There’s a lot to know about when it comes to balancing the differences between personal and business credit cards. From ensuring everything is separated to leveraging different benefits, it can be a bit of a hassle to try and remember it all.
First we’re going to review some of the basic needs and reminders of having separate accounts and then we’ll dig into the details of what you can use as a freelancer looking to leverage credit card rewards.
Be Prepared
The biggest piece of advice that can be offered to anyone is to be prepared. Credit cards can have a lot of hidden fees and they can also have hidden benefits. This is why it is so important to make sure that you read between the lines.
Separate Personal and Business
This part of preparation is pretty simple: don’t use the same card for personal life and for business. Not only does this create a headache when trying to separate out transactions, but it also creates a headache when you are trying to balance out points and travel benefits.
Credit Score Still Counts
No matter what direction you want to go with your cards something will always count and that is your credit score. Pay attention to your credit score as you go through the process of applying to different cards and ensure that you are watching your score when you make payments.
Compare What You Need
There are plenty of credit cards that work well for freelancers like those here. The biggest step that probably takes the longest is comparing all that you will need when it comes to benefits, your APR, and more. Take time on this step so that you can make the most informed decisions possible.
Business Fees vs. Personal Fees
Be prepared to pay the fees that are necessary for the credit card out of your freelance budget and not your personal business budget. This is going to make sure that you are working in the right area of your taxes and credit cards so that things don’t get mixed up.
Remember, budget, compare, and contrast to see what fees are going to work best for your freelancing business.
Leverage the Rewards
Now we get to the fun part! When it comes to leveraging rewards the best way to look at them is free money to do what you need to do as a freelancer. From cash back rates to welcome rewards, there are a multitude of ways that you can utilize credit card rewards.
Get your Cash Back Rates
Did you know that as a freelancer, you can have the cost of your office groceries added onto a business credit card and that cash back counts as additional earnings? It’s fascinating what you can do when you separate out business and personal life when it comes to using credit cards for freelance businesses.
Car Rentals and Hotels
If your business is one that requires a lot of travel then you are probably going to want a card that offers traveling benefits. Two of those major benefits are going to be rental cars and hotel points.
One or the other is going to be very helpful when trying to maintain the separation between business and personal. Additionally, this translates to points that you can use for traveling as well.
What Points Can You Use?
All of them! Travel, gift cards, shopping points, they all add up and can all be used for your freelancing business. Yet again, this is where it is important to study up and make sure that you are looking into the details of the contracts that you enter.
With credit cards, there are plenty of point rewards that build up over time. Watch your points build up and make sure that you keep business and pleasure separated. Again, this goes back to taxes and making sure that your expenses and earnings are all recorded as accurately as possible.
Welcome Rewards
Probably one of the most promising ways to leverage a credit card is through welcome benefits. You may have new purchases that you need for your business or you may need to re-outfit your office for a more workable space. The list can go on and on regarding what you need as a freelancer and so can the purchases that count towards a welcome benefit.
Compare and contrast the welcome benefits and be ready to use them when you have big purchases coming up. Remember, all of this requires a great deal of planning and comparison to make sure that you are using as many of the available benefits as possible.
Conclusion
When it comes to leveraging credit cards as a freelancer there are a few things that you need to remember. The first is to keep business and personal as separated as you possibly can. After that, make sure that you are comparing as many different possibilities as possible: credit card benefits are not one size fits all.
Once you have what you need figured out, it’s time to plan ahead and begin applying to make sure that you can make the most and leverage the most out of any new credit cards you use as a freelance business.
