Business Credit Card Annual Fee Dates
It’s late December: which fee hits next, and what do you use before January 1? Business credit card annual fee dates aren’t on the calendar. They’re on your account anniversary, shown on your statement.
Credit Waypoint is an independent publisher, not a bank or advisor. Disclosure. Fees were checked on issuer pages and agreements on October 22, 2026; if an issuer disagrees, the issuer wins.
Short answer. Your annual fee posts once a year on your account anniversary (around the month you opened the card), not on December 31. What changes at year-end is that calendar-year caps and credits reset on January 1. Find your date on last year’s statement or ask the issuer.
Business Credit Card Annual Fee Dates by Card
No issuer prints one “year-end fee date.” Amex’s Gold Card explainer, written for its consumer card, says the fee is charged on your Card anniversary. Capital One says a business card’s annual fee is “billed once a year, usually on the anniversary of the account opening.” Chase’s cardmember agreement says the fee is added to your statement “once a year.”
| Card | Annual fee | When it posts | Refund rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ink Business Preferred | $95 | Once a year, per Chase. Posting month: ask Chase. | Not published. Ask Chase. |
| Ink Business Unlimited | $0 | No fee | n/a |
| Ink Business Cash | $0 | No fee | n/a |
| American Express Business Gold Card | $375; Employee Business Gold Cards $95 each | On your Card anniversary, per Amex. Confirm with Amex. | Refund if you close within 30 days of the Closing Date of the statement showing the fee. Not for Massachusetts billing addresses. |
| American Express Blue Business Plus Credit Card | $0 | No fee | n/a |
| American Express Business Platinum Card | $895; Additional Business Platinum Cards $400 each | On your Card anniversary, per Amex. Confirm with Amex. | Same 30-day Closing Date rule. Not for Massachusetts billing addresses. |
| Capital One Spark 2% Cash Plus | $150 | Usually on the account-opening anniversary. | $150 statement credit after $150,000 in net purchases by your membership anniversary date, within 2 billing cycles after. |
| Capital One Spark 2% Cash | $0 the first year, then $95 | Usually on the account-opening anniversary. | Not published. Ask Capital One. |
| Capital One Spark 1.5% Cash Select | $0 | No fee | n/a |
Amex’s refund rule comes from the American Express Business Gold Card cardmember agreement: the fee is refunded if you tell Amex you’re voluntarily closing the account within 30 days of the Closing Date of the statement the fee appears on. After that, it’s non-refundable. Capital One’s fee-credit terms are on the Capital One Spark 2% Cash Plus page.
Anniversary date vs calendar year: what resets on January 1
Resets on your account anniversary
- Ink Business Preferred: 3X on the first $150,000 in combined bonus-category purchases.
- Ink Business Cash: the $25,000 5% cap and the $25,000 2% cap.
- Capital One Spark 2% Cash Plus: the $150,000 count toward the $150 fee credit.
- The annual fee itself, on cards that charge one.
Resets January 1 (calendar year)
- American Express Business Gold Card: the $150,000 combined 4X cap.
- American Express Blue Business Plus Credit Card: 2X on the first $50,000.
- American Express Business Gold Card credits: ChatGPT Business (up to $300 per calendar year) and Squarespace (up to $150 per calendar year), both with enrollment.
- American Express Business Platinum Card: the $2 million 2X limit and the Adobe, Dell Technologies, and ChatGPT credits. The One AP credit unlocks after $250,000 in qualifying purchases this calendar year, for use next year.
Use it inside the month, quarter, or half-year
- American Express Business Gold Card: Flexible Business Credit up to $20 per month, with enrollment.
- American Express Business Platinum Card: Indeed up to $90 per quarter, wireless up to $10 per month, and a hotel credit up to $300 semi-annually.
If a cap fills early, our catch-all card guide covers the overflow. Keep-or-cancel math is in the annual-fee audit for operator cards.
Dates already printed for 2027
January 1, 2027: American Express Business Platinum Card. Fine Hotels + Resorts bookings will need a minimum two-night stay to count toward the hotel credit.
February 17, 2027: American Express Business Gold Card. The advertising and wireless 4X categories are marked “select merchants only. See terms” on the American Express Business Gold Card product page. The American Express Business Platinum Card carries the same note on its wireless credit and its 2X shipping line. It’s a watch item, not an ending: Amex hasn’t published which merchants stay eligible, so ask Amex. For where ads route today, see the Card Map.
Checked October 22, 2026.
How to find your anniversary date
- Find the annual-fee line on last year’s statement. That’s your fee month.
- Check the account-open date in the issuer’s app or account details, or on the letter that came with the card.
- Call the number on the back of the card and ask: “What date does my annual fee post, and what’s the refund window if I close?”
Redeem or move rewards before you close or change a card. Chase says points are lost if the account is closed for misuse, fraud, or other reasons in its terms; Capital One says a closed account may lose unredeemed rewards. On Amex, redeem first too.
Questions
When is my business credit card annual fee charged?
Once a year, around your account anniversary. Chase doesn’t name the month, so ask Chase or check last year’s statement.
Anniversary date vs calendar year: what’s the difference?
Anniversary-year limits restart on the date you opened the account, like the Ink Business Preferred cap. Calendar-year limits restart on January 1, like the American Express Business Gold Card cap and most Amex business statement credits.
Can I get my annual fee refunded after it posts?
On the American Express Business Gold Card and the American Express Business Platinum Card, yes, within 30 days of the Closing Date of the statement it appears on (not for Massachusetts billing addresses). Chase and Capital One don’t publish a window, so ask before the fee posts.
Do business card credits reset on January 1?
Amex’s calendar-year credits do. Monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual credits run on their own schedule. Chase Ink caps run on the anniversary.
Can I get a retention offer or downgrade instead of cancelling?
No issuer publishes retention offers or downgrade paths. Ask whether an offer or a no-fee card is available.
Next: Card Map, annual-fee audit, how we compare, and our disclosure.
Checked: October 22, 2026
By Credit Waypoint. Corrections: hello@creditwaypoint.com.