Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.
Business credit cards for bad credit can help entrepreneurs with a personal FICO score below 630 access and build business credit. These cards typically fall into two buckets: secured cards and corporate cards.
Secured business cards are relatively easy to get but require a cash security deposit. Corporate cards don't require a credit check, but you need strong annual revenue and a sizable bank balance to qualify. They’re also only available to incorporated businesses. If approved, corporate credit cards offer perks and rewards similar to traditional business credit cards.
All of our picks for the best business cards for bad credit are chosen by our editorial team, which independently evaluates and rates cards based on fees, rewards rates and redemption options, among numerous other factors. We’ve included personal cards among our selections, as a secured personal card can help your personal credit score so you can qualify for a better business credit card down the road.
Note: Some of our selections can be applied for through NerdWallet, and some cannot. Below, you’ll find application links for the credit cards from our partners that are available through NerdWallet, followed by the full list of our picks.
Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.
Business credit cards for bad credit can help entrepreneurs with a personal FICO score below 630 access and build business credit. These cards typically fall into two buckets: secured cards and corporate cards.
Secured business cards are relatively easy to get but require a cash security deposit. Corporate cards don't require a credit check, but you need strong annual revenue and a sizable bank balance to qualify. They’re also only available to incorporated businesses. If approved, corporate credit cards offer perks and rewards similar to traditional business credit cards.
All of our picks for the best business cards for bad credit are chosen by our editorial team, which independently evaluates and rates cards based on fees, rewards rates and redemption options, among numerous other factors. We’ve included personal cards among our selections, as a secured personal card can help your personal credit score so you can qualify for a better business credit card down the road.
Note: Some of our selections can be applied for through NerdWallet, and some cannot. Below, you’ll find application links for the credit cards from our partners that are available through NerdWallet, followed by the full list of our picks.
Here are the best business credit cards for bad credit from our partners
| Credit card▼ | NerdWallet rating▼ | Annual fee▼ | Rewards rate | Intro offer | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brex Card Apply now on Brex's website | 3.2/5 Best for Corporate cards | $0 | 1x-7x Points | 10,000 Points | Apply now on Brex's website |
Ramp Card Apply now on Ramp's website | 4.0/5 Best for Corporate cards | $0 | 1.5% Cashback | N/A | Apply now on Ramp's website |
BILL Divvy Corporate Card Apply now on BILL Spend & Expense's website | 2.9/5 Best for Corporate cards | $0 | 1x-7x Points | N/A | Apply now on BILL Spend & Expense's website |
First National Bank Business Edition® Secured Mastercard® Credit Card | Best for Secured card to build business credit history | $39 | N/A | N/A | |
Discover it® Secured Credit Card Apply now on Discover's website, or call Rates & Fees | 5.0/5 Best for Secured cards to build personal credit | $0 | 1%-2% Cashback | Cashback Match™ | Apply now on Discover's website, or call Rates & Fees |
Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card Apply now on Capital One's website Rates & Fees | 4.9/5 Best for Secured cards to build personal credit | $0 | 1.5%-5% Cashback | N/A | Apply now on Capital One's website Rates & Fees |
Capital on Tap Business Credit Card Apply now on Capital on Tap's website | 3.8/5 Best for Business credit card for fair, average credit | $0 | 1.5% | $200 | Apply now on Capital on Tap's website |
Our picks for
Corporate cards
Brex Card
Read Review
Apply now
on Brex's website
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1x-7x Points
Intro offer
10,000 Points
Pros
- No annual fee
- New cardholder bonus offer
- Qualify with limited/bad credit
- Bonus categories
- No foreign transaction fees
- No personal guarantee
Cons
- Complicated rewards structure
- High capital requirement for approval
- Daily repayment may be required
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1x-7x Points
Intro offer
10,000 Points
Pros
- No annual fee
- New cardholder bonus offer
- Qualify with limited/bad credit
- Bonus categories
- No foreign transaction fees
- No personal guarantee
Cons
- Complicated rewards structure
- High capital requirement for approval
- Daily repayment may be required
- Get 10,000 points when you spend $3,000 on a Brex Card within your first 3 months.
- No personal guarantee needed – Brex does not ask for a personal credit check or security deposit during the application.
- Credit limits 10-20x higher than traditional small business corporate cards.
- Minimum bank balance of $50,000 from professional investors may be required to qualify for Brex.
