The 6 Best Business Credit Cards for Shipping Purchases [FedEx, UPS & More]

With more and more consumers turning to shopping online, the amount companies spend on shipping products has skyrocketed. In fact, the State of Logistics Report indicates that U.S. companies spent $1.85 trillion on shipping costs in 2021.¹

If you run an e-commerce business of your own, chances are your business likely spends a great deal on shipping each year, and if so, savvy business owners will want to make sure they’re receiving the highest return possible on these expenses.

When it comes to maximizing your return on shipping purchases, small business owners are in luck. There are many great options that fit a large variety of needs. Here’s all the information dissecting what those cards are and how they can benefit the shipping needs of your business.

The 6 Best Business Cards for Shipping Purchases — Summary

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The 3 Best Overall Business Cards for Shipping Purchases

1. American Express^® Business Gold Card (Top Pick)

Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a huge welcome bonus offer of up to 110,000 points with the Amex Business Gold card! The current public offer is 70,000 points. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants.)

The reward earnings on the Amex Business Gold card are incredibly flexible. So much so that every single bonus category is eligible for 4x earnings, but your actual spending determines which 2 categories receive the bonus each statement period.

Sound simple enough? That’s because it is! This benefit ensures your greatest expenses receive the greatest rewards. If shipping is consistently one of your biggest expense categories, you’ll receive 4x earnings for those purchases.

If your business spends a significant amount on shipping purchases, the Amex Business Gold card could be very lucrative for you. The 4x points applies to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from the select categories, but those whose business needs meet that cap can earn a whopping 600,000 Membership Rewards points every year!

One of these select business categories is U.S. shipping purchases (including courier, postal, and freight shipping), and purchases from companies like FedEx, UPS, and USPS would all count!

Also, the Amex Business Gold card has no preset spending limit, so you can spend with confidence. Other benefits include no foreign transaction fees, basic travel insurance, and fee-free employee cards with no additional annual fee after the first employee card annual fee of $50 (rates and fees).

Why We Like Earning Amex Membership Rewards Points

Amex Membership Rewards points, by our valuations, are the most coveted available, thanks to their value of 2.2 cents per point.

If you earn 4x points, you’re effectively earning a return on spending of 8.8%, which is massive.

To get the most value from your points, use the Amex transfer partners for luxury award travel. You can also redeem points for statement credits, gift cards, online purchases, Amex Travel bookings, and much more.

2. Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card

With the Ink Business Preferred card, business owners will earn 3x Ultimate Reward points on purchases made within all 4 of the bonus categories — including shipping purchases.

Similar to the Amex Business Gold card, there is a $150,000 annual cap on total category earnings, after which you will earn 1x points. If you’re reaching this level of spending on your shipping purchases, or any other 3x categories, that’s a total of 450,000 Ultimate Rewards Points per year.

In addition to the 3x points you earn on shipping purchases, you’ll also earn 3x points on travel, advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines, internet, cable, and phone services.

The Ink Business Preferred card earns 3x points on shipping merchants including couriers, postal and freight shipping companies, express shipping services, and mailbox stores. Vendors like FedEx, USPS, and UPS will count.

Remember, the Ink Business Preferred card also possesses travel insurance, cell phone protection, fee-free employee cards, no foreign transaction fees, and much more.

Why We Like Earning Ultimate Rewards Points

Ultimate Rewards points are not only valuable but flexible. You can use your Ultimate Reward points through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal where you’ll receive a 25% bonus or redeem points for cash back, gift cards, and other experiences.

If you want to maximize your Chase Ultimate Reward points, make the most of them by using one of their airline or hotel transfer partners. Transferring Ultimate Reward points can help you book business class flights and 5-star hotel stays for just a fraction of the retail value.

Hot Tip: If your business spends a lot on shipping purchases or any of the other bonus categories, the Ink Business Preferred card may be an excellent choice for you. Maximizing the $150,000 purchase limit for 3x categories will generate 450,000 Ultimate Reward points. These would be worth $5,625 in travel when redeemed via the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal, or potentially even more when used with transfer partners!

3. The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

If your business has frequent shipping expenses, you can earn 2% cash-back on all purchases, including shipping, with the Amex Blue Business Cash card. Bonus earnings are limited to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, amounting to a potential $1,000 in cash-back.

