Business credit cards for an LLC

Personal Finance
8moFollow

Business credit cards for an LLC

Mike Whitman
Member since 2019 · 41 posts · 22 votes

In an effort to keep business expenses separate from personal expenses, I've been considering getting a credit card in the LLC's name that owns a duplex that I have.

Couple of questions: 

a) Do you do this as well or do you not care because it's an LLC and reported on a 1040 anyway?

b) If you do, which card issuers do you like the most?  

I have a tent and event rental company as well and working to keep business expenses organized between the different LLC's.

4Reply
287 views

Most Popular Reply

Jake BakerBusiness Member
Flipper/Rehabber · San Diego, CA · Member since 2020 · 1k+ posts · 696 votes
8mo

@Mike Whitman

I recommend having separate accounts for your LLC, even if it is a single-member pass-through. This will make your bookkeeping much easier if you are diligent about not comingling.

[email protected]
BookkeepingRE - Bookkeeping for Real Estate & Service-Based Businesses52 Reviews
WebsiteView Page
3Reply
See this reply in the discussion

12 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Kyle Hess
    Member since 2024 · 14 posts · 7 votes
    8mo

    I just started my LLC last year for fix-and-flips and opened up a credit card with Amazon Business. Their business account savings, on top of points earned from purchasing through Amazon have made it worth having for my business.

    I also carry a Home Depot credit card (although not under my LLC) along with a HD Pro account, which has earned a lot of free rewards that make it worth having. They send a lot of interest-free coupons for big purchases which are very useful.

    1Reply
    • Mike Whitman
      OP
      Member since 2019 · 41 posts · 22 votes
      8mo
      Quote from @Kyle Hess:

      I just started my LLC last year for fix-and-flips and opened up a credit card with Amazon Business. Their business account savings, on top of points earned from purchasing through Amazon have made it worth having for my business.

      I also carry a Home Depot credit card (although not under my LLC) along with a HD Pro account, which has earned a lot of free rewards that make it worth having. They send a lot of interest-free coupons for big purchases which are very useful.


       I haven't thought about Amazon. That's an interesting approach.  I'm a Lowe's guy myself.  No card through them but the pro status earns some good cash back over time.  I use them a lot for my event rental business, primarily for sub-flooring projects, concrete mix for tent weights, etc.

      For the next few months, I'll be looking to furnish the units, maybe some travel to and from (it's an out of state investment), hotels, meals, etc. I was looking at cash back rewards cards for those types of purchases.

      0Reply
  • Josh St LaurentBusiness Member
    Financial Advisor · Stateline, NV · Member since 2023 · 131 posts · 122 votes
    8mo

    The short answer is yes, get a CC for the LLC to keep expenses separate. As far as which CC, it really depends on the business. Home Depot CC like Kyle mentioned can be a good one for a rental, especially if you're renovating. Other business might benefit more from a card focus on gas rewards, travel, etc.

    [email protected]415-915-5948
    Wealth In Yourself57 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    1Reply
    • Mike Whitman
      OP
      Member since 2019 · 41 posts · 22 votes
      8mo
      Quote from @Josh St Laurent:

      The short answer is yes, get a CC for the LLC to keep expenses separate. As far as which CC, it really depends on the business. Home Depot CC like Kyle mentioned can be a good one for a rental, especially if you're renovating. Other business might benefit more from a card focus on gas rewards, travel, etc.

      Thanks Josh! I was lucky enough to find a property that doesn't require a ton of renovating.  There are some smaller projects that I'd like to do, but I think it'll be less than $5,000 all in (I'm meeting with a contractor this week to go through a couple).  At the moment, the bigger expenses will be furnishing the units (they will be updated for off-campus housing for a local college) and paying utilities.  

      Appreciate the thoughts on Chase Ink.  I'll take a look at that one.  At the moment, the rental has no income. It likely won't until the fall when students move in.
      0Reply
  • Bo SmithPro Member
    Hinton, WV · Member since 2026 · 1k+ posts · 375 votes
    8mo

    Yeah I do separate cards for each LLC even though they're pass-through. Makes bookkeeping way cleaner and if you ever get audited, everything's already organized. Chase Ink Business cards are solid - good rewards and they don't require a ton of revenue history. What's been your biggest headache with expense tracking so far?

    2Reply
    • Mike Whitman
      OP
      Member since 2019 · 41 posts · 22 votes
      8mo
      Quote from @Bo Smith:

      Yeah I do separate cards for each LLC even though they're pass-through. Makes bookkeeping way cleaner and if you ever get audited, everything's already organized. Chase Ink Business cards are solid - good rewards and they don't require a ton of revenue history. What's been your biggest headache with expense tracking so far?

