Choosing a Small Business Credit Card (AMEX Starwood vs Platinum Delta SkyMiles® vs Suntrust Business Card vs TD Business Card)
Getting a business credit card is an exciting step. It means that what was once your dream is now a separate legal entity. But choosing the right business credit card requires the same measured thinking that got you this far.
There are countless business credit cards on the market with tempting sign-up bonuses and rewards programs, but if you aren’t careful, some of those pretty perks could lure you into the land of steep annual fees.
This article will compare four business credit cards and their accompanying rewards programs. Specifically, it will look at the Starwood Preferred credit card, the SunTrust MasterCard credit card, the TD Bank business credit card, and the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® credit card.
These cards come with varying annual fees, purchase annual percentage rates (APR), and rewards programs.
Specific Benefits Business Owners Should Seek in a Business Credit Card
Decent cash back rewards or reward miles may be the first thing you think about when you are looking for appealing business credit cards (after APR and annual fees, of course).
But beyond rewards, you should be looking for the practical features of a business credit card that can help the everyday operation of your business. Whether it’s a Platinum Delta SkyMiles® credit card or the TD Bank business credit card, the point of a business credit card is to help your company run smoothly.
Do you get complimentary employee cards?
Chances are you have an employee or two. If they are trusted team members, you have likely delegated responsibilities that include making purchases for the company. But if they constantly have to come to you to use your Starwood Preferred credit card or to get a purchase approved, they are wasting valuable company time.
Check to see if the credit card you are considering comes with free additional cards. Moreover, make sure those free additional cards don’t require an annual fee. As you’ll find in the review, the Starwood credit card offers free employee credit cards.
Is there travel insurance and roadside assistance?
If your company engages in a fair amount of traveling, you don’t just want a credit card that’s going to help you save money on flights.
You also want a credit card with the kind of support that will help you in case things go wrong while you’re away on a work trip. Cards like the SunTrust MasterCard credit card offer this kind of service.
Choosing a Small Business Credit Card (AMEX Starwood vs Platinum Delta SkyMiles® vs Suntrust Business Card vs TD Business Card)
Getting a business credit card is an exciting step. It means that what was once your dream is now a separate legal entity. But choosing the right business credit card requires the same measured thinking that got you this far.
There are countless business credit cards on the market with tempting sign-up bonuses and rewards programs, but if you aren’t careful, some of those pretty perks could lure you into the land of steep annual fees.
This article will compare four business credit cards and their accompanying rewards programs. Specifically, it will look at the Starwood Preferred credit card, the SunTrust MasterCard credit card, the TD Bank business credit card, and the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® credit card.
These cards come with varying annual fees, purchase annual percentage rates (APR), and rewards programs.
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Specific Benefits Business Owners Should Seek in a Business Credit Card
Decent cash back rewards or reward miles may be the first thing you think about when you are looking for appealing business credit cards (after APR and annual fees, of course).
But beyond rewards, you should be looking for the practical features of a business credit card that can help the everyday operation of your business. Whether it’s a Platinum Delta SkyMiles® credit card or the TD Bank business credit card, the point of a business credit card is to help your company run smoothly.
Do you get complimentary employee cards?
Chances are you have an employee or two. If they are trusted team members, you have likely delegated responsibilities that include making purchases for the company. But if they constantly have to come to you to use your Starwood Preferred credit card or to get a purchase approved, they are wasting valuable company time.
Check to see if the credit card you are considering comes with free additional cards. Moreover, make sure those free additional cards don’t require an annual fee. As you’ll find in the review, the Starwood credit card offers free employee credit cards.
Is there travel insurance and roadside assistance?
If your company engages in a fair amount of traveling, you don’t just want a credit card that’s going to help you save money on flights.
You also want a credit card with the kind of support that will help you in case things go wrong while you’re away on a work trip. Cards like the SunTrust MasterCard credit card offer this kind of service.
So long as you book your trip using the SunTrust Bank credit card, you receive some coverage for accidental death or dismemberment or if your rental is damaged in any way.
Having some kind of support or assistance to access in the case of a legal, medical, or money emergency while away for business is a great feature to have access to through your SunTrust business credit card — or any business credit card for that matter.
