5-Star Business Credit Cards In 2017

In our latest Business Credit Cards Star Ratings research, Canstar has identified seven 5-Star cards that can be a real asset to your business. Find out why each of them won here, and how they can benefit you.

Out of the 36 business credit cards rated in this year’s research, seven have achieved a 5-Star Rating in at least one category. These cards are:

• American Express – Business Explorer Credit Card
• Bankwest – Business Low Rate Credit Card
• Newcastle Permanent – Business + Credit Card
• St George Group – Amplify Business Visa
• St George Group – BusinessVantage Visa
• Westpac – Altitude Business Gold
• Westpac – Altitude Business Platinum

St George Group – BusinessVantage Visa

Compare Business Credit Cards

How does Canstar pick the winning credit cards?

Business credit cards are rated based on their combination of price and feature. Canstar Research compares all cards on an array of characteristics, such as:

• Annual and monthly fees
• Additional fees and charges
• Interest rates
• Reward and loyalty programmes
• Return on rewards
• Premium features
• Interest-free days
• Online transaction security

Rewards On Business Credit Cards - Are They Worth it?

There are multiple different types of business credit cards, and we assess each of them under three different profiles:

1. Low rate business credit cards
2. Rewards business credit cards
3. Frequent flyer cards

For more information on the eligibility requirements for each card type, read our 2017 business credit card methodology.

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American Express – Business Explorer Credit Card

• Card type: Frequent Flyer
• Annual fee: $395
• Additional card fee: $0
• Purchase rate (p.a.): 16.99%
• Rewards: two points per $1, uncapped

The American Express Business Explorer card is a Frequent Flyer card that earns businesses up to two membership rewards points per dollar spent on eligible purchases, and also gives a 50,000-point bonus when they spend $100,000 every 12 months. There is currently a deal running on this card where you can earn an introductory 100,000 rewards points for your business if you apply before the 2 October 2017.

Merchant Services Options For Small Business

This card received a 5-Star Rating across all the spend amounts considered by Canstar for frequent flyer credit cards – from $36k to $250k per annum. The benefits listed above – as well as the lack of a cap on the amount of points you can earn – make it a solid choice for a business that intends to put a lot of purchases on its card at merchants that accept American Express Cards.

The table below shows other low rate business credit cards offered by American Express, as well as this one.

Read more about American Express credit cards here.

Bankwest – Business Low Rate Credit Card

• Card type: Low rate
• Annual fee: $99
• Additional card fee: $0
• Purchase rate (p.a.): 11.99%
• Rewards: N/A

This low rate business credit card from Bankwest has earnt a 5-Star Rating this year due to its low-interest rate and low fees. In fact, there are no fees at all for up to three additional business credit cards, and the $59 annual fee – which is low to begin with – is waived for new customers in the first year of using it.

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Other worthwhile features on this card include up to 55 interest-free days and card personalisation, allowing you to customise your Bankwest credit card with your business’ name at no extra cost. These low fees, rates and useful features make it a strong card for small-to-medium sized businesses that need moderately priced working capital.

Read more about Bankwest credit cards here.

Newcastle Permanent – Business + Credit Card

• Card type: Low rate
• Annual fee: $55
• Additional card fee: $0
• Purchase rate (p.a.): 11.99%
• Rewards: N/A

For businesses looking for an easy and streamlined way to manage their daily expenses, the Newcastle Permanent Business+ credit card could be worth considering. This card is best suited to those businesses who require a low-frills card and regularly keep an outstanding balance on their card. With an interest rate of 11.99% on purchases, it is one of the lowest rate cards in the market and has up to 44 interest-free days on purchases.

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Other useful features on this card your business can take advantage of include:

• Complimentary business travel insurance
• A low annual fee
• An unlimited number of cards available for employees

These things combine to make the Business+ card from Newcastle Permanent a worthy recipient of a Canstar 5-Star Rating.