- Exclusive signup offers from the best products and tools for your business (e.g. AWS, Google Ads, WeWork, Salesforce) worth up to $150,000 in value.
- Earn points on every dollar spent with industry-leading multipliers: 7x on rideshare, 4x on Brex Travel, 3x on restaurants, 2x on software subscriptions and 1x on all other transactions.
- Earn 3x Brex Rewards points on all eligible Apple purchases through the link or your Brex dashboard.
- Miles transfer program to 7 airlines (including Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Air France, and more) and their loyalty programs, giving Brex customers access to book travel across all of the major global airline alliances - Star Alliance, Oneworld, and SkyTeam.
- 30-day charge card running on the Mastercard network. Enjoy global acceptance with no foreign transaction fees.
- Build business credit: Brex partners with Dun & Bradstreet and Experian to report your on-time payments.
- Make employee expenses seamless - automated receipt-capture and expense matching and reconciliation via text, email, and mobile app. Instantly add new users and set spending limits.
- Contactless pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.
- Simplify reconciliation with built-in integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, and more.
Ramp Card
Read Review
Apply now
on Ramp's website
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5% Cashback
Intro offer
N/A
Pros
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees
- Simple, straightforward rewards
- No personal guarantee or credit check
- Direct integrations with popular tools and card-level spending controls and alerts
Cons
- Balance must be paid in full each month
- Not available to sole proprietors or unincorporated businesses
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5% Cashback
Intro offer
N/A
Pros
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees
- Simple, straightforward rewards
- No personal guarantee or credit check
- Direct integrations with popular tools and card-level spending controls and alerts
Cons
- Balance must be paid in full each month
- Not available to sole proprietors or unincorporated businesses
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases, no minimum spend required.
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees.
- No personal credit check or personal guarantee required.
- Issue unlimited virtual cards and physical cards for each employee.
- Prevent out-of-policy spending with built-in controls, including spend restrictions by category or merchant.
- Ramp is a corporate charge card powered by Visa. Businesses are required to pay the monthly balance in full by each statement period.
- Must have at least $75,000 in cash in any U.S. business bank account to qualify.
- Must have most of your operations and corporate spend in the US (although Ramp does support international transactions and will waive all related transaction fees).
- Ramp is only available to corporations, LLCs and limited partnerships. Individuals, sole proprietorships and unregistered businesses are not eligible.
BILL Divvy Corporate Card
Read Review
Apply now
on BILL Spend & Expense's website
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1x-7x Points
Intro offer
N/A
Pros
- No annual fee
- Card-level spending controls
Cons
- Complicated rewards structure with limits on redemption
- Balance must be paid in full each billing cycle
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1x-7x Points
Intro offer
N/A
Pros
- No annual fee
- Card-level spending controls
Cons
- Complicated rewards structure with limits on redemption
- Balance must be paid in full each billing cycle
- Earn up to 7x rewards on restaurants and 5x on hotels with weekly billing. Terms apply.
- Credit lines up to $15 million but based on revenue, cash balance, business history and personal and business credit score.
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees.
- Unlimited free virtual cards.
- Spend management platform allows business owners to easily set and adjust individual and team budgets.
Our pick for
Secured card to build business credit history
First National Bank Business Edition® Secured Mastercard® Credit Card
Annual fee
$39
Rewards rate
N/A
Intro offer
N/A
Pros
- Qualify with limited / bad credit
Cons
- Has annual fee
- No rewards
- High APR
Annual fee
$39
Rewards rate
N/A
Intro offer
N/A
Pros
- Qualify with limited / bad credit
Cons
- Has annual fee
- No rewards
- High APR
- Request your own credit limit between $2,000 and $100,000 (multiples of $50), when you apply, subject to credit approval.
- Earn interest on your security deposit.
- Variable 25.74% APR on purchases and balance transfers based on the Prime Rate.
Our picks for
Secured cards to build personal credit
Discover it® Secured Credit Card
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-2% Cashback
Intro offer
Cashback Match™
Pros
- No annual fee
- Reports to the three major credit bureaus
- Qualify with limited/bad credit
- Earns rewards
- New cardholder bonus offer
Cons
- Requires minimum deposit
- High APR
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-2% Cashback
Intro offer
Cashback Match™
Pros
- No annual fee
- Reports to the three major credit bureaus
- Qualify with limited/bad credit
- Earns rewards
- New cardholder bonus offer
Cons
- Requires minimum deposit
- High APR
- No credit score required to apply.
