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Credit Cards
Best Startup Business Cards For No Credit

Advertiser Disclosure Updated: Apr 24, 2024, 10:10am

Best Startup Business Cards For No Credit Of April 2024

Harlan VaughnLead Editor, Credit Cards & Travel Rewards

Harlan Vaughn brings over a decade of experience as a lead editor on the credit cards and travel rewards team at Forbes Advisor. With a deep understanding of the credit card industry, his passion for travel strategies drives his commitment to helping others maximize their credit card rewards. Harlan's expertise has taken him around the world by redeeming millions of points and miles earned with credit cards. His favorite destinations include Iceland, Japan, Hawaii, New Zealand and Chile.

Ben LuthiContributor

Ben Luthi is a freelance personal finance and travel writer. He started earning credit card rewards in 2013 and leveraged his passion into a writing career. He's contributed to dozens of other publications and companies in the financial and travel spaces.

Harlan Vaughn,

Harlan VaughnLead Editor, Credit Cards & Travel Rewards

Ben Luthi

Ben LuthiContributor

Lead Editor, Credit Cards & Travel Rewards, Contributor

Caroline LupiniManaging Editor, Credit Cards & Travel Rewards

Caroline Lupini has been traveling the world with the help of credit card rewards since 2011. She has visited over 110 countries and is able to utilize her knowledge of credit cards and to make travel both less expensive and more luxurious. Caroline has over 50 credit cards in her wallet and has previously covered credit cards and travel for Business Insider, The Points Guy, USA Today, Lonely Planet, Orbitz and many others.

Fact Checked

Caroline Lupini

Caroline LupiniManaging Editor, Credit Cards & Travel Rewards

Managing Editor, Credit Cards & Travel Rewards

Fact Checked

Updated: Apr 24, 2024, 10:10am

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.

If you’re a business owner without credit who’s looking for a business credit card, your options are limited. In fact, we only recommend three business cards in this category.

Those with the luxury of time may prefer to work on building credit with a personal credit card first. You’ll find significantly more personal card options designed for those without credit.

Show Summary

Best Startup Business Cards for No Credit

Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card *: Best Secured Business Card
Ramp Business Card: Best for Saving on Business Services
Brex Card *: Best Rewards Card for No Credit

Top Business Cards

Best Startup Business Cards for No Credit of 2024

Best Secured Business Card

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

1.5% Reward Rate

Earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase

Welcome Bonus

N/A

Annual Fee

Regular APR

28.49% variable APR

Credit Score

Bad/Poor (0 - 649)

Our Expert Take

The Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card* is a rewarding option despite its security deposit requirement.

Why we like it

The Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card* offers a handful of travel insurance benefits, including up to $100,000 travel accident coverage, emergency ticket replacement, lost luggage assistance, auto rental insurance and more.

These benefits are excellent for a secured card and stack on top of protections like extended warranty coverage and standard convenience benefits like credit score access and Quickbooks-compatible transaction record downloads.

What we don’t like

Those who often travel internationally for business should be aware that this card charges a foreign transaction fee of 3% of the U.S. dollar amount of each transaction.

Who it’s best for

For businesses looking to build credit starting from scratch, this card—and its reward rate—is worth considering.

Pros & Cons

No annual fee
Solid rewards for a secured card
Potential to graduate to an unsecured version

Deposit required
Foreign transaction fee: 3% of the U.S. dollar amount of each transaction
Balance transfer fee: 4% of each transaction

Card Details

Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases
Rewards have no annual cap and don’t expire
Open your account with a security deposit (minimum $1,000). Upon approval your credit line will be equal to your deposit account
No annual fee

Best for Saving on Business Services

Ramp Business Card

Apply Now

On Ramp's Website

Click Here To Apply Now

No Rewards

The Ramp Business Card does not offer rewards on purchases.

