Author: Dylan Buckley
October 08, 2026
13 min read
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Start your credit building journey for your business

To provide you with the most accurate credit card recommendations, we conducted the most in-depth credit card comparison study online that we know of.
We looked at the spend of retail store businesses, those in the categories of apparel and accessory, general merchandise, furniture and home furnishings, food stores, building materials and gardening, and miscellaneous retail, with a total spend of about $4.4 million.
We then broke down this spend and mapped it out onto the category rewards of all the major branded business credit cards in the US.
These are the 8 best business credit cards for retail stores based on our research.
| Card | Perks | Fees/Interest | Best For… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash | Unlimited 2% cash back. | No annual fee, 16.99% to 24.99% variable APR. | Best overall for retail stores. |
| FairFigure Lift Card | EIN-only business card with revenue-based financing and credit-building features. | Flat fee, no APR. | Bad credit and retail store owners wanting to build business credit. |
| Amazon Business Prime Card | 5% cash back on Amazon purchases, 5% cash back on travel, 2% on top three spending categories, 1% otherwise. | No annual fee, 17.99% to 29.99%, requires Prime membership. | Sourcing inventory or supplies from Amazon. |
| American Express Blue Business Cash | 2% cash back up to $50,000, 1% cash back otherwise. | No annual fee, 16.99% to 28.74% variable APR. | Cash back in the Amex ecosystem. |
| American Express Blue Business Plus | 2x points on eligible purchases up to $50,000, 1x points otherwise. | No annual fee, 16.99% to 28.74% variable APR. | Travel rewards. |
| Capital One Spark Cash | Unlimited 2% cash back with no foreign transaction fee. | No annual fee for the first year ($95/year after), 24.49% variable APR. | Strong cash back with no FTF for international sourcing. |
| Sam's Club Business | 5% Sam's Cash, 3% on Sam's Club purchases plus dining and takeout, 1% otherwise. | No annual fee, 20.15% or 28.15% variable APR, does require club membership. | Sourcing from Sam's Club. |
| Costco Anywhere | 4-5% cash back on gas, 3% cash back on restaurants and eligible travel, 2% cash back on all other Costco purchases, 1% otherwise. | No annual fee, 18.99% to 26.99% variable APR, requires Costco membership. | Sourcing from Costco. |
Of the retail industries that we listed above, we found that overall spend throughout our study of three months sat at around $4.4 million.
The spend was fairly diffuse. Here’s the breakdown:
What we found is that most category-spend cards are only going to give you 1.5% cash back or less.
1.5% cash back cards will obviously sit at 1.5% cash back. Then:
A flat-rate card with an effective rate of 2% is going to give you far more rewards over time than a category-spend card will. There are a few exceptions to the rule, which we’ll cover as we explore the top cards below.

Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash is the best rewards card overall for retail stores.
The Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash business credit card comes with 2% unlimited cash back. If you’re spending $10,000 a month, that means you’re getting $2,400 back each year.
Because there are no caps or category restrictions, you’re getting a lot more than you would with the average category-spend card.
The Wells Fargo Signify business credit card also comes with:
The Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash business credit card is a solid card that comes with ample benefits for the average retail store business owner.

A bad personal credit score and poor credit history are often the biggest hurdle to small business financing. If this is the case for you, you’d benefit most from getting started with the FairFigure Lift Card.
The FairFigure Lift Card is a business card that offers revenue-based financing. This EIN only business credit card alternative benefits you by requiring no personal credit check, no personal guarantee, no paperwork, and no security deposit.
If you have at least three months in business and your retail store generates at least $2,500 each month, you can qualify for this card.
Here’s what to expect with approval:
If you’re looking for business credit cards with no personal credit check or startup business credit cards with no credit EIN only, this isn’t the right fit. FairFigure gives you more to work with.
If you want further credit-building support with an additional tradeline and business credit monitoring support, as well as other tools, you can sign up for FairFigure Premium.
The FairFigure Premium subscription only costs $35/month and reports to multiple business credit bureaus as well.

