How to apply for and get a business credit card

There are several key advantages to using a business credit card versus personal credit cards or cash for your company's expenses.

Building business credit history

One benefit of a dedicated business card is the chance to build credit in your company's name. When payments arrive on time, bureaus record that discipline, and your business credit score grows stronger.

Your business credit file remains separate from your personal score, which keeps founders shielded. A stronger file speeds approval when you apply for a corporate credit card and often leads to larger limits, flexible lines, and competitive rates to fund expansion.

Separating business and personal expenses

You might have heard the advice not to mix business with pleasure. The same rule applies to your expenses. Using just one card for both business and personal costs can make tracking your spending complicated and messy. Having a separate card for business makes bookkeeping easier because you can clearly see what you're spending on business versus personal expenses. Keeping these separate also makes preparing your taxes much simpler.

Earning business rewards

Many of the top business credit cards offer rewards programs designed for companies rather than individual consumers, but finding the best business credit card rewards means evaluating which bonus categories actually match your spending patterns, such as travel, office supplies, advertising, and shipping. For example, the Brex corporate card gives higher rewards on the categories where businesses spend the most, including 2x back on software, 4x back on travel, and 7x back on rideshares. Another big perk is that Brex also provides $180K+ in discounts on services like AWS, Apple, QuickBooks, and Slack to help run your company.

Along with its wide rewards program, Brex helps companies grow their cash through a business banking solution that includes access to high-yield treasury from the first dollar. Paired with the corporate card , the Brex business account offers up to $6M in additional FDIC insurance so your funds stay protected as you scale.

Potential for financing purchases

Business credit cards tend to offer higher limits than personal cards, and a well-chosen business credit card can expand your spending capacity. That extra room lets you finance larger investments or steady cash flow during a lean stretch, which eases pressure on working capital. Treat each statement like a short-term loan and pay it in full within the typical 30-day billing cycle, because prompt repayment strengthens your credit profile and supports any future business card application.

Business credit cards are available to a wide range of business entities, from sole proprietors and freelancers to large corporations. Whether you're running a side hustle or managing a growing startup, there's likely a business credit card option that fits your needs.

Most card issuers accept applications from LLCs, corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietorships. Even if you're just starting out, you can often qualify using your Social Security Number (SSN) if you don't yet have an Employer Identification Number (EIN).

Traditional banks may require personal guarantees and conduct hard inquiries on your personal credit. However, modern providers like Brex focus on your business's actual performance and potential rather than just personal credit scores, making business credit cards more accessible to growing companies.

While you might be tempted to use a personal credit card for business expenses, there are significant advantages to keeping these separate. Business credit cards typically offer higher credit limits, better rewards on business spending categories, and more robust expense tracking features.

Business cards also help establish your company's credit profile independently from your personal credit. This separation protects your personal credit utilization ratio and makes tax preparation much simpler by clearly delineating business expenses.

Business credit cards often come with features designed for companies, such as employee cards with customizable spending limits, integration with accounting software, and detailed expense reporting. These tools aren't available with personal credit cards and can save significant time on financial management.

Now that you understand the advantages of a business credit card, let's look at what you need to apply for one successfully. Card providers typically consider several key factors related to your company's profile and financial standing when evaluating applications:

Business type and structure

Your business structure can shape your eligibility for a business card. Card issuers often evaluate sole proprietorships, LLCs, corporations, and partnerships under different standards, so reviewing their criteria before starting your business credit card application can save time.

Generally speaking, a newly-formed LLC can get a business credit card. And you can apply for business credit cards using EIN when submitting your application, which helps keep your business finances separate from your personal credit

Time in business

When evaluating your business credit card application, issuers typically review how long your company has been operating. Established businesses with longer track records often find approval easier since they demonstrate stability and reliability. Some card providers won’t even consider your business if it hasn’t been in operation for at least one year.

Personal credit score / guarantee

Lenders usually check your personal credit score when you first apply for a business card. This practice remains common until your company builds its own credit profile.