Welcome Bonus

N/A

Annual Fee

Regular APR

N/A

Credit Score

No Credit History

Our Expert Take

The Ramp Business Card is a corporate card that offers a flat rewards rate on all of your purchases. Plus it offers access to more than $350,000 in partner rewards including discounts, sign-up offers and deals with major business service providers, including Gusto, QuickBooks, 1Password, UPS, Stripe, Amazon Web Services, HubSpot, Asana and many more.

Why we like it

The Ramp Business Card offers credit limits as much as 20 times what you can expect from traditional business credit cards. You’ll get full control over any card listed on the account, and you can pay your bill within 30, 60 or 90 days without any additional requirements. There’s also no credit check or personal guarantee required, when you apply.

What we don’t like

The card isn’t available to individuals, sole proprietors or unregistered businesses. You also need to be registered in the U.S., have most of your operations and spending in the country, and maintain a minimum of $75,000 in a U.S. business bank account linked to your application.

Who it’s best for

Medium to large businesses that have high liquidity and want to issue employee cards with spending controls.

Pros & Cons

No annual fee
Included software identifies redundancies in spending

Sole proprietors are not eligible to apply
You can’t carry a balance
No travel or lifestyle perks

Card Details

Ramp is the world’s first finance automation platform designed to save businesses time and money
5-in-1 platform combining corporate cards, expense management, bill payments, accounting integrations, and real-time reporting into one free solution
1.5% cashback on purchases
Custom-branded physical cards
Virtual cards with support for Apple and Google Pay
First and only credit card with capabilities to control spend at the merchant, category, spend, and frequency level
No annual fees, interest rates, or foreign transaction fees
Ramp helps businesses save 5% on average
Zero liability & fraud protection

Best Rewards Card for No Credit

Brex Card *

Up to 7X Reward Rate

Get higher limits than traditional business credit cards while earning rewards and cash back on everything you spend, like 7xRead More

Welcome Bonus

N/A

Annual Fee

Regular APR

N/A

Credit Score

No Credit Check

Our Expert Take

The Brex Card* is a corporate card that offers valuable expense management tools for startups. Credit limits can be 10 to 20 times the standard for other small business credit cards.

Why we like it

The Brex Card* offers impressive rewards on a variety of expenses, including things like rideshare, travel, dining, software subscriptions and more. You can even increase the card’s already high rewards rates when you’re set up to make daily payments on your account.

It also allows you to instantly create purchase cards for employees, set limits and expiration dates for payments to vendors, provide employee cards in more than 20 local currencies and more.

What we don’t like

There’s no personal credit check or personal guarantee when you apply for the Brex Card*, but you need to be incorporated in the U.S. If you want monthly payments instead of daily payments, you’ll need at least $50,000 in cash, though some businesses may qualify at a lower threshold if they’ve been referred by a Brex partner.

Who it’s best for

Companies with a $50,000 minimum cash balance that want to earn rewards and issue employee cards for business spending.

Pros & Cons

Generous rewards on certain spending categories
No personal guarantee required

Can’t carry a balance

Card Details

Earn rewards and cash back on rideshare and recurring software
Access to exclusive events and software discounts
No credit check, account fees and no interest
Auto-generated receipts and built-in controls for tracking and reporting
Integrations with NetSuite, QuickBooks, Workday, WhatsApp and more
24/7 customer support and fraud monitoring and protection

Here’s a Summary of the Best Startup Business Cards for No Credit

Credit Card

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

Ramp Business Card

Brex Card

Credit Card

Best For

Credit Score

Annual Fee

Welcome Bonus

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

Best Secured Business Card

Bad/Poor

N/A

Ramp Business Card

Best for Saving on Business Services

No Credit History

N/A

Brex Card

Best Rewards Card for No Credit

No Credit Check

N/A

Methodology

The best start up business cards with no credit were chosen primarily based on being business credit cards available to those with no credit history. Additional factors considered include:

Earnings rates
Welcome bonus
Introductory APR
Fees
Consumer benefits

How To Choose the Best Startup Business Card With No Credit

If you’re looking for a business credit card, but don’t have any credit history, your options are limited. Unless you can meet the financial requirements for a corporate card that doesn’t require a credit check, there’s only three business cards we currently recommend to business owners in this category.

