Winning the Upgrade to the Business Credit Card

Business credit cards are often viewed as one of the most commoditized products in financial services. Marketing collateral is saturated with messaging about rates, rewards, introductory offers, and credit limits, amplified by celebrity endorsements and aggressive competition for top-of-wallet status. As a result, the category can feel crowded, with products differentiated primarily by pricing and perks. 

What’s often overlooked, however, is why owners open a business credit card in the first place. While financial incentives can be compelling, businesses frequently adopt credit cards for operational reasons—separating personal and business spending, simplifying tax preparation, gaining visibility into expenses, establishing business credit, or setting limits on employee spend. These motivations are tied less to rewards and more to rising business complexity and growth. Yet issuer messaging rarely reflects these priorities. 

In this report, Javelin examines why businesses open credit card accounts today, how adoption aligns with business maturity and existing bank relationships, and where market positioning falls short. It outlines practical ways banks can better articulate the operational value of upgrading, positioning the business credit card as a catalyst for financial formalization and deeper engagement. 

Key questions in this report:

• What triggers cause small business owners to seek business credit cards?
• How can banks proactively position offers for business credit cards at key moments?
• What are the best practices in communicating the operational value of business credit cards?

Companies Mentioned:

American Express, Bank of America, BILL, BMO, Brex, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, PNC, QuickBooks, Ramp, Truist, U.S. Bank