- No Annual Fee, earn cash back, and build your credit history
- Your secured credit card requires a refundable security deposit, and your credit line will equal your deposit amount, starting at $200. Bank information must be provided when submitting your deposit.
- Automatic reviews starting at 7 months to see if we can transition you to an unsecured line of credit and return your deposit.
- Earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.
- Discover could help you reduce exposure of your personal information online by helping you remove it from select people-search sites that could sell your data. It’s free, activate with the mobile app.
- Get an alert if we find your Social Security number on any of thousands of Dark Web sites. Activate for free.
- Click through to Discover’s website to see terms and conditions.
View Rates & Fees
Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5%-5% Cashback
Intro offer
N/A
Pros
- Qualify with limited/bad credit
- Reports to the three major credit bureaus
- Earns rewards
- No minimum redemption amount
- Rewards don't expire
- No annual fee
Cons
- High APR
- No new cardholder bonus offer
- No bonus categories
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5%-5% Cashback
Intro offer
N/A
Pros
- Qualify with limited/bad credit
- Reports to the three major credit bureaus
- Earns rewards
- No minimum redemption amount
- Rewards don't expire
- No annual fee
Cons
- High APR
- No new cardholder bonus offer
- No bonus categories
- No annual or hidden fees, and you can earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day. See if you're approved in seconds
- Put down a refundable $200 security deposit to get a $200 initial credit line
- Building your credit? Using a card like this responsibly could help
- Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
- You could earn back your security deposit as a statement credit when you use your card responsibly, like making payments on time
- Be automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as 6 months with no additional deposit needed
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply
- Monitor your credit score with CreditWise from Capital One. It's free for everyone
- Enjoy up to 6 months of complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through 11/14/2024
View Rates & Fees
Our pick for
Business credit card for fair, average credit
Capital on Tap Business Credit Card
Read Review
Apply now
on Capital on Tap's website
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5%
Intro offer
$200
Pros
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- Apply without a hard credit check
- 24/7 customer service
Cons
- Not available to sole proprietors, charities or nonprofits
- Must enroll in automatic payments
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5%
Intro offer
$200
Pros
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- Apply without a hard credit check
- 24/7 customer service
Cons
- Not available to sole proprietors, charities or nonprofits
- Must enroll in automatic payments
- 1.5% rewards on all spend, no caps or restrictions
- Earn $200 cashback when you spend $15,000 in the first 3 months.
- $0 annual fee
- No foreign exchange fees
- Applying has no impact on credit score
- APRs range from 17.74% to 35.99% variable
- Unlimited cards for your employees
- Capital on Tap Business Credit Cards are issued by WebBank
NerdWallet's editorial picks: Best business credit cards for bad credit
Click the card name to read our review. Before applying, confirm details on the issuer’s website.
Our pick for: Corporate cards
The
Brex Card
doesn't require a personal credit check and business owners can apply with an EIN only. There's also no personal guarantee. Instead, Brex determines creditworthiness by evaluating a company's cash balance, spending patterns and investors. The Brex card also offers a decent welcome bonus, earns ongoing rewards and offers direct integration with popular accounting and bookkeeping software. Learn more and apply.Our pick for: Corporate cards
The
Ramp Card
's main selling point: It does not require a credit check or personal guarantee. You just need strong revenue and a healthy bank balance. The corporate charge card also offers unlimited cash-back rewards and card-level spending controls with no annual fee. Learn more and apply.Our pick for: Corporate cards
Unlike other corporate cards, the BILL Divvy Corporate Card does require a credit check and personal guarantee, but Bill's underwriting criteria are more flexible than other business credit cards. Bill generally requires a minimum FICO score of 650 or higher, but the issuer also factors annual revenue and business bank account balance into approval decisions. If approved, you can earn up to 7x points on restaurants and 5x points on hotels, though weekly payments are required to hit the top tier. Learn more and apply.