Many small business owners will restock supplies and inventory from Amazon. If this is you, it makes sense to go with the Amazon Business Prime Card for your business. It beats out the Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash card easily.
The Amazon Business Prime Card features a robust rewards program, offering:
The benefits don’t stop there, however. You also get no annual fee, no foreign transaction fee, interest-free installment payments up to 12 months, and built-in spend management tools with free employee cards.
This business card has a variable APR of 17.99% to 29.99%. You will need a Prime membership. The cost of this will vary depending on whether you have a personal or business account and how large your business is.
Check out our other credit card industry articles here: Business Credit Cards for Sole Proprietors, Law Firms, Restaurants, Ecommerce, Consultants, Real Estate Agents, and Construction.

If you already have banking accounts or other accounts with American Express, you might want to stick with business cards from Amex. The Amex Blue Business Cash card is the best choice for Amex cash back.
With the American Express Blue Business Cash card, you get 2% cash back on business expenses up to $50,000 per calendar year. Then, 1% cash back on eligible purchases thereafter. Your cash back is automatically given to you as a statement credit.
This business credit card comes with no annual fee and 0% APR for the first 12 months after account opening. Then, you’ll get 16.99% to 28.74% variable APR based on creditworthiness.
You can take advantage of their welcome offer to boost your rewards. They’ll give you a $250 statement credit if you spend at least $3,000 within three months after account opening.
If you need to exceed your credit limit, you can take advantage of Expanded Buying Power.
Better yet, all Amex cards come with Amex’s Apply With Confidence. You can see if you qualify for a business credit card without any impact to your personal credit score.

The American Express Blue Business Plus card has a similar rewards structure, but it offers far more flexibility when it comes to rewards redemption, making it ideal specifically for retail business owners who travel frequently.
You get 2x points on eligible purchases up to $50,000, then 1x points thereafter. However, you also get 2x points on eligible purchases on AmexTravel.com, which doesn’t have a $50,000 cap.
How can you spend your rewards? You can redeem them for:
Other card membership perks of this business credit card include:

If you want a strong cash back card that also doesn’t impact your rewards if you’re sourcing foreign inventory or supplies, you’ll want the Capital One Spark Cash business credit card.
The Capital One Spark Cash card offers 2% unlimited cash back on business expenses and no foreign transaction fee. It’s the best business credit card here for international sourcing.
It can be a bit harder to get this business card because it requires excellent credit. However, if you are approved, you’ll receive:
Capital One offers other cards that are strong contenders if you can’t get a specific card you want because you don’t have the credit needed.
For example, you can go for the Capital One Spark 1.5% Cash Select if you don’t qualify for this one, which comes with unlimited 1.5% cash back and no annual fee.

For retail stores that frequently find themselves shopping for supplies or inventory at wholesale clubs, you should consider getting the cards they offer. For example, if you’re always at Sam’s Club, consider the Sam’s Club Business credit card.
The Sam’s Club Mastercard is the one to spring for. Here’s a breakdown of the rewards structure:
Now, it’s important to know that there are restrictions. You can only earn up to $5,000 in Sam’s Club Cash per year. All cards used under your account apply to that limit.
This business credit card comes with a variable APR of 20.15% or 28.15%.

If you prefer Costco or if you shop at both Costco and Sam’s Club, the Costco Anywhere business credit card is another great choice for wholesale sourcing.
The Costco Anywhere also features a robust rewards program. With this card from credit card issuer Citi, you get:
Costco Anywhere does not have an annual fee. However, you will have to have an active Costco membership to become a card member.
There’s no promotional period upon account opening. The variable APR for this card is 18.99% to 26.99%.
Rewards are credited as an annual business credit card reward certificate once your February billing statement closes.
To provide you with these best credit card insights, we looked at 5,769 customers across 75 industries totalling 506,801 transactions between May 30, 2026, and August 25, 2026.
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