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.
For entrepreneurs with bad credit, a secured business credit card is a good steppingstone to a more traditional small-business credit card. Secured cards require a cash security deposit, which usually dictates the size of the credit line.
Many secured business card issuers report payment history to business credit bureaus, so responsible usage will strengthen your business credit rather than your personal credit.
Consider a personal secured card if you're trying to improve your personal credit score. You need a personal FICO score 690 or higher to qualify for most business credit cards.
All of our selections for the best secured business cards are chosen by our editorial team, which independently evaluates and rates cards based on fees, rewards rates and redemption options, among numerous other factors.
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.
For entrepreneurs with bad credit, a secured business credit card is a good steppingstone to a more traditional small-business credit card. Secured cards require a cash security deposit, which usually dictates the size of the credit line.
Many secured business card issuers report payment history to business credit bureaus, so responsible usage will strengthen your business credit rather than your personal credit.
Consider a personal secured card if you're trying to improve your personal credit score. You need a personal FICO score 690 or higher to qualify for most business credit cards.
All of our selections for the best secured business cards are chosen by our editorial team, which independently evaluates and rates cards based on fees, rewards rates and redemption options, among numerous other factors.
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 secured business credit cards from our partners
| Credit card▼ | NerdWallet rating▼ | Annual fee▼ | Rewards rate | Intro offer | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First National Bank Business Edition® Secured Mastercard® Credit Card | Best for Secured credit card to improve business credit | $39 | N/A | N/A | |
Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card Apply now on Capital One's website Rates & Fees | 4.9/5 Best for Secured credit card to improve personal credit | $0 | 1.5%-5% Cashback | N/A | Apply now on Capital One's website Rates & Fees |
Discover it® Secured Credit Card Apply now on Discover's website, or call Rates & Fees | 5.0/5 Best for Secured credit card to improve personal credit | $0 | 1%-2% Cashback | Cashback Match™ | Apply now on Discover's website, or call Rates & Fees |
Ramp Card Apply now on Ramp's website | 4.0/5 Best for Business card with no personal credit check | $0 | 1.5% Cashback | N/A | Apply now on Ramp's website |
Brex Card Apply now on Brex's website | 3.2/5 Best for Businesses with strong financials (no personal credit check) | $0 | 1x-7x Points | 10,000 Points | Apply now on Brex's website |
| Credit card▼ | NerdWallet rating▼ | Annual fee▼ | Rewards rate | Intro offer | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First National Bank Business Edition® Secured Mastercard® Credit Card | Best for Secured credit card to improve business credit | $39 | N/A | N/A | |
Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card Apply now on Capital One's website Rates & Fees | 4.9/5 Best for Secured credit card to improve personal credit | $0 | 1.5%-5% Cashback | N/A | Apply now on Capital One's website Rates & Fees |
Discover it® Secured Credit Card Apply now on Discover's website, or call Rates & Fees | 5.0/5 Best for Secured credit card to improve personal credit | $0 | 1%-2% Cashback | Cashback Match™ | Apply now on Discover's website, or call Rates & Fees |
Ramp Card Apply now on Ramp's website | 4.0/5 Best for Business card with no personal credit check | $0 | 1.5% Cashback | N/A | Apply now on Ramp's website |
Brex Card Apply now on Brex's website | 3.2/5 Best for Businesses with strong financials (no personal credit check) | $0 | 1x-7x Points | 10,000 Points | Apply now on Brex's website |
Our picks for
Secured credit card to improve personal credit
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
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, 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
Our pick for
Business card with no personal credit check
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.
Our pick for
Businesses with strong financials (no personal credit check)
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.
NerdWallet's editorial picks: Best secured business credit cards
Not every card on this list is a secured business credit card, but different business credit cards will be easier to get depending on whether your business or personal credit is thin or poor. Click the card name to read our review. Before applying, confirm details on the issuer’s website.
Secured business credit cards to build business credit
First National Bank Business Edition® Secured Mastercard® Credit Card
Our pick for: Secured credit card to improve business credit
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: Cash back rewards
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.
Business credit cards for thin or poor credit
Our pick for: Applicants with fair or average credit
Although the
Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business
isn't actually a secured card and comes with a high APR, this card is available to business operators with fair or "average" credit, who typically don't have a lot of options in business credit cards. That’s a plus, especially with a $0
annual fee. Our pick for: Business card with no credit check
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: Businesses with strong financials (no personal credit check)
If you’re struggling to find business funding because of a low personal credit score, consider Brex. The issuer determines an applicant's creditworthiness by evaluating the company's cash balance, spending patterns and investors rather than the business owner's personal credit score. Learn more and apply.
Secured credit cards to help personal credit
Our pick for: Simplicity
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.Our pick for: Business owners who want to graduate to an unsecured credit card.
While there aren't Discover business credit cards, the issuer's 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.
How to use a secured business credit card effectively
Here are a few ways to make the most of a secured business credit card:
- Use the card once in a while, making one or two small purchases every month.
- Pay your balance in full every month before the due date. That way, you won't be charged interest. Interest rates on secured cards are generally higher than on unsecured cards.
- Watch your credit score. When it has improved, see if your issuer can upgrade you to an unsecured card.
How fast can a secured business credit card build credit?
Typically, it takes a year of using a secured credit card to change your credit score enough to qualify for an unsecured card. Sometimes, you can simply move your secured line to an unsecured line, which can be better for your credit score because it doesn't require opening a new account. However, if you do end up opening a new account to get an unsecured line, there are still a lot of benefits: lower interest rates and fees, better rewards and proof that you have good credit.
Alternatives to secured business credit cards
If you have a credit score of 630 or above, you may want to skip applying for a secured business credit card and opt for something with more options or lower interest rates and fees. See our roundup for business credit cards for fair or average credit.
You can also consider the following options:
Business debit cards
Debit cards aren’t credit cards, as spending is tied to the cash balance in a linked business checking account. But business debit cards typically don’t require a credit check and may make sense for business owners who want to use plastic to better keep track of their transactions or their employees’ spending.
Nonbusiness credit cards
You don’t necessarily need a business credit card for business finances. If you’re a sole proprietor with bad or thin credit, you could get a separate personal secured credit card. These cards may help your personal credit — a must for future financing — but they’ll lack features like employee cards and often come with lower limits than business credit cards. Just be sure to keep your business and personal spending separate.
If you’re unsure whether you’ll pass a credit check, some business credit card issuers will let you pre-qualify. This process tells you whether you’ll likely be approved without affecting your personal credit score. It can also make sense to get a free credit score before applying. That way, you can find cards you may be eligible for and reduce the risk of failing a credit check.
Bad-credit business loans
If you want to grow your business credit but don't have ideal personal credit, a secured business credit card isn't your only option. Bad credit business loans are available from online lenders, and successfully repaying this financing may help establish your business credit score. These loans may come with high interest rates, though, so make sure you'll be able to afford the payments before you borrow.
Last updated on December 1, 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.