As the first corporate card for startups, the Brex card is a founder-friendly option that does not require a personal guarantee or business credit check/history. But that’s not the case with other issuers.

Business revenue and financials

Many credit card issuers want to see that your company has healthy, sustainable revenue and cash flow before handing you a new credit line. You may need to provide business tax returns, profit/loss statements, and other financial documents to demonstrate your fiscal responsibility.

Industry

If your company falls outside the mold of a traditional industry, a legacy issuer might decline your business card application. Cannabis ventures and early stage e-commerce founders often face this barrier when they seek approval from the Big 4 banks. Reviewing options like startup business credit cards with no credit checks can connect you with lenders who focus on growth potential instead of standard collateral.

Now that you know why you need a business card and what you need to obtain one, let’s look at how you can find and acquire the right card for you.

Before you get a credit card for your business, take these important steps to ensure a smooth application process.

1. Research and choose the right card

With so many business credit cards available, it's important to research and compare your options. Some key factors to carefully consider:

• Annual fees and interest rate: There’s no annual fee and no interest with the Brex card, making it an attractive option among no annual fee business credit cards. Most business cards charge annual fees and interest. If you crunch the numbers, you may find that any rewards and perks do not outweigh the extra cost of a hefty annual fee or high interest rate.
• Rewards programs: Evaluate the earning structure (cash back, points, miles, etc.) and see whether the bonus categories match your largest expenses. Many teams prefer flexible points instead of piling up airline miles alone.
• Integration with accounting and other software: Look for a card that easily integrates with apps and software like QuickBooks, Slack, Okta, and Zenefits to drive productivity and accuracy.
• Number of cards: Consider how many cards you'll need to issue for your team. Some providers limit the number of cards you can have. Others, like Brex, offer unlimited virtual cards and spend limits to accommodate growing teams.
• Overall ease of use and customer service: Consider how user-friendly the card management experience is through features like mobile apps, digital wallets, and account alerts. Look for issuers that provide 24/7 live chat, phone support when required, and a five-star mobile app.

2. Gather the required documents

Before you apply for a business credit card, it’s a good idea to be prepared with your:

• Business tax returns or profit/loss statements
• Recent business bank account statements
• Business formation/registration documents
• Valid, government-issued identification for yourself and any other business owners

3. Complete the online application

Most business credit card applications can be completed online. Brex's process is user-friendly, similar to a personal credit card application, with clear prompts and guidance every step of the way and takes less than 10 minutes. (Heads up: The application process is usually more complicated when dealing with major banks.)

Be sure to complete all sections regarding your business info, expenses, revenue sources, owners, and other fields. Having your documents organized ahead of time will allow you to fill out the application as quickly and accurately as possible.

4. Wait for approval

Processing times for business credit card applications can vary between issuers. But, generally, you'll receive a decision within 7-10 business days.

If you apply for the Brex card, our underwriting team typically reviews your information within hours, allowing qualified applicants to move forward in just a day or two.

“With Brex, we immediately had access to 30-40x the amount of money that Chase or Amex would have given us,” said Aura Bora Co-Founder and CEO Paul Voge. Thanks to Brex, we were able to finance a lot of product runs that we would not have otherwise."

5. Start using your business credit card responsibly

Now that you have your card, possibly with a generous limit from Brex, you can direct spending toward inventory, ads, or shipping that moves the company forward. By using each purchase to build solid business credit and by learning how to maximize your corporate card rewards , you avoid high fees and future financing hurdles.

After approval, use the card for purchases that directly support operations. Good financial habits explained in a clear employee credit card agreement protect both your credit line and reputation. Keep these practices in mind as you start spending.

• Pay your full statement balance every month
• Respect and stay below your total credit limit
• Review your account regularly for any unauthorized charges
• Track your expenses rigorously

Brex offers tools like spend management software, advanced fraud detection, and real-time transaction alerts to support responsible card usage. Plus, with Brex, your credit limits can actually grow as your business expands, thanks to their proprietary underwriting based on your business factors. This means your spending power can increase in line with your company's growth.

