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Business owners who don’t qualify for a business loan can often turn to business credit cards to build credit and finance company expenses. If you have a personal FICO score of 690 or higher, you can qualify for some of the best business credit cards.
But entrepreneurs with a personal FICO score below 630 typically have two options: secured cards and corporate cards.
Secured business cards are relatively easy to get but require a cash security deposit. While secured business cards can build business credit, they won't help your personal credit score. A secured personal card is a good option to do that and can help you qualify for unsecured business credit cards down the road.
Corporate cards typically 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 cards.
All of our picks for the best business cards are chosen by our editorial team, who follow strict editorial guidelines to ensure fairness and accuracy in our coverage to help you choose the business card for your company. We independently evaluate and rate dozens of small-business credit cards, scoring them on fees, rewards rates, bonus offers and other features. View our full methodology.
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 may influence 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 owners who don’t qualify for a business loan can often turn to business credit cards to build credit and finance company expenses. If you have a personal FICO score of 690 or higher, you can qualify for some of the best business credit cards.
But entrepreneurs with a personal FICO score below 630 typically have two options: secured cards and corporate cards.
Secured business cards are relatively easy to get but require a cash security deposit. While secured business cards can build business credit, they won't help your personal credit score. A secured personal card is a good option to do that and can help you qualify for unsecured business credit cards down the road.
Corporate cards typically 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 cards.
All of our picks for the best business cards are chosen by our editorial team, who follow strict editorial guidelines to ensure fairness and accuracy in our coverage to help you choose the business card for your company. We independently evaluate and rate dozens of small-business credit cards, scoring them on fees, rewards rates, bonus offers and other features. View our full methodology.
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 cards to build credit
| Best for | NerdWallet rating▼ | Annual fee▼ | Intro APR | Regular APR | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Corporate cards Brex Card Apply now on Brex's website | 3.2/5 | $0 | N/A | N/A | Apply now on Brex's website |
Corporate cards Ramp Card Apply now on Ramp's website | 2.8/5 | $0 | N/A | N/A | Apply now on Ramp's website |
Corporate cards BILL Divvy Corporate Card Apply now on BILL Spend & Expense's website | 2.7/5 | $0 | N/A | N/A | Apply now on BILL Spend & Expense's website |
Business credit card for fair, average credit Capital on Tap Business Credit Card Apply now on Capital on Tap's website | 3.8/5 | $0 | N/A | 18.49%-35.99% Variable APR | Apply now on Capital on Tap's website |
Secured cards to build personal credit Discover it® Secured Credit Card Apply now on Discover's website, or call 800-347-0264 Rates & Fees | 5.0/5 | $0 | 10.99% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 6 months | 28.24% Variable APR | Apply now on Discover's website, or call 800-347-0264 Rates & Fees |
Secured cards to build personal credit Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card Apply now on Capital One's website Rates & Fees | 4.9/5 | $0 | N/A | 29.99% Variable APR | Apply now on Capital One's website Rates & Fees |
| Best for | NerdWallet rating▼ | Annual fee▼ | Intro APR | Regular APR | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Corporate cards Brex Card Apply now on Brex's website | 3.2/5 | $0 | N/A | N/A | Apply now on Brex's website |
Corporate cards Ramp Card Apply now on Ramp's website | 2.8/5 | $0 | N/A | N/A | Apply now on Ramp's website |
Corporate cards BILL Divvy Corporate Card Apply now on BILL Spend & Expense's website | 2.7/5 | $0 | N/A | N/A | Apply now on BILL Spend & Expense's website |
Business credit card for fair, average credit Capital on Tap Business Credit Card Apply now on Capital on Tap's website | 3.8/5 | $0 | N/A | 18.49%-35.99% Variable APR | Apply now on Capital on Tap's website |
Secured cards to build personal credit Discover it® Secured Credit Card Apply now on Discover's website, or call 800-347-0264 Rates & Fees | 5.0/5 | $0 | 10.99% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 6 months | 28.24% Variable APR | Apply now on Discover's website, or call 800-347-0264 Rates & Fees |
Secured cards to build personal credit Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card Apply now on Capital One's website Rates & Fees | 4.9/5 | $0 | N/A | 29.99% Variable APR | Apply now on Capital One's website Rates & Fees |
I'M INTERESTED IN:
Our picks for
Corporate cards
Brex Card
Read Review
Apply now
on Brex's website
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
N/A
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
- Not available to sole proprietors
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
N/A
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
- Not available to sole proprietors
- 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
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
N/A
Pros
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees
- 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
- Rewards rate varies and is determined for each customer by Ramp.
