Startup business credit cards with no credit

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9 Best Startup Business Credit Cards With No Credit In 2026

Operations 8 Mins Read September 28, 2023 Posted by Soumava Goswami

Last Updated on: August 8th, 2026

Editorial Disclosure: We review financial products independently. The cards mentioned in this article are selected based on fees, rewards, and accessibility for credit-builders. We may receive compensation from partners through affiliate links, but this does not influence our editorial rankings.

Yes, startups can easily secure a business credit card without any corporate credit history.

Instead of evaluating the business, banks and financial institutions review the personal credit score of the business owner to determine approval.

If you are looking for startup business credit cards with no credit, read on through to the end of the article.

In this article, you will learn about various credit card options that are available for startups that do not have any credit history.

We will list nine different credit cards that startups can use to make business-related investments.

For each option, we will share the institution name, annual fee, rewards rate, and business owner eligibility.

Financial Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute formal financial, legal, or tax advice. Credit card terms, interest rates (APRs), and fees change frequently. Always verify the latest details directly on the card issuer’s official website before applying.

How We Evaluated These Cards (Our Methodology)

We analyzed over 30 business and personal credit options to provide accurate recommendations for startups without credit history. Our evaluation criteria focused heavily on:

  • Accessibility: Cards that accept applicants with no credit history, low credit scores, or use alternative data (like revenue) for approval.
  • Fee Structure: Prioritizing cards with $0 or low annual fees to protect early-stage startup cash flow.
  • Credit Building: We only selected cards that report positive payment histories to major credit bureaus (such as Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, or Equifax) to ensure your timely payments actually build your score.

What Is A Secured Card For A Startup?

What Is A Secured Card For A Startup

If you are a business owner with no personal credit card, you can use a secured card. This will help you to build your credit score.

However, you can then upgrade to startup business credit cards with no credit, which offer you better rewards.

In fact, when you try to get a secured card for your business, you have to make an upfront deposit.

Moreover, that card will also determine your credit limit. Apart from that, some cards are available where they will not check your credit score.  

While a personal secured card helps build your personal score, it does absolutely nothing for your business.

To build a corporate credit profile, you must specifically open a business secured credit card that reports activity directly to commercial credit bureaus

With the help of a secured card for your startup, you will get the chance to build credit.

Apart from that, as a startup, you will also be able to avail yourself of various perks for your business, like cashback rewards, travel perks, APR period, and more.

Understanding Alternative Underwriting For Startups

Standard business cards rely entirely on your personal FICO score. However, modern fintech cards use Alternative Underwriting.

Instead of a credit pull, these issuers connect securely to your business bank account via Plaid or your processor (like Stripe or Shopify).

They evaluate your daily cash balances, processing volume, and investor funding to instantly approve your line of credit.

How To Choose The Best Small Business Credit Card For A New LLC

Before you choose startup business cards with no credit, you must weigh the rewards and benefits of each card.

Hence, you can choose the one that best suits the needs and demands of your business.

The following are some of the major factors you need to consider before you choose a startup business credit card with no credit:

1. Keep Your Business Expenses Separate

By using a startup business card, you can keep your business expenses separate from your personal expenses.

As a result, it gets easier for you to track your business expenses.

Hence, accounting and taxation become simpler for you. Moreover, you can prevent commingling of funds for your business. This helps you avoid IRS audits.

2. You Get a Higher Credit Limit

Apart from that, the most important factor of business credit cards is that they offer you a higher credit limit.

So, if you want to make large purchases for your business, these cards can be extremely helpful.

3. Employee Spending

Additionally, some business credit cards allow you to issue employee cards.

However, you can set spending limits on them. As a result, you can control how your employee spends the card.

You can also ensure that your employees use the card for business expenses only.

4. Low or No Annual Fee

Generally, cards that have high annual fees provide a lot of benefits. However, you must offset the annual fee with the rewards you earn.

On the other hand, some startup business credit cards come with low or no annual fees. Here, you need to determine whether you will pay an annual fee.

5. Credit Reporting

Building your credit history must be one of the major priorities for your startup.

Once you establish your credit history, you can open new pathways and opportunities for your business.

6. Interest Rates

When you are getting startup business credit cards with no credit, you must always read about potential hidden fees.

The cost of credit is different from the true cost of credit.

The true cost includes hidden elements like compound interest penalties, late fees, and cash advance fees. For a bootstrap startup operating on razor-thin margins, these hidden fees can quietly destroy your monthly cash flow.

This can significantly impact your business’s bottom line. It can be destructive, especially if your business is a startup that operates on thin margins.

Basically, the interest rate comes in the form of an Annual Percentage Rate (APR). Here, this rate expresses the yearly cost of carrying the balance on your card.

You will also have the Purchase APR.

This is the interest that you pay on your card purchases after you make the minimum payment that your issuer sets.  

7. The Reality of Personal Guarantees

Even if a business has no credit history, most issuers still require a “personal guarantee” from the owner.

This means if your startup fails or cannot pay the debt, you are personally liable for the balance.

Failing to pay will directly damage your personal credit score.

