The best business credit cards in Canada 2022

BMO® CashBack®* Business Mastercard®

• No annual fee
• Welcome offer: get 10% cashback on gas, office supplies, cell phone, and internet bill payments for first 3 months
• 1.75% on gas and in-store purchases at Shell locations, 1.5% on all other gas purchases, office supplies, cell phone, and internet bill payments, 0.75% on all other card purchases
• Income requirement: none

The BMO CashBack Business Mastercard has no annual fee and provides business owners the opportunity to earn cash back rewards on office expenses, offering a rate of 1.5% on office supply purchases as well as cell phone and internet bills. Not only that, but you’ll also save at the pumps, earning 1.75% on gas and in-store purchases at Shell locations (other gas purchases will still earn you 1.5%). 

The card’s welcome offer is definitely inviting: 10% cashback on gas, office supplies, cell phone, and internet bills for the first 3 months of ownership. 

In addition, you can get up to 22 additional cards for employees, plus automatic rebates of 1%-25% when you shop at qualifying merchants with Mastercard Easy Savings. You’ll also receive 90 day purchase protection and extended warranty coverage for up to one additional year on any purchases made with the card. BMO’s Liability Waiver program is also there to safeguard against any employee card abuse. 

Alaska Airlines® Platinum Plus® Mastercard®

• Annual fee: $75
• Welcome offer: get 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1000 or more on eligible purchases in the first 90 days of your account opening
• Earn 3 miles on every dollar spent on tickets, vacation packages, and cargo services from Alaska Airlines, earn 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases
• Income requirement: none

For frequent travelers looking for a business card, the Alaska Airlines Platinum Plus Mastercard is one to consider. While it carries a relatively small annual fee of $75, cardholders can also earn 3 miles per dollar on tickets, vacation packages, and cargo services from Alaska Airlines (all other purchases earn 1 mile per dollar). Not only that, but the card’s welcome bonus offers 20,000 bonus miles after spending $1000 or more on eligible purchases in the first 90 days of ownership. You’ll also get an annual account anniversary gift of Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare for a $121 USD round trip with Alaska Airlines. 

When it comes to insurance coverage, the card features purchase assurance for the first 90 days (up to a lifetime limit of $60,000 per account) plus extended warranty coverage for one additional year after purchase.

BMO® AIR MILES® No-Fee Business® Mastercard®

• No annual fee
• Welcome offer: Get 1,000 AIR MILES bonus miles 
• Get 1.25x the miles for every $20 spent at participating Shell stations, 1 mile for every $20 spent everywhere else
• Minimum income: none

The BMO AIR MILES No-Fee Business Mastercard is a perfect fit for frequently-traveling business owners who collect and use Air Miles. Users will earn 1.25x the miles with every $20 spent on the card at participating Shell stations, plus 1 mile per $20 spent everywhere else. The card’s welcome bonus will also start you off on the right foot, offering 1,000 miles upon signup.

In addition, BMO offers optional additional cards for employees, plus automatic rebates on qualified purchases through Mastercard Easy Savings. The card also provides insurance in the form of extended warrant, purchase protection, and a liability waiver program.

American Express® AIR MILES®* Gold Business Card

• No annual fee
• Welcome offer: get 150 AIR MILES bonus miles when you spend $1000 in the first 3 months of cardmembership
• Get 1x the miles for every $15 spent at eligible AIR MILES partners (excluding purchases made at airmilesshops.ca) and 1x the miles for every $20 spent everywhere else
• Minimum income: none

Another excellent option for business owners collecting air miles is the American Express AIR MILES Gold Business Card. Featuring no annual fee and a welcome offer of 150 bonus miles for spending $1000 in the first 3 months, the card will also earn you 1x the miles for every $15 spent at eligible AIR MILES partners (excluding purchases from airmilesshops.ca) and 1x the miles for every $20 spent everywhere else. You can also combine this card with your regular AIR MILES card to earn twice the miles at participating retailers, trading them in for entertainment, travel, merchandise, and more. 

In addition to free supplementary cards for employees, the American Express AIR MILES Gold Business Card offers $100,000 worth of travel accident insurance, protecting you as well as your spouse and children (and any supplementary cardholders) while traveling by plane, train, ship, or bus with tickets purchased via the card. And, of course, cardholders also get access to AMEX perks such as Front of the Line®

American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card

• Annual fee: $199 (may be tax deductible)
• Welcome offer: Earn up to 110,000 bonus points
• Earn 1x the points for every dollar you spend
• Minimum income: none

If you’re looking for a similar AMEX card experience but aren’t planning on collecting air miles, the American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card may be up your alley.

While it does carry an annual fee of $199 and a basic flat rate of 1 point per dollar, the card’s generous welcome bonus offers you the ability to earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $5000 in the first 3 months of ownership, plus an additional 10,000 points for making a purchase after your 14-month card anniversary date. And, if that’s not enough, you can also get 10,000 bonus points if you charge at least $20,000 in net purchases to the card per quarter. Added up, that’s a possible total of 110,000 bonus points you could acquire in the first year. Redemption is also very flexible, giving you the option to use your points for travel expenses, statement credits, Amazon.ca purchases, and more, plus the ability to transfer them 1:1 to frequent flyer programs such as Avion and Aeroplan. 

