Best Barclays business cards

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Barclays offers four co-branded business credit cards that allow small-business owners to earn rewards from American Airlines, JetBlue, Hawaiian Airlines, and Wyndham Hotels. The value of these cards depends on whether you are willing to pay an annual fee and if the additional perks work with your business travel preferences and spending habits. Here’s a comparison of Barclays business credit cards to show how they stack up.

Comparing the best Barclay business credit cards

Top Barclays business credit cards

How to choose the best Barclays business card

Barclays business credit cards are co-branded travel cards, which makes them less flexible than standard travel rewards business cards. They all offer standard business perks like complimentary employee cards and expense management.

Business owners who want to earn rewards with Barclays’ co-branded programs will most benefit from these cards. But if you don’t typically utilize one of their programs, you should look for a business card that aligns better with your needs and spending habits. When choosing the best business credit card from Barclays, consider the following factors:

• Find out how much points and miles are worth: According to our points and miles valuations, HawaiianMiles are worth 0.7 cents, Wyndham Rewards are worth 0.9 cents, AAdvantage miles are worth 1.0 cents, and JetBlue TrueBlue points are worth up to 1.3 cents on average. These numbers can help you better visualize the overall value of your points. For example, earning 8X Wyndham points on a gas purchase is worth a minimum 7.2 percent return, with the potential for more value with the proper redemption.
• Evaluate your travel needs: Since Barclays only offers co-branded business cards, it makes sense to consider one if that airline or hotel fits your travel needs. The points earned only work with the co-branded program, so you might want to look at other options if you travel with more than one airline.
• Consider additional benefits: See if the card you choose offers cardholder perks you’re interested in, especially if they can benefit your business. There are many helpful business tools outside travel rewards, like free employee cards, software integrations, and accounting tools.
• Check eligibility requirements: Find the recommended credit score for approval and check your credit score to see if you qualify. Although business credit cards may not impact your personal credit, issuers may consider it when you apply. Each bank has its own application rules which may be loosely or strictly enforced.

Maximizing Barclays business cards

Barclays business cards all offer bonus categories and additional co-branded perks on each card. Some provide instant value while others require significant spending to unlock. For those, you’ll need to decide whether allocating that much spending makes the most sense for your business.

Bonus categories

Make your spending decisions wisely based on your needs.

The best way to maximize spending on any card is to use bonus categories to earn additional points, and that’s no different for Barclay’s business cards. The most obvious way to do that with Barclays business cards is to use the card on its respective airline or hotel brand.

The other bonus categories are geared toward business spending in categories like office supply stores. These additional categories can help you earn a little extra on the way to earning other milestones, like a companion certificate or elite status.

While you can usually get better rates on the other bonus categories with other cards or programs, there are exceptions, notably on the Wyndham card. The rate for gas stations is one of the highest available, and the 5X categories offer solid returns in uncommon reward categories. Most businesses have utility bills, so using that card is one of the few options to earn better than flat-rate bonuses on those expenses.

Co-branded perks

Barclays’ business card offerings carry unique perks and milestones to their specific brand. These can incentivize spending and provide potential outsized value, although some perks have high spending requirements to utilize.

• AAdvantage perks

  The AAdvantage card offers a 5 percent AAdvantage mileage bonus every year after your account anniversary (terms apply) based on the amount of spending you put on the card. Other card benefits include preferred boarding and your first checked bag free (for you and up to four companions on domestic American itineraries), an annual companion certificate for one guest (worth $99) when you spend $30,000 or more each year and your account remains open 45 days past the anniversary date and 25 percent in-flight savings on food and beverages.

  These perks benefit frequent travelers, and card spending can also give great value in the right scenario. If you spent $30,000 all within any 2X category, you’d earn the companion certificate, 60,000 miles from spending, plus a 1,500-mile bonus at the end of the year. Considering award flights start as low as 7,500 miles, that’s an excellent return.

