Does applying for a charge card affect your credit score?
- Charge card vs. credit card
- How does a charge card work?
- What are charge cards used for?
- Do corporate cards affect credit scores?
- What are some examples of charge cards?
- How applying for Amex cards affects your credit score
- Do charge cards build business credit?
- What are the disadvantages of charge cards?
- Apply for a Ramp Corporate Card with no credit check
Charge cards offer a unique alternative to traditional credit cards, providing flexible spending without a preset credit limit. Applying for this type of card doesn’t always affect your credit score, but some charge card issuers—like American Express—require a hard inquiry that can lower your credit score temporarily.
In this guide, we’ll explore how charge cards work, their advantages and drawbacks, and some popular options available today.
Key takeaways
- Charge cards require full payment each month: Unlike traditional credit cards, charge cards do not allow revolving balances. The full amount must be paid by the due date.
- There’s no preset spending limit, but responsible use is crucial: Late payments can result in fees and negatively impact your credit score.
- Applying may or may not impact your credit score: While many charge cards don’t require a credit check, some do (namely American Express), which results in a temporary dip in your credit score due to a hard inquiry.
Charge card vs. credit card
Charge cards and credit cards may seem similar, but they have key differences that impact spending, payments, and credit scores. Here’s a closer look at charge cards versus credit cards.
Charge Card vs Credit Card
Feature | Charge Card | Credit Card |
|---|---|---|
Balance Payment | Full payment required each month | Can carry a balance with minimum payments |
Interest Charged | None | Interest applies if balance isn’t paid |
Spending Limit | No preset limit | Fixed credit limit set by issuer |
Credit Utilization | Not impacted | Affects credit score |
Annual Fees | Often high | Varies (can be low or high) |
Credit Impact | Reports payment history, but no utilization | Reports payment history and utilization |
Best For | High spenders who pay in full monthly | Those needing flexibility in payments |
How does a charge card work?
A charge card is a type of credit card that requires you to pay the full balance each month. Unlike traditional credit cards, charge cards do not have a preset spending limit, which can be advantageous for managing large expenses.
However, the flexibility comes with a price: Cardholders must pay off the entire balance by the due date to avoid late fees and potential damage to your credit score.
What is the difference between a charge card and a debit card?
A charge card has no preset limit but requires full monthly payment, while a debit card deducts funds instantly from your bank.
What are charge cards used for?
Charge cards are typically used by businesses that have significant monthly expenses and want the convenience of flexible spending without the constraints of a credit limit. They are popular among business owners, frequent travelers, and those who prefer not to carry a revolving balance.
Similar to credit cards, charge cards often come with rewards programs, travel benefits, and other perks that make them attractive for high spenders.
Which type of card impacts your credit history?
Both credit cards and charge cards impact credit history, but differently. Credit cards affect payment history, credit utilization, and credit mix, making them more influential. Charge cards also report payment history and contribute to credit history but don’t impact credit utilization due to no preset limit.
Do corporate cards affect credit scores?
Most charge cards don’t require a credit check or personal guarantee, which means they typically won't impact your credit score.
However, charge cards from American Express do require a hard credit check and affect your credit score.
When this happens, the issuer will conduct a hard inquiry on your credit report, leading to a temporary dip in your credit score, usually by a few points. This impact is generally short-lived, with your score recovering within a few months, assuming there are no other negative factors.
Are charge cards better for credit? Does applying for credit cards hurt credit?
Credit cards often have a stronger effect on credit scores due to their influence on utilization, and applying for credit cards or certain charge cards can temporarily hurt your credit.
What are some examples of charge cards?
Here are some popular charge card examples, each with its own set of features, rewards, and eligibility requirements.
Ramp Corporate Card
Ramp Charge Card
- Offers a comprehensive platform that includes expense management, travel booking, procurement, and accounts payable
- Unique cost-cutting features and AI-powered savings insights to help businesses reduce expenses
- No annual, application, or late payment fees
- Access to over $350,000 in partner rewards and perks from leading companies
- Only available to US-based corporations and LLCs, excluding sole proprietors and unregistered businesses
- Requires a minimum of $25,000 in a business bank account to qualify
The Ramp Corporate Card is a charge card designed for businesses, offering flexible spending without a personal credit check or impact on the business owner's credit score. It provides automated expense management, cashback rewards, and real-time insights to help companies optimize their spending.
With no credit limit and a focus on financial efficiency, Ramp is a popular choice for startups and growing businesses looking to scale responsibly.
To qualify, your business must be a U.S.-registered corporation, LLC, or LP (sole proprietors and unregistered businesses are ineligible), maintain at least $25,000 in a U.S. business bank account, conduct most operations within the U.S., and have a physical U.S. address (P.O. boxes and virtual offices are not accepted).
American Express Gold Card
American Express Gold Card
- High rewards on dining and groceries
- Travel and dining perks
- No foreign transaction fees
- Can be used as charge card or credit card
- High annual fee
- Limited redemption flexibility
- Requires hard inquiry
The Amex Gold Card is a charge card that offers rewards on dining and grocery purchases but comes with a high annual fee. It earns Amex Membership Rewards points on purchases, with higher rates for restaurants, supermarkets, and certain travel expenses.
It has no preset spending limit, but approval for large purchases depends on your payment history and financial profile. While it provides some travel and dining perks, its benefits may not outweigh the cost for those who don’t spend heavily in these categories.