See Also: Top Best American Express Card Offers & Benefits |Ranking | Compare Top AMEX Card Offers
Comparison Review List
The list below is sorted alphabetically (click any of the names below to go directly to the detailed review section):
- Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card
- Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card
- SunTrust World for Business Credit Card
- TD Business Solutions Visa Signature® Credit Card
High Level Comparison Table
Credit Card | Purchase APR | Annual Fee |
| Platinum Delta SkyMiles® | 15.49%, 17.49%, or 19.49% | $195 |
| Starwood Preferred Guest® | 15.49%, 17.49%, or 19.49% | $95 |
| SunTrust World for Business | 10.49% to 16.49% | $0 |
| TD Business Solutions Visa Signature® | 13.24%, 18.24%, or 23.24% | $0 |
Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card Review
The Platinum Delta Skymiles® credit card from American Express is a business and travel rewards card. Business owners who use the Delta Platinum card receive Delta Platinum benefits that allow them to make the best of the expenses they pay using their American Express business credit card.
Rates & Fees
But before we get to the Delta Platinum benefits, let’s take a moment to talk about the rates and fees associated with the Delta Platinum card. There are a lot of rewards, perks, and services that come with the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® credit card, but those American Express business credit card perks don’t come cheap.
The Delta Platinum card comes with a variable APR of 15.49%, 17.49%, or 19.49%. The exact rate you get for your Platinum Delta SkyMiles® credit card depends on how creditworthy you are. Unfortunately, a lower introductory APR is not one of the Delta Platinum benefits that come with this American Express business credit card.
The annual fee on this American Express business credit card is $195 a year. All of the benefits that people have come to associate with the American Express brand do not come cheap. In fact, the annual fee on the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® credit card is considered a steal compared to some of the annual fees on other American Express cards. As with the APR, an introductory annual fee is not one of the Delta Platinum benefits.
Rewards Program
So what exactly are the Delta Platinum benefits? Customers earn 2 miles for every dollar spent on Delta purchases made using their American Express business credit card. Every other purchase on the Delta Platinum card earns one mile per dollar.
And these points on your American Express business credit card don’t expire. You can take as long as you want to redeem the Delta Platinum benefits you’ve earned on your Delta Platinum card.
There is also the opportunity to boost your Delta Platinum benefits. For starters, if you spend at least $1,000 within the first three months of opening your American Express business credit card account, you receive 35,000 bonus miles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles, which are part of a separate program offered by Delta Air Lines.
And once you make a Delta purchase using your American Express business credit card within the first three months, you receive a $100 statement credit. But this ability to boost your Delta Platinum benefits is not limited to just the first three months.
If you spend $25,000 using your American Express business credit card in one calendar year, you receive 10,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles as bonus Delta Platinum benefits.
Another one of the Delta Platinum benefits applies to using your American Express business credit card when you are abroad. When you use your Platinum Delta SkyMiles® credit card outside the country your Delta Platinum card is not charged any foreign transaction fees. You also get your first bag checked for free on every Delta flight.
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Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card Review
Image Source: American Express
The Starwood Preferred Guest® Business credit card from American Express will serve as a less expensive alternative for those who like the cards offered by Amex but don’t want to spend too much.
Rates & Fees
The Starwood credit card has an APR of 15.49%, 17.49%, or 19.49%. The exact Starwood Preferred credit card rate you receive on your Starwood Preferred Guest® business credit card depends on your credit score and credit history. Much like the previous American Express card, the Starwood Preferred Guest® credit card from American Express does not come with an introductory APR.
The good news is that the American Express Starwood card does come with an introductory annual fee. It would be better news if the Starwood credit card came with no annual fee at all, but you can’t have everything.
The annual fee on the Starwood Preferred Guest® credit card from American Express is $95, but for the first 12 months the Starwood credit card has an introductory annual fee of $0.
American Express Starwood Credit Card Rewards
Your Starwood credit card earns 5 Starpoints when you make a purchase at eligible SPG hotels using your Starwood Preferred Guest® credit card from American Express. When you use your American Express Starwood card at select Marriott Rewards® hotels, you earn 2 Starpoints for your Starwood Preferred credit card.
All other purchases using your Starwood credit card earn 1 Starpoint per dollar.
The Starwood credit card gives American Express Starwood card members access to free nights at hotels, free flights through SPG flights, and Sheraton Club Lounge Access.
Your Starwood Preferred credit card doesn’t just make travel cheaper. Your Starwood credit card makes travel simpler and more convenient, too. The American Express Starwood credit card has no foreign transaction fees. This means you can use your Starwood Preferred Guest® business credit card while abroad without worrying that you will be surprised with an astronomical number on your bill.
The American Express Starwood credit card provides customers with complimentary Wi-Fi, $0 annual fee for each Employee Starwood Preferred Guest® Business credit card, in addition to other in-room and in-hotel perks on the Starwood credit card.
