These top small business cards can earn you up to 5X rewards on everyday expenses

We reviewed 21 popular business credit cards and chose the best cards that fit into six main categories: cash back, travel, luxury, special financing and fair credit.

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

If you operate a small business, whether it’s part-time or full-time, you may benefit from opening a business credit card. Most issuers have pretty lenient qualification requirements for what’s considered a “business owner” and will likely accept your application whether you freelance, sell items online or run a growing company with employees.

The most basic perk of a business credit card is the ability to keep personal and professional expenses separate, which makes things much easier come tax time. Plus, many business cards allow you to open free employee cards, which is a great way to streamline spending and eliminate the hassle of reimbursing employees for business charges made on personal cards.

Business credit cards come in all shapes and sizes, with cards offering rewards, interest-free financing on new purchases, luxurious travel perks, extended warranties, insurance and more. In order to qualify for a business card, you typically need excellent credit (670+ according to Experian), but there are options for business owners with less than stellar credit.

To determine which cards offer the best value overall, CNBC Select reviewed dozens of popular options and chose cards that fit into eight main categories: cash back, travel, no annual fee, welcome bonus, luxury, special financing, average credit, and shipping.

Here are CNBC Select’s picks for the top business cards.

Who’s this for? If you’re looking to earn a competitive cash-back rate on all spending, you should consider the Capital One Spark Cash Plus, which offers 2% cash back on every eligible purchase.

The cash-back program is straightforward, without the bonus categories or spending limits many other business cards impose. Business owners can easily redeem cash back at any time and for any amount as statement credit or check. There’s also the option to set up automatic redemption at a set time each calendar year or when a specific cash-back balance is reached.

The Spark Cash Plus also comes with helpful business benefits, including free employee cards, account management tools (such as the ability to view recurring transactions and download purchase records to Quicken®, QuickBooks® and Excel®), extended warranty and protection, travel benefits, and more.