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.
Corporate credit cards are issued to a company rather than a business owner. Because of this, corporate cards don’t require a personal guarantee. Instead, the corporation often assumes all financial liability for purchases made on the card by its employees.
Corporate cards from issuers like American Express, JP Morgan Chase and U.S. Bank are generally geared toward large corporations with millions in annual revenue. Smaller businesses and startups may be better suited for cards from financial technology companies, some of which are highlighted below.
If you're a sole proprietor or single-member LLC, or if your business has uneven cash flow, a traditional business credit card is probably a better fit than a corporate card. Here’s how these options stack up:
Corporate credit cards | Business credit cards | |
|---|---|---|
Who they're for | Incorporated or registered businesses, such as corporations and LLCs. | All business owners, including freelancers and sole proprietors. |
How repayment works | Typically must be paid in full every month; users can’t carry a balance over time. | You can carry a balance, allowing you to pay off purchases over time with interest. |
Qualification requirements | Strong revenue history and bank balance, but no personal guarantee. | Good or excellent personal credit; personal guarantee required. |
Primary benefits | Employee cards with spend controls and simplified expense reporting. | Rewards, including cash back, points and sign-up bonuses. |
250+ small-business products reviewed and rated by our team of experts.
95+ years of combined experience covering small-business and personal finance.
Objective comprehensive business credit card ratings rubric (Methodology).
NerdWallet's business credit card content, including our ratings, reviews and recommendations, is overseen by a team of writers and editors who specialize in business credit cards. Their work has appeared in The Associated Press, Washington Post, MarketWatch, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur, ABC News, MSN and other national and local media outlets. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet's strict editorial guidelines to ensure fairness and accuracy in our coverage. We independently evaluate and rate dozens of small-business credit cards, scoring them on fees, rewards rates, bonus offers and other features to help you choose the best business card for your company.
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.
Corporate credit cards are issued to a company rather than a business owner. Because of this, corporate cards don’t require a personal guarantee. Instead, the corporation often assumes all financial liability for purchases made on the card by its employees.
Corporate cards from issuers like American Express, JP Morgan Chase and U.S. Bank are generally geared toward large corporations with millions in annual revenue. Smaller businesses and startups may be better suited for cards from financial technology companies, some of which are highlighted below.
If you're a sole proprietor or single-member LLC, or if your business has uneven cash flow, a traditional business credit card is probably a better fit than a corporate card. Here’s how these options stack up:
Corporate credit cards | Business credit cards | |
|---|---|---|
Who they're for | Incorporated or registered businesses, such as corporations and LLCs. | All business owners, including freelancers and sole proprietors. |
How repayment works | Typically must be paid in full every month; users can’t carry a balance over time. | You can carry a balance, allowing you to pay off purchases over time with interest. |
Qualification requirements | Strong revenue history and bank balance, but no personal guarantee. | Good or excellent personal credit; personal guarantee required. |
Primary benefits | Employee cards with spend controls and simplified expense reporting. | Rewards, including cash back, points and sign-up bonuses. |
250+ small-business products reviewed and rated by our team of experts.
95+ years of combined experience covering small-business and personal finance.
Objective comprehensive business credit card ratings rubric (Methodology).
NerdWallet's business credit card content, including our ratings, reviews and recommendations, is overseen by a team of writers and editors who specialize in business credit cards. Their work has appeared in The Associated Press, Washington Post, MarketWatch, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur, ABC News, MSN and other national and local media outlets. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet's strict editorial guidelines to ensure fairness and accuracy in our coverage. We independently evaluate and rate dozens of small-business credit cards, scoring them on fees, rewards rates, bonus offers and other features to help you choose the best business card for your company.
