Best Business Credit Cards With No Personal Credit Check

Many business cards check your personal credit and ask for a personal guarantee in case of default, but there are some options that don’t. Business credit cards with no personal credit check may be a good option for those with limited credit history. Here’s some of the best options to get business credit cards with no personal credit check.

Business credit cards with no personal credit check: 4 options

Here are four business credit cards that don’t require a personal credit check, along with who they might be best for:

Stripe Corporate card: Best for startups

The Stripe Corporate card comes with no annual fee and requires neither a personal credit check nor personal guarantee. You’ll earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases when using the Stripe Corporate card, which you can redeem as a statement credit against your monthly bill. We chose it as the best card for startups because of the range of credits and discounts the card offers to business-related software. To qualify, your business must be using Stripe payments already. Currently, the Stripe Corporate card is available by invitation only.

Editor’s note: The information related to the Stripe Corporate card has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. 

Brex card: Best for earning rewards

The Brex card is another business credit card that does not require a personal credit check or personal guarantee. The Brex card has no annual fee, and offers the opportunity for earning rewards on a variety of purchases. You’ll earn 7X points on ride-sharing services, 4X on Brex travel, 3X on restaurants, 2X on software and 1X on all other purchases. Depending on your spending habits, you can easily earn quite a lot of rewards.

Editor’s note: The information related to the Brex card has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. 

OpenSky^® Secured Visa^® Credit Card: Best for sole proprietorships

If your small business is a sole proprietorship — a type of business entity where you are the only person involved in the business — you might want to consider the OpenSky^® Secured Visa^® Credit Card. Since business assets are not separate from personal assets in a sole proprietorship, you could use the OpenSky^® Secured Visa^® Credit Card for business purposes. The OpenSky card is a secured credit card, which means that you put down an initial security deposit when applying for the card. This deposit serves as your available credit line.

Ramp: Best for businesses with employees

The Ramp credit card is another option for a business card without a personal credit check. Ramp allows you to assign cards to employees and set spending controls on each employee’s card. To qualify for the Ramp card, your business needs to be a corporation, limited liability company or limited partnership with at least $75,000 in cash in a U.S. business bank account.

Editor’s note: The information related to the Ramp card has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. 

How to get a business credit card without a personal credit check

Most business credit cards do require a personal credit check and personal guarantee, but you still have a few options that don’t:

Apply for a secured credit card 

Unlike traditional credit cards, with a secured credit card you put down an initial deposit at the time of application. This initial deposit may be several hundred or several thousand dollars, and serves as the credit line for your account. Whereas with a traditional credit card where the credit card company is lending you a maximum credit line, with a secured credit card your credit line is determined by the amount of cash you choose to fund your account with.

Because the deposit offers the credit card company security or collateral, secured credit cards are typically more accessible to people with poor credit or a limited credit history. If you’re a business owner looking for a business credit card without a personal credit check, a secured card can also be an option.

Apply for a business card that accepts fair to poor credit

If you’re worried that your personal credit might be a barrier to getting approved for a credit card, another option instead of a secured credit card would be applying for a business credit card that accepts borrowers with fair to poor credit. While you may be more likely to be approved, these cards also often come with higher APRs and interest rates. That makes this a less attractive option for long-term expenses you’re not planning on paying off immediately, due to the excessive amounts of interest that you’ll owe.

  Learn more about our top picks for the best credit cards for bad credit.

Use a prepaid business debit card

Another option is to use a prepaid business debit card. With a prepaid business debit card, your spending is connected to the cash deposited in a checking account. As the card issuer isn’t actually issuing a credit line, debit cards typically require no credit check and, sometimes, no linked bank account. One thing to keep in mind with a prepaid debit card is that your card activity won’t be reported to the major credit bureaus. This means that it won’t help you build — or repair — your credit, which is important in the long run.

  Interested in repairing your credit? See our picks for best credit cards to build credit.

Use a corporate card

Corporate credit cards may be an option for some businesses. A corporate credit card allows business credit without a personal guarantee because the company is liable for the debt. While using a corporate card can work in some situations, not all businesses will qualify for one. It may not be a feasible option for startups or if you’re a business owner and not an employee.

Apply with a cosigner

If your credit score or credit history is such that you may not be approved for a business credit card that does a personal credit check, you might consider using a cosigner. A cosigner is someone with good or excellent credit that gives their personal guarantee that you will not default on your credit card. With another applicant with stronger credit, you might be eligible for a wider range of products. Be careful however, since your payment history on the card may affect your cosigner’s credit score.

  Learn more about getting a loan with a cosigner.

Personal guarantee vs. personal credit check: What’s the difference?

A personal guarantee is not the same as a personal credit check for a business loan or business credit card, though one or both may be required. With a personal credit check, the potential lender will look at your personal credit history, including your personal credit score and past payment history. They will use the information on your personal credit report to determine whether or not to issue you the business loan or business credit card.

A personal guarantee is exactly what it sounds like — you are personally guaranteeing that the business will fulfill the obligations of the business loan or business credit card. If you sign a personal guarantee in a business loan agreement it means that you are personally responsible for the loan in the case of the business’s default. That means if the business cannot pay the loan or credit card, the lender may seize some of your assets and it may negatively affect your own personal credit.

How to build business credit

Building business credit is an essential part of managing business finances, because it’s becoming common for creditors and suppliers to use this information when making lending and credit decisions. Establishing strong business credit can protect your personal credit by allowing you to apply for business credit cards and business loans without having to rely on your personal credit history.

Here are three ways to build up your business credit:

1. Open accounts with your business ID. To establish business credit, you will first need to get an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS after you’ve formally registered your business. Once you have an EIN, make sure to use that number instead of your Social Security number (SSN) — where possible — when applying for business credit.
2. Start with store credit. Supply stores like Lowe’s, Home Depot or Staples often offer credit to business owners. By starting small and reliably paying your accounts on time, you build up your business credit history and increase the chances of being approved for higher business credit lines and loans.
3. Don’t just focus on business credit cards. Business credit is determined by business credit reporting agencies like Dun & Bradstreet and the National Association of Credit Management (in addition to consumer reporting agencies like Experian and Equifax). Most small business credit cards do not actually help to establish business credit because they do not report to these business credit reporting agencies.

How we chose our top business credit cards with no personal credit check

To appear on this list, LendingTree selected business credit cards that did not require a personal credit check or personal guarantee. We then chose top picks based upon the following criteria:

• Benefits offered
• Annual fee charged
• Interest rates
• Business purposes for the cards.