When comparing business credit cards, businesses need an option that truly understands and supports their unique financial needs and growth aspirations. Brex has emerged as a frontrunner in the business card space, offering innovative features and benefits that set it apart from traditional business credit cards.

Underwriting based on your business’ true potential

Legacy credit card issuers can heavily weigh personal FICO scores when evaluating applicants and setting credit limits. It’s an old-school underwriting model that doesn’t factor in the complete picture of a company's financial performance, operations, growth potential, and spending needs.

Major banks tend to underestimate businesses based on personal credit. They'll often give them low credit limits that don't align with their real revenue. Or they'll reject those businesses outright. Brex, on the other hand, is a founder-friendly card created by founders, for founders.

When companies don’t get a sufficient credit limit in a single card program, they may resort to applying for multiple low-limit credit cards to cover their spending needs. But juggling multiple cards is an expense and accounting nightmare.

With Brex, you can get up to 20x higher credit limits in one global card program, without a personal guarantee. This is because Brex takes an innovative approach by looking at the full picture to analyze a business' operations, cash flow, and overall financial health. This allows Brex to approve you for credit limits that actually work for your company and help you grow, rather than using a generic debt-to-income model for consumers.

As a result, Brex customers routinely receive 10 to 20 times higher corporate credit limits than they could access from traditional banks or card issuers. Brex also prioritizes security and responsible credit management with industry-leading fraud protection, expense controls, and account monitoring.

Fast and transparent application process

Applying for a traditional business credit card often involves lengthy applications, burdensome documentation requirements, unclear decision criteria, and opaque processing timelines that leave you in the dark. Some business credit cards require companies to be at least a year old and they may ask for vendor / supplier references. In contrast, the Brex application experience is fully online, highly transparent on the few pieces of information needed, and designed to give you a fast decision.

Many customers can get approved and receive virtual card numbers and business bank accounts set up within just a few hours or days. Brex also offers top-tier customer support to assist applicants if needed.

Tailored features for businesses

Most corporate credit card rewards programs offer generic travel points with no particular focus on the unique needs of businesses. Brex rewards, however, are designed to provide the most value for companies through bonus points on popular spending categories like rideshares, travel, restaurants, SaaS subscriptions, and more. You can redeem those Brex points for cash back, statement credit, miles, or gift cards – or even redeem them for rewards that help grow your business, like custom billboards in Times Square or San Francisco.

Brex cards also integrate seamlessly with 1,000s of leading accounting software, HR platforms, and ERPs. (Brex was named NetSuite's 2023 Partner of the Year for its direct and robust NetSuite integration.) You can use those integrations to two-way sync your expenses with your ERP in real time, automate employee onboarding/offboarding through a platform like Workday, easily pay vendors with Coupa Pay, and more.

Plus, the Brex mobile app allows you to easily issue virtual cards to employees in seconds, review and approve/deny transactions, adjust card spend limits and controls, view automated expense reports, and more on the go.

Exceptional customer support

Calling a big bank's credit card support line? You’ll be waiting for a while. And you’ll probably get transferred three or four times before you get a hold of the right person.

Some business credit card providers don’t even provide a phone number or email address, leaving customers to submit requests through a slow ticket system instead.

In contrast, Brex Support is available 24 hours, seven days a week via live chat on desktop or mobile app. Or call to speak to a real, live human member of the support staff.

The right business credit card can help you reach your next stage of growth faster. Ultimately, you want a card that can simplify your expense management, deliver quality rewards, and truly support your growing business. That’s Brex.

Applying for a business credit card doesn't have to be difficult. Brex simplifies the application process with clear requirements, fast decisions, and less documentation hassle. More importantly, Brex is designed to scale with your needs. You can start out with just the card and the business account if that's all you need today. When you start thinking about your IPO, Brex will be ready with the global spend management tools you need to make it a reality.

Are you ready to increase your spending power and future-proof your company? Learn more about Brex and apply for a business credit card today.