Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Do business credit cards make good business sense?

By David Simons

When choosing a business credit card, financial advisors recommend that you look at your business needs in order to decide upon the card best suited to your requirements. With such a great selection of cards available this almost goes without saying. On the surface most of the cards appear very similar but dig a little deeper and you will find a whole host of differing incentives. It is these incentives that may make one card perfect for your business and place it ahead of others. As always you can compare cards on the Internet and even apply online if you want too.

Many cards come with features that will be of value depending on the type of company that you run. For example, some cards offer free Airmiles or other travel related perks, such as travel insurance. Travel offers of this sort will obviously be helpful if your employees need to do a lot of travelling for work-related reasons. Other cards provide discounts on good and services that your company may use. One card, for example, offers discounts on car and van hire with a major UK hire company. Once again, the value of these discounts depends on the sector you are in and your day-to-day activities. There are even a number of cards that allow you to create a discount package yourself with the help of a financial consultant.

Most business credit card accounts allow you to have more than one card on the account. This allows you to give more than one employee a card and can be a good idea as it allows you to keep track of your expenditures more easily. Also each card can be given a different credit limit so that you allocate cards and purchasing responsibilities dependant on job role. To ensure that none of your staff go astray with a card all cards can be covered by a form of employee misuse insurance.

ust as you can manage credit limits online you will also be able to view and manage your credit card account. You will be able to view balances and statements and print out as required. As credit card purchases are fairly instantaneous you will never be caught out as you would with, say, a cheque clearing. Once again all of these accounts are held in one place so that you can keep track easily. Often these business account details can be exported into your company's business accounting software. Some banks even go as far as providing this accounting software themselves.

Finally, there are a whole host of benefits specific to individual cards. Financial advisors recommend looking at your business requirements in order to select the card best suited to your business. Some cards offer free Airmiles, travel insurance or other travel related benefits, which can be great if employees need to do a lot of travelling as part of their business life. Other cards offer discounts on goods and services that you may use, such as car and van rental. A few cards even allow you to select your own benefits package with the help of a special business financial consultant.

As with all credit cards, business credit cards come with numerous security features. They all use chip and PIN technology, as you would expect, and they all have security codes on the back. What's more, accounts are monitored for fraudulent activity and there are various assurance policies. Perhaps one of the hidden bonuses is the dedicated business consultant that some card companies provide as this person can be a valuable source of information and provide financial help when required. If you are ever in doubt about any of your business transactions on your company credit cards, you can always give them a call. - 15224

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