If restaurants are a big part of your business spending, the best business credit card for dining depends on how much you spend there. All four cards we compared earn 2% at restaurants: the Chase Ink Business Cash up to a $25,000 cap it shares with gas, and the other three with no cap. We read the issuers' own card pages for the Chase Ink Business Cash, the Capital One Spark Cash, the Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash and the Chase Ink Business Premier. Here's how each one treats restaurant spending, and which one fits which business.
Quick Answer
The Chase Ink Business Cash earns 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year, then 1%, with a $0 annual fee. The Spark Cash, the Signify Business Cash and the Ink Business Premier each earn 2% at restaurants with no cap. If your restaurant and gas spending would pass $25,000 in a year, one of those earns 2% on the rest.
Chase Ink Business Cash
Chase's page lists three main rates, plus 5% total on Lyft rides through September 30, 2027. You earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services, and 2% on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants. Both limits count each account anniversary year, and after one is reached, those purchases earn 1%. Everything else earns 1% with no limit.
The welcome offer is $750 cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Chase notes you may not get it if you've ever had this card or any other Chase for Business card without an annual fee. The card has a $0 annual fee and a 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases, then 16.99% to 24.99% variable. Our Ink Business Cash review covers the earning and redemption in more depth.
Capital One Spark Cash
Capital One's page lists unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, with no category restrictions or limits, so restaurant spending earns 2% with no cap. The page also lists 5% on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel.
The annual fee is $0 the first year, then $95. The welcome offer is a $1,000 cash bonus when you spend $10,000 in the first 3 months, and the page says it's available when you start the application from that page. It may not apply to existing or previous Capital One Business cardholders.
Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash
Wells Fargo's business card page lists unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases made for your business, with a $0 annual fee. The welcome offer is a $500 cash rewards bonus when you spend $5,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. Our comparison of the Ink Business Unlimited and the Signify Business Cash shows how it stacks up against a flat 1.5% card.
Chase Ink Business Premier
Chase's page lists unlimited 2% cash back on all other business purchases, a total of 2.5% on every purchase of $5,000 or more, and 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel. The annual fee is $195, and the welcome offer is $1,000 bonus cash back after you spend $10,000 in the first 3 months. Our Ink Business Premier review explains how the 2.5% rate works. Chase describes a Pay in Full balance that you must pay each month, plus a Flex for Business balance that can carry interest.
How to Choose
Match the card to how you pay for meals:
- Restaurant and gas spending under $25,000 a year: the Ink Business Cash earns 2% on that spending with no annual fee.
- Restaurant and gas spending over $25,000 a year: the Ink Business Cash falls to 1% after the cap, so a card with no cap, such as the Spark Cash or the Signify Business Cash, earns 2% on the rest.
- Large single payments: the Ink Business Premier pays 2.5% on each purchase of $5,000 or more, for a $195 fee.
The Spark Cash charges $0 the first year and $95 after that, and adds 5% on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel. The Signify Business Cash charges $0 and has a 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases.
Looking for a personal card instead? Our guide to the best credit cards for dining rewards covers seven personal cards that pay extra at restaurants.
Final Verdict
If you also spend at office supply stores or on internet, cable and phone services, the Ink Business Cash earns 5% there and 2% at restaurants and gas, up to each $25,000 limit, for a $0 fee. If restaurants are most of what you'd put on the card, or your restaurant and gas spending passes $25,000 a year, pick a card with no cap: the Signify Business Cash for a $0 fee, or the Spark Cash if you book hotels and rental cars through Capital One Business Travel. Pick the Ink Business Premier if you make single purchases of $5,000 or more, which earn 2.5% for a $195 fee. Check each issuer's page before you apply, since Chase and Wells Fargo both say offers can change.