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 corporate credit cards
| Best for | NerdWallet rating▼ | Annual fee▼ | Rewards rate | Intro offer | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Established businesses with travel expenses U.S. Bank Commercial Rewards Card Apply now on U.S. Bank's website | 3.0/5 | No annual fee for free plan. Paid plan available. | 1x-5x Points | N/A | Apply now on U.S. Bank's website |
Venture-funded startups with travel expenses Brex Card Apply now on Brex's website | 3.2/5 | $0 | 1x-7x Points | 10,000 Points | Apply now on Brex's website |
Cash back Ramp Card Apply now on Ramp's website | 2.8/5 | $0 | 1%-1.5% Cashback | N/A | Apply now on Ramp's website |
Businesses with smaller bank balances BILL Divvy Corporate Card Apply now on BILL Spend & Expense's website | 2.7/5 | $0 | 1x-7x Points | N/A | Apply now on BILL Spend & Expense's website |
| Best for | NerdWallet rating▼ | Annual fee▼ | Rewards rate | Intro offer | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Established businesses with travel expenses U.S. Bank Commercial Rewards Card Apply now on U.S. Bank's website | 3.0/5 | No annual fee for free plan. Paid plan available. | 1x-5x Points | N/A | Apply now on U.S. Bank's website |
Venture-funded startups with travel expenses Brex Card Apply now on Brex's website | 3.2/5 | $0 | 1x-7x Points | 10,000 Points | Apply now on Brex's website |
Cash back Ramp Card Apply now on Ramp's website | 2.8/5 | $0 | 1%-1.5% Cashback | N/A | Apply now on Ramp's website |
Businesses with smaller bank balances BILL Divvy Corporate Card Apply now on BILL Spend & Expense's website | 2.7/5 | $0 | 1x-7x Points | N/A | Apply now on BILL Spend & Expense's website |
I'M INTERESTED IN:
Our pick for
Established businesses with travel expenses
U.S. Bank Commercial Rewards Card
Read Review
Apply now
on U.S. Bank's website
Annual fee
No annual fee for free plan. Paid plan available.
Rewards rate
1x-5x Points
Intro offer
N/A
Pros
- No annual fee.
- Two-way integration with QuickBooks.
- Companies can earn high rewards rates on travel spending booked through U.S. Bank’s portal or a 1% rebate on all purchases (but not both).
Cons
- Balance must be paid in full each month.
- Not available to sole proprietors or unincorporated businesses.
- Companies who choose the 1% rebate rewards option must spend at least $150,000 per quarter to earn it.
Annual fee
No annual fee for free plan. Paid plan available.
Rewards rate
1x-5x Points
Intro offer
N/A
Pros
- No annual fee.
- Two-way integration with QuickBooks.
- Companies can earn high rewards rates on travel spending booked through U.S. Bank’s portal or a 1% rebate on all purchases (but not both).
Cons
- Balance must be paid in full each month.
- Not available to sole proprietors or unincorporated businesses.
- Companies who choose the 1% rebate rewards option must spend at least $150,000 per quarter to earn it.
This corporate card offers the kind of rewards that a business travel credit card might: 5X points on car rentals, 4X points on lodging, 3X points on airline spending and 1X on everything else when booked through the card's built-in travel portal. If your team travels often, it's likely a good pick — though it's best for larger businesses with eight-figure annual revenues.
- Commercial credit card backed by an all-in-one platform for card, expense and travel.
- Designed specifically for businesses with $10 to $150 million in annual revenue.
- Simple-to-use design that's straightforward and easy for non-tech administrators to implement and manage.
- Seamlessly integrates with major accounting and HR tools via API.
- Potential to earn rebates with lower spend thresholds of $150,000 per quarter.
- Core insights reports increase visibility and control, and help manage cash flow.
- 24/7 phone and chat support.
- Easy application process – apply in as little as 30 minutes.
Our pick for
Venture-funded startups with travel expenses
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
- Not available to sole proprietors
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
- Not available to sole proprietors
The
Brex Card
offers standout rewards rates on travel, rideshares and restaurants, but you'll generally need venture funding to qualify.- 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.
Our pick for
Cash back
Ramp Card
Read Review
Apply now
on Ramp's website
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-1.5% Cashback
Intro offer
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
Rewards rate
1%-1.5% Cashback
Intro offer
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.
The
Ramp Card
offers cash back (rate varies by business), plus useful spend management tools.- 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 $25,000 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.
Our pick for
Businesses with smaller bank balances
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
- Not available to sole proprietors.
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
- Not available to sole proprietors.
The
BILL Divvy Corporate Card
is the most accessible card on our list; you may be able to qualify with a bank balance of just $20,000. Its rewards are complicated, though.- 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.
Before applying, confirm details on the issuer’s website.
IO Card
Best for: Venture-funded startups who want flat-rate cash back
This card has not been rated by NerdWallet.
