full cards with rewards
- Cards for poor credit: options with CCJs or missed payments
Individual Business Credit Card Reviews
If you’ve narrowed your choice to one or two cards, our individual reviews go deeper on pricing, features, and real-world fit.
- Capital on Tap review
- Funding Circle credit card review
- FlexiPay review
- Compare Barclaycard cards
- Compare Amex cards
- Capital on Tap vs Amex
Business Credit Card Guides and Explainers
If you’re new to business credit cards, start with our guides.
- Guide to business credit cards
- Credit cards vs charge cards explained
- What is a balance transfer credit card?
Final Verdict: Which Business Credit Card?
Where you bank decides what you can get. How you pay decides what saves you the most. If you carry a balance, the gap between Lloyds at 15.95% and Barclaycard at 25.5% is £477 a year on £5,000. That’s not a marginal difference.
If you clear monthly, forget APR and chase cashback or rewards. If you’re on a challenger bank, your shortlist is five cards, not twelve. Start there. Everything else is noise until you know what you can actually access.
Methodology and Disclosure
Sources: All rates, fees, and eligibility were verified on 20 March 2026 against provider pricing pages. Capital on Tap’s average rate (46.05%) is from their Q4 2025 credit agreement data. We sourced product information from provider websites, FCA filings, Companies House, UK Finance, and Bank of England.
Rate type: All rates listed are variable. Providers may change them after publication. We confirmed each rate from the provider’s product page on our verification date. Your actual rate will depend on your credit profile and provider assessment.
How we rank: We don’t accept payment for rankings. We order cards by access (open-access first), then by cost. We update monthly and re-verify all rates. Our editorial team makes ranking decisions; affiliate relationships don’t influence card positioning.
Affiliate disclosure: BusinessExpert may receive referral or affiliate fees from some card providers listed on this page. This doesn’t affect our editorial rankings, which are based on verified rates and publicly available data.
Regulatory note: This page is editorial content, not regulated financial advice. Credit products are subject to status and approval. Compare offers directly with providers before you apply.