The Small Business Card Playbook

You're already spending the money.
Find out what it should be earning you.

Enter what your business actually spends below and see, in real dollars, what your current card is leaving on the table — then get the full 18-card comparison and a business-by-business game plan to close the gap.

Run the calculator → See what's inside
18 cards compared
12 business types
Worked dollar examples
The Small Business Card Playbook
You're Already Spending The Money.
Find Out What It Should Be Earning You.
3x
36 pages · 18 cards compared
The problem

A plain 1% card isn't a rounding error. It's often a truck payment.

Matching a category card to your biggest expense line, plus a flat-rate card for the rest, realistically blends to 2.5–3.5% across total spend for most trade and field-service businesses — without changing a single vendor.

Monthly card spend At 1% (where you are) At ~3% blended Left on the table
$10,000/mo$1,200/yr$3,600/yr$2,400/yr
$25,000/mo$3,000/yr$9,000/yr$6,000/yr
$50,000/mo$6,000/yr$18,000/yr$12,000/yr
$100,000/mo$12,000/yr$36,000/yr$24,000/yr
See your exact number →
The method

One repeatable way to pick a card — not a stack of marketing claims to sort through.

01

Find your dominant category

Ads, fuel, shipping, software — most businesses have one or two categories that dwarf everything else. That's the category worth a bonus card.

02

Pair it with a flat-rate overflow card

One category card plus one no-fee flat-rate card for everything else captures nearly all the realistic value — no need to carry five cards.

03

Revisit it once a year

Spend patterns shift as a business grows. The card that fit two years ago may not fit today's ad budget or fleet size — check it against real numbers annually.

What's inside

Eighty dollars of content, built around how you actually spend.

36 pages, no filler. Every card scored on the categories a real trade or service business spends on — not airline miles and lounge visits.

18 full card profiles

Chase, Amex, Capital One, U.S. Bank, Amazon, fleet fuel cards, and the no-personal-guarantee fintech cards — pros, cons, best-for, skip-if, and a worked dollar example for each.

Business-by-business playbook

Twelve trade and service types — contractors, HVAC, landscaping, trucking, e-commerce and more — each with a recommended primary + secondary card pairing.

Vendor & category cheat sheet

How Home Depot Pro, Ferguson, ServiceTitan, and a dozen other real vendors actually code on your statement — so you're not guessing which card bonuses what.

Cash back vs. points vs. miles

A straight framework for which reward type actually fits your business, plus the honest math on when points are worth the extra research and when they're not.

Building business credit

How PAYDEX, Experian, and Equifax business scores actually work, and three concrete habits that build a real credit file separate from your personal score.

Tear-out quick reference

One page, pin-to-the-wall summary — primary and secondary card per trade, condensed to a single line each. Built for the truck, not the desk.

Run the calculator →
The calculator

Run your own numbers before you buy anything.

Type in what your business actually spends, or start from a business type below. The gap you see is calculated live from your own numbers — not a generic estimate.

Skilled trades & field service
Other small business

Annual spend

Type your numbers, or pick a business type above to start from a realistic baseline.
$
Google, Meta, LinkedIn ads, local lead-gen platforms
$
Carriers, parts freight, order fulfillment, courier fees
$
SaaS tools, dispatch/scheduling software, phone & internet
$
Flights, hotels, out-of-town jobs or client trips
$
Only true office-supply retailers earn bonus rates on most cards
$
Gas stations, diesel, restaurants & client meals
$
Inventory, raw materials, insurance, vendors — rarely a bonus category
Total annual spend
$0
Ranked by net value
EST. ANNUAL
How this is calculated: each card's published earn rates are applied to the categories they actually bonus, points/miles are valued at roughly 1¢ each toward cash back or travel, and the annual fee is subtracted to show net value. Always confirm current rates and terms directly with the issuer before applying.
One-time unlock

Get your personalized results, plus the full Playbook.

No subscription. Pay once, keep it forever, revisit it every tax season.

$79.99 one time
Unlocks instantly at checkout
  • Your full ranked list of all 18 cards, calculated from the exact numbers you entered above
  • The complete Small Business Card Playbook PDF — 18 card profiles, pros/cons, worked examples
  • The Business-by-Business Playbook for 12 trade and service types
  • Vendor & Category Cheat Sheet, so you stop guessing how a purchase codes
  • Tear-out Quick Reference Card for the shop wall or the truck
Educational content, not financial advice. Card terms belong to their issuers and are current as of publication.
How it's delivered
1

Enter your real numbers above

The calculator at the top of this page already has your spend — it's what determines your recommendation.

2

Click "Get instant access" and check out

One-time $79.99 charge, no account or subscription needed.

3

Check your email within a couple minutes

Your order confirmation shows your recommended card and why, plus a link to the full 18-card breakdown — a separate email delivers the Playbook PDF.

Questions

Before you unlock it

Do I need an LLC or EIN to use any of these cards?+
No. Most issuers let sole proprietors apply using their Social Security number and a business name — even freelance or gig income qualifies.
Will this affect my personal credit?+
Most issuers run a hard inquiry when you apply, which can cause a small, temporary dip. Ongoing balances on true business cards typically aren't reported to your personal bureaus the way a personal card's are — but confirm current policy with the issuer before applying if this matters to you.
Is the calculator result the same as what I get after paying?+
Yes — the calculator above already runs the real math on all 18 cards. Paying unlocks the full ranked list (instead of the top result staying blurred) and adds the complete Playbook PDF alongside it.
How is this different from just reading reviews online?+
Most card comparisons are built around points hobbyists and travel perks. This is built around how a trade or service business actually spends — fuel, materials, ads, shipping, software — with the math run on your own numbers instead of a generic example.
Do I need to buy a new card to benefit from this?+
No — some of the "leaving money on the table" comparisons are against cards you may already qualify for or hold. The Playbook shows you how to pair what you have with the right complement, not just push you into new applications.

The Small Business Card Playbook is educational content and not financial advice. Card names, rates, fees, and terms belong to their respective issuers and are current as of publication — always verify directly with the issuer before applying for or relying on any card's terms.

$79.99 one time