Charge Cards

Charge cards are credit cards that require the balance to be paid in full every month and are only for people with excellent credit. A charge card can therefore be a great tool for instilling the discipline to only make purchases you can pay for in full each month. While a charge card usually offers better rewards than a regular credit card, almost all charge cards have annual fees. Make sure to balance this financial burden against the benefit of rewards in order to find the best charge card for your needs. Learn more

Are you a small business owner? Check out the Business Charge Cards

Looking for store charge cards? Visit the Store Cards Section

		Rewards & Benefits	Annual Fee
American Express® Gold Card		Exclusive access to Gold Card Events -- select concerts, shows, major sporting events, and more. Redeem Membership Rewards® points for an exclusive array of travel, shopping, dining and entertainment rewards.	Basic: None 1st yr, $125 after Additional Cards: Gold: $35 for up to 5 Cards; $35 for each after the first 5 Cards
The Platinum Card® from American Express		25,000 Membership Rewards® points when you spend $2,000 during your first three months of Card membership. Earn 2 points just for booking your next trip online and 1 point for virtually every dollar you spend on your Charge Card. Global Travel Benefits: Access over 600 lounges worldwide with Priority Pass™ Select, no foreign transaction fees, skip U.S. customs lines with Global Entry. Up to $200 in Airline Fee Credits annually to cover incidental charges on your airline of choice, including checked-baggage fees. Receive a companion ticket for discounted travel when you purchase a qualifying First- or Business-Class international ticket. 24/7 Platinum Card® Concierge service for assistance with reservations, travel, gifts, and more. FINE HOTELS & RESORTS Program: exclusive upgrades and amenities at over 700 boutique, resort, and luxury hotels worldwide. Get 20% back when you use Pay with Points to book your travel.	Basic: $450 Additional Cards: $175 for up to 3 Cards; $175 for each after the first 3 Cards

Business Charge Cards

Business charge cards are credit cards that require the balance to be paid in full every month and are only for small business owners with excellent credit. Business charge cards usually offer more rewards and benefits than regular business credit cards. Learn more

Are you a consumer? Check out the Personal Charge Cards

	Rewards & Benefits	Annual Fee
Business Green Rewards Card from American Express OPEN	Receive 5,000 bonus points on your first purchase. Earn 1 Membership Rewards® point for virtually every $1 you spend, 2 points for every dollar you spend with American Express Travel, up to 10 points every day when you shop over 300 brands online at membershiprewards.com/earn , with no limits and no expiration dates. Redeem points for top-tier rewards including travel, merchandise, office equipment, pay down your statement balance, shop with points at Amazon.com, gift cards for clients or your employees and Entertain clients and friends by using points at Ticketmaster to purchase tickets for concerts, theater, sports, and more.	Basic: None 1st yr, $95 after Additional Cards: No annual fee employee cards
Ink^SM Bold with Ultimate Rewards^SM - 50,000 Bonus Points	Earn up to 50,000 bonus points – 25,000 after your first purchase, plus an additional 25,000 after you spend $10,000 in 3 months – that's $500 in rewards of your choice, or $625 towards airfare when you redeem online through our Ultimate Rewards booking tool. 5X points per dollar on the first $50,000 spent annually on eligible business purchases (i.e. wireless/telecommunications services (excluding equipment such as phones and fax machines), cable and satellite television and radio services, office supply stores and wholesale distributors of office supplies). 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. No limit to the number of points you can earn – and points do not expire. Transfer your points to participating frequent traveler programs at full value – that means one Ultimate Rewards point equals one partner mile/point. Travel programs include United MileagePlus®, Continental OnePass®, Marriott Rewards®, Hyatt Gold Passport® and others. Complimentary airport lounge access to over 350 VIP lounges worldwide. Lounge amenities include internet access, complimentary snacks and beverages, phone, fax, conference rooms and more.	Basic: None 1st yr, $95 after Additional Cards: Ink Bold: No additional fees.
Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express OPEN	3X points on airfare, 2X points on advertising, gas, and shipping , 1X points on everything else. Unlimited Rewards Potential - there is no limit to the number of points you can earn and points do not expire. Ongoing savings with FedEx, Hertz®, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts® and more just by using your Business Card. The savings will automatically appear on your statement, and the savings are in addition to other discounts your business may already receive.	Basic: None 1st yr, $175 after Additional Cards: No annual membership fee for Additional Gold Cards for the first year; then, $50 for unlimited Additional Gold Cards
The Plum Card® from American Express OPEN	Pay in full within ten days, get a 1.5% discount. OR pay as little as 10% and take up to 2 months to pay off the balance, interest free. Save 3%-10% automatically on business expenses from FedEx, Hertz®, OfficeMax®, and more with OPEN Savings®.	Basic: None 1st yr, $185 after Additional Cards: $0 for the first additional card; $45 for each additional card, after the first
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express OPEN	Earn 25,000 Membership Rewards® Points When You Spend $5,000 in Your First Three Months of Cardmembership. 2 points for every dollar you spend with American Express Travel and 1 point for every dollar you spend on all other purchases. Up to $200 Airline Fee Credit to cover incidentals with the airline of your choice. Complimentary airport club access to 600+ partner lounges, a $950/yr value. Take advantage of 40 premium benefits and rewards, including 24/7 concierge service and dedicated business consultants. Business Premium Car Rental program with complimentary enrollment in the Hertz #1 Gold Club®, Avis Preferred®, and Emerald club from National® Car Rental. The Platinum Office Program, offering access to 1,000 internet-equipped business lounges in 450 major cities worldwide. By Invitation Only: Receive exclusive access to events, ideal for entertaining clients or treating staff, worldwide that aren't available to the general public. 20% Travel Bonus when redeeming with Membership Rewards® Pay with Points.	Basic: $450 Additional Cards: Executive Business: $200

