People grow older, and when they do, they often have significant medical care needs. In the US, the population is aging and many people want to stay in their homes but need help to do that. That’s why the outlook for home health care businesses is strong, with the market predicted to grow from $94.17 billion in 2022 to $153.19 billion by 2029, according to Fortune Business Insights.
Home healthcare services provide a range of medical services in the patient’s home, instead of a facility. That may include nursing care, physical and occupational therapy or even medical social work. Some agencies may also offer varying levels of caregiving services as well.
These businesses play a vital role in caring for vulnerable people, but the work— and financial pressures—present challenges. Credit cards can help a home health business pay for purchases safely, manage cash flow, and even earn some well-deserved rewards.
Here are some of the best business credit cards for home health care agencies.
Financial Challenges Of Home Health Care Businesses Today
Starting a new business in the home health industry has somewhat low barriers to entry. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. There are significant financial challenges. Among them:
- Navigating insurance claims and collecting payment from insurers can be time-consuming. Even private pay clients may pay slowly at times.
- Staffing is a common challenge and turnover is often high.
- Regulations and licensing requirements are additional expenses that must be budgeted for.
- An efficient home health care business requires an investment in technology that will have ongoing costs and will need upgrades from time to time.
- The cost of insurance for the agency itself has been rising.
- Decreasing reimbursement rates from Medicare and Medicaid have put significant financial pressure on many agencies.
With all these myriad financial challenges, these businesses may find cash flow a constant struggle. Money in and money out doesn’t always match.
How Home Health Business Care Owners Could Consider Using Business Credit
Business credit cards can be helpful to home health care businesses in several ways:
They are a safe and secure way to pay, as cardholders generally aren’t responsible for most fraudulent charges. Most integrate with accounting software like Quickbooks, making it easier to track and manage business expenses. And most business credit cards offer free employee cards as well as spend management tools.
Rewards are another perk. Credit card issuers target small businesses for rewards credit cards because they know they are likely to spend a lot. They’ll offer cash back rewards, travel rewards, low intro APR financing, and/or sign-up bonuses. For businesses with significant business spending, rewards can really add up.
With the exception of charge cards, most business credit cards allow the business to finance purchases over time. This makes them a complement to, or substitute for, a business line of credit. Just make sure you understand you pay close attention to your credit limit so you don’t run into a situation where essential large purchases get declined.
Most small business credit cards also report payment history to at least one of the major business credit bureaus. Paying on time helps the business establish business credit. Good business credit scores, in turn, can help the business qualify for other types of small business loans and business lines of credit.
Like personal credit cards, most of these cards will check the small business owner’s personal credit history. You’ll need to provide a Social Security Number when you apply, and a personal guarantee is often required.
Best Business Credit Cards For Travel Perks
If your goal is to earn travel rewards—perhaps for a much-needed vacation—business credit cards can make that very easy. Here are two excellent choices:
This card features an enticing welcome offer: .
With the ongoing rewards program, you’ll earn
And the annual fee is . If your business makes purchases outside the US, you don’t have to worry about a foreign transaction fee.
Although it carries an annual fee of , the travel perks for this premium business credit card can make it well worth it for higher spenders. Amex business credit cards also feature flexible spending limits.
The list of travel perks for this card is long, and includes benefits like gold status with top hotel chains, room upgrades with certain hotel bookings, airport lounge access and more. This makes this card very popular with business travelers, or anyone who wants to travel more comfortably.
Best Business Credit Cards With A 0% Introductory Rate
When cash flow is tight, having access to funds at 0% can be extraordinarily helpful. These cards offer 0% intro APRs on purchases. Keep in mind the clock on that rate usually starts clicking when you are approved, not when you make your first purchase. Once the intro rate expires, the go to interest rate will usually be a variable APR that’s much higher.
If you want a solid cash back reward card without caps, this Chase Ink card can be a good choice. And if you need short-term financing, you can also get a .
The annual fee is However there is a foreign transaction fee of .
The gives you the best of all worlds: an introductory APR of , and an appealing cash back bonus offer. .
Your purchases will earn rewards at a solid rate.
The annual fee is making this American Express card a good all around choice. However, it’s worth noting that Amex cards typically require excellent credit.
Best Business Credit Cards With No Annual Fee
For most businesses, the annual fee is less of a consideration than other costs and features, simply because the amount of business purchases charged on the card can earn enough cash back or rewards to outweigh the cost of the fee.
If you want to avoid an annual fee, though, there are some good cards to consider in addition to the other ones featured here:
A good choice for businesses that do a lot of shopping on Amazon and are already Amazon Prime members, this card features a welcome offer you’ll likely put to good use.
The rewards on this card offer a unique benefit to business owners, as you can either choose cash back or longer payment terms.
The annual fee is .
This card doesn’t require you to have excellent credit. Your spending limit is determined by the cash flow of your business and other factors.
It offers a high level of rewards. And there is a bonus available if you meet the spending requirement.
Best Business Credit Cards With Gas Rewards
If fuel is a major expense for your business, you’ll want to save as much as you can. These fuel rewards offers can help you do that.
Costco business members already know Costco offers great prices on fuel. With this card, you can get
The annual fee is , but you’ll need to pay for a Costco membership.
With this Amex card, if fuel is one of your top two spending categories on the card, you’ll earn higher-than-average rewards in that category.
The annual fee is so make sure you spend enough to make it worth it.
This card also lets you customize your rewards, and if fuel is your category of choice, you’ll get an excellent level of cash back.
.
To top it off, you can also qualify for a welcome bonus and a 0% intro APR. Get a
And get
The annual fee is . There is a foreign transaction fee of .
Best Overall Business Credit Cards For Home Health Businesses
You’ll want to choose the card that’s right for your business needs, and as you can see from our picks there, there are plenty to choose from. Here are three overall top choices that will work for many businesses:
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