The IO Card is offered by the financial technology company Mercury, which specializes in software, e-commerce and biotech startups (though other businesses can qualify). This card includes 1.5% cash back across the board, and cash back is automatically deposited into your account; you don’t have to redeem points. You’ll need a Mercury business bank account to be eligible, but you can qualify with a balance as low as $25,000. Your credit limit will be determined by your account balance.
» MORE: Best banks for startups
Rho Corporate Credit Card
Best for: Flexible qualification requirements
This card has not been rated by NerdWallet.
Rho doesn’t have a minimum annual revenue requirement or a firm bank balance requirement — though you’ll have to upload 12 months of financial statements so Rho can determine your business’s credit limit.
The Rho credit card is a complement to Rho business checking, savings and treasury accounts, but you don’t have to bank with Rho to use the card — you can pay your bill from an external account. And Rho corporate cardholders can earn 1.25% cash back by paying the card off daily or 1% cash back by paying it off monthly.
To qualify for a corporate credit card, you typically need annual revenue in the millions and a dozen or more employees authorized to make spending decisions for the company. Your business also needs to be incorporated as an S-corporation or a C-corporation, or structured as a limited liability company (LLC).
Specific requirements can vary from one card issuer to another. Historically, corporate card programs from major card issuers have required millions of dollars in annual revenue and at least six figures in annual credit card spend.
Corporate credit cards from fintech companies may have more attainable requirements. The Ramp Card, for example, is available to incorporated businesses with at least $25,000 in a business bank account, and the Rho Card doesn’t have a specific bank balance or revenue requirement (though both are underwriting criteria). Neither have spend requirements, though Ramp asks you to estimate your card spend on your application.
These applications may also consider your business history, revenue and how much capital you’ve raised during the underwriting process.
There are several advantages to choosing a corporate card program:
- Better expense reporting. Corporate credit card programs offer businesses robust ways to track expenses. Your cardholding employees typically will be able to file their expenses electronically, saving you time dealing with expense reports. Also, it will be easier for you to see where and how your employees are spending your company's money.
- Ability to set spending limits. Setting rules for spending is crucial for business success. Corporate card programs offer employee credit cards and let managers set limits on the amount of spending and the categories in which employees can spend. Many companies forbid the personal use of a corporate credit card.
- Personal credit is protected. Corporate cards do not affect your personal credit. Approval is based on your company’s revenue and business credit score (among other factors), and payments on the card — as well as any missed payments — are recorded on the company’s business credit report.
- Reduced personal risk. Unlike business credit cards, corporate cards do not require business owners to sign a personal guarantee. That means your personal assets are not on the line if an employee misuses a card or your company folds and can’t pay the outstanding balance.
Corporate credit cards also have disadvantages, including:
- In-depth application process. Setting up a corporate line of credit will likely be a more involved process than applying for a business credit card online. Card issuers will evaluate your business stability to establish creditworthiness, so be prepared to share your legal and financial information for corporate card approval.
- Can’t carry a balance. Corporate cards generally require full payment at the end of each billing cycle, and those cycles can be as short as a day, so won’t be able to put a big purchase on your corporate card and then pay it off over several months. If that's a need, consider a business card with a 0% APR intro period instead.
- May require a minimum number of cardholders. Some corporate card issuers require that eligible corporations sign up for a minimum number of employee cards. If your business doesn’t need that many authorized cardholders yet, you may want to research cards that do not have that requirement — or hold off on getting a corporate card until then.
Corporate credit cards allow multiple employees to use cards to make purchases on the employer's behalf. Who is legally responsible for those charges depends on the card; some default to corporate liability, while others give you the option to choose between corporate, individual or joint liability.
Corporate liability
The company is responsible for paying the bill. The issuer doesn't check employees' credit. Employees file expense reports so the company can reconcile charges with the card statement each month, but the employee doesn’t have to pay the bill upfront. This is the standard with most corporate card programs.
Individual liability
Employees must pay all charges on the card, and they get reimbursed when they file an expense report. The issuer will check employees' credit before giving them a card, but this check is a “soft pull,” meaning it doesn’t affect employees' credit scores.
Joint liability
The company and the employee are responsible for debt on the card. Employees are responsible for repaying personal or unauthorized spending on the corporate card but are not personally held liable for any expenses charged in compliance with company policies. However, if a long overdue balance gets reported to credit reporting bureaus, it may affect the employee’s credit.
Last updated on November 15, 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.
