How to pick the best business credit card for startups

A business credit card can be one of the first financial tools that helps a startup operate with structure, flexibility, and control. The right card gives your team a way to manage early expenses, access working capital, and track spending—sometimes even without relying on personal credit or complicated approval processes.

Still, getting a startup business credit card isn’t always straightforward. Maybe you don’t have revenue yet. Maybe your credit history is limited—or you’re looking for a card that lets you apply using your EIN instead of your personal credit. These are common scenarios for early-stage founders, and they often make it harder to get approved or find options that work.

In this guide, we’ll walk through how to get a business credit card for a startup, which features matter most early on, and what to look for if you:

• Have no revenue
• Have poor or no credit history
• Want to avoid personal credit checks

We’ll break down your options and help you choose the best card that matches how your new business actually operates.

Can startups get approved for a business credit card early on?

Yes—but not always through traditional banks. If your startup doesn’t have revenue, strong credit, or you want to avoid personal liability, approval can be difficult through legacy issuers. But newer options that are built for early-stage businesses are available. Let’s break it down:

Startups that don’t have revenue yet

Most banks still expect steady revenue or profitability before approving a business credit card. That’s a problem for startups that are pre-revenue, operating on funding, or reinvesting early income into growth. If your startup doesn’t have revenue yet, your best bet is to look for business credit cards that use alternative approval methods based on cash on hand or business activity—not income.

Look for providers that evaluate your business bank account balance, investor backing or funding raised, or linked payment accounts like Stripe to assess activity. These signals tend to work better for startups that are early but well-capitalized or growing quickly.

Startups with limited or poor credit

If you’re a startup founder with a low personal credit score—or limited credit history—traditional issuers may reject your application or approve you with restrictive terms. Most will also run a personal credit check as part of the process.

If you want to avoid that, look for corporate charge cards. These typically skip the hard credit pull, review you based on your business performance, and don’t treat personal credit as a primary factor.

If you want to avoid a personal guarantee

If you want to avoid a personal guarantee—meaning you don’t want to be personally responsible if the business can’t repay—look for business credit cards from corporate card or fintech providers.

These cards typically require you to connect a business bank account, set spending limits based on cash balance or payment volume, and follow a charge card model, where the balance is paid in full each month. If separating personal and business finances is a priority, these are the kinds of cards worth focusing on early.

5 things to consider when choosing a business credit card for startups

The best business credit card for your startup depends on how your company operates. A SaaS business with high marketing spend has different needs than a consulting firm with travel-heavy clients.

What you spend money on, how fast you’re growing, and how you manage cash should shape your decision. The right card should support your current operations—not require you to change them.

Here are five things to evaluate before applying for a startup business credit card:

1. Choose a card that builds business credit

If you're planning to raise capital, apply for larger credit lines, or work with vendors on net terms down the line, building your business credit early is a smart move. To do that, make sure the card you choose reports your payment activity to major business credit bureaus like Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business, and Equifax Business. Not all business credit cards report to these bureaus, so check before applying.

This helps establish a credit history under your business name, separate from your personal credit. Some cards also raise your credit limit automatically based on positive payment history or growth in your business’s financial activity. That flexibility can be helpful as you scale and take on larger purchases.

2. Review fees and interest

If you don’t plan to pay your balance off every month, prioritize cards with low interest rates or 0% intro APRs. But interest isn’t the only cost to watch for.

Some cards charge annual fees, foreign transaction fees, late fees, and balance transfer fees. Make sure you understand the full fee structure before applying. And remember: many startup credit cards still carry personal liability—missed payments could affect your own credit.

If you want to avoid interest altogether, consider charge cards that require full payment each month and don’t accrue APR.

3. Align rewards and terms that support your burn strategy

Startups often spend heavily in a few categories—ads, software, contractors, or travel. The best rewards are the ones that match how you already spend.

Flat-rate cashback is usually a safer bet than niche reward categories. Look for cards with no annual fees and optional intro APR offers if preserving cash is a priority. Avoid over-optimizing for travel perks or limited-use bonuses if they don’t apply to your actual expenses.

4. Look for built-in spend management features

Effective spend management can determine whether startups grow or fail. The best cards come with spend management features built in. Some features to look for include:

• Employee cards: Look for cards that offer unlimited physical and virtual cards, allowing your team to make purchases while minimizing the need for reimbursement
• Real-time reporting: Automated expense tracking and reporting features let you see where you’re spending your money. The best spend management software will identify savings insights to help you optimize your business spending, like flagging duplicate software subscriptions or redundant vendor charges.‍‍
• Receipt matching: Automated receipt matching can help automate your expense reporting workflow, freeing up hours of work

5. Match features that fit your current (and future) spending setup

Not every startup needs a complex card setup. If you’re early and spending on just a few tools or vendors, a simple card with flat cashback and no fees may be enough.