  You can also earn 1X loyalty point for every eligible mile from purchases, meaning you can spend your way to elite status. However, these benchmarks are very high. It takes $40,000 in spending to earn AAdvantage Gold status and a whopping $200,000 to earn AAdvantage Executive Platinum status. While this feature can help qualify for status, we don’t recommend relying solely on spending to achieve status with this card.

• JetBlue perks

  The JetBlue card offers Group A boarding and a free first checked bag for you and up to three companions on JetBlue-operated flights, 5,000 bonus points each year after your account anniversary, 50 percent savings on in-flight purchases, 10 percent discount on award redemptions on JetBlue-operated flights and an annual $100 statement credit each year after purchasing a JetBlue Vacations package.

  The common theme with Barclays airline-branded business cards is the benefits for frequent travelers, which this card provides. The anniversary bonus points and statement credit for JetBlue Vacations also go a long way toward offsetting the annual fee.

  You can also earn points towards Mosaic status through spending. This is only a wise move if spending on JetBlue purchases. For basic Mosaic status, you’d need either $5,000 in JetBlue spending or $50,000 in credit card spending. For top-tier Mosaic status, that would cost $25,000 in JetBlue spending or a massive $250,000 in credit card spending. Earning points towards status through spending is best suited as a supplement, not the primary method.

• HawaiianMiles perks

  The perks on the HawaiianMiles card don’t provide the immediate value of the other cards, but the potential is there if you spend enough. You can earn 20,000 miles if you spend $50,000 to $99,999 in annual purchases or 40,000 miles if you spend $100,000 or more in annual purchases. The spending requirement is very high and the bonus categories outside Hawaiian Airlines purchases are mediocre compared to other cards. It’s not a good value to spend significantly just to earn these miles, although they provide a nice boost if your business reaches these marks organically.

  This card also includes a one-time 50 percent companion discount for a roundtrip coach flight between Hawaii and North America on Hawaiian Airlines. This discount is limited compared to the AAdvantage certificate. You only get it once, and you still have to book a roundtrip and pay half the cost for your companion, meaning a more expensive flight reduces its value.

• Wyndham Rewards perks

  The Wyndham card pays for itself with its additional offerings. You’ll get 15,000 bonus points each anniversary year (worth around $135) which will more than offset the annual fee. With rates starting as low as 7,500 points per night, this can be enough for two free nights and offers more flexibility than a card that just gives you an annual free night certificate.

  You’ll also get more value from automatic Diamond status, which provides welcome amenities at check-in and can lead to suite upgrades. Other cards with top-tier status have much higher annual fees. Cardmembers also get a booking discount on cash and award bookings, with goFree awards costing 10 percent less. This card provides the most straightforward value of all Barclays’ business cards.

Frequently asked questions

• Does Barclays offer instant approval for its business credit cards?

  Yes, Barclays can respond instantly after submitting a business card application. However, your application may be reviewed for up to 14 days before you’ll get a decision.

• Am I eligible for a business credit card?

  All business structures, including corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, and sole proprietorships, can open a business credit card. For your tax ID, you can use your Employer Identification Number or your Social Security number if you are a sole proprietor.

• How do you request a credit limit increase with Barclays?

  You can request a credit limit increase online through your Barclays account. Select “Request a credit line increase” under the “Services” menu. Barclays may perform a hard credit inquiry to determine eligibility for a limit increase, which may negatively impact your credit score. A higher credit limit can improve your credit utilization ratio.

What’s next?

Get the resources and products you need to grow your business.

The bottom line

Barclays business credit cards offer solid travel rewards in three airline programs and Wyndham hotels for annual fees between $95 and $99. Spending with that program on the card gives the highest rewards, but they all carry additional bonus categories that can work for your everyday spending. But if these co-branded programs don’t work for you, check out other top business credit cards from different issuers to see what better suits your needs.

*All information about the AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Business Mastercard®, JetBlue Business Card, Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard®, and Wyndham Rewards Earner® Business Card has been collected independently by Bankrate and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.