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SunTrust World for Business Credit Card Review
The SunTrust business credit card from SunTrust Bank offers cash back instead of rewards miles like the other two cards we just talked about. The SunTrust Bank credit card provides customers with a way to earn a little bit of cash money while making purchases on their SunTrust MasterCard credit card.
Rates & Fees
The SunTrust business credit card comes with a variable APR between 10.49% and 16.49%. There is no annual fee with the SunTrust Bank credit card. So long as customers pay off their balance in full each month, their SunTrust MasterCard credit card won’t cost them a cent.
The SunTrust business credit card does come with a SunTrust Bank credit card introductory APR. For the first 12 months, there is a 0% APR on the SunTrust MasterCard credit card.
Rewards Program
The SunTrust business credit card’s cash back rewards program is designed to put business owners in the most advantageous position for earning cash back. The first $2,000 spent on office supplies or fuel qualifying purchases using the SunTrust Bank credit card earn 5% cash back, so long as that spending amount is reached within the first 12 months. After the first $2,000, these qualifying purchases made on the SunTrust MasterCard credit card earn 3% cash back.
All other qualifying purchases made using the SunTrust business credit card earn 1% cash back. In addition to a low APR and tempting introductory offers, the SunTrust Bank credit card comes with the usual features that we’ve come to associate with a solid credit card. The SunTrust MasterCard credit card even comes with travel perks, even though it is not marketed as a business travel credit card.
Additional Perks & Services
Often, consumers make purchases that they later come to regret. In other cases, they make a purchase that turns out to be faulty and may have difficulty getting a new one due to resistance from the manufacturer or an expired warranty. In that last scenario, having the SunTrust business credit card can be very helpful.
With the SunTrust Bank credit card, business owners can have most manufacturer warranties doubled for up to one year, giving them some ease when they make an expensive purchase for their company using their SunTrust MasterCard credit card.
The SunTrust business credit card also comes with Travel Accident Assist. SunTrust Bank credit card members are covered for up to $250,000 in cases of accidental death or dismemberment when they make their business travel arrangements using their SunTrust MasterCard credit card.
The SunTrust MasterCard credit card also comes with MasterAssist®, which gives SunTrust business credit card members access to emergency legal, medical, cash, and travel assistance while they are on business trips paid for with their SunTrust Bank credit card.
SunTrust MasterCard credit card members also receive access to Master RoadAssist®, which helps cover damage to a car rental, in addition to ID Theft Resolution, which gives access to helpful services in the case of identity theft.
Additionally, the SunTrust business credit card comes with access to complimentary employee cards. This way, business owners can provide their trusted employees with SunTrust MasterCard credit cards to make company purchases on their own without constantly coming to their boss for approval and causing inefficiencies.
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TD Business Solutions Credit Card Review
The TD Business Solutions credit card from TD Bank is the last card in our comparison article. The TD Bank business credit card is a straightforward cash back credit card that helps business owners earn money while making everyday business purchases.
Rates & Fees
Before we get into the rewards that the TD Bank business credit card offers, let’s talk a little about rates and fees. At the end of the day, this is the most important part of any card and the vital element to consider when deciding whether a card is right for you and your business’s needs.
The APR on the TD Bank business credit card is 13.24%, 18.24%, or 23.24%. Like the other cards on this list, the exact rate your receive is based on your creditworthiness as determined by your credit score.
There is no introductory purchase APR, but there is an introductory balance transfer APR for the TD Bank business credit card. If you want to transfer your balance from another credit card to this credit card, you get a 0% APR for the first 12 billing cycles. But keep in mind that there is a balance transfer fee of either $10 or 4% of the amount being transferred. Whichever number is higher is the one that the banks will use.
There is no annual fee that comes with the TD Bank business credit card.
Rewards Program
The TD Bank business credit card has a cash back rewards program. You can earn an unlimited number of points through the program, but there are some conditions that come with how you earn those points.
All purchases made using your TD Bank business credit card earn a point per dollar, but you have to spend at least $2,000 on purchases each month. There is a limited special offer that gives cardholders the opportunity to earn 20,000 points if they spend $3,000 within the first 90 days of opening their account.
The points earned using the TD Bank business credit card rewards program can be redeemed for gifts, travel, merchandise, and of course, cash back.
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Conclusion – Your Business Rewards Card Is What You Make of It
Once you have found the rewards card you desire, it is what you make of it.
Responsibly putting all of your purchases on your business credit card, whether it’s the American Express Business credit card or the SunTrust business credit card, means you can maximize the number of rewards you earn – cash back, miles, or otherwise.
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