Yes, you may be able to get a business credit card with bad personal credit, but approval for an unsecured small-business card can be difficult. Many issuers review the owner’s personal credit and may require a personal guarantee. A secured business card is one route to investigate; an EIN alone usually does not remove personal-credit or liability checks, and approval is never guaranteed.
Which type of business card is worth considering?
Start by matching the account type to your credit profile and business finances. Issuer requirements vary, so compare the actual application and terms rather than relying on a general score rule.
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Unsecured small-business cards
These cards do not require a cash deposit as collateral, but bad personal credit can make approval harder. Issuers commonly consider the owner’s personal credit and may require a personal guarantee, which can leave the owner responsible for the balance. Before applying, check the issuer’s stated criteria, whether it makes a personal credit inquiry, and how it handles reporting and liability. The U.S. Small Business Administration contributor Marco Carbajo wrote in 2018 that applicants with fair or bad personal credit would most likely be denied for an unsecured business card; that is general guidance, not a universal approval rule. Read the SBA’s explanation of secured business cards.
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A secured card requires a deposit that serves as collateral and may determine the credit limit. The deposit reduces the issuer’s risk, but it ties up your money, may be used to cover an unpaid balance, and does not guarantee approval. Compare the deposit, APR, fees, credit-bureau reporting, personal guarantee, and what happens to the deposit if you close the account or default. The SBA’s 2018 article described deposits of “$500 or more” and limits typically equal to the deposit; treat those figures as historical context, not current minimums or a promise about an issuer’s present offer.
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Corporate or EIN-only cards
Some corporate products may place liability on the company rather than require the owner’s personal guarantee. They can also require substantial revenue or spending, making them a poor fit for many new or very small businesses. An EIN identifies a business for tax purposes, but it does not by itself make a typical small-business card independent of its owner’s credit. Check business-age, structure, revenue and spending requirements, payment terms, personal-credit review, and who is legally liable. Chase explains considerations for EIN-only applications.
Personal secured cards as a separate option
If your immediate goal is to build personal credit history rather than pay business expenses with a business account, a consumer secured card may be an interim option. It is not a business credit card. Check whether activity is reported to consumer bureaus, the deposit and fees, and whether it meets your actual spending needs. First Citizens suggests this route for people who need to build personal credit history, but the terms depend on the card issuer. See First Citizens’ business-card information and FAQ.
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What to check before applying
There is no universal credit-score cutoff established for business-card approval. First Citizens says it has no set minimum score for its own business-card approval process and evaluates both personal and business credit. That is one issuer’s policy, not a market-wide promise.
- Personal guarantee: Find out whether you may be personally responsible for the account balance.
- Credit inquiry: Ask whether applying triggers a hard inquiry on your personal credit. A business card application can involve one.
- Reporting: Check whether routine activity is reported to consumer bureaus, business bureaus, or both—and what happens after delinquency or default. Issuer practices differ.
- Full cost: Compare APR, annual and other fees, and, for a secured card, the deposit and rules for returning or applying it.
- Eligibility: Review any requirements for business revenue, spending, time in operation, industry, legal structure, or employee count.
First Citizens says it pulls the credit of significant owners and reports account activity to business reports, not personal reports. Other issuers may handle inquiries and reporting differently, so verify the terms for the specific card rather than assuming business-card activity never affects personal credit.
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How to prepare a strong, accurate application
- Review your personal credit. Know what is on your credit reports before choosing a card. If you find inaccurate information, use the relevant reporting process to dispute it before applying. Chase advises applicants with low or no credit to check their score before selecting a card.
- Choose a realistic card category. Consider a secured business card if an unsecured card is unlikely to fit your profile. Apply for a traditional business card only if its stated requirements are plausible for you; consider a corporate product only if your business meets its qualifications. Do not assume an EIN-only application will bypass a personal credit review.
- Gather business details. An application may ask for the business name, address and phone number, EIN, annual revenue, monthly expenses, employee count, time in business, industry, and legal structure.
- Gather owner details. Be prepared to provide the applicant’s SSN, birth date, home address, and income. Requirements vary by issuer.
- Check sole-proprietor rules. Some issuers allow sole proprietors and independent earners to apply without an incorporated entity and may accept an SSN instead of an EIN. Confirm the issuer’s rules and provide accurate income and business information. Chase discusses business-card applications without a separate incorporated business.
- Compare terms before submitting. Confirm the guarantee, inquiry policy, deposit, APR, fees, reporting behavior, and any revenue or operating-history requirements on the issuer’s current application and account terms.
What to do if an issuer declines your application
Ask the creditor for the specific reasons for the denial and use them to decide what to address before applying elsewhere. The FTC’s page on business credit says an applicant may request written reasons within 60 days of a rejection, and that the creditor must provide them within 30 days after the request. Those timeframes are stated on an FTC page dated May 1999; because the page is old, verify current authoritative legal guidance if you need to rely on the legal deadlines. Read the FTC’s “Getting Business Credit” guidance.
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