Anyone with a small business or side hustle should have a small business credit card that earns bonus rewards in areas where they spend the most.

A major expense for many businesses is digital advertising, including platforms like Facebook, Google, Amazon and Twitter. If you’re not maximizing the rewards you earn for your business’s online advertising, you may be missing out on a major opportunity.

Below, CNBC Select has compiled a list of the best business credit cards for online advertising, including cards that earn travel rewards, airline miles and cash back. (See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best cards.)

Best business cards for online advertising

Best overall

The American Express® Business Gold Card stands out for its flexibility. Cardholders earn an impressive 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap. Terms apply.

The American Express Business Gold’s bonus categories include U.S. purchases for advertising in select media and lots of other useful categories such as U.S. purchases at gas stations, restaurants, for shipping and more.

To qualify for the bonus rewards, American Express purchases must be made directly from U.S. media providers (online, TV, radio). This includes (but is not limited to) advertising purchases with companies such as Google, Facebook, Yahoo and CBS.

In addition to transferring American Express Membership Rewards® points to various airline and hotel partners, cardholders can redeem their points toward eligible airfare booked through the Amex Travel Portal and receive a 25% points rebate (up to 250,000 points per calendar year). The rebate applies to business and first class tickets on any airline, or any class on your selected qualifying airline.

To learn more, read CNBC Select’s Amex Business Gold Card review.

Best for travel rewards

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offers a reasonable $95 annual fee, a sizeable welcome bonus and generous returns. It earns 3X Chase Ultimate Rewards® points in useful categories for business owners, including travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines — for the first $150,000 in combined purchases each account anniversary — as well as 1X points for all other purchases.

Chase Ultimate Rewards® points are excellent travel rewards because they give you many options. You can redeem points for one cent each as cash back or book travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® travel portal at a rate of 1.25 cents per point. You can also transfer Chase points to 14 travel partners to book flights or hotels.

Other benefits include no foreign transaction fees, primary car rental insurance, cell phone protection, employee cards at no additional cost and more.

To learn more, read CNBC Select’s Ink Business Preferred Credit Card review.

Best for no annual fee 

Best for cash back

The *Capital One Spark Cash Plus Credit Card removes the headaches of earning and redeeming credit card rewards. It earns an unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, and it’s a charge card with no preset spending limit, so you’ll need to pay it off in full each month.

The *Capital One Spark Cash Plus is ideal for anyone looking for a set-it-and-forget-it card because there are no complicated benefits or rewards to navigate. It does have a $150 annual fee, but you can get it refunded after spending at least $150,000 on the card in a year. It’s also free to add employee cards and there are no foreign transaction fees.

To learn more, read CNBC Select’s Capital One Spark Cash Plus review.

Best for airline miles

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FAQs

How to choose a business credit card for advertising

To choose the best business credit card for your advertising expenses, you’ll want to take a look at all of your business expenses. By understanding where your business spends the most money, you may be able to open a small business card that rewards you for advertising and other business purchases, such as shipping or cell phone service.

Are business credit cards for advertising worth it?

Getting a business credit card for your advertising expenses allows you to earn rewards for business expenses that may otherwise go unrewarded or under-rewarded. These rewards could help you offset other business expenses such as flights or lodging.

Which credit card is best for Facebook ads?

The most rewarding business credit card for Facebook ad spending is the American Express Business Gold Card. It earns 4X points on the top two categories where you spent the most each billing cycle, including on select advertising with companies like Google, Facebook and Yahoo (up to $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year, then 1X points).

Find the best credit card for you by reviewing offers in our credit card marketplace or get personalized offers via CardMatch™.

Bottom line

Online advertising is a common expense for many businesses, and with the right business card, you can maximize the rewards you earn for this type of purchase. You can also choose a card that earns the type of rewards that will be most useful to you, whether that’s straight cash back, airline miles or travel rewards. Plus, many of the cards on this list earn bonus rewards for a variety of other purchases as well, so your business can be rewarded for more than just its spending on ads.

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Our methodology

To determine which business cards offer the best value for online advertising, CNBC Select analyzed the most popular credit cards available to U.S. business owners. We compared each card on a range of features, including the annual fee, employee card fee, rewards, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR and foreign transaction fees, as well as factors such as required credit and customer reviews when available. We also considered additional perks, the application process and how easy it is to redeem points.

*Information about the Capital One Spark Cash Plus Credit Card has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.

For rates and fees of the Business Gold Card® from American Express, click here.

For rates and fees of the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.