OT - Best Business Credit Card?

We've had a company VISA card for many years. It has no annual fees, we
never pay interest -- but we also don't "get" anything out of using it,
either. In the past we've bumped up against the credit limit during the
month, and the company (now called "Chase") has been very slow to increase
the limit. Although they always responded by increasing it as needed,
their recalcitrance to do so has been a mild aggravation.

Now that we've been incorporated in Iowa for over eight years, we're getting
bombarded with dozens of offers for business cards. (8 years must be a
"magic number" for them, like 5000 feet is for runways...) Almost all of
these cards offer "rewards" that vary from "Frequent flyer miles" to
discounts on all sorts of things. Interestingly, almost all the new offers
START with a higher credit limit than our current card offers.

Whose is best? What card do you guys use?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:

We've had a company VISA card for many years. It has no annual fees, we
never pay interest -- but we also don't "get" anything out of using it,
either. In the past we've bumped up against the credit limit during the
month, and the company (now called "Chase") has been very slow to increase
the limit. Although they always responded by increasing it as needed,
their recalcitrance to do so has been a mild aggravation.

Now that we've been incorporated in Iowa for over eight years, we're getting
bombarded with dozens of offers for business cards. (8 years must be a
"magic number" for them, like 5000 feet is for runways...) Almost all of
these cards offer "rewards" that vary from "Frequent flyer miles" to
discounts on all sorts of things. Interestingly, almost all the new offers
START with a higher credit limit than our current card offers.

Whose is best? What card do you guys use?

If its a business-use only card, then Citi or Chase have good MasterCard
Business Card plans.

If there is a requirement for business use MIS reporting, then Citi
Business MasterCard or American Express Business cards are good.

I'm not a fan of Visa or the plans offered by their banks.

In article raRAf.750624$xm3.129206@attbi_s21,
"Jay Honeck" wrote:


Whose is best? What card do you guys use?
--

AmEx for personal and personal consulting business purchases where I
need a record, because of

* Fairly detailed itemization on bills
* Fairly wide acceptance (overseas and online)
* I have some trust in them

Discover Card for routine personal purchases where record keeping is not
required (although they do supply an itemized monthly statement),
because of a percentage rebate on purchases, which can be take as *cash*
(i.e., a refund check), or applied to subsequent bills.

Don't waste time on any card that offers "discounts" or "credits"
against various assorted "discounted" products which are either (a)
stuff you don't want anyway, or (b) (more often) marked up versions,
often under a slightly modified product number, of items you can buy for
less that the discounted card price in Costco or Walmart anyway.

On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 12:47:49 -0800, AES wrote:

* Fairly wide acceptance (overseas and online)

where overseas? not in Europe, IMHO.

#m
--
If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh?
If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?
W. Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act III, scene I

AES wrote:

In article raRAf.750624$xm3.129206@attbi_s21,
"Jay Honeck" wrote:


Whose is best? What card do you guys use?
--


AmEx for personal and personal consulting business purchases where I
need a record, because of

* Fairly detailed itemization on bills
* Fairly wide acceptance (overseas and online)
* I have some trust in them

Discover Card for routine personal purchases where record keeping is not
required (although they do supply an itemized monthly statement),
because of a percentage rebate on purchases, which can be take as *cash*
(i.e., a refund check), or applied to subsequent bills.

Don't waste time on any card that offers "discounts" or "credits"
against various assorted "discounted" products which are either (a)
stuff you don't want anyway, or (b) (more often) marked up versions,
often under a slightly modified product number, of items you can buy for
less that the discounted card price in Costco or Walmart anyway.

Try to find merchants that accept Discover outside the states.

Cal Vanize wrote:

AES wrote:

In article raRAf.750624$xm3.129206@attbi_s21,
"Jay Honeck" wrote:


Whose is best? What card do you guys use?
--


AmEx for personal and personal consulting business purchases where I
need a record, because of

* Fairly detailed itemization on bills
* Fairly wide acceptance (overseas and online)
* I have some trust in them

Discover Card for routine personal purchases where record keeping is not
required (although they do supply an itemized monthly statement),
because of a percentage rebate on purchases, which can be take as *cash*
(i.e., a refund check), or applied to subsequent bills.

Don't waste time on any card that offers "discounts" or "credits"
against various assorted "discounted" products which are either (a)
stuff you don't want anyway, or (b) (more often) marked up versions,
often under a slightly modified product number, of items you can buy for
less that the discounted card price in Costco or Walmart anyway.

Try to find merchants that accept Discover outside the states.

I've used Discover quite a bit in Canada, particularly restaurants, even local
Canadian restaurants. That's about the extent of Discover's reach outside the
US though. I found the exchange rate to be more favorable with Discover than
with M/C or Visa.

Discover's accept all over Thailand.

The Monk

Discover's accept all over Thailand.

We love Discover. Mary and I use it for all of our largest purchases, and
happily accept it at the hotel.

And their support people are outstanding, from the vendor's end. (I've
never needed help from the customer end.)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:
We've had a company VISA card for many years. It has no annual fees, we
never pay interest -- but we also don't "get" anything out of using it,
either. In the past we've bumped up against the credit limit during the
month, and the company (now called "Chase") has been very slow to increase
the limit. Although they always responded by increasing it as needed,
their recalcitrance to do so has been a mild aggravation.

Now that we've been incorporated in Iowa for over eight years, we're getting
bombarded with dozens of offers for business cards. (8 years must be a
"magic number" for them, like 5000 feet is for runways...) Almost all of
these cards offer "rewards" that vary from "Frequent flyer miles" to
discounts on all sorts of things. Interestingly, almost all the new offers
START with a higher credit limit than our current card offers.

Whose is best? What card do you guys use?

American Expresss, hands down. I use their personal card, but both my
brother and father have the company card, and love it.

American Express, hands down. I use their personal card, but both my
brother and father have the company card, and love it.

Too few businesses accept AMEX for me to consider them. They also extort
more money from the vendors -- which is why we threw them out of the hotel
back in 2002. Even Walgreen's threw them out of all 14,000+ stores in the
U.S. because of their absurdly high rates.

IMHO, unless they change their business model, they will follow "Diner's
Club" into the ash heap of CC history.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"