Charge Card Applications
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We work hard to present you with the most accurate charge card information, however, this information does not originate from us and thus, we do not guarantee the accuracy of the information. Certain offers originate from paying advertisers, and this will be noted on a card’s details page, when applicable.

Before applying for a charge card we recommend that you review and verify the charge card terms and conditions on the charge card company's web site. Please let us know if you find any differences.

Learn More about Charge Cards

Charge card vs. credit card. What's the difference? The only difference between a charge card and a credit card is that with a charge card you must pay for your purchases in full each month. You cannot simply pay a certain portion of your balance (a minimum payment) each month and stay current on your account and retain charging privileges. If you do not pay your balance in full by the designated date, you will be charged late fees (as high as 3% of your delinquent balance) and will be restricted from making purchases until you fully repay your debt. While many charge card offers have No Preset Spending Limit, this feature is not universal amongst charge cards, nor is it unique to them. Some charge card offers have clearly defined spending limits and some credit card offers have No Preset Spending Limits. Information about payment for both charge cards and credit cards is reported to the major credit bureaus, meaning both will allow you to build credit history.

Should I use a charge card or a debit card? There are benefits to using both charge cards and debit cards. Charge cards allow you to build credit history and do not require immediate payment for purchases, which provides both flexibility and added protection from fraud. You must simply pay your balance in full at the end of each month in order to retain purchasing privileges and avoid late fees. Additionally, charge card accounts provide far more lucrative perks and rewards than do debit cards. The only benefit that a debit card has over a charge card is that it makes it impossible to spend more than you can afford. Therefore, you should only use a debit card if you seek this type of inherent discipline.

Are there any charge cards for bad credit? No. Unfortunately, if you have bad credit, your credit card options are limited and at the present time there are no charge cards for people with bad credit.

Do retail stores offer their own charge cards? Many people refer to store cards as charge cards, making talk of a Sears charge card, a Walmart charge card, a Kohl's charge card or a Disney charge card quite common. However, in most cases store cards are credit cards, not charge cards, and they do not require that you pay your balance in full each month. A good rule of thumb to remember is that if it has an interest rate, it's not a charge card.

What is a charge card and why use one? A charge card is a credit card that requires the balance to be paid in full every month. Many people use charge cards because they force more disciplined spending than credit cards. Because charge cards require payment in full each month, consumers cannot adopt an "I'll pay for it later" type of approach and continue to amass more and more debt. If they do not pay their balances in full by a specific time (usually within 25 days of the bills arrival) they cannot make any more purchases. Additionally, many people enjoy the rewards and exclusivity garnered from charge cards. Users often earn points on their purchases and receive other perks like concierge service and discounted tickets to concerts and sporting events.

How to pick the best charge card? The two most important factors to consider when selecting a charge card are the rewards and the annual fee. In addition to earning points on your spending, some charge cards offer relatively extensive additional benefits such as a 24/7 concierge service, discounted tickets to concerts and sporting events, and airline and hotel perks. However, the more rewards a card provides, the higher its annual fee will likely be. So before applying for any charge card consider whether you will truly make use of its additional benefits. If you expect to only take advantage of the points earned on purchases, concentrate on finding the charge card with the lowest annual fee.

What does No Preset Spending Limit (NPSL) mean? A charge card with No Preset Spending Limit is one that does not have a pre-determined credit line. This does not mean that consumers will be able to spend limitlessly with No Preset Spending Limit credit cards and charge cards though. An issuer uses various factors including your income, credit score, payment history and spending patterns in order to determine how much money you can spend in a given month. This amount may change from month-to-month and you may not be able to find out what it is.

Interested in regular credit cards instead of charge cards?