For frequent business travelers, the card also features extensive travel insurance for car rental theft/damage, lost/stolen baggage, hotel burglary, flight and baggage delay, travel emergency, and $100,000 travel accident coverage. Cardholders on the road will also receive access to up to $100 USD in hotel credits, plus discounts and upgrades with participating Hertz car rental locations

Other perks of the card include up to 55 interest-free days and access to paperless expense reports both quarterly and annually. 

American Express® AIR MILES®* for Business Card

• Annual fee: $180
• Welcome offer: earn 2000 bonus air miles when you spend $5000 within the first 3 months
• Earn 1x miles for every $10 spent at eligible AIR MILES® partners (excluding airmilesshops.ca), and 1x miles for every $15 spent on everything else
• Minimum income: none

Similar to the American Express® AIR MILES®* Gold Business Card, the American Express® AIR MILES®* for Business Card offers business owners the opportunity to earn air miles through purchases of everything from office supplies to travel expenses. 

The card’s welcome offer allows you to earn 2000 bonus air miles after spending at least $5000 within your first 3 months. After that, you’ll earn 1x the miles for every $10 you spend at eligible AIR MILES partners (except for purchases made at airmilesshops.ca) and 1x miles for every $15 spent anywhere else. Plus, if you use the card in conjunction with your regular AIR MILES collector card, you’ll earn twice the points on each transaction.

There’s also its extensive travel insurance perks. Cardholders can enjoy coverage on car rental theft/damage, lost/stolen/delayed baggage, flight delay, hotel burglary, and travel accidents. 

In addition, the card offers 55 interest-free days as well as access to quarterly and yearly paperless expense reports. For any purchases made on the card, you’ll also get access to their Buyer’s Assurance® Protection Plan (doubling the manufacturer’s warranty up to one additional year) as well as their regular Purchase Protection® Plan and Fraud Protection Guarantee.

American Express® Aeroplan®* Card

• Annual fee: $120
• Welcome bonus: earn up to 40,000 bonus Aeroplan points, plus a bonus Buddy Pass
• Earn 2x points on eligible Air Canada®* and Air Canada®* vacations purchases, 1.5x points on dining and food delivery, and 1x points on everything else
• Minimum income: none

For business travelers looking for a great welcome bonus and solid earning potential, look no further than the American Express Aeroplan Card. 

Newcomers who spend $1500 within the first 3 months of card ownership can earn 10,000 bonus Aeroplan points and a complimentary Buddy Pass for an eligible round-trip flight within North America. Plus, you can also get an additional 2500 points for each monthly billing period in which you spend $500 on your card in the first 12 months. Altogether, that’s a possible grand total of 40,000 points you could earn in your first year. After that, you’ll still earn 2x the points on eligible Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations purchases, 1.5x the points on eligible dining and food delivery in Canada, and 1x the points on everything else. Plus, if you pay with your American Express Aeroplan Card at any of Aeroplan’s more than 150 partnering retailers, you’ll get double the points.

There’s also numerous travel benefits associated with the card when you use it to fly Air Canada. Cardholders will enjoy a free checked bag for themselves and up to 8 companions, plus earn 1000 Status Qualifying Miles and 1 Status Qualifying Segment for every $10,000 in eligible purchases charged to the card. Then there’s the extensive travel insurance which covers flight delay, baggage delay, hotel burglary, travel accident, car rental theft/damage, and travel emergency assistance (some insurance benefits may be affected by COVID 19, so check with your provider first). 

Other perks include AMEX’s Buyer’s Assurance® Protection Plan and Purchase Protection® Plan, as well as standard AMEX features such as Front of the Line®

BMO AIR MILES® World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

• Annual fee: $149 (waived in first year)
• Welcome bonus: get 3000 AIR MILES® bonus miles when you spend $5000 in the first 3 months
• Earn 1 mile for every $12 spent, and 4x the miles when you use the card at participating AIR MILES partners
• Minimum income: none

The BMO AIR MILES World Elite Business Mastercard offers a great welcome bonus of 3000 bonus air miles after spending $5000 on the card in the first 3 months, plus a waived annual fee (value $149) for the first year. After that, you’ll still enjoy 1 mile for every $12 spent on the card, plus 4x the miles when the card is used at any participating AIR MILES partnered retailers. Points can be redeemed flexibly for travel, office supplies, events, attractions, or AIR MILES cash rewards.

Other perks include an additional 22 cards for employees, VIP airport lounge access at more than 400 airports across the globe ($32 USD per visit), and automatic rebates of 1%-25% when making purchases at qualifying merchants with Mastercard Easy Savings™. You’ll also get extensive travel protection, insuring you against car rental collisions, trip cancellation/interruption, baggage delay, plus more.

The card is also partnered with Canadian virtual healthcare provider Maple, giving you access to 5 free virtual care visits for your and your family members once you sign up.