I'M INTERESTED IN:
Our pick for
Cash-back business card
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
4.9
NerdWallet rating
on American Express' website
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening
Regular APR
18.49%-26.49% Variable APR
Pros
- No annual fee
- High rewards rate
- Intro APR period
- Cash rewards
Cons
- Spending caps on bonus rewards
- Requires good/excellent credit
Read full review
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
NerdWallet rating
★4.9/5
Read review
on American Express' website
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening
Regular APR
18.49%-26.49% Variable APR
Pros
- No annual fee
- High rewards rate
- Intro APR period
- Cash rewards
Cons
- Spending caps on bonus rewards
- Requires good/excellent credit
Read full review
- Earn a $250 statement credit after you make $3,000 in purchases on your Card in your first 3 months.
- 0.0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 18.49% - 26.49%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors as determined at the time of account opening. APRs will not exceed 29.99%
- Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement.
- From workflow to inventory to floor plans, your business is constantly changing. That’s why you’ve got the power to spend beyond your credit limit with Expanded Buying Power.
- Just remember,the amount you can spend above your credit limit is not unlimited. It adjusts with your use of the Card, your payment history, credit record, financial resources known to us and other factors.
- No Annual Fee
- Terms Apply
Our pick for
Business travel card
Capital One Spark Miles for Business
4.8
NerdWallet rating
on Capital One's website
Annual fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $95
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
26.24% Variable APR
Pros
- High rewards rate
- No minimum redemption amount
Cons
- Has annual fee
- No Intro APR period
- High APR
Read full review
Capital One Spark Miles for Business
NerdWallet rating
★4.8/5
Read review
on Capital One's website
Annual fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $95
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
26.24% Variable APR
Pros
- High rewards rate
- No minimum redemption amount
Cons
- Has annual fee
- No Intro APR period
- High APR
Read full review
- Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles – equal to $500 in travel – once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn unlimited 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere, no limits or category restrictions, and miles won't expire for the life of the account
- Unlimited 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Transfer your miles to 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Redeem your miles instantly for any travel-related purchases, from flights and hotels to ride-sharing services
- Skip the lines with up to a $100 statement credit on TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year; $95 after that
- Free employee cards which also earn unlimited 2X miles from their purchases
Our pick for
Business owners with fair credit
Capital on Tap Business Credit Card
3.9
NerdWallet rating
on Capital on Tap's website
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
18.49%-35.99% Variable APR
Pros
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- 24/7 customer service
Cons
- Not available to sole proprietors, charities or nonprofits
- Must enroll in automatic payments
Read full review
Capital on Tap Business Credit Card
NerdWallet rating
★3.9/5
Read review
on Capital on Tap's website
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
18.49%-35.99% Variable APR
Pros
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- 24/7 customer service
Cons
- Not available to sole proprietors, charities or nonprofits
- Must enroll in automatic payments
Read full review
- 1.5% rewards on all spend, no caps or restrictions
- Earn $200 cashback when you spend $15,000 in the first 3 months.
- $0 annual fee
- No foreign exchange fees
- APRs range from 18.49% to 35.99% variable
- Unlimited cards for your employees
- Capital on Tap Business Credit Cards are issued by WebBank
Our pick for
Corporate card (no personal guarantee)
Brex Card
3.1
NerdWallet rating
on Brex's website
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
N/A
Pros
- No annual fee
- New cardholder bonus offer
- Qualify with limited/bad credit
- Bonus categories
- No foreign transaction fees
- No personal guarantee
Cons
- Complicated rewards structure
- High capital requirement for approval
- Daily repayment may be required
Read full review
Brex Card
on Brex's website
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
N/A
Pros
- No annual fee
- New cardholder bonus offer
- Qualify with limited/bad credit
- Bonus categories
- No foreign transaction fees
- No personal guarantee
Cons
- Complicated rewards structure
- High capital requirement for approval
- Daily repayment may be required
Read full review
- Get 10,000 points when you spend $3,000 on a Brex Card within your first 3 months.
- No personal guarantee needed – Brex does not ask for a personal credit check or security deposit during the application.
- Credit limits 10-20x higher than traditional small business corporate cards.