For many, applying for a first credit card and working to improve their credit may be a better place to start. Many worthwhile personal card options exist, and after building credit for a while, it may be possible to qualify for better business credit cards.

Pro Tip

Credit card issuers consider your personal credit profile and score when determining eligibility for most business credit cards. Knowing your score can help you gauge where you stand with credit card companies and the work required to build your credit. You can get your credit reports for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. Check with your bank or credit card company to see if they offer free credit score access. If not, visit a free credit scoring website to view your score.

How Fast Can You Build Business Credit?

It can take up to three years to build your business credit, if you’re starting from scratch. Though some creditors may be willing to work with you after a year—or even sooner. To maximize your credit rating, always make your payments on time and keep your credit utilization low.

Can You Obtain a Business Credit Card Without a Personal Credit Check?

While your business may be a separate entity, credit card companies often require a personal guarantee to obtain a card. A personal guarantee means you accept personal liability for any card debt, if the business fails to pay. Card issuers and lenders assume a financial risk when they approve personal or business credit cards. Credit checks allow them to screen applicants and assess lending risks.

Corporate cards, like those listed above, do not generally require a personal credit inquiry or personal guarantee. However, you must meet other requirements including business structure criteria or minimum liquid assets, to qualify for these cards. Secured business credit cards also generally do not require a credit check since they are secured through a security deposit.

Find the Best Business Cards For Start Ups of 2024

Learn More

Alternative Options for Business Cards With No Credit

There are other financing options, if you don’t qualify for a business credit card or corporate card. Consider one of the following alternatives to help fund your startup business.

Secured business credit cards. Some card issuers offer secured credit cards for businesses. These cards rely on a security deposit instead of a credit inquiry. Secured business credit cards often carry high APRs and may charge an annual fee.
Unsecured loans. Depending on your credit, you may qualify for an unsecured small business loan. Eligibility and rates vary depending on your credit and other factors.
Invoice factoring. If you frequently are waiting on invoice payments, invoice factoring could be an option. With invoice factoring, your business sells its accounts receivable at a discount to a third party, known as a factor, for an advance on payments for outstanding invoices.
Merchant cash advances. If you need funds quickly, a merchant cash advance is an option to consider. With merchant cash advances, the payback amount will be greater than the advance due to fees and other potential costs.
Partnerships. You can bring on a partner or work with another business to pool resources for more capital and opportunities.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I get a business credit card without a personal credit inquiry?

There are corporate cards, including ones on our list, that don’t require a personal credit check when you apply—nor do they require a personal guarantee.

That said, you’ll typically need to have an established and incorporated business to get approved for one of these cards. Otherwise, you may want to consider working to improve your credit or looking into business loans with no credit check.

Can I use my EIN to get a credit card?

If you have an EIN (Employer Identification Number) for your business, you can use it to apply for a business credit card. Even so, most business credit card applications will still ask for your Social Security number.

Can I get a credit card for my business?

As long as you are aiming to make a profit and have legitimate business expenses, you can apply for a business credit card. Even independent contractors or part-time businesses, such as a dog walking business or tutor, can apply for a business credit card.

Next Up In Credit Cards

*The information for the following card(s) has been collected independently by Forbes Advisor: Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card, Brex Card. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Information provided on Forbes Advisor is for educational purposes only. Your financial situation is unique and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances. We do not offer financial advice, advisory or brokerage services, nor do we recommend or advise individuals or to buy or sell particular stocks or securities. Performance information may have changed since the time of publication. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Forbes Advisor adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. To the best of our knowledge, all content is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available. The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and have not been provided, approved, or otherwise endorsed by our partners.

Harlan Vaughn

Lead Editor, Credit Cards & Travel Rewards

Ben Luthi

Contributor

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