The 6 Best Business Credit Cards for Advertising Purchases (Facebook, Google, Amazon & More)

Online advertising has become the major strategy for growing businesses in today’s marketplace.

Estimates vary by source, but according to data research company Statista, its recently released report estimates that nearly 92% of U.S. businesses will use social media for marketing in 2021. This is a staggering increase from 86.2% in 2013.

Chances are, your business spends money on advertising. Whether you use Facebook, Amazon, Google, Twitter, or more traditional media platforms such as TV or radio, if a big share of your business expenses falls in this category, you’ll want to make sure you’re earning the highest rewards possible.

Fortunately, several of the best credit cards available have been designed to reward common types of advertising spending inherent to businesses today.

In our article, we’ll cover:

• Which credit cards are best for earning rewards on advertising purchases
• Which advertising categories are eligible for bonus earning
• The benefits of different reward currencies
• Alternative credit cards for earning rewards on advertising purchases

Let’s get busy making sure every advertising purchase your business makes earns rewards.

Card	Welcome Offer and Annual Fee	Benefits for Advertising Purchases
	(rates and fees)	4x points on the 2 categories where your business spends the most (limit of $150,000), one of them being U.S. purchases for advertising in select media
		3x points on up to $150,000 in combined purchases on internet, cable and phone services, shipping expenses, travel, and ads purchased with search engines or social media sites
	(rates and fees)	2% cash-back on up to $50,000 in spend, then 1% back thereafter
	(rates and fees)	1.5x points for eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (up to $2 million in purchases per calendar year)
	(rates and fees)	2x points on everyday business purchases (up to $50,000; 1x thereafter)
		1.5% cash-back on all purchases

The 3 Best Overall Credit Cards for Advertising Purchases

1. Amex Business Gold Card (Top Pick – Best for Online, TV, and Radio Ads)

How To Earn on Advertising Purchases

You have more productive things to do with your time than trying to determine which bonus earning categories you should select on your business credit card.

With the Amex Business Gold card, elevated earning is simple. All of the 4x bonus earning categories are eligible, but your actual spending determines which 2 categories receive the bonus each statement period.

For example, if this month’s statement shows that shipping and radio advertising were your biggest expenses, those are the categories that will receive 4x bonus earnings.

Next month’s spending could change, with airline tickets and computer hardware being your largest expenses. Those will then be the categories earning the 4x bonus.

This process ensures your greatest expenses receive the greatest rewards. If advertising is always your biggest expense category, you’ll always receive 4x earnings for those purchases.

If your business spends a lot on Google Ads or Facebook Ads, the Amex Business Gold card is an excellent choice. If you maximize the $150,000 annual purchase limit in this 4x earnings category, that’s 600,000 Membership Rewards points earned each year!

Hot Tip: It’s worthy to note that Amex does not list Amazon advertising as a qualifying online ad purchase at this time.

Here’s how the Amex Business Gold card rewards advertising purchases:

Best For:	Examples of Bonus Earning Merchants	Rewards
Qualifying online ads, television and radio advertising purchased in the U.S. for the purpose of promoting a business	Ads on Google, Yahoo, and Bing Ads on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter NBC TV CBS Radio	4 Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on 2 categories Limit of $150,000 for both 4x earning categories combined

Why We Like Earning Membership Rewards Points

Membership Rewards points are one of the most valuable rewards currencies given how many ways there are to earn Amex points and the variety of good value redemption options.

The value you receive for your points will depend on which redemption option you select. You can purchase travel through Amex Travel, redeem your points for gift cards, or donate to charity to easily receive 1 cent per point in value.

Transferring Amex points to the Amex travel partners (especially airlines) can yield even greater value and be the best option for maximizing your Amex points.

While there are several other redemption options, choices such as statement credits, shopping at Amazon, Best Buy, or Shop with Membership Rewards Points will yield significantly less value for your points.

2. Ink Business Preferred Card (Best for Earning Points – Sub-$100 Annual Fee Card)

How To Earn on Advertising Purchases

No need to select a specific bonus category with the Ink Business Preferred card — all of the business spending bonus categories automatically earn 3 Ultimate Rewards points per $1 spent.

Advertising purchases on social media and search engines are included in the bonus earning categories and also receive 3 points per dollar spent.

Other 3x bonus-earning categories include travel, shipping, and internet, cable, and phone services.

There is a $150,000 annual limit on total 3x category earnings, after which you will earn 1 point per dollar spent. If you’re reaching this level of spending on Google, Amazon, or Facebook ads, or another 3x category, that’s a total of 450,000 Ultimate Rewards points!

Once earned, Ultimate Rewards points are deposited in your Ultimate Rewards account at the end of each statement period and are available for use.

Here’s how the Ink Business Preferred card rewards advertising purchases:

Best for:	Example of Bonus Earning Merchants	Rewards
Social media website advertising and search engine advertising purchases	Advertising on Google and on Amazon  Yahoo, Bing, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter ads	3 Ultimate Rewards points per $1 spent ($150k annual limit on the 3x, 1x thereafter)

Why We Like Earning Ultimate Rewards Points

We like to earn Ultimate Rewards points because of their flexibility and value.