- Minimum bank balance of $50,000 from professional investors may be required to qualify for Brex.
- Exclusive signup offers from the best products and tools for your business (e.g. AWS, Google Ads, WeWork, Salesforce) worth up to $150,000 in value.
- Earn points on every dollar spent with industry-leading multipliers: 7x on rideshare, 4x on Brex Travel, 3x on restaurants, 2x on software subscriptions and 1x on all other transactions.
- Earn 3x Brex Rewards points on all eligible Apple purchases through the link or your Brex dashboard.
- Miles transfer program to 7 airlines (including Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Air France, and more) and their loyalty programs, giving Brex customers access to book travel across all of the major global airline alliances - Star Alliance, Oneworld, and SkyTeam.
- 30-day charge card running on the Mastercard network. Enjoy global acceptance with no foreign transaction fees.
- Build business credit: Brex partners with Dun & Bradstreet and Experian to report your on-time payments.
- Make employee expenses seamless - automated receipt-capture and expense matching and reconciliation via text, email, and mobile app. Instantly add new users and set spending limits.
- Contactless pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.
- Simplify reconciliation with built-in integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, and more.
Our pick for
Corporate card (soft credit pull)
BILL Divvy Corporate Card
2.9
NerdWallet rating
on BILL Spend & Expense's website
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
N/A
Pros
- No annual fee
- Card-level spending controls
Cons
- Complicated rewards structure with limits on redemption
- Balance must be paid in full each billing cycle
Read full review
BILL Divvy Corporate Card
NerdWallet rating
★2.9/5
Read review
on BILL Spend & Expense's website
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
N/A
Pros
- No annual fee
- Card-level spending controls
Cons
- Complicated rewards structure with limits on redemption
- Balance must be paid in full each billing cycle
Read full review
- Earn up to 7x rewards on restaurants and 5x on hotels with weekly billing. Terms apply.
- Credit lines up to $15 million but based on revenue, cash balance, business history and personal and business credit score.
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees.
- Unlimited free virtual cards.
- Spend management platform allows business owners to easily set and adjust individual and team budgets.
Our pick for
AmEx Membership Rewards
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
4.6
NerdWallet rating
on American Express' website
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening
Regular APR
18.49%-26.49% Variable APR
Pros
- No annual fee
- High rewards rate
- Intro APR period
- Transfer partners
Cons
- Spending caps on bonus rewards
- Requires good/excellent credit
Read full review
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
NerdWallet rating
★4.6/5
Read review
on American Express' website
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening
Regular APR
18.49%-26.49% Variable APR
Pros
- No annual fee
- High rewards rate
- Intro APR period
- Transfer partners
Cons
- Spending caps on bonus rewards
- Requires good/excellent credit
Read full review
- Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership.
- 0.0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 18.49% - 26.49%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors at account opening. APR will not exceed 29.99%
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter.
- You’ve got the power to use your Card beyond its credit limit* with Expanded Buying Power.
- *The amount you can spend above your credit limit is not unlimited. It adjusts with your use of the Card, your payment history, credit record, financial resources known to us, and other factors.
- No Annual Fee
- Terms Apply
NerdWallet's editorial picks: Best instant approval business credit cards
Before applying, confirm details on the issuer’s website.
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
Our pick for: Cash-back business card
NerdWallet star rating: 4.6
If you need to make an immediate purchase, American Express offers instant card numbers for almost all of its small-business cards, according to a company spokesperson. (Co-branded cards like the Lowe's Business Rewards Card from American Express Amazon Business Prime American Express Card The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
Our pick for: AmEx Membership Rewards
NerdWallet star rating: 4.6
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
Capital One Spark Miles for Business
Our pick for: Business travel card
NerdWallet star rating: 4.8
The Capital One Spark Miles for Business 2 Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles – equal to $500 in travel – once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
Capital on Tap Business Credit Card
Our pick for: Business owners with fair credit
NerdWallet star rating: 3.9
The Capital on Tap Business Credit Card Capital on Tap Business Credit Card 1.5
Brex Card
Our pick for: Corporate card (no personal guarantee)
NerdWallet star rating: 3.1
The Brex Card Brex Card Brex Card
BILL Divvy Corporate Card
Our pick for: Corporate card (soft credit pull)
NerdWallet star rating: 2.9
The BILL Divvy Corporate Card Brex Card BILL Divvy Corporate Card
First National Bank Business Edition® Secured Mastercard® Credit Card
Our pick for: Fast pre-qualification
This card is not rated by NerdWallet.
