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How The Best Business Line of Credit Can Help You Grow Your Business

Reviewed by Ty Crandall

November 14, 2023
Best Business Line Credit Suite

A Business Line of Credit is Like Steroids for Your Business

A business line of credit can be an incredible tool for your business. You don’t want just any line of credit however. You want the best business line of credit for your business needs.

Not all businesses are the same, and not all lines of credit are best for all businesses. Different limits, rates, and terms work better for some than others. Note: dollar amounts and other terms are current to December, 2021. For the most up to date information, always go straight to the source—company websites.

What’s a Line of Credit?

It can help to get a quick rundown of exactly what a line of credit is. The most basic definition is that it is a revolving line of credit, similar to a credit card. You have a limit and continuous access to that limit while making payments only on the portion you use each month.

For example, if you have a $10,000 line of credit, you can use however much of those funds you need each month for whatever you want, unless your lender issues some sort of restriction. If you use $2,000, then when you get your statement you will have to pay $2,000 plus the interest, rather than a payment plus interest on the entire amount of the loan.

If you were to pay $1,000, then spend another $500, you would pay on the $1,500 balance the next month. Your payments change as your balance changes. Just like with a credit card.

Access is most typically granted through checks or a card connected to the line of credit account.small business line of credit best business line

The Best Business Line of Credit vs. Credit Cards

Business owners often ask what the difference is between a line of credit and a credit card, and why is one better than the other? The truth is that in some cases, a credit card may be the better option. This is a choice to make based on several different factors.

The main difference between the two that most borrowers need to know is that a line of credit typically has a lower consistent interest rate.  Also, there are no perks like 0% interest or cash back that you sometimes see with credit cards.

How do I Find the Best Business Line of Credit for my Business?

There are several steps to this process.

1. Consider why you need a credit line.

This is the crux of how you find the best business line of credit for your needs. You have to know your needs. Here are some examples how a business may use a line of credit.

  • Take advantage of a sale on inventory, raw materials, or supplies. This can reduce cost of goods sold and consequently, increase the bottom line.
  • Purchase or repair minor equipment when needed. This would be like a new printer or laptop, not an industrial oven, freezer, delivery truck, or a large machine used in a plant of some sort. Larger equipment would best be purchases with an equipment loan.
  • Bridge temporary cash gaps or continuous, known cash gaps due to timing issues. An example of this would be several bills that are due at the beginning of the month when you know your largest contracts pay at the end of the month. The money is coming, it is reliable, but the bills come due before the money comes. You can pay the bills with the line of credit, then pay off the line of credit when the contracts pay.

Another example of this is a seasonal line of credit for a business that does the majority of its sales during a certain time of the year.  A florist does a large percentage of sales during Valentines day, so a seasonal line of credit can come in handy to bridge the cash gap during other times of the year.

2. Find out what is available.

Shop around with various financial institutions to determine which ones offer the best business lines of credit. You will want to look at factors such as interest rate and credit limit in relation to what you need and can afford.

Check with various types of lenders to get a feel for which ones offer what you need.  Check with larger commercial banks, small local institutions and credit unions, and alternative lenders such as those that operate exclusively online.

Learn business loan secrets and get money for your business. via Credit Suite BizLoanSecNotRecCJ2

3. Know your business credit.

Your ability to get approval for the best business line of credit will be directly related to your business credit. While lenders may also consider income and cash flow, they are going to rely most heavily on your business credit score when making an approval decision about a line of credit.

A lower business credit score does not necessarily mean you can’t get approval, but it could greatly affect your interest rate and credit limit.

Consider signing up for a credit monitoring service that lets you keeps tabs on your business credit and what is affecting it each month. The one offered by CreditSuite.com is easy to use and cost effective.

Once you have a handle on why you need a business line of credit, what is available, and what you may actually be eligible for, you can make a decision as to where you are going to apply and which product you are going to apply for.

Determining which of these lenders is offers the best business line of credit for your business goes back to knowing what you need, who has it, and who will approve you for it.

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When Is a Line of Credit Better than a Credit Card?

If you are going to need to make payments, a line of credit is a better option. There reason is pretty simple. The credit rate is almost always lower. The few exceptions are those cards that offer 0% APR for a short period of time.

If you are going to use a credit card to make regular purchases that you are going to pay off immediately, and you qualify for a card with perks such as cash back, then you may find that you can benefit from using a credit card over a line of credit.

An example would be if you wanted to use your business credit card to make your monthly supplies purchase each month and then pay it off in the following month so that you could take advantage of the cash back.

To float a cash flow gap or make significant purchases that you will need pay out over a short amount of time, a line of credit is almost always the best choice.

Learn business loan secrets and get money for your business. via Credit Suite BizLoanSecNotRecCJ2

One Place Where To Find the Best Business Line of Credit

Since most small businesses will have a hard time getting approval from a traditional lender due to poor credit or a lack of sufficient credit history, we found examples of what alternative lenders are offering currently.

OnDeck

If you have a credit score of at least 600 you can get a credit line of up to $100,000 with OnDeck. You will have to be in business for at least a year, and bringing in at least $100,000 per year.

Learn business loan secrets and get money for your business. via Credit Suite BizLoanSecNotRecCJ2

You Can Find the Best Business Line of Credit for Your Needs

A business line of credit is a great financing option. It offers flexibility that isn’t always available with a term loan. Interest rates are often better than those offers by business credit cards. And with alternative lenders they are an option for most small businesses.  Have you found the best business line of credit for you? We would love to hear about it. Tell your company’s story about when you used the best business line of credit.

About the author 

Janet Gershen-Siegel

Janet Gershen-Siegel is the seasoned Finance Writer and a former content manager at Credit Suite. She has been admitted to practice law for over 30 years, with a focus on litigation and product liability, and is a published author, with writing credits at Entrepreneur, FedSmith.com and BusinessingMag.com.

She has a BA in Philosophy from Boston University, a JD from the Delaware Law School of Widener University, and a MS in Interactive Media (Social Media) from Quinnipiac University.

She regularly writes for Credit Suite, which helps businesses improve Fundability™, build credit, and get approved for loans and credit lines.

Her specialties: business credit, business credit cards, business funding, crowdfunding, and law

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