For some, avoiding paying an annual fee is a matter of value, as they don’t see the return in paying for a credit card when there are so many that don’t have this charge. This is especially true for businesses who don’t utilize the travel benefits offered by premium rewards cards that have annual fees. For others, it’s a matter of principle – They’ve never paid an annual fee and they don’t believe it’s fair or necessary to pay a credit card issuer to use their product.
Many of the small business cards that charge an annual fee are premium travel rewards cards. These cards can offer far more valuable benefits than business cards that don’t have an annual fee, such as car rental insurance, damage and theft protection and extended warranty policies. Ultra-premium cards like also offer airport lounge access, although there is an additional fee for authorized users to have these privileges.
For example, the has a $295 annual fee, but it offers 4x Membership Rewards bonus points per dollar spent on several bonus spending categories. And although you can redeem these points for gift cards and merchandise, these rewards can be extremely valuable when transferred to airline miles or hotel points. It also offers numerous travel insurance and purchase protection policies not found on cards with no annual fee.
Airline cards such as the offer perks like priority boarding and a free checked bag, while hotel cards such as the feature elite status that gives you free breakfasts, room upgrades and priority service (terms apply).