If you have bad credit, it can take as little as 30 seconds to see whether you'll pre-qualify for the First National Bank Business Edition® Secured Mastercard® Credit Card 39
Preapproval vs. pre-qualification vs. instant approval business credit cards
These terms may sound similar, but they have different meanings — and potential effects on your personal credit.
A preapproval is a business card application offer that usually comes directly from an issuer. If you've ever gotten a letter or email offering you a business credit card, that's likely the result of a preapproval. Preapprovals are typically based on your existing relationship with that financial institution (for example, if you have a business checking account with them) or that issuer pulling your credit and deciding it wants your business. This kind of credit inquiry is known as a soft pull, and it doesn't affect your credit score.
Pre-qualification is you asking the issuer whether you're likely to be approved. Unlike a preapproval — which the issuer initiates — you're in charge of a pre-qualification. To pre-qualify, you proactively provide the issuer with some basic information about yourself and your business. It then runs a soft credit check to see if you might qualify for the business card you're interested in. Again, the soft pull doesn't ding your personal credit, making pre-qualification a great tool to help you avoid wasting time or impacting your score by applying for a card you can’t get.
An instant approval requires an actual application with a hard credit check. Preapprovals and pre-qualification are somewhat rare with business cards. When available, they can let you understand potential card options — but neither guarantees you’ll be approved. You'll still need to go through the standard application steps, which will involve a hard credit pull that may impact your credit score. That process can end with an instant approval, though. Some issuers say they can deliver a decision in as little as 60 seconds after you apply for a business credit card.
» MORE: How much does applying for a new credit card affect your credit?
How to get fast approval on a business credit card
Choosing a business credit card with application criteria you meet can help ensure fast approval. The biggest requirement is your personal FICO score. Most business credit cards require a score of 690 or higher, and some require a score of at least 720.
If you’ve been in business for a while and can demonstrate your annual business revenue, that will also likely help. Applying online improves your odds of a quick decision, too. But ultimately, the easiest business credit card to get is one you're qualified for.
» MORE: Get a free credit score from NerdWallet
How long does it take to get approved for a business credit card?
Some business credit card issuers can offer near-instant approval decisions. But there’s no hard-and-fast rule about how quickly applications can be processed.
Credit card companies need to take time to review your business financials as well as your personal credit history. Factors that could slow down the application process include:
Having bad credit (typically a personal FICO score below 630) or frozen credit.
Entering incorrect information on your application.
Having a discrepancy on your credit report — for instance, if you’ve moved recently, your application could take up to two weeks to be approved.
» MORE: How to get a credit card for a new business
How long does it take to get a business credit card?
Even with instant approval, you may need to wait a week or longer for a physical business credit card to arrive before you can use it. Some issuers offer virtual card numbers to eligible applicants, which you can add to a mobile wallet or otherwise use online while you await your card. You also may be able to request expedited shipping for your physical card, though that can come with an extra fee.
Are there instant approval business credit cards for bad credit?
If you have bad credit, it will be tough to get approved for most business credit cards. Your best bet will likely be a secured business credit card.
With a secured business credit card, you provide a refundable deposit at the opening of the account. This helps reduce the lending risk for the credit card company and helps you start to build business credit.
However, credit limits on secured cards are tied to your deposit. That means these cards may not necessarily be the best fit if you’re looking for an instant approval business credit card because you need to access additional capital quickly.
In that instance, a bad credit business loan may make more sense. You may be able to qualify for a business line of credit, which functions similarly to a credit card, with subpar personal credit. Or if you have outstanding invoices from clients, invoice factoring could turn those into quick cash.
» MORE: Best startup business loans for bad credit
All information about the Lowe's Business Rewards Card from American Express has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The Lowe's Business Rewards Card from American Express is no longer available through NerdWallet.
