Best Business Travel Credit Cards for Digital Nomads in 2025
Why Chase, Amex, and Brex are battling for the wallets of global entrepreneurs
JPMorgan Chase has thrown down a marker. The bank just jacked up the annual fee on its flagship Chase Sapphire Reserve to $795, a bold hike from $550, and is preparing to launch a business version of the card designed squarely for the global entrepreneur. It is a signal: the most valuable customers are no longer the occasional vacationers but the business nomads who live half their lives out of carry-ons.
The New Battleground
Cards once lived and died by how many points they offered per dollar. That’s changed. According to Brex and Bill.com, today’s serious business travel cards are about control, compliance, and clarity. A founder with a team spread across time zones doesn’t just need rewards. They need to know which freelancer in Berlin booked a flight above budget and whether that client dinner in Dubai should count as marketing or sales.
Brex has leaned into this shift. Instead of dangling lounge perks, it talks up spending limits, virtual cards, and underwriting that looks at a company’s cash flow rather than a founder’s personal credit score. For scrappy startups, that’s the difference between operating globally on day one or begging a bank manager for approval.
Bill.com takes a slightly different angle. In its July report, the company emphasized the accounting side: smooth expense reporting, better tax visibility, and reduced audit risk. For finance leaders, these details matter more than sipping champagne in a business lounge.
Chase’s High-Risk Play
Chase’s price hike is not a minor adjustment. At $795, the Sapphire Reserve now sits at the very top of the premium segment. As reported by Business Insider, the new fee took effect June 23, 2025. Most banks raise fees a little and hope nobody notices. Chase chose the opposite approach, signaling that they believe their brand and perks justify a near $250 increase overnight.
Behind the sticker shock is a strategy. According to Bloomberg reporting cited by the Economic Times, Chase is segmenting: keeping Sapphire Reserve aspirational for wealthy individuals while carving out a new lane with Sapphire Reserve for Business. Expect familiar perks like lounge access and airline credits, but also new corporate features like multi-user controls, built-in reporting, and maybe even integrations designed to appease CFOs.
Still, Chase is gambling. Business travelers are a fickle bunch. Raise the cost too far, and they may drift to American Express or newer fintech players.
What It Means for Nomadic Entrepreneurs
The world of work has shifted. A growing class of entrepreneurs isn’t tied to headquarters. They’re pitching clients in Tokyo one week and onboarding talent in São Paulo the next. For them, a card is not just plastic; it’s infrastructure.
Brex’s pitch is discipline: cards that keep employees inside budget without the hassle of reimbursements. Chase and Amex sell comfort and prestige: the fast track through security, the glass of wine before a red-eye, and the subtle signaling that says, “I belong in this room.” Both sides know the modern nomad needs a mix of both.
But the numbers matter. A $795 annual fee means a founder needs to squeeze real value from the perks. Free checked bags and lounge visits won’t cut it. That value has to show up in savings, efficiency, or status that translates directly into client trust.
The Industry’s Next Chapter
Chase’s move is unlikely to go unanswered. Amex, with its Platinum Business card, is not going to let Chase own the business nomad outright. Expect updates, richer credits, and maybe some loyalty-driven partnerships. Meanwhile, fintechs like Brex and Ramp will keep hammering the message that software-driven controls are more valuable than old-school prestige.
The truth is, the global business traveler is no longer a sideshow in the credit card business. They are the main event. Issuers know that these customers spend aggressively, travel constantly, and churn rarely. That makes them worth fighting over, even if it means rewriting the rules of what a business credit card should do.
For founders on the move, the choice is sharpening. Do you pay nearly $800 for the velvet rope or bet on leaner fintech tools that give you discipline and flexibility? Either way, the free ride is over. Business travel cards now come with a cost, and every nomad has to decide which side of the trade-off they can live with.
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Freya is a digital nomad and writer from Sweden, curating business travel hacks and remote-work inspiration from her global adventures.
