Business credit card rates
<p>We found <strong>17 PRODUCTS </strong>in total, of which <strong>4 have links to providers</strong></p>
Selecting ‘Provider Links First’ brings all products with a ‘Go to Provider’s Site’ button that you can apply for directly via Moneyfactscompare to the top of the chart, in rate order. Other products will appear below, again in rate order. Selecting ‘Rate Order’ will change the chart to list all products in rate order. Selecting ‘Favourites First’ will bring your chosen products to the top of the chart in rate order with those with Provider Links shown first.
Moneyfactscompare.co.uk Limited is an independent credit broker not a lender. We will receive a payment from credit providers where customers link to them from Moneyfactscompare.co.uk. None of these arrangements affects our independence.
DisclaimerThe list of business credit card providers on this page is a selection of services available and gives you an idea of the kind of options available. You can find out more about the individual products by visiting any of the providers listed.
All credit cards are subject to the applicant’s status. The APR quoted is representative of the interest rate offered to most successful applicants. Depending on your personal circumstances the APR you are offered may be higher, or you may not be offered credit. Fees and rates subject to change without notice. Please check all rates and terms before borrowing.
Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will not be liable for any loss arising from your use or reliance on this information. If you are in any doubt, Moneyfactscompare.co.uk recommends you obtain independent financial advice.
Provider Links‘Go To Provider's Site’ links are where we have an arrangement with a provider so you can move directly from our site to theirs to view more information and apply for a product. We also use ‘Speak to A Broker’ links where we have an arrangement with a preferred broker to move you directly to their site. Depending on the arrangement we may receive a modest commission either when you press a 'Go To Provider's Site' or 'Speak To A Broker' button, when you call an advertised number or when you complete an application following a link from our website.
Favourites
By clicking the heart icon next to each product will mark that product as a favourite. A product will be remembered as a favourite until you deselect it or for 14 days (assuming you have functional cookies enabled). There is an option to filter/sort by ‘Favourites First’ which will bring your favourites to the top of the chart.
A business credit card is a convenient way to purchase items for your business and to pay for business expenses. It also helps with managing your cashflow. This is because a business credit card comes with an interest free period of usually around 56 days. This means you can pay for business expenses without incurring any interest costs during this period. Your business may have times where invoices are overdue and as a result you lack the cashflow needed to fund your business expenses. A business credit card acts as a bridge for these periods of time. Ideally you will be able to clear your business credit card balance before the interest free period expires. If you find you are regularly incurring credit card interest costs and/or are struggling to get your clients to pay invoices on time, then invoice finance may be a more viable alternative.
Our preferred invoice finance broker can help you to compare the options. Businesses that need credit for larger purchases can compare business loans.
Business credit cards can be used to manage employee expenses too. This provides an audit trail of spend and can include spending limits to help control costs. And, those businesses with members of staff that need to travel abroad or conduct business internationally can look for a business credit card with reduced foreign exchange fees. Businesses with large and frequent international transactions or for those operating in multiple jurisdictions then a specialist foreign exchange broker may be more financially beneficially.
You can connect your business credit card to keep track of all purchases in your relevant accounting software. This includes being able to capture images of your business receipts, so these are stored and matched to expenses leaving your business credit card or business current account.
You should start by comparing business credit cards on our chart above. The key things to compare are each card’s APR, annual fee, any cashback or rewards, associated costs and the interest-free grace period, as well as if there are any introductory 0% deals on offer.
Next, you can apply for the card with your preferred credit card lender. In some cases you’ll need to be an existing business banking customer with the brand, but not always, so make sure to check the criteria before you apply. Alongside that, make sure you meet all other eligibility requirements – some lenders have minimum annual turnover requirements and others have different cards for different kinds of businesses, so it’s important to check where you stand.
You can typically apply online or over the phone and will be expected to answer some questions about the business, its turnover (or expected turnover), financial information and the kind of credit limit you’re hoping for, together with the names of any additional cardholders. You’ll likely be expected to provide copies of bank statements and related financial and personal details, including tax statements.
The lender will then perform a credit check on your business – and sometimes a personal credit check too – and will offer you a deal accordingly, with a higher credit score meaning you’ll be eligible for better interest rates and potentially a higher credit limit. Your application will then be approved or declined and, if it’s the former, you’ll be sent your new card(s), usually within five to 10 working days. You can check your personal credit score for free.
Yes, but it’s not advisable because you need to be able to identify and track those items that are for your business use only to complete your company accounts. A separate card and account make this more straight forward and simple.
If you have employees, then sharing your personal credit card is also a security risk and if misused could impact your credit score.
The route to getting a business credit card is largely the same whether you’re a new business or a more established one, the main differences being in terms of the information you’ll be expected to provide, and the credit check process.
As a new business you won’t have any evidence of turnover, cashflow or trading history, so you’ll instead have to provide estimates, and will likely have to show a business plan as well. Similarly, your business won’t have built up its own credit score yet which means your personal score will come under greater scrutiny. It’s therefore wise to check your credit score ahead of time and see if you can make any improvements.
It’s also more likely that you’ll be asked to provide a personal guarantee, which states that you’ll be personally liable for any debts should your business default on the repayments. This may not always be required, and in some cases may be required even if you’re an established company, but it’s worth bearing in mind if you’re a new business.
Yes. Much like with a personal credit card, by effectively managing your business credit card you’ll be able to build the credit score of your business, which could help you secure additional finance to help your company grow in the future. This relies on keeping within the terms of your credit agreement and never missing a repayment; if you were to fall behind, the opposite would be true, and it could serve to downgrade your credit rating accordingly.
If the lender is running a credit check on your personal file – perhaps if you’re a new business – then it will result in a slight dip to your credit score, as is the case with all hard inquiries. However, this hit should be temporary, and provided you manage your credit agreements effectively will be quickly recovered from. Typically speaking, the only other time a business credit card could affect your personal credit score is if you give a personal guarantee and the business defaults on the debt, leaving you liable, which will understandably have an impact on your credit history.
You can, though it will be more difficult to source suitable options. It’s likely that you’ll only be eligible for cards that come with a higher interest rate and/or lower credit limit, while additional features may be limited and you’re more likely to be asked for a personal guarantee. You should ideally seek providers that offer an eligibility checking tool prior to making a full application – this will give you an indication of whether or not you’ll be accepted without running a full hard search on your credit profile, and so won’t show up on your report or impact your score.
Don’t make the mistake of applying for a lot of cards, either; not only will each hard enquiry dent your score, but if you’re refused it’ll have an even greater impact that can be harder to recover from, so only apply for a single card you’re confident you’ll be approved for.