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
N/A
Pros
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees
- 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
- Rewards rate varies and is determined for each customer by Ramp.
- 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
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
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
- Not available to sole proprietors.
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
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
- Not available to sole proprietors.
- 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
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
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
18.49%-35.99% Variable APR
Pros
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- 24/7 customer service
Cons
- Not available to sole proprietors, charities or nonprofits
- Must enroll in automatic payments
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
18.49%-35.99% Variable APR
Pros
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- 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
- $0 annual fee
- No foreign exchange fees
- APRs range from 18.49% to 35.99% variable
- Unlimited cards for your employees
- Capital on Tap Business Credit Cards are issued by WebBank
Our picks for
Secured cards to build personal credit
Discover it® Secured Credit Card
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
10.99% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 6 months
Regular APR
28.24% Variable APR
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
Intro APR
10.99% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 6 months
Regular APR
28.24% Variable APR
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, automatically. Plus earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- 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.
- Terms and conditions apply.
View Rates & Fees
Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
29.99% Variable APR
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
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
29.99% Variable APR
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
NerdWallet's editorial picks: Best business cards to build credit
Before applying, confirm details on the issuer’s website.
Corporate cards
Corporate credit cards typically don't require a personal credit check — the
BILL Divvy Corporate Card
is an exception — but they do require a minimum bank balance of $20,000 or higher and substantial annual revenue.NerdWallet star rating:
2.8
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 has no annual fee, built-in expense management and card-level spending controls. Ramp also offers cash back on qualified purchases, but the actual reward rate varies by business. Learn more and apply.NerdWallet star rating:
3.2
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.NerdWallet star rating:
2.7
Unlike other corporate cards, the
BILL Divvy Corporate Card
does require a credit check, but the card's underwriting criteria are more flexible than other business credit cards. The BILL Divvy Corporate Card
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.Business credit cards for fair, average credit
Most business credit cards require a personal FICO score of 690 or higher to qualify, but the following options are available to business owners fair or average credit — typically a FICO score between 630 and 689.
NerdWallet star rating:
3.8
Capital on Tap says applicants with a FICO score of 670 or higher have the best chance of approval, but the card is available to business owners with fair credit (typically considered a score from 630 to 689). The
Capital on Tap Business Credit Card
issued by WebBank offers 1.5%
cash back on all purchases, no annual fee and the potential for a low APR. One important note: This card is not available to sole proprietors, which excludes the majority of businesses. Learn more and apply.NerdWallet star rating:
3
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, who don't have a lot of options in business credit cards.Secured cards to build business credit history
A secured business credit card is one way to establish and build your business credit. Prioritize on-time payments and aim to keep credit utilization below 30% to have a positive impact on your business credit score.
First National Bank Business Edition® Secured Mastercard® Credit Card
This card has not been rated by NerdWallet
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 $2,000 and $10,000 in multiples of $100) which dictates your credit limit. This card charges a $39
annual fee.Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® Secured credit card
This card has not been rated by NerdWallet
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.
Secured cards to build personal credit
If bad personal credit is preventing you from financing your business, a secured personal credit card can help you improve your credit over time and unlock better financing options down the road.
NerdWallet star rating:
5
While there aren't Discover business credit cards, this personal secured credit card offers a generous cash-back program. 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.
NerdWallet star rating:
4.9
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 (see rates and fees). Learn more and apply.How do you apply for a business credit card?
- Know your credit score. Most issuers check your personal credit score when you apply for a business credit card because you will need to guarantee the debt (i.e., promise to repay it if your business can't). Your options will be limited if you have a FICO score below 630, which is considered bad credit. If you have time, take some quick steps to build credit — like paying off existing debt or disputing errors on your credit report — to 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.
Last updated on July 16, 2024
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.