12 Best Business Credit Cards for Startups With No Credit of July 2025

Corporate cards are generally best for nonprofits. But if your organization is small or its leaders travel often, a traditional business credit card might work. (If you’re OK with a personal guarantee.)

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Capital One Venture X Business

Annual fee
$395

Rewards rate
2x-10x

Miles

Intro offer
150,000

Miles

on Capital One's website

Capital One Venture X Business

Annual fee
$395

Rewards rate
2x-10x

Miles

Intro offer
150,000

Miles

on Capital One's website

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Annual fee
$95

Rewards rate
1x-3x

Points

Intro offer
90,000

Points

on Chase's website

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Annual fee
$95

Rewards rate
1x-3x

Points

Intro offer
90,000

Points

on Chase's website

Capital One Spark Miles for Business

Annual fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $95

Rewards rate
2x-5x

Miles

Intro offer
50,000

Miles

on Capital One's website

Capital One Spark Miles for Business

Annual fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $95

Rewards rate
2x-5x

Miles

Intro offer
50,000

Miles

on Capital One's website

Best of awards Nerdwallet's badge 2025 BEST CREDIT CARD SMALL BUSINESS

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1.5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$750

on Chase's website

Best of awards Nerdwallet's badge

2025 BEST CREDIT CARD

SMALL BUSINESS

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1.5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$750

on Chase's website

Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1.5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$300

on Bank of America's website

Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1.5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$300

on Bank of America's website

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$350

on Chase's website

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$350

on Chase's website

U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$500

on U.S. Bank's website

U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$500

on U.S. Bank's website

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Annual fee
$150

Rewards rate
2%-5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$2,000

on Capital One's website

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Annual fee
$150

Rewards rate
2%-5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$2,000

on Capital One's website

Capital One Spark Cash

Annual fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $95

Rewards rate
2%-5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$1,500

on Capital One's website

Capital One Spark Cash

Annual fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $95

Rewards rate
2%-5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$1,500

on Capital One's website

Ramp Card

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-1.5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$250

on Ramp's website

Ramp Card

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-1.5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$250

on Ramp's website

Brex Card

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1x-7x

Points

Intro offer
10,000

Points

on Brex's website

Brex Card

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1x-7x

Points

Intro offer
10,000

Points

on Brex's website

BILL Divvy Corporate Card

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1x-7x

Points

Intro offer
N/A

on BILL Spend & Expense's website

BILL Divvy Corporate Card

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1x-7x

Points

Intro offer
N/A

on BILL Spend & Expense's website

Capital on Tap Business Credit Card

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1.5%

Intro offer
N/A

on Capital on Tap's website

Capital on Tap Business Credit Card

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1.5%

Intro offer
N/A

on Capital on Tap's website

or get back to the for more options

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info icon Recommendations do not guarantee card approval

Here are the best business credit cards for startups with no credit

Best of awards Nerdwallet's badge 2025 BEST CREDIT CARD SMALL BUSINESS

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Best for Overall business card for startups with no credit

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1.5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$750

on Chase's website

Best of awards Nerdwallet's badge

2025 BEST CREDIT CARD

SMALL BUSINESS

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Best for Overall business card for startups with no credit

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1.5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$750

on Chase's website

Capital One Spark Miles for Business

Best for Travel rewards

Annual fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $95

Rewards rate
2x-5x

Miles

Intro offer
50,000

Miles

on Capital One's website

Capital One Spark Miles for Business

Best for Travel rewards

Annual fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $95

Rewards rate
2x-5x

Miles

Intro offer
50,000

Miles

on Capital One's website

Ramp Card

Best for Corporate card (no personal guarantee)

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-1.5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$250

on Ramp's website

Ramp Card

Best for Corporate card (no personal guarantee)

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-1.5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$250

on Ramp's website

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Best for Travel rewards + sign-up bonus

Annual fee
$95

Rewards rate
1x-3x

Points

Intro offer
90,000

Points

on Chase's website

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Best for Travel rewards + sign-up bonus

