⏰ Estimated read time: 6 minutes
Business credit cards with EIN-only approval can be a great fit for established, incorporated companies. Options are typically limited to corporate cards, which use your employer identification number (EIN) rather than your Social Security number during the application process.
Corporate cards don't require a personal guarantee and, unlike traditional business credit cards, approval is based largely on your business's financials rather than your personal credit history. These cards place liability on the company, not you as an individual, and aren't available to sole proprietors.
You can apply for the following cards via NerdWallet's partners. This page also mentions cards not available via NerdWallet, including corporate cards and secured business cards. You can apply for those cards directly through the issuer. Before applying, confirm details on the issuer’s website.
| Product | Annual fee | