The Highest Cashback Credit Card for Ad Spend

Written by: Zach Johnson

Why points pale in comparison to being able to plow money back into your ad spend with AdCard in partnership with MasterCard.

If you’re an agency or a small business owner who is actively promoting your clients or your own company, chances are you’re doing it with ads on Facebook, Google, Instagram, Amazon, Twitter, or some other online platform.

And you’re not alone.

According to a recent report by data research company Statistica, in 2021 almost 92% of all businesses in the United States will use some form of social media to market their products and services.  And an even higher percentage of companies are projected to be using it next year.

Ad Spend is Probably Your Company’s Biggest Business Expense

The incredible business-building power of online advertising doesn’t come cheap.  A study done by The Content Factory, revealed that the average company spends between $200 and $350 a day on social media advertising.  That adds up to $6,000 to $10,500 a month or $72,000 to $126,000 a year.

If you’re an agency buying ads for multiple clients, multiply that amount by 10 to 25, and you can see that expense quickly adds up to incredibly big money -- sometimes millions of dollars -- that is typically paid for by using credit cards.

Be Smart about Leveraging Ad Spend

Considering that most credit cards offer some type of rewards, including travel points, exclusive perks, and best of all, cashback, it pays to choose your business credit card wisely so you can maximize the dividends you’re earning on ad spend.

The good news is that some of the best business cards available today have been specially designed to reward advertising spending. The even better news is that some do it by offering cashback that can help you scale your business.

If you’re looking for the highest cashback credit card for ad spend, it’s important to look at the fine print and do the math.  A card that gives you even unlimited at a very low percentage rate won’t put much cashback in your pocket even if you’re spending $1M or more on advertising.

In this blog post, I’ll cover:

  • Which business credit cards are best for earning rewards on advertising purchases.
  • American Express Business Gold Card
  • Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
  • Blue Business Cash Card from American Express
  • Business Platinum Card from American Express
  • Blue Business Plus Card from American Express
  • Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card
  • Citi Double Cash Card
  • AdCard in Partnership with MasterCard
  • What ad categories let you earn bonuses.
  • How much cashback each card will let you earn on advertising purchases.
  • The best credit cards for traditional media buys
  • Determining whether advertising is your biggest expense
  • The advantages of a points card versus a cashback card
  • Welcome Bonuses
  • Rewards, perks, and benefits
  • Annual fees
  • What’s the highest cashback credit card for ad spend.
  • Doing the cashback math.
  • Additional AdCard benefits.
  • Head-to-head AdCard comparisons

REWARDS and BENEFITS

  • Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
  • Get 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 select categories where your business spent the most each month
  • 4X points apply to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year.
  • Airfare purchased from airlines
  • U.S. purchases made from select technology providers of computer hardware, software, and cloud solutions
  • U.S. purchases at gas stations
  • U.S. purchases at restaurants
  • 25% airline bonus when using Pay With Points
  • Access to Amex’s The Hotel Collection
  • Purchase protection and extended warranty protection
  • No foreign transaction fees

FINANCIALS

  • Pay Over Time Option: A flexible payment option to help manage cash flow on purchases of $100 or more.
  • Good to Excellent Credit Recommended (670-840)
  • Annual Fee: $295
  • Bonus Valuation*: $1,540

ADVERTISING  PURCHASES

  • Earn points on qualifying online ads, television and radio advertising purchased in the U.S. for the purpose of promoting a business
  • Ads on Google, Yahoo, and Bing
  • Ads on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
  • Ads on NBC TV
  • Ads on CBS Radio
  • Ads on Amazon are not eligible
  • Earn 4 Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on your 2 highest expense categories
  • Limit of $150,000 for both 4x earning categories combined

CASHBACK OPPORTUNITIES

  • No direct cashback payments
  • Can redeem for gift cards at $1 per point

REWARDS and BENEFITS

  • Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
  • Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable, and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year
  • Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases—with no limit to the amount you can earn
  • Earn 25% more value when redeeming points through Ultimate Rewards® travel

FINANCIALS

  • Good to Excellent Credit Recommended (670-850)
  • Annual Fee: $95
  • Bonus Valuation*: $2,000

ADVERTISING  PURCHASES

  • Advertising purchases on social media and search engines are included in the bonus earning categories and also receive 3 points per dollar spent.
  • Ads on Google and on Amazon
  • Ads on Yahoo, Bing, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
  • There is a $150,000 annual limit on total 3x category earnings, after which you will earn 1 point per dollar spent. If you’re reaching this level of spending on Google, Amazon, or Facebook ads, or another 3% category, that’s a total of 450,000 Ultimate Rewards points.

CASHBACK OPPORTUNITIES

  • Don’t use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points for cash-back or on products through its own shopping portal.  That’s because the return isn’t as high as for travel-related transfer partners.

REWARDS and BENEFITS

  • Earn 2% cashback on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cashback earned is automatically credited to your statement.
  • Purchase protection
  • Extended warranty
  • Dispute resolution

FINANCIALS

  • Pay 0.0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 13.24% - 19.24%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors as determined at the time of account opening.
  • Good to Excellent Credit Recommended (670-840)
  • Annual Fee: $0

ADVERTISING  PURCHASES

  • Earn 2% cashback. Bonus 2% earnings are limited to up to $50,000 in purchases per year.
  • Ads on Google, Yahoo, and Facebook
  • Ads on NBC TV
  • Ads on CBS Radio

CASHBACK OPPORTUNITIES 

  • The 2% cashback on up to $50,000 purchases is applied automatically to subsequent statements, helping to offset expenses and improve your bottom line.
  • The total cashback possible per year is $1,000

REWARDS and BENEFITS

  • Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
  • Get 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com.
  • Earn 2x points on eligible cruise bookings with American Express Travel
  • Earn up to $200 annual Airline Fee Credit
  • Get up to $200 in statement credits annually by getting up to $100 semi-annually for U.S. purchases with Dell (terms apply)
  • Get a 35% Airline Bonus when using Pay With Points
  • Enjoy access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection that includes:
  • Airspace Lounges
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Get 50% more Membership Reward points (1.5 points per $1) on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more
  • Travel Protection
  • Purchase Protection
  • Cell Phone Protection

FINANCIALS

  • Good to Excellent Credit Recommended (670-850)
  • Annual Fee: $595
  • Bonus Valuation*: $2,200

ADVERTISING  PURCHASES

  • Unlike other cards that earn multiple times rewards points and cashback for advertising purchases but cap earnings each year, the Amex Business Platinum card offers unlimited earnings and rewards larger purchases.
  • Earn 5X Membership Rewards points up to (80,000 points) through June 30, 2021, for existing cardholders prior to November 1, 2020, or new cardholders for 3 months
  • All advertising purchased in the U.S. to promote your business online qualifies.
  • Ads on Facebook
  • Ads on  Instagram
  • Ads on Google
  • Ads on other online platforms
  • Ads on TV
  • Ad on radio

CASHBACK OPPORTUNITIES

  • None

REWARDS and BENEFITS

  • Earn 2X points on the first $50,000 spent annually on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. Earn 1x thereafter.
  • Purchase protection and extended warranty protection
  • Employee cards at no additional cost

FINANCIALS

  • Pay 0.0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months, then a variable rate, 13.24% - 19.24%.
  • Good to Excellent Credit Recommended (670-840)
  • Annual Fee: $0

ADVERTISING  PURCHASES

  • Earn 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on the card on
  • Ads on Google
  • Ads on Facebook

CASHBACK OPPORTUNITIES

  • None

REWARDS and BENEFITS

  • Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
  • Earn unlimited 1.5% Cash Back rewards on every purchase made for your business.
  • Employee cards at no additional cost.

FINANCIALS

  • Pay 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. After that, 13.24% - 19.24% variable APR.
  • Good to Excellent Credit Recommendation (670-850)
  • Annual Fee: $0

ADVERTISING  PURCHASES

  • Earn 1.5% cashback on all advertising purchases

CASHBACK OPPORTUNITIES

  • Earn 1.5% unlimited cash back. Cash-back rewards are earned in the form of Ultimate Rewards points that can be redeemed for cash-back at 1 cent per point.  $100,000 ad spend = $1,500 cashback.

REWARDS and BENEFITS

  • Earn 1% cash-back when you make a purchase and 1% when you pay off your purchase.

FINANCIALS

  • Pay 0% Intro APR for 18 months on balance transfers; after that, the variable APR will be 13.99% - 23.99%.

ADVERTISING  PURCHASES

  • Earn up to 2% cashback on all advertising purchases

CASHBACK OPPORTUNITIES

  • Earn up to 2% unlimited cash back.

REWARDS and BENEFITS

  • Earn up to 7.5% cashback on all ad spend.
  • Get $175K in sign-up bonuses with partner perks and discounts.
  • Get unlimited free virtual debit and credit cards.
  • Unlimited Free Ad Copy & Creative
  • Unlimited free ad audits and benchmark reports.
  • Advanced spend, budget, and pacing controls.
  • Unlimited free virtual debit and credit cards.
  • Powered by MasterCard with Built-In Fraud protection.

FINANCIALS

  • No credit checks
  • Get the highest credit limit available
  • Enjoy 30-day interest-free float on ad spend
  • Enjoy up to 90-day float on ad spend for a 4.9% fee
  • Annual fee:  $0

ADVERTISING  PURCHASES

  • Earn up to 7.5% cashback on all advertising purchases
  • Ads on Facebook
  • Ads on Google
  • Ads on  Instagram
  • Ads on Twitter
  • Ads on Pinterest
  • Ads
  • Amazon
  • Ads on Bing

CASHBACK OPPORTUNITIES

  • Earn up to 7.5% unlimited cash back.

TESTIMONIAL

“The highest cashback charge card for Facebook and Google ad spend I've ever seen.”

Eric Carlson at 10X Factory

What business credit card for ad spend should you have in your wallet?

The first 7 cards in this list were recommended by UpgradedPoints.com as the 7 Best Business Credit Cards for Advertising Purchases (Facebook, Google, Amazon & More).

Their criteria for identifying the best credit card for earning rewards on ad spend is based on determining which media vehicle you spend the most on.

The Best Cards to Use to Earn Rewards for Traditional Media Buys

If you spend a great deal on TV and radio advertising, they say the Amex Business Gold card or the Amex Blue Business Cash card will earn rewards on these categories and might be good choices if you’re looking for points.

The Ink Business Preferred card doesn’t let you earn rewards on TV and radio advertising.  However, it does let you earn rewards for social media ads on Google, Amazon, and Facebook.  That could make the card a smart choice if you advertise on these online platforms.

If you’re one of the few advertisers who buy a lot of print publication advertising in magazines or newspapers, a credit card like the Ink Business Unlimited card will let you earn rewards on those media buys.

Determine whether advertising is REALLY your biggest expense.

Keep in mind, even if you do a lot of advertising you should also look at the total mix of all your spending.  You may be buying a lot of other non-advertising products and services that could earn you more on other cards.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post, advertising is one of the biggest expenses for small businesses.  But yours may be an exception.

It’s a good idea to take a good hard look at your other major expenses and choose a credit card that rewards you on the products and services you buy most.

Just as an example, if your two biggest expenses are split equally between travel and advertising, the Ink Business Preferred card might be a better choice than the Amex Business Gold card.  That’s because the Amex Business Gold card only lets your earn points on l airline tickets purchased directly from the airlines.

If your business is small and in addition to advertising,  you spend a good chunk of change on office supplies and cell phone charges, the Amex Blue Business Cash card is a good option. That’s because you can earn 2% cash-back on up to $50,000 of those expenses per year.

Overall choosing the best credit card for earning rewards or the highest cashback on your business advertising expenses should involve looking at all of your expenses to determine which card is the best one for your business’s bottom line.

Cashback versus Points.  Which is better?

Like most questions of this kind, which one is better depends on what’s most important to you.

Points cards offer lucrative Welcome Bonus earning opportunities.

Travel lovers who appreciate perks will be drawn to rewards cards.  Points also have the added benefit of delivering more “value” bang for your buck than cashback.

If you’re going for a travel rewards points card, you’re going to want to be on the lookout for welcome bonuses.  The first few months after you open a rewards points card are potentially the most lucrative since their sign up bonuses can potentially be worth thousands of dollars in “found money” travel benefits.

Cards like  The Platinum Card® from American Express can be a points bonanza.  They offer 75,000 Membership Rewards® Points that are worth $1,500 after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

Then there are even richer offers, The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers 100,000 bonus points that are worth $2,000 after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from the time you open your account.

The downside to the big  Welcome bonuses is that they often require large minimum spend requirements to claim them.  If making $5,000 in purchases on your card within a few months is out of your budget’s reach you might look for a card with lower Welcome Bonus requirements.

Cashback cards initial bonuses are low -- but the benefits pay off later.

In contrast, cash-back cards typically offer bonuses worth a few hundred bucks. As an example, the  Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card, pays out a one-time $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account.

For those playing the long game, it’s important to keep in mind that with points cards those big Welcome Bonuses go away within a few months while (the right) cashback card will reward you indefinitely.

High Annual Fees on Points Cards Make You Pay to Play

Generous Welcome Bonuses on points cards often come with a hefty annual fee that can add up to hundreds of dollars.  Cashback cards on the other hand can be yours for the taking with no annual fees.

When it comes down to it, if you really don’t like to pay annual fees -- especially year after year for as long as you have the card --  you have two options.  One is to go for a cashback card.  Two is to get a “starter” travel card with a less lucrative welcome bonus and a lower annual fee.

Points Cards Often Come with More Perks than Cashback Cards

Points cards will pamper you with everything from access to exclusive airport lounges and hundreds of dollars in travel credit to things like a complimentary Lyft Pink membership.

Cashback cards tend to offer fewer and less sexy benefits.  However, you can still look forward to receiving some industry-standard benefits like:

  • Purchase Protection that covers new purchases for a limited amount of time against damage or theft up to a certain amount per claim and per account.
  • Extended Warranty that adds time to a regular U.S. manufacturer’s warranty on eligible warranties.
  • Zero Liability means you won’t be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information. Federal law generally limits your liability to $50.

The bottom line is that if you see the goal of charging your ad spend to a credit card as your ticket to free travel by all means get a premium points card.  But be sure to wring out all the value you can from those Welcome Bonuses, otherwise those high annual fees will have bought you nothing.

If you don’t want to spend the time and effort to track and maximize points for rewards and you’d rather have an easy way to earn money on your ad spend get a cashback card.

So What is the Highest Cash Back Credit Card for Ad Spend?

Long story short, if you’ve decided that getting a credit card is the way to go, the card you want to get is  Number 8 on the list.  AdCard is the absolute highest cashback credit card for ad spend recommended by me and the hundreds of agency owners and online entrepreneurs who are using it to scale their ad spend and their business.

Maybe the guys at Upgraded Points aren’t aware of what this MasterCard-powered credit card has to offer. Because if they were, they’d have to admit that AdCard is the highest cashback credit card for ad spend

Which makes it unarguably the absolute BEST Business Credit Card for Advertising Purchases.

After all, it doesn’t take a financial genius to figure out that getting up to 7.5% UNLIMITED cashback is WAY better than even the richest deal offered by the other guys.  And by richest cashback deal we’re talking about up to 2% unlimited cash back if and when you pay off your purchases.

Let’s do the math.

If you’re using AdCard to buy $100K worth of ads a year you’ll be getting up to $7,500 cashback.  $500K?  That’s up to $37,500.  At $1M a year that’s up to $75,000.  Oh right, and if you use your cashback to buy more ads (and why the Sam heck WOULDN’T you???) you’ll be earning up to 7.5% cashback on that money too.

Plus You Can Enjoy These Additional Benefits

  • The Security and Confidence of MasterCard  Your AdCard Mastercard comes with great benefits like rental insurance, MasterAssist medical services, and 24-hour support.
  • Total Control  Decrease or Increase budgets as needed in real-time. With AdCard you’re always in control.
  • Smarter Budgeting   Budgeting your marketing spend couldn’t be easier with AdCard. Assign marketing budget to channels, campaigns, and launches in real-time.
  • Enhanced ROAS  AdCard delivers benefits focused on the bigger picture. Getting 200% cashback from your ad spend via ROAS. We do this via unlimited ad copy and creative services, ad audits, media buyer recruiting, etc.
  • Automatic Expenses  Each time you spend, your transaction is automatically entered into AdCard. No more end-of-month surprises with your marketing budgets.
  • Visibility  Every time an AdCard is charged the transaction is instantly visible to the media buyer, marketing manager, finance admin, and company owner.
  • True CAC & CPA Tracking  Ad spend is just one expense when it comes to calculating your cost per acquisition. Create an AdCard for each of your other marketing expenses such as attribution software, ad management software, creative services, agency fees, funnel software, and more.

Still not sure?

Do some last-minute head-to-head comparison shopping.

As you can imagine I talk to a lot of advertisers about the benefits of AdCard for advertisers spending $10K a month or more on Facebook and other online ads.  Especially compared to other credit cards that are vying for space in their wallet.

So if you’d like to come along on a very deep dive into how AdCard stacks up to other cards for ad spend, I’d invite you to check out some past FunnelDash blog posts.

Discover how AdCard compares to..

Advertising is one of the biggest business expenses for companies and today, nearly 100% are doing it online.  And they are paying for almost all of it with credit cards.

Because there is so much money in play, it makes sense to evaluate your priorities in terms of what you want a credit card to do for your business versus what you’d like to get for yourself in the form of travel rewards.

Naturally, there are pros and cons on both sides. Travel rewards are sexy and fun. Cashback is more practical.   But either way,  once you decide which route you want to go, it makes sense to choose the credit card that will give you the maximum amount of travel rewards or cashback.

That being said, if what matters most to you is getting the highest cashback on ad spend then AdCard may be a good fit for you as it offers up to 7.5% cashback that you can use to scale your advertising.  By far the highest amount of cashback that any card in the industry delivers -- not to mention a wide variety of exclusive business-building benefits you won’t find anywhere else.

So thanks for reading along today.  Hope what you learned was helpful.  Check out AdCard and apply today (there’s no credit check).  Then stay tuned for future FunnelDash blog posts that will explore making the most out of financing options for your business.

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