Published By Janet Gershen-Siegel at June 10th, 2020
There’s one thing you can count on – we’ll have bad credit small business credit cards in a recession.
Bad Credit? Small business credit cards in a recession can still be yours, if you know where to look. Fortunately, we have done the research for you.
According to the SBA, company credit card limits are several times that of personal cards! This means you can get a lot more money with corporate credit. And it also means you can have personal charge cards at stores, and now have a second card at the same stores for your small business. And you will not have to put up collateral, cash flow, or financial information in order to get corporate credit.
Even with bad credit, you can still qualify for several of these cards.
Take a look at the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express. It has no annual fee. There is a 0% introductory APR for the initial year. After that, the APR is a variable 14.74 – 20.74%.
Get double Membership Rewards® points on day to day business purchases like office supplies or client dinners for the initial $50,000 spent annually. Get 1 point per dollar afterwards.
You will need great to outstanding credit scores to qualify.
Find it here: https://creditcard.americanexpress.com/d/bluebusinessplus-credit-card/
Take a look at the Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card. Beyond no yearly fee, get an introductory 0% APR for the first 12 months. After that, the APR is a variable 14.74 – 20.74%.
You can get unlimited 1.5% Cash Back rewards on every purchase made for your business. And get $500 bonus cash back after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. You can redeem your rewards for cash back, gift cards, travel and more through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. You will need excellent credit scores to qualify for this card.
Find it here: https://creditcards.chase.com/business-credit-cards/ink/unlimited
Check out the Brex Card for Startups. It has no annual fee.
You will not need to supply your Social Security number to apply. And you will not need to supply a personal guarantee. They will take your EIN.
Nonetheless, they do not accept every industry.
Likewise, there are some industries they will not work with, as well as others where they want more paperwork. For a list, go here: https://brex.com/legal/prohibited_activities/.
To determine creditworthiness, Brex checks a corporation’s cash balance, spending patterns, and investors.
You can get 7x points on rideshare. Get 4x on Brex Travel. Also, get triple points on restaurants. And get double points on recurring software payments. Get 1x points on everything else.
You can have bad credit (even a 300 FICO) to qualify.
Find it here: https://brex.com/lp/startups-higher-limits/
Take a look at the Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business. It has an introductory annual fee of $0 for the first year, which after that rises to $95. The regular APR is 18.49%, variable due to the prime rate. There is no introductory annual percentage rate. Pay no transfer fees. Late fees go up to $39.
This card is great for travel if your expenditures don’t come under typical bonus categories. You can get unlimited double miles on all purchases, without limits. Earn quintuple miles on rental cars and hotels if you book through Capital One Travel.
Get an introductory bonus of 50,000 miles. That’s the same as $500 in travel. But you only get it if you spend $4,500 in the initial 3 months from account opening. There is no foreign transaction fee. You will need a good to superb FICO rating to qualify.
Find it here: https://www.capitalone.com/small-business/credit-cards/spark-miles/
For a terrific sign-up offer and bonus categories, take a look at the Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card.
Pay a yearly fee of $95. Regular APR is 17.49 – 22.49%, variable. There is no introductory APR offer.
Get 100,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 in the first 3 months after account opening. This works out to $1,250 toward travel rewards if you redeem with Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Get 3 points per dollar of the first $150,000 you spend with this card. So this is for purchases on travel, shipping, internet, cable, and phone services. Plus it includes advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year.
You can get 25% more in travel redemption when you redeem for travel with Chase Ultimate Rewards. You will need a good to exceptional FICO score to qualify.
Find it here: https://creditcards.chase.com/business-credit-cards/ink/business-preferred
Take a look at the Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business. It has no annual fee. There is no introductory APR offer. The regular APR is a variable 24.49%. You can get unlimited 1% cash back on every purchase for your company, without any minimum to redeem.
While this card is within reach if you have fair credit scores, beware of the APR. However if you can pay on time, and in full, then it’s a bargain.
Find it here: https://www.capitalone.com/small-business/credit-cards/spark-classic/
Have a look at the Capital One® Spark® Cash Select for Business. It has no annual fee. You can get 1.5% cash back on every purchase. There is no limit on the cash back you can get. Also get a one-time $200 cash bonus when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Rewards never expire.
Pay a 0% introductory APR for 9 months. Then pay 14.49% – 22.49% variable APR after that.
You will need good to exceptional credit scores to qualify.
Find it here: https://www.capitalone.com/small-business/credit-cards/spark-cash-select/
Check out the Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business. It has an introductory $0 yearly fee for the first year. Afterwards, this card costs $95 each year. There is no introductory APR deal. The regular APR is a variable 18.49%.
You can get a $500 one-time cash bonus after spending $4,000 in the initial three months from account opening. Get unlimited 2% cash back. Redeem any time without minimums.
You will need great to outstanding credit to qualify.
Find it here: https://www.capitalone.com/small-business/credit-cards/spark-cash/
Check out the Discover it® Business Card. It has no yearly fee. There is an introductory APR of 0% on purchases for twelve months. Then the regular APR is a variable 14.49 – 22.49%.
Get unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases, with no category restrictions or bonuses. They double the 1.5% Cashback Match™ at the end of the first year. There is no minimum spend requirement.
You can download transactions| conveniently to Quicken, QuickBooks, and Excel. Keep in mind: you will need great to superb credit scores to get this card.
https://www.discover.com/credit-cards/business/
Have a look at the Plum Card® from American Express. It has an initial yearly fee of $0 for the first year. After that, pay $250 per year.
Get a 1.5% early pay discount cash back bonus when you pay within 10 days. You can take up to 60 days to pay without interest when you pay the minimum due by the payment due date.
You will need excellent to excellent credit scores to qualify.
Find it here: https://creditcard.americanexpress.com/d/the-plum-card-business-charge-card/
Your absolute best bad credit small business credit cards in a recession will hinge on your credit history and scores.
Only you can select which features you want and need. So make sure to do your homework. What is excellent for you could be catastrophic for others.
And, as always, make sure to develop credit in the recommended order for the best, speediest benefits. The current situation will not last forever.