Annual fee
$95

Rewards rate
1x-3x

Points

Intro offer
90,000

Points

on Chase's website

Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card

Best for No annual fee travel card

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1.5x

Points

Intro offer
30,000

Points

on Bank of America's website

Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card

Best for No annual fee travel card

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1.5x

Points

Intro offer
30,000

Points

on Bank of America's website

Brex Card

Best for Corporate card for venture-backed startups

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1x-7x

Points

Intro offer
10,000

Points

on Brex's website

Brex Card

Best for Corporate card for venture-backed startups

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1x-7x

Points

Intro offer
10,000

Points

on Brex's website

Discover it® Secured Credit Card

Best for Secured card to build personal credit

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-2%

Cashback

Intro offer
Cashback Match™

on Discover's website, or call

Discover it® Secured Credit Card

Best for Secured card to build personal credit

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-2%

Cashback

Intro offer
Cashback Match™

on Discover's website, or call

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

Best for Startups with annual spend below $50K

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-2%

Cashback

Intro offer
$250

on American Express' website

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

Best for Startups with annual spend below $50K

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1%-2%

Cashback

Intro offer
$250

on American Express' website

Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card

Best for Cash-back boost (up to 75%)

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1.5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$300

on Bank of America's website

Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card

Best for Cash-back boost (up to 75%)

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1.5%

Cashback

Intro offer
$300

on Bank of America's website

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Best for Intro APR + AmEx Membership Rewards

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1x-2x

Points

Intro offer
15,000

Points

on American Express' website

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Best for Intro APR + AmEx Membership Rewards

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1x-2x

Points

Intro offer
15,000

Points

on American Express' website

BILL Divvy Corporate Card

Best for Corporate card for fair credit

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1x-7x

Points

Intro offer
N/A

on BILL Spend & Expense's website

BILL Divvy Corporate Card

Best for Corporate card for fair credit

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1x-7x

Points

Intro offer
N/A

on BILL Spend & Expense's website

Capital on Tap Business Credit Card

Best for Business credit card for fair, average credit

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1.5%

Intro offer
N/A

on Capital on Tap's website

Capital on Tap Business Credit Card

Best for Business credit card for fair, average credit

Annual fee
$0

Rewards rate
1.5%

Intro offer
N/A

on Capital on Tap's website

Other picks: Business credit cards for startups with no credit

The following business credit cards aren't available through NerdWallet. Before applying, confirm details on the issuer’s website.

Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® Secured credit card

Best for: Secured business credit card
NerdWallet rating: 4.4
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. Read our full review.

How startups can build business credit

Your business credit score tells potential suppliers and lenders how likely your company is to repay its debts. A better score may improve your chances of securing a small-business loan or getting more favorable terms.
Startups with no credit can establish and build their business credit history by establishing lines of credit via business credit cards and trade lines with suppliers, and making payments on time (or early).
Late payments, high balances on credit cards, tax liens and legal judgments against your business can all hurt your business credit score. Delinquencies and late payments on your business credit cards can affect your personal credit score, too.

Do business credit cards check personal credit?

Yes, nearly all business credit cards check your personal credit when you apply. Why? Because most business cards require a personal guarantee, which means you’re personally liable for the debt if your business fails to pay.
One notable exception: corporate cards. These cards do not require a personal guarantee since they're issued to a company, rather than an individual. Incorporated startups may be able to qualify for a corporate card if they have hefty cash reserves and a history of strong revenue.

Can you get a business credit card with bad personal credit?

Business owners with bad credit or no personal credit will have a hard time qualifying for most business credit cards. The easiest business credit card to get is often a secured card. These cards let you build your credit score before upgrading to a business credit card with better rewards.
Secured cards require an upfront deposit, which determines your credit limit, and a few even offer rewards. Most secured cards still require a personal credit check, though some are available with no credit check.
A secured personal card will help build your personal credit score, but not your business score. Likewise, most secured business credit cards will only help build business credit.
Notes from card issuers
To view rates and fees of The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, see this page.
Last updated on July 15, 2025

Methodology

NerdWallet's business credit card team selects the best small-business credit cards without outside input from partners or other business interests. We evaluate business cards based on value and simplicity, weighing fees, sign-up bonuses and reward rates, alongside perks like interest-free periods, statement credits and elite status (for travel cards). Business cards that earn the highest scores deliver the most value to the greatest number of business owners.
Notable changes to our methodology for 2025 include factoring in whether spending on employee cards earns rewards and counts toward the welcome offer requirements. We also now consider what information the card issuer reports to consumer credit bureaus. Learn how NerdWallet rates small-business credit cards.