Diners Club Charge Card
Diners Club Charge Card
- Works at Mastercard locations worldwide
- Earns points redeemable for travel, merchandise
- Offers Priority Pass lounge access and other travel benefits
- No new applications accepted
- Annual fee
- Lacks competitive modern card perks
The Diners Club Charge Card, introduced in 1950, was the world's first multipurpose charge card, allowing members to make purchases and pay the balance in full each month. It offers rewards through its Club Rewards program, which allows cardholders to earn points on eligible purchases at over 100 million merchant locations worldwide. These points can be redeemed for travel, merchandise, and more.
However, as of March 2021, new individual applications for Diners Club cards are not being accepted in the United States, though existing cardholders continue to receive support.
The Platinum Card by American Express
The Platinum Card by American Express
- Entry to multiple global airport lounges
- Hotel and airline elite status, plus other travel perks
- Bonus points for flights, hotels
- Can be used as a charge card or credit card
- Expensive to maintain yearly
- Requires enrollment for some perks and benefits
- Best for frequent travelers only
The Amex Platinum Card is a premium charge card with a high annual fee, primarily catering to frequent travelers. It offers airport lounge access, hotel perks, and statement credits, though many benefits require enrollment and specific spending to maximize value.
The card has no credit limit, but large purchases depend on payment history and financial profile.
While it earns Membership Rewards points on purchases, its rewards structure is more beneficial for those who spend heavily on travel-related expenses. For everyday spenders who don’t travel often, the high cost may outweigh the perks.
How applying for Amex cards affects your credit score
American Express (Amex) offers both charge cards and traditional credit cards, and applying for either will result in a hard inquiry on your credit report. These hard inquiries affect your credit score in the same way as other credit card applications.
However, Amex offers a prequalification process that allows you to check potential approval with only a soft inquiry, which doesn’t impact your score. This is a wise first step for determining your eligibility before formally applying and risking lowering your credit score (it will be lowered whether your application is approved or denied).
If you decide to proceed with a full application, the hard inquiry will occur, and your credit score may experience a temporary dip.
Do charge cards build business credit?
Charge cards are reported to credit bureaus and can help build credit, but they do so differently than traditional credit cards. Since charge cards require full payment each month and don’t have a preset spending limit, they don’t impact credit utilization—a key factor in credit scores.
However, payment history is also a contributing factor to your credit score. On-time charge card payments can positively affect your credit profile over time, while missed payments can hurt it.
Does an Amex card build credit?
American Express reports both charge and credit card activity to credit bureaus, meaning your spending habits impact your credit score. However, Amex charge cards, like other charge cards, do not affect credit utilization since they have no preset spending limit.
What are the disadvantages of charge cards?
- The full monthly payment requirement can be challenging for companies and individuals needing more payment flexibility.
- Without a preset limit, it may be tempting to spend beyond you or your company’s means.
- Since spending doesn’t contribute to your credit utilization ratio, charge cards have a smaller impact on credit building than traditional credit cards.
- Many charge cards come with steep fees.
- Fewer issuers offer charge cards, and they often require good to excellent FICO score/credit to qualify. Notably, the Ramp Corporate Card does not require a credit inquiry to be eligible—or any annual fees.
Apply for a Ramp Corporate Card with no credit check
At Ramp, we understand the importance of maintaining a healthy credit score. That's why our corporate card solutions don't require a credit check, allowing you to access the benefits of a charge card without any impact on your credit score.
With Ramp, you can enjoy flexible spending, valuable rewards, and a suite of tools to manage your business expenses efficiently—all without worrying about your credit score.
Don't miss these
“Our previous bill pay process probably took a good 10 hours per AP batch. Now it just takes a couple of minutes between getting an invoice entered, approved, and processed.”
Jason Hershey
VP of Finance and Accounting, Hospital Association of Oregon
“When looking for a procure-to-pay solution we wanted to make everyone’s life easier. We wanted a one-click type of solution, and that’s what we’ve achieved with Ramp.”
Mandy Mobley
Finance Invoice & Expense Coordinator, Crossings Community Church
“We no longer have to comb through expense records for the whole month — having everything in one spot has been really convenient. Ramp's made things more streamlined and easy for us to stay on top of. It's been a night and day difference.”
Fahem Islam
Accounting Associate, Snapdocs
“It's great to be able to park our operating cash in the Ramp Business Account where it earns an actual return and then also pay the bills from that account to maximize float.”
Mike Rizzo
Accounting Manager, MakeStickers
“The practice managers love Ramp, it allows them to keep some agency for paying practice expenses. They like that they can instantaneously attach receipts at the time of transaction, and that they can text back-and-forth with the automated system. We've gotten a lot of good feedback from users.”
Greg Finn
Director of FP&A, Align ENTA
“The reason I've been such a super fan of Ramp is the product velocity. Not only is it incredibly beneficial to the user, it’s also something that gives me confidence in your ability to continue to pull away from other products.”
Tyler Bliha
CEO, Abode
“Switching to Ramp for Bill Pay saved us not only time but also a significant amount of money. Our previous AP automation tool cost us around $40,000 per year, and it wasn’t even working properly. Ramp is far more functional, and we’re getting the benefits at a fraction of the cost.”
Frank Byers
Controller, The Second City