• Redeem Ultimate Rewards points for travel, cash-back, gift cards, merchandise, or services
• Maximize the value of your points by transferring Ultimate Rewards points to the Chase transfer partners.
• Points redeemed via Chase’s travel portal are worth 25% more in value

Hot Tip: If your business spends a lot on Google, Amazon, or Facebook advertising, the Ink Business Preferred card is an excellent choice for those advertising purchases. Maximizing the $150,000 purchase limit for 3x categories will generate $5,625 in travel value when redeemed via the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal. 

3. Amex Blue Business Cash Card (Best for Consistent Cash-back)

How To Earn on Qualifying Advertising Purchases

If advertising is your greatest expense, you can consistently earn 2% cash-back with the Amex Blue Business Cash card. 2% earnings are limited to up to $50,000 in eligible purchases per year, and after you’ve maxed our your 2% earning, you’ll earn 1%.

Amex advertising categories include Google Ads, Yahoo Ads, and Facebook Ads. NBC TV and CBS Radio all qualify for 2% since the card earns 2% on all eligible purchases within the cap.

Why We Like Earning Cash-Back

If you’re operating your business on a tight budget and traveling is not a priority, cash-back can be a valuable way to bring capital back into the business.

No need for complicated redemption strategies — cash-back earned on the Amex Blue Business Cash card is applied automatically to your statement, helping to offset expenses and improve your bottom line.

Best Business Card for Unlimited Advertising Purchases

1. Amex Business Platinum Card (Best for High-spend Advertising Purchases)

If your business spends an inordinate amount of money on advertising each month, you’ll want to make sure every dollar is earning rewards. Plus, you’ll want to have a card that comes with many additional benefits you can use.

The Amex Business Platinum card comes with a long list of benefits that make it a valuable business resource.

Why We Like the Card for Advertising Purchases

• Earn 1.5x for eligible purchases made at U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers, at U.S. electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and at U.S. shipping providers as well as on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more everywhere else (up to $2 million in purchases per calendar year)
• There is no limit on the amount of Membership Rewards points you can earn

Why We Like the Card Overall

The Amex Business Platinum card is a premium travel rewards card that comes with premium travel benefits including the following.

• Complimentary access to over 1,400 airport lounges worldwide, including the prestigious Amex Centurion Lounge network
• Up to $200 in airline fee credits
• Flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel earn 5x points per dollar spent
• 35% points rebate on flights with your selected qualifying airline booked through Amex Travel
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee statement credit
• Hotel elite status with Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors upon enrollment

If your business is spending big on advertising, considering a card like the Amex Business Platinum card, with no spending limits, might be a rewarding option.

2 Alternative Credit Cards for Advertising Purchases

If you want to earn rewards on all of your purchases, you can accomplish this with several credit cards.

Let’s take a look at several no-annual-fee credit cards that deliver earnings on every purchase you make, including advertising.

1. Amex Blue Business Plus Card (Best for No Annual Fee & Cash-back)

The Amex Blue Business Plus card earns 2x points on everyday business purchases, including advertising like Google Ads and Facebook Ads, up to $50,000 per year. After that, you earn 1x.

If you maximize that limit, you’ll earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points — an excellent value for a no-annual-fee credit card.

2. Ink Business Unlimited Card (Best for No Annual Fee & Transferrable Rewards)

With 1.5% cash-back on every purchase your business makes, including advertising, the no-annual-fee Ink Business Unlimited card is worthy of consideration.

Cash-back rewards are earned in the form of Ultimate Rewards points that can be redeemed for cash-back at 1 cent per point.

You can, however, transfer the Ultimate Rewards points to premium Chase credit cards such as the Ink Business Preferred card or Chase Sapphire Reserve^® Card for 25% to 50% more value when redeemed for travel.

There is no limit on how much cash-back (in the form of Ultimate Rewards points) you can earn with the Ink Business Unlimited card.

Hot Tip: If your advertising expenses exceed the bonus category limits that come with a specific credit card, a combination of 2 cards that match up with your spending levels may be the ultimate solution. For example, the Ink Business Preferred card (great for Amazon advertisers) and the Amex Business Gold card are cards with elevated advertising earnings that have a $300,000 annual limit combined. 

Final Thoughts

If your business is heavy into advertising and the expense is significant, selecting a credit card that earns rewards for these purchases makes good business sense.

It’s also prudent to look at your other major expenses and select a card that matches as much of your spending mix as possible.

For example, if your 2 largest business expenses are for travel and advertising, the Ink Business Preferred card might be a better choice than the Amex Business Gold card that limits travel-related earnings to just airline tickets purchased directly from the airlines.

If your business is small and you have a lot of office supply purchases and wireless phone expenses, the Amex Blue Business Cash card will have you earning plenty at 2% cash-back on up to $50,000 per year.

Selecting the best credit card for earning rewards on your business advertising expenses should involve looking at all of your expenses to determine which card is the best one overall for your business bottom line.

For rates and fees of the American Express^® Business Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.