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Often, rewards credit cards get so much attention that other cards fall to the wayside. But there are many useful business credit cards even outside the rewards card space. Bank of America® Platinum Plus® Mastercard® Business card doesn't have many of the bells and whistles of its flashier competitors. However, what it does offer could be more valuable to some users: an intro-APR offer on purchases. Read our full Bank of America® Platinum Plus® Mastercard® Business card review to see if this card may work for you.
On Bank of America's Secure Website.
On Bank of America's Secure Website.
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR N/A
Purchases: 0%, 7 billing cycles
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
15.74% - 26.74% (Variable)
Rewards
N/A
Annual Fee
$0
Welcome Offer $300 online statement credit after you make at least $3,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of your account opening.
$300
This card has a nice sign-up bonus, and the intro-APR offer can be useful. That said, long-term value of the card is limited as there are no purchase rewards or other perks. But no annual fee means it won't cost you anything to keep the card either way.
We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you and your business. Not all cards are the same and not all businesses have the same needs. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout business credit cards that we feel offer a lot of value to a wide range of businesses right now.
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Ink Business Cash® Credit Card | Capital One Venture X Business | Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card |
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Rating image, 4.75 out of 5 stars.
4.75/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor
Rating image, 4.75 out of 5 stars.
4.75/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Apply Now for Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
On Chase's Secure Website. |
Apply Now for Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
On Chase's Secure Website. |
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Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Good/Excellent (670-850) |
Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Excellent (740-850)
Excellent (740-850) |
Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Good/Excellent (670-850) |
Welcome Offer: Earn $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening. Earn up to $750 bonus cash back |
Welcome Offer: 150,000 Miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening 150,000 Miles |
Welcome Offer: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Earn $750 bonus cash back |
Rewards Program: Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year. Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. Earn 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn. Earn 5% cash back in select business categories |
Rewards Program: Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions. Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get the best prices on thousands of options. 2X-10X miles |
Rewards Program: Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase |
Intro APR: 0% Intro APR on Purchases Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 12 months Balance Transfers: N/A |
Intro APR: Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A |
Intro APR: 0% Intro APR on Purchases Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 12 months Balance Transfers: N/A |
Regular APR: 17.74% - 25.74% Variable |
Regular APR: N/A |
Regular APR: 17.74% - 23.74% Variable |
Annual Fee: N/A $0 |
Annual Fee: $395 |
Annual Fee: $0 |
Highlights:
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Apply Now for Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
On Chase's Secure Website. |
Apply Now for Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
On Chase's Secure Website. |
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This credit card is a good fit for: New business owners who want a little time to pay off purchases without interest fees.
This card comes with a decent welcome offer, but it's light on other perks.
In most cases, cards without rewards also skip the sign-up bonus, but not Bank of America® Platinum Plus® Mastercard® Business card. New cardholders can earn a sign-up bonus worth $300 in statement credit for spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. That is a very competitive bonus for a card with no annual fee, even when compared to cards with rewards. Note that statement credits can be put towards your balance, but they can't generally be used to make your minimum required payment.
New cardholders can enjoy 7 billing cycles of a 0% intro APR on purchases. This means you won't be charged interest fees on a purchase balance for the first 7 billing cycles. These deals are ideal for business owners who may need to pay off a larger purchase over time. For example, this perk is useful if you need to spread out payments on startup costs. Keep in mind that you'll still need to make at least your minimum required payment each month to avoid late fees or the termination of your intro offer.
Bank of America® Platinum Plus® Mastercard® Business card has no annual card fee. So, you won't need to pay a fee each year just to keep your card account. Given the lack of perks on this card, it makes sense that it doesn't charge an annual fee. This is particularly beneficial when you consider that the main perks -- the sign-up bonus and intro-APR offer -- don't offer long-term value. Without an annual fee, you can keep the card open as an extra line of credit without worrying about making up the extra cost.
In addition to no annual card fee for the primary cardholder, you won't pay any extra card fees for employee cards. There's also no limit on how many employee cards you can get. This makes it easy to provide cards to any employee who regularly needs to make purchases on behalf of your business. You can manage your employee cards online 24/7, including seeing up-to-date balance info and account activity. Transactions can even be downloaded into QuickBooks for easy accounting.
With such a basic card, there's a lot of room for improvement, especially when it comes to long-term value.
The biggest downside to Bank of America® Platinum Plus® Mastercard® Business card is the lack of any kind of purchase rewards. You can't earn points, miles, or even cash back on purchases. This makes it hard for the card to compete; you can easily find many business cards in our list of card reviews with both rewards and no annual fee. What's more, several of those cards also come with longer intro-APR offers.
Any extra fee on your card purchases is a drawback, but foreign transaction fees can be particularly costly for business owners. A foreign transaction fee is an extra fee tacked onto purchases made in a foreign currency or that route through a foreign bank. So, any time you travel abroad for your business and use Bank of America® Platinum Plus® Mastercard® Business card, you'll pay 3% of the U.S. dollar amount of each transaction. But it's more than that; it could also be applied to any purchases you make from a foreign supplier. If you regularly make purchases from overseas, that can add up very quickly.
This isn't a con specific to Bank of America® Platinum Plus® Mastercard® Business card so much as one that applies to most small business credit cards. A personal guarantee basically says you agree to be personally responsible for any balance accrued on the card. Even if your business closes, you'll still be legally obligated to pay off the card's remaining balance. The personal guarantee also means you'll need to undergo a personal credit check as a part of the application process.
Bank of America doesn't specify a credit score requirement for Bank of America® Platinum Plus® Mastercard® Business card. However, since it's not listed as a credit-building card, you'll likely need at least a good personal credit rating to get approved. As with most small business cards, you may be subject to both a personal and a business credit check.
Read more: Best Bank of America Credit Cards
If you're a new business owner looking for a basic card with a nice welcome offer, Bank of America® Platinum Plus® Mastercard® Business card could be a solid pick. The sign-up bonus is a nice boon for a growing business. And the intro-APR offer could be handy for paying off startup costs over time. However, if you're interested in a card with long-term value that will grow with your company, this probably isn't the best option.
Read more: Best Credit Cards
At Motley Fool Money, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.
We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates credit cards.
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