But if you're hiring, scaling paid acquisition, or managing a larger team, it helps to start with tools that grow with you. Features like individual spending limits, category controls, and real-time alerts make it easier to track and manage expenses before things get messy.

The 5 best business credit cards for startups

Once you’ve figured out what your startup needs in a credit card—eligibility, rewards, spend controls, and cost—it’s time to compare your options. The best cards do more than let you make purchases. They give you tools to manage cash flow, organize spending, and start building business credit early.

Below are five of the best business credit cards for startups worth considering, depending on where your business is starting and what you're prioritizing:

• Best overall for startups: Ramp Business Credit Card
• Best for travel rewards: Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
• Best for United Airlines perks: United Business Card
• Best secured card: Bank of America Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card
• Best for fair credit: Capital One Spark 1% Classic Credit Card

Here’s a closer look at how each one works—and what types of businesses they’re best suited for.

1. Ramp Business Credit Card

The Ramp Business Credit Card is the best overall card for startups and new businesses. It is the ideal choice for startups looking for higher credit limits, cashback rewards, and flexible ways to qualify. All you need is an EIN and $25,000 in a business bank account to qualify, and there’s no credit check or personal guarantee.

Most businesses also get approved for a Ramp Business Credit Card in fewer than 48 hours. And, it offers startup-friendly underwriting with no personal guarantee requirement and powerful expense management software built in.

Other benefits include:

• Credit limits up to 30x higher than traditional credit cards
• Sales-based underwriting makes for an easier qualification process
• Advanced expense management automation and accounting integrations
• No annual fee or foreign transaction fees

Once you’re approved, you can issue as many physical or virtual cards as you need, and you get instant access to Ramp’s modern financial software at no additional cost. On top of Ramp’s built-in card controls, you get receipt matching, travel booking, automated expense reporting and approvals, and AI-powered spending insights to help you save time and money.

2. Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

The Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card is the best option for travel rewards. But besides being suited for businesses with frequent travel needs, it also offers rewards on categories like shipping, internet, cable, phone services, and digital advertising. Any spending in these categories earns 3x points per $1 spent up to $150,000.

Other benefits include:

• Earn 3x points on travel, shipping, internet and phone services, and qualifying ad spending
• Unlimited 1x points on all other categories
• Points are worth 25% more when redeemed through Chase Travel
• $95 annual fee is reasonable for businesses that value travel rewards

3. United Business Card

The United Business Card is a great choice for small businesses that prefer traveling on United Airlines. You can quickly rack up United miles with double mileage rewards on business expense categories like dining, gas, and office supplies. Plus, perks like a free checked bag, two passes a year for United lounge access, and priority boarding are appealing to business travelers.

Other benefits include:

• United mileage rewards on travel and business expenses
• Bonus spending categories are useful for growing startups
• Perks like priority boarding and free checked bags for frequent travelers
• No foreign transaction fees
• No annual fee for the first year

4. Bank of America Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card

The Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card is designed for small business owners looking to build or rebuild their credit. As a secured credit card, it requires a refundable security deposit, which acts as a line of credit. It offers 1.5% cash back, without any caps or category restrictions.

Other benefits include:

• ‍No annual fee and has a variable APR, typically ranging from 18.49% to 28.49%
• Suitable for businesses with limited credit that still want to earn rewards
• Additional features include fraud protection, overdraft protection, and online and mobile banking

5. Capital One Spark 1% Classic Credit Card

The Capital One Spark 1% Classic Credit Card is tailored for small businesses, particularly those with fair credit that are aiming to build or improve their credit history. This card offers a 1% cashback on all purchases, without any limits or specific categories.‍

Other benefits include:

• There's no annual fee, making it a cost-effective option for small business owners
• Free employee cards
• Fraud coverage and year-end summaries

What to expect when applying for a startup business credit card

Once you’ve found a business credit card for your startup, the next step is applying. Whether you’re going through a traditional bank or a fintech provider, it helps to know what to expect—especially if you’re applying without established credit or steady revenue.

Here’s how the process works and what to prepare, based on the type of card you choose.

1. Choose the right type of business card

As we said earlier, not all startup business credit cards work the same way. Traditional banks often rely on personal credit history, while fintech or corporate card providers focus more on business performance.