Only true corporate cards (like Brex) completely waive the personal guarantee requirement, but they require strict corporate revenue metrics instead.

Best No-Credit-Check Business Credit Cards For Startups

The following are some of the top startup business cards with no credit that you will need to watch for in 2025:

The overview

Card Name

Card Type

Personal Credit Check?

Annual Fee

Best For

Brex Card

Corporate Charge Card

No

$0

Funded & Venture-Backed Startups

Ramp Corporate Card

Corporate Charge Card

No

$0

Automated Expense Management

Stripe Corporate Card

Corporate Charge Card

No

$0

Online E-commerce Startups

Capital One Spark Classic

Unsecured Credit Card

Yes (Soft Pull/Fair Credit)

$0

Unsecured Credit Building

BOA Business Advantage

Secured Credit Card

Yes (Hard Pull)

$0

Flat-Rate Cash Back

OpenSky® Secured Visa®

Secured Credit Card

No

$35

Founders with No Personal Credit

 

1. Brex Card

Brex Card

Bank/ Financial Institution Name

Brex

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

Up to 8 points with every spending of $1

Eligibility

Must be able to meet a number of business metrics

To avail of this card, you will not have to face credit checks and need not keep any personal guarantee.

Furthermore, you will be able to earn 8x points on common business expenses once you make daily automatic repayments.

2. OpenSky Secured Visa Card

OpenSky Secured Visa Card

Bank/ Financial Institution Name

OpenSky

Annual Fee

$35

Rewards Rate

None

Eligibility

No credit check and no bank account required; requires a refundable cash security deposit to set up your line.

One of the best things about this credit card is that it lets you establish a credit history for your business.

Here, it reports your spending to the credit bureaus. However, the annual fee for this card is $35, which is quite high.

Additionally, you have to pay a foreign transaction fee of 3%. Meanwhile, this way, after six months, you can upgrade to an unsecured credit card.  

This card also has one of the best APRs of about 22%.

3. Ramp Corporate Card

Bank/ Financial Institution Name

Ramp

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

Flat 1.5% cash back on every purchase

Eligibility

Must have an EIN, be registered as an LLC or C-Corp, and maintain a minimum cash balance of $25,000 in your business bank account.

No personal credit check or personal guarantee is required to open this account. It also features premier AI-driven expense management tools that automatically match receipts and track team software subscriptions.

4. Revenued Business Card

Revenued Business Card

Bank/ Financial Institution Name

Revenued

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

3% cash back on every purchase

Eligibility

Must have a business of at least 6+ months and maintain a positive account balance throughout  

have a monthly revenue of $10K+

You will not have to make any personal guarantee here and will also not face any credit checks. Furthermore, there are also no annual fees.

5. Spark Classic From Capital One

Spark Classic From Capital One

Bank/ Financial Institution Name

Capital One

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

1% cash back on every purchase

Eligibility

Average credit is recommended. However, you may be able to qualify even if you have no credit history.

There are no annual fees and foreign transaction fees. It also reports to the top three credit bureaus.

6. Platinum Secured From Capital One

Platinum Secured From Capital One

Bank/ Financial Institution Name

Capital One

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

None

Eligibility

No particular business/income requirements were disclosed

In this case, as well, there are no annual fees. Apart from that, you will also get a credit limit higher than your deposit amount.

7. Stripe Corporate Card

Bank/ Financial Institution Name

Stripe

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

Up to 1.5% cash back on business expenses

Eligibility

Requires an active, existing Stripe merchant account with a consistent payment processing history.

There is absolutely no personal credit check required for approval. Stripe builds your credit limit dynamically based on your daily payment processing volume, making it a perfect choice for bootstrapped e-commerce stores.

8. Citi Secured Mastercard

Citi Secured Mastercard

Bank/ Financial Institution Name

Citi®

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

None

Eligibility

There must be no history of bankruptcy in the last 2 years

Note: This is a personal secured card. While it will help you build personal credit to qualify for unsecured business funding later, it does not build an independent business credit profile.

9. Bank Of America Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card

Bank Of America Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card

Bank/ Financial Institution Name

Bank of America®

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

1.5% cash back on every purchase

Eligibility

There must be no history of bankruptcy in the last 2 years

With this card, you will get a variety of benefits. Some of them include travel insurance benefits, including up to $100,000 in travel accident coverage, lost luggage assistance, emergency ticket replacement, auto rental insurance, and more.

Choosing the right card depends on whether you have a cash deposit ready for a secured card, or revenue to back an unsecured corporate card. Review your business goals, apply for the card that fits your financial stage, and start building your business credit today!

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Inspired by The Social Network, Soumava loves to find ways to make small businesses successful – he spends most of his time analyzing case studies of successful small businesses. With 5+ years of experience in flourishing with a small MarTech company, he knows countless tricks that work in favor of small businesses. His keen interest in finance is what fuels his passion for giving the best advice for small business operations. He loves to invest his time familiarizing himself with the latest business trends and brainstorming ways to apply them. From handling customer feedback to making the right business decisions, you’ll find all the answers with him!

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