Why I hold more than 1 of the same business card

There’s a growing number of credit cards that will only let you hold one card and earn one welcome bonus across the life of the card.

This can be frustrating for business owners who have legitimate reasons for wanting more than one of the same card. Maybe you have multiple limited liability companies and need to keep expenses separate, or perhaps you score a new, big client that alters your travel pattern to a different airline’s hub city.

There are a handful of business cards that will let you hold multiple versions of the same card. And, in some cases, you may be able to earn the welcome bonus multiple times. Let’s take a look at a few of my favorites.

Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees) is a versatile card that covers several key spending categories for business owners. It earns 3 points per dollar spent on social media and search engine advertising, as well as travel, shipping, internet and cellphone charges. That earning rate applies to the first $150,000 in combined spending across all of those categories each year.

If you have multiple limited liability companies and employer identification numbers, you can have a card for each entity as long as you meet the current qualifications when you apply.

This card also has a few perks that business owners really benefit from, such as primary car rental coverage. This can be clutch for avoiding big spikes in your business insurance premiums if an accident occurs while you or an employee is traveling.

I hold a version of this card that’s no longer issued: the Ink Business Plus® Credit Card. I have three of them that each get quite a bit of use for the businesses they support. I also added an Ink Business Preferred card for a new business last year. With a reasonable $95 annual fee and big earning power, these cards are well suited for having multiple in your wallet.

The information for the Ink Business Plus has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Want to know more? Check out our review of the Ink Business Preferred.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Business

Capital One has both a business and a personal version of its Venture X card. I started with a personal version and ultimately ended up with the business card as well.

While Capital One generally restricts you to one card (and one welcome bonus) for each card type, you can hold both the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Venture X Business at the same time.

These cards both have higher annual fees than the Ink Business Preferred, but their card benefits make it easy to earn enough value to offset the $395 fee. For starters, both cards offer a $300 travel credit that’s pretty simple to use in their respective Capital One Travel portals. They also offer access to both Capital One and participating Priority Pass lounge locations (enrollment required), though some access recently became more restricted.

You’ll receive 10,000 Capital One miles each card anniversary year, plus up to a $120 statement credit every four years for a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry membership. You can even use that credit for someone else’s membership as long as you charge the renewal to your card.

The Venture X Business is famous for massive welcome bonuses, including up to 400,000 miles in the past, though they often come with high spending requirements. Still, with a noteworthy welcome bonus and easy ways to offset the annual fee, the Venture X Business will fit into a lot of business owners’ wallets.

Want to know more? Check out our reviews of the Venture X and the Venture X Business.

Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card

The lesser-known Wyndham Rewards Earner® Business Card can be a gold mine for business owners who have multiple locations or spend a lot of time on the road. This card earns a whopping 8 Wyndham Rewards points per dollar spent on gas purchases, making it ideal for those with a fleet of company vehicles. It’s also the only card I’m aware of that offers a lucrative 5 points per dollar spent on utilities.

Holding this card for multiple businesses can be a smart strategy if you have several restaurants under separate limited liability companies. The $95 annual fee is reasonable enough that the bonus points you earn on utilities can quickly offset it.

Wyndham has a massive footprint that includes different property types around the world. It may not have as many luxury properties as Marriott, Hilton or Hyatt, but it offers plenty of hotels that are perfect for family vacations or employee travel.

Want to know more? Check out our review of the Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card.

The information for the Wyndham Earner Business Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The Business Platinum Card from American Express

You can hold multiple versions of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express in some cases, but you’ll always need to wait at least 90 days before applying for another. I have held two Business Platinum cards for two separate businesses, though I only have one in my wallet right now.

A big part of the reason why I canceled the second card was the annual fee, now at $895 (see rates and fees). You can get plenty of value out of the various credits and benefits on the card, but it was just too tough to keep track of across multiple cards.

This card also carries one of the highest authorized-user fees ($400 per year; see rates and fees) if you want employees to get the key benefits, such as lounge access. Or, you can add expense cards for your employees for free (see rates and fees); those charges still earn points even without the card perks.

Want to know more? Check out our review of the Amex Business Platinum.

Bottom line

Many business owners may not think of holding multiple versions of the same card, but by doing so, you can make your life easier for bookkeeping purposes. Not to mention, you’ll earn more points or miles across multiple welcome bonuses. American Express, Capital One and Chase all make it easy to combine points or miles earned across several different business cards for travel redemptions.

For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum, click here.