Traditional business credit cards (from major banks) usually require:

• A personal credit score of 670 or higher
• Proof of personal income
• Willingness to take on personal liability for business debt

Fintech or corporate cards typically:

• Skip personal credit checks
• Require a business bank balance (often $25,000 or more)
• Evaluate monthly revenue (usually $10,000+), cash reserves, or investor funding

2. Prepare your application details

The information you’ll need also depends on the type of card you’re applying for.

If you're applying with personal credit (through a traditional bank in the U.S.), you’ll typically need:

• Your full legal name, Social Security Number, and home address
• Documented personal income
• Your business name as registered (LLC, corporation, etc.), address, phone number, and date established
• Business structure documents and potentially 1–2 years of tax returns

If you’re applying with no credit check (through a fintech provider), expect to provide:

• Your business bank account information (account and routing numbers, online access for verification)
• Proof of revenue or cash reserves
• Any available funding or investor documentation
• Basic identity verification details

If you’re a sole proprietor, you can often apply with just your SSN. But applying with an EIN helps separate your business and personal finances, build business credit over time, and simplify your tax reporting.

3. Submit your application

To increase your chances of approval:

• Apply only for cards that match your financial profile
• Include all relevant revenue sources, including side projects or freelance income tied to your business
• Double-check your contact details—they’re used to verify your identity
• Be ready to explain recent credit inquiries or negative marks if applying with personal credit

With that said, approval timelines vary by provider:

• Fintech and corporate card providers often approve within minutes or hours if your financial data is verified
• Traditional banks may take several days and sometimes require a manual review, especially for newer businesses or applicants with limited credit history

In many cases, you’ll receive a virtual card immediately after approval, while physical cards typically arrive within 5–10 business days for fintech and corporate card providers.

What is Ramp, and why do startups use it?

Ramp is a corporate card and finance automation platform designed to help startups move faster, spend smarter, and stay in control of their finances. Startups choose Ramp for its ability to combine real-time visibility, custom card controls, and powerful automation—all without relying on personal credit or requiring founders to manually manage every transaction.

Where traditional business credit cards stop at spend limits and rewards, the Ramp business credit card offers:

• Instant virtual and physical card issuance with built-in controls
• Automatic receipt matching and policy enforcement
• Mobile app access for adjusting limits, approving spend, and issuing cards on the go
• Straightforward cash back with no confusing points systems
• Integration with tools like QuickBooks, Xero, Gmail, and more

Startups looking for a modern alternative to legacy cards or limited point solutions are increasingly choosing Ramp to help them scale. Let’s look at how one fast-moving startup used Ramp to halve their finance team’s workload and cut days off their monthly close.

How Piñata halved its finance team’s workload after moving from Brex to Ramp

Before switching to Ramp, Piñata—a fast-moving startup that helps renters build credit—relied on Brex to manage its corporate spend. But as the startup grew, so did the friction. The finance team spent hours each week chasing missing receipts and struggled with limited mobile functionality. With nearly 40% of transactions missing documentation, Piñata’s month-end close became a time-consuming bottleneck.

Card limits couldn’t be adjusted on mobile, team members couldn’t easily manage their own spend, and issuing new cards required going through support.

Ramp gave Piñata a smarter, faster alternative. With Ramp’s corporate card:

• Finance could issue and adjust cards instantly, directly from the mobile app
• Receipts were automatically matched to expenses, including direct integrations with Gmail, Amazon, Uber, and Lyft
• Card auto-locking nudged employees to submit receipts, improving compliance without added overhead
• Cash back replaced complex points, making rewards simple and usable
• Ramp’s Savings Insights flagged duplicate software licenses, saving thousands of dollars a year

Within weeks of switching, Piñata cut its month-end close by three full days and reduced finance’s weekly expense work by 50%. Receipt compliance jumped by nearly 60%, and the finance team reclaimed over 20 hours per month—time now spent on budgeting, cost optimization, and strategic planning.

“Ramp gave our team back time, clarity, and control,” says Lily Liu, Piñata’s CEO. “Switching from Brex to Ramp wasn’t just a platform swap—it was a strategic upgrade that aligned with our mission to be agile, efficient, and financially savvy.”

Get Ramp’s business credit card for startups

Launching a startup means making big moves with limited runway. While most traditional banks see your early-stage business as a risk, Ramp sees your potential.

Ramp's Business Credit Card eliminates credit checks and personal guarantees while giving you access to robust expense management tools to run your business more efficiently.

Join thousands of growing startups that use Ramp to scale faster while maintaining complete visibility and control over their finances. Get started with Ramp's Business Credit Card.