      For my rental company, it's pretty straight forward for my expenses. The biggest headache is if I need to rent a bigger vehicle to move equipment.  Companies like Enterprise, Ryder, etc don't usually accept debit cards and without a business credit card, the expense goes against my personal credit card.  Not a big deal from a reporting standpoint, I just pull the statement with the receipt for my accountants, but I'd like to get to a point where everything is self-contained.  

      The other headache is how young my LLC's are - my rental company is my oldest at ~ 4 years old.  So an established track record, delivery van loan, couple of gas card credit lines, and an equipment loan.  But, for my investment property, having just bought it last month, there's no history. So all expenses are paid by me.  Similarly, I can pull the receipt with the card statement, but really think separating is better.
      0Reply
  • Jake BakerBusiness Member
    Flipper/Rehabber · San Diego, CA · Member since 2020 · 1k+ posts · 696 votes
    8mo

    @Mike Whitman

    I recommend having separate accounts for your LLC, even if it is a single-member pass-through. This will make your bookkeeping much easier if you are diligent about not comingling.

    [email protected]
    BookkeepingRE - Bookkeeping for Real Estate & Service-Based Businesses52 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    3Reply
    • Mike Whitman
      OP
      Member since 2019 · 41 posts · 22 votes
      8mo
      Quote from @Jake Baker:

      @Mike Whitman

      I recommend having separate accounts for your LLC, even if it is a single-member pass-through. This will make your bookkeeping much easier if you are diligent about not comingling.


       Thanks Jake.  At the moment, I only have one property that is a duplex, so the bookkeeping is pretty clean. And I use Quickbooks for my event rental company.  I'd like to set up another company on QBO to keep track of the rental property as well, but honestly, I have a hard time justifying $75/mo for a program that won't be used extensively for a rental property with straight forward cash flows.

      0Reply
  • Peter Dorinsky
    Real Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2020 · 149 posts · 193 votes
    8mo
    Quote from @Mike Whitman:

    In an effort to keep business expenses separate from personal expenses, I've been considering getting a credit card in the LLC's name that owns a duplex that I have.

    Couple of questions: 

    a) Do you do this as well or do you not care because it's an LLC and reported on a 1040 anyway?

    b) If you do, which card issuers do you like the most?  

    I have a tent and event rental company as well and working to keep business expenses organized between the different LLC's.


    Best practice is to keep them separate, especially if you continue to expand your rental portfolio.

    If you're looking to take advantage of sign-up bonuses the Chase Ink cards are hard to beat. 

    1Reply
  • Jimmy LieuBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2019 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    8mo
    Quote from @Mike Whitman:

    In an effort to keep business expenses separate from personal expenses, I've been considering getting a credit card in the LLC's name that owns a duplex that I have.

    Couple of questions: 

    a) Do you do this as well or do you not care because it's an LLC and reported on a 1040 anyway?

    b) If you do, which card issuers do you like the most?  

    I have a tent and event rental company as well and working to keep business expenses organized between the different LLC's.

    Hey Mike, I totally get wanting to keep your business expenses organized—it makes accounting way easier and can help at tax time, even though LLC income typically flows through to your 1040. I personally do use separate credit cards for each LLC I own, including my rentals, because it keeps everything clean and avoids confusion between personal, rental, and other business spending. For the rental LLCs, I usually stick with major banks that offer cards for small businesses, and I look for ones with no annual fee, decent rewards, and solid reporting tools so I can track expenses easily. For other business ventures like your tent and event rental company, it’s the same approach—having a card tied to each LLC helps you see exactly what each business is spending and earning, plus it helps build business credit for each entity independently, which can be useful down the road. Happy to connect and answer any questions you have!
    [email protected]614-300-7535
    Jimmy Lieu, Red 1 Realty4.9122 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    1Reply
  • Jason MalabuteBusiness Member
    Accountant · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 914 votes
    8mo

    Business expenses should always be kept separate from personal expenses. Even if the LLC is disregarded for tax purposes and ultimately reported on your 1040, separation is still best practice. It makes bookkeeping cleaner, reduces audit risk, and helps preserve liability protection. Yes, I absolutely recommend having a business credit card for each LLC. As for issuers, there's no need to overthink it—starting with the bank you already have a relationship with is usually the easiest and fastest route.

    Malabute & Company CPAs527 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    1Reply
  • Alecia LovelessPro Member
    Member since 2019 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    8mo

    I have one credit card dedicated to my rentals. My primary contractor has one of my credit cards for my rentals solely owned by me and a second credit card for a rental I own in a partnership that has separate bookkeeping. 

    obviously this strategy won't work for everyone but I've worked with this contractor for 25 years and we learned the hard way that every time he sent me to buy stuff at HD or Lowe's I ended up buying the wrong stuff. So him just being able to purchase supplies en route to a repair project makes sense. 

    I check the CCs almost daily and keep track of which property each expense goes to. 

    This would be made easier by having separate cards for each building but logistically now that I've got 9 buildings it gets harder to keep track with that many cards. 

    0Reply
Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.
Log InJoin for Free