First National Bank Business Edition® Secured Mastercard® Credit Card
Our pick for: Secured card to build business credit history
The
First National Bank Business Edition® Secured Mastercard® Credit Card
reports card activity to Dun & Bradstreet, one of the three main business credit bureaus, so on-time payments will help build your business credit score. This secured card does require a credit check (personal credit) and security deposit (between $2,200 and $110,000 in multiples of $50) which dictates your credit limit. This card charges a $39
annual fee.Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® Secured credit card
Our pick for: Secured card to build business credit history
The Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® Secured credit card earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases, with no cap or expiration date on the rewards you earn. The card has a minimum security deposit of $1,000, which is equal to your credit limit and subject to credit approval. Bank of America will periodically review your secured card and may upgrade you to an unsecured card if and when you qualify. This card has no annual fee.
Our pick for: Business credit card for fair, average credit
The
Capital on Tap Business Credit Card
offers 1.5%
cash back on all purchases, no annual fee and the potential for a low APR. And while it's available to business owners with fair credit, Capital on Tap says applicants with a FICO score of 670 or higher have the best chance of approval. One important note: This card is not available to sole proprietors, which excludes the majority of businesses. Learn more and apply.Our pick for: Business credit card for fair, average credit
The rewards rate on the
Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business
isn't going to wow anyone; there's no sign-up bonus and the APR is high. What makes this card valuable is that it's available to business operators with fair credit (a credit score between 630-689), who don't have a lot of options in business credit cards — and it has no annual fee.Our pick for: Secured cards to build personal credit
This personal secured credit card offers a generous cash-back program, and responsible habits will automatically trigger an evaluation from Discover after seven months of holding the card. Note that your original deposit, or security, must be paid through a bank account. Learn more and apply.
Our pick for: Secured card to build personal credit
The
Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card
offers an impressive combination of features for those with poor credit. A deposit is required, but in exchange you get a $0
-annual-fee card that reports to all three credit bureaus; an automatic credit limit review after six months; and a possible upgrade path to an unsecured Capital One card. Oh, and 5% back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, plus 1.5% back on all other purchases, which equals what you'd find on many unsecured cards. Learn more and apply. How do you apply for a business credit card with bad credit?
- Know your credit score. Most card issuers will check your personal credit score when you apply for a business credit card. Your options will be limited if you have a FICO score below 630, which is considered bad credit. If you have time, see if taking some quick steps to build credit — like paying off existing debt or disputing errors on your credit report — could help your score before applying.
- Find the right card for your business. Poor or thin credit may be the biggest factor in the card you choose, but you’ll still want to consider a card’s terms and individual features to determine the best fit for your company. First National Bank’s business secured card charges an annual fee, for example, but offers a higher potential credit line (with deposit) than other secured cards.
- Make your deposit, if necessary. No-deposit business credit cards for bad credit are uncommon. Most likely, you’ll have to opt for a secured credit card that requires a deposit, which the lender can take in instances of nonpayment. Bank of America’s business secured card, for example, requires a security deposit of at least $1,000 and then limits your spending to that deposited amount.
- Use your business credit card wisely. Getting a business credit card won’t help bad personal credit: Most business card providers only report negative behavior to consumer credit bureaus. But good habits like making on-time payments and paying in full can build your business credit. Plus, some issuers, like Bank of America, will monitor your secured card usage and let you upgrade to an unsecured account.
Alternatives to business credit cards for bad credit
Secured cards are tied to a cash deposit, which makes them among the easiest business credit cards to get. That's because card issuers can simply take that deposit if you fail to pay what you owe, making them more willing to work with business owners with poor personal credit or no credit history.
But if you need more money than a secured card’s credit limit, bad-credit business loans may be an option. For example, Fundbox’s business line of credit is worth up to $150,000 to business owners with a credit score of at least 600 and six months in business. If you’re a startup with bad credit, an option like invoice financing could make sense depending on your business model.
You may also want to consider a personal loan for bad credit or personal credit card for bad credit. While NerdWallet recommends separating your personal and business finances, these products can offer short-term financing and the opportunity to strengthen your credit for future business borrowing needs.
Last updated on September 28, 2023
Methodology
NerdWallet's Credit Cards team selects the best credit cards for small business based on overall consumer value, as evidenced by star ratings, as well as their suitability for specific kinds of small-business operators. Factors in our evaluation include annual and other fees, rewards rates, the earning structure (for example, flat-rate rewards versus bonus categories), redemption options, bonus offers for new cardholders, introductory and ongoing APRs, and other noteworthy features such as special financing arrangements, free cards for employees or tools for managing business expenses. Learn more about how we rate business credit cards.