St George Group – Amplify Business

• Card type: Rewards
• Annual fee: $89
• Additional card fee: $0
• Purchase rate (p.a.): 19.49%
• Rewards: One point per $1, uncapped

The Amplify Rewards credit card from St George Group (which comprises St. George Bank, BankSA and Bank of Melbourne) is an excellent entry-level rewards card for businesses who spend around $36,000 per year on business expenses. The rewards rate on this card changes depending on the program you choose:

The Credit Card Market In 2017

There is currently a special offer running on this card that waives the $89 annual fee in the first year of use, and your business can also qualify for a 0% p.a. rate on purchases for up to 12 months if you apply before the 31 August 2017.

St George Group – BusinessVantage Visa

• Card type: Low rate
• Annual fee: $55
• Additional card fee: $55
• Purchase rate (p.a.): 9.99%
• Rewards: N/A

The second of St George’s cards in this year’s research to win a 5-Star Rating is the BusinessVantage Visa, a low rate card that is ideal for businesses with more complex expenses. To help you keep track of everything, the St George BusinessVantage card allows you to purchase up to nine additional cards – these new cards attract a very low purchase rate of 9.99%!

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This card also comes with a low annual fee of $55 and up to 55 interest-free days on purchases. You can also qualify for complimentary insurance and simplified reporting for tax purposes. It may not have a rewards program, but the BusinessVantage Visa from St George is a great low-cost way to manage your company’s cash flow.

Read more about St George credit cards here.

Westpac – Altitude Business Gold

• Card type: Rewards & Frequent Flyer
• Annual fee: $150
• Additional card fee: $0
• Purchase rate (p.a.): 20.24%
• Rewards: Two points (Amex) & one point (Visa) per $1, up to 20,000 points per month

The altitude Business Gold credit card from Westpac is one of two Westpac business cards to achieve a 5-Star Rating. Best for businesses spending around $36,000 on their credit card and paying purchases off each month in full, Altitude Business Gold receives 5-Stars as both a rewards and frequent flyer credit card. The main selling point is the high earn rate; per $1 spent on eligible business purchases, your business can earn two points with American Express and one point with Visa.

With the Westpac Altitude Gold card, you can earn up to 20,000 points per month, and these points can be redeemed in six different Frequent Flyer programs:

• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Virgin Australia’s Velocity
• Malaysia Airline’s Enrich
• Air New Zealand Airpoints
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Cathay Pacific AsiaMiles

Business credit cards: Low Rate vs. Rewards

Westpac is also currently offering to waive the $150 annual fee in the first year for new cards, as long as you apply before 31 August 2017. Other special offers include a 0% p.a purchase rate for the first 12 months and 4.99% p.a. on balance transfers.

Westpac – Altitude Business Platinum

• Card type: Rewards & Frequent Flyer
• Annual fee: $295
• Additional card fee: $0
• Purchase rate (p.a.): 20.24%
• Rewards: Three points (Amex) & one point (Visa) per $1, uncapped

The second 5-Star Rated business credit card from Westpac in this year’s ratings is the Altitude Business Platinum card. Altitude Business Platinum is the most rewarded business card in Canstar’s ratings – achieving 5-Stars for rewards spending above $60,000 per annum and above $36,000 for frequent flyers. The three-point earn rate on the American Express card is hard to beat and Westpac is currently waiving the annual fee of $250 in the first year for new customers.

Business Credit Cards – Types On The Market

Like the Altitude Business Gold card, you can redeem your altitude Frequent Flyer points at any of the above six programs. It too has the same special signup deals; a 0% p.a purchase rate for the first 12 and 4.99% p.a. on balance transfers months.

The Altitude Platinum card also comes with complementary platinum insurance, such as:

• Overseas travel insurance
• Purchase security insurance
• Extended warranty insurance
• Account holder’s Guaranteed Pricing Scheme cover

Read more about Westpac Altitude credit cards here.

The business credit cards listed above represent a select few that Canstar has deemed as providers of Outstanding Value to businesses, but they are only a small portion of the cards on the market. Canstar rates and researches dozens of business credit cards every year, and you can compare them all on our website:

Compare Business Credit Cards with Canstar

You can also compare and review consumer credit cards as well:

Compare Credit Cards with Canstar

Credit Card Star Ratings 2017