The 7 Best Business Credit Cards for Office Supply Purchases [Office Depot, Staples, and More]

Big or small, every business needs to keep the essentials stocked in order to get the job done. If your business is spending a significant amount on office supplies each month, the right business rewards card can earn you hundreds of thousands of extra points or thousands of dollars in cash-back each year.

Fortunately, it’s easy to maximize your returns on office supply purchases, and there’s a great credit card for almost every business need. Here’s a breakdown of which small business credit cards may be right for you and how they can benefit your business — and its office supply needs.

Best Overall Credit Cards for Office Supply Purchases

Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card

How to Earn on Office Supply Purchases

The Ink Business Cash card is a stellar option for small business owners. It’s one of our top choices when it comes to maximizing what you get back from spending money on office supplies.

The card features lucrative 5% cash-back on up to $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services each year (based on the date you started the account, not January 1).

Cardholders also earn 2% cash-back for each $1 of the first $25,000 spent each year on combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants. The Ink Business Cash card offers cardholders great benefits and savings for no annual fee.

Here’s how the Ink Business Cash card rewards you for buying office supplies:

• Best Uses: Office supply stores that specialize in selling a variety of office supplies. (Note: Merchants that sell a wide variety of general goods that may include office supplies, like department stores or electronics stores, are not included in this category.)
  • Examples of Bonus-Earning Merchants: OfficeMax, Office Depot, Staples
• Rewards: 5% per $1 spent at office supply stores. Also earns 5% per $1 spent on cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services. The 5%  applies to the first $25,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year.

Why We Like Earning Ultimate Rewards Points

Ultimate Rewards points are a valuable reward currency because you have a lot of ways to redeem them. You can get the maximum value for your points by transferring them to one of Chase’s many airline or hotel partners.

You can also use the Chase Travel portal to book your next vacation at a 25% bonus, or 1.25 cents per point. Redeem points for statement credits or gift cards at 1 cent per point.

There are plenty of redemption options, but transferring your points to one of the various transfer partners will give you the best return in value.

Huntington Voice Business Credit Card℠

How to Earn on Office Supply Purchases

The Huntington Voice Business Credit Card℠ is another solid option for business owners who prioritize cash-back rewards. The card earns 4% cash-back on up to $7,000 in purchases per quarter in 1 of 10 categories, including office supplies. The other 9 categories include:

• Gas stations
• Travel and entertainment
• Restaurants
• Discount and warehouse stores
• Grocery stores
• Electronics, computer, and camera stores
• Department, apparel, and sporting goods stores
• Home improvement stores
• Auto parts and service stores

The ability to earn 4% cash-back on up to $7,000 on purchases per quarter represents a potential savings of $1,120 per year. Not bad for a business card with no annual fee!

Why We Like Earning Cash-Back

Business owners know that money saved is as good as money earned. With the right business credit card, you can watch the savings pile up on your most common purchases.

If you don’t want to fuss with point-earning or transferable rewards, cash-back is probably for you. Cash-back earned on your Huntington Voice Business card is applied automatically to your monthly statements, allowing you to offset expenses as you make them.

Additional Credit Card Options for Office Supply Purchases

American Express^® Business Gold Card

The newly revamped Amex Business Gold card provides up to $395 in statement credits annually upon enrollment. Cardmembers can receive up to $240 back every year (in the form of $20 back each month) for eligible purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and office supply stores.

In addition, cardmembers receive up to $155 back annually for the cost of a monthly Walmart+ membership. Walmart+ members receive numerous benefits, including free shipping with no minimum purchase requirement. If you frequently purchase office supplies from Walmart, your business can save quite a bit of money on shipping.

The Blue Business^® Plus Card from American Express

Business owners who hold the Amex Blue Business Plus card earn 2x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on the card on all business purchases, including all office supplies.

The 2x Membership Rewards earnings are capped at $50,000 in purchases, but hitting that limit will earn you 100,000 Membership Rewards points. Afterward, all purchases earn 1x point per dollar.

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

If you find yourself making frequent trips to office supply stores to keep your business stocked with essentials, you can earn 2% cash-back on all of those purchases with the Amex Blue Business Cash card. Bonus earnings are limited to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year (1% thereafter), amounting to a potential $1,000 in cash-back.

U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite™ Mastercard^®

The no-annual-fee U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard presents a solid proposition to cardholders, earning an uncapped 3% cash-back on cellphone service, gas, and office supply store purchases.

Better yet, cardholders receive a 25% annual bonus based on their prior year’s reward earnings, though this bonus is limited to $250.

Bank of America^® Business Advantage Cash Rewards Card

The no-annual-fee Bank of America Business Advantage Cash Rewards card offers 3% cash-back on office supply stores and gas station purchases and a further 2% cash-back at restaurants.

The savings are capped at $50,000 in purchases per year, but cardholders who can meet this cap can save a massive $1,500 each year.

Final Thoughts

If you find that your business’s office supply expenses are mounting, the right business credit card can really save you in the long run. If you can’t decide which card is best for you, consider both how much office supplies are costing you and the amount you spend on other relevant bonus categories.

If you’re partial to earning flexible rewards, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option than the Ink Business Cash card, especially when it’s paired with a premium card like the Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card.

But if it’s simple cash you’re after, earning a capped 2% cash-back with a card like the Amex Blue Business Cash card is a fantastic option.

No matter which card you choose, do yourself and your business a favor by using a great small business credit card and watch the rewards pile up!

Information regarding the Huntington Voice Business Credit Card℠ was independently collected by Upgraded Points and was not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of the American Express^® Business Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, click here.
Information regarding the U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite™ Mastercard^® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and was not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
Information regarding the Bank of America^® Business Advantage Cash Rewards Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and was not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.