After you reach the capped spending, you earn 1% cash-back. For extra ease, your cash-back earned is automatically credited to your statement.

There is no limit to the amount of cash-back you can earn with the card, so you can use the card without fear of your cash-back capping out!

Other benefits include Expanded Buying Power, secondary rental car insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty, and fee-free employee cards (rates and fees).

Why We Like Earning Cash-back

You know the saying “cash is king” — when you’re running a business, your bottom line matters and every little bit you can save adds up.

If you don’t have any desire to fuss with point-earning or transferable rewards, naturally cash-back is the best option for you. Cash-back earned on your Amex Blue Business Cash card is applied automatically to your statements, allowing you to offset expenses as you make them.

Hot Tip: Don’t forget about your other business expenses. Check out these great business credit cards for office supply purchases.

3 Additional Card Options for Shipping Purchases

4. Marriott Bonvoy Business^® American Express^® Card

Are you a business owner who not only spends a lot of time at their local shipping center but also travels often? If so, the Marriott Bonvoy Business card could be perfect for you.

With the Marriott Bonvoy Business card, cardholders earn 6x points at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program as well as 4x on U.S. purchases for shipping.

Marriott Bonvoy loyalists will love the additional card perks like complimentary Gold Elite status, an annual free night award, a 7% discount on Marriott stays, and 15 Elite Night Credits every year. There are also no foreign transaction fees and fee-free employee cards (rates and fees).

Why We Like Earning Marriott Bonvoy Points

If you’re a loyalist at Marriott properties around the world, the Marriott Bonvoy Business card is one of the only options you’ve got to earn bonus rewards on shipping purchases.

4x points are worth a return on spending of 2.8% by our valuations, making this a solid card to get overall. If you value the free night certificate and 15 Elite Night Credits every year to get closer to elite status, it’s probably a no-brainer for you.

Obviously, we love redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points for reward stays at hotels, but you can get some exceptional value by booking flights with Marriott Bonvoy points, too.

5. The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Business owners that hold the Amex Blue Business Plus card earn 2x Membership Rewards points on everyday business purchases, including all shipping purchases, up to $50,000 per year. After that, you earn 1x on all purchases.

Simply by maximizing that limit, you will earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points. You can also leverage the Expanded Buying Power, purchase protection, extended warranty, zero fraud liability protection, and fee-free employee cards (rates and fees).

6. Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card

With an uncapped 1.5% cash-back (in the form of Ultimate Rewards points) on every purchase your business makes, including shipping, the Ink Business Unlimited card is a great no-annual-fee credit card worthy of consideration. Right now, there’s a great welcome bonus, as well.

Cardholders can redeem their Ultimate Rewards points for cash-back; however, transferring your Ultimate Rewards points to premium Chase credit cards such as the Ink Business Preferred card or Chase Sapphire Reserve^® will give cardholders outsized value for their hard-earned points.

Also, there’s travel insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty, roadside dispatch, fee-free employee cards, and the Ink Business Unlimited is a business credit card with a 0 APR offer.

Bottom Line: If the shipping needs of your business exceed the earnings cap on a certain card, holding 2 cards could be optimal for you. For example, you could place your first $150,000 in shipping purchases to earn 4x with the Amex Business Gold card, and an additional $50,000 to earn 2x with the Amex Blue Business Plus card. This method would net you a total of 700,000 Membership Rewards points.

Final Thoughts

If you have a business that spends a significant amount on shipping purchases each year, then having a strong credit card that rewards you for that spending is a sound financial decision. When deciding which of these card options is best for you, it will be helpful to consider both your amount of shipping expenses and your amount spent on other relevant bonus categories.

If your business spending varies greatly from month to month, the Amex Business Gold card could help you ensure you’re always maximizing your 2 highest categories, whereas a card like the Ink Business Preferred card allows you to earn a fixed 3x points on purchases in all bonus categories.

Rest assured, there is no one size fits all credit card, so be certain to do your research to determine which would be best for the needs of your business. By doing so, you could be earning thousands of dollars in valuable reward points or cash-back for your business year after year.

For the car rental collision damage coverage benefit of The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car rental loss or damage coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. For the extended warranty and purchase protection benefit of The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the extended warranty and purchase protection benefit of The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

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 Marriott Bonvoy Business^® American Express^® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.