How to get business credit without using personal credit

FULL LIST OF EDITORIAL PICKS: BEST SMALL BUSINESS CREDIT CARDS WITH NO PERSONAL CREDIT CHECK

Click the card name to read our review. Before applying, confirm details on the issuer’s website.

Brex Card

Our pick for: Corporate card with no personal credit check

Unlike most cards designed for entrepreneurs, the Brex Card doesn't require the cardholder to personally guarantee the debt on the card. Instead, Brex determines creditworthiness by evaluating a company's cash balance, spending patterns and investors. It's a good option when a business owner has a thin credit file but is well capitalized. The card earns rewards, too. Read our review.

Bento for Business Visa® Debit Card

Our pick for: Spending controls

The Bento for Business Visa® Debit Card offers the conveniences of a business credit card, without the personal credit check or personal liability. Because you have to frontload the funds that you and your employees will spend on the Bento for Business, though, you won’t be able to build credit with this card. The main perks that Bento for Business boasts are the comprehensive control it allows you to have over your business’s spending. Learn more about business debit cards.

Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card

Our pick for: Personal credit card with no security deposit

You'll need a Chime Spending Account — a free bank account that allows you to receive direct deposits — and at least $200 in direct deposits to it within the past 365 days to get this card. The money you move from the Chime Spending Account to the Credit Builder secured account determines your credit limit. There's no option to carry a balance from month to month, but this card doesn't require an upfront security deposit as many secured credit cards do. Read our review.

OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card

Our pick for: Personal credit card for sole proprietors

The OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card charges an annual fee, but a lot of people will still want to take a look at it for two reasons. First, there's no credit check required. Second, you don't need a traditional bank account; you can fund the deposit or pay your bill with a money order or Western Union payment. Read our review.

First National Bank Business Edition® Secured Mastercard® Credit Card

Our pick for: Pre-qualifying with bad credit

The First National Bank Business Edition® Secured Mastercard® Credit Card requires a credit check, but the bank lets you pre-qualify without affecting your credit score to see if you’re eligible. This card may be a good choice for bad-credit borrowers. Your security deposit will earn interest, and First National Bank lets you choose your own credit limit from $2,000 to $100,000 (in multiples of $50) when you apply. This card charges a $39 annual fee. Read our review.

Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business

Our pick for: Business owners with fair or average credit

The Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business does require a credit check. But what makes this card valuable is that it's available to business operators with fair or "average" credit, who don't have a lot of options in business credit cards — especially with no annual fee. Read our review.

Can you get a business credit card with no credit check?

When you're just getting a business off the ground, your personal credit is often (but not always) necessary to get a small-business credit card. This is, in part, because nearly all card issuers will require a personal guarantee.

A personal guarantee promises that you will repay the card with your own assets if your business goes bankrupt or can’t otherwise fulfil this obligation. To help see if you’re likely to hold up that end of the bargain, you’ll usually have to undergo a personal credit check.

As you build business credit, it will become easier to secure financing separate from your personal credit. But until then, your personal and business credit can remain intertwined.

For example, when you apply for a small-business credit card, the inquiry will probably cost your personal credit a few points for a short time. Plus, if you fail to use your business credit card responsibly, most issuers will report that behavior to the consumer credit bureaus, further damaging your personal credit score and limiting your future financing options.

Options for getting a business credit card without a credit check

There are many types of business credit cards out there, and some may be available to people who don’t want a credit check or who have bad credit.

Corporate cards. Corporate cards don’t require a personal credit check because the company is liable for the debt. But if you’re just starting out or your revenue is in the thousands, not the millions, you likely won’t qualify for a corporate credit card.

Secured cards. While secured cards may require a credit check, most business owners are likely to qualify. That’s because secured cards require a deposit that the issuer can seize for nonpayment. That cash limits their risk, making secured cards some of the best business credit cards for bad credit.

Business debit cards. Debit cards aren’t credit cards, as your spending is tied to your 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 own transactions or their employees’ spending.

Nonbusiness credit cards. You don’t necessarily need a business credit card for your business finances. You could get a separate personal credit card instead, and some personal credit cards don’t require a credit check. 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.

If you’re unsure if you’ll pass a credit check, some business credit card issuers will let you pre-qualify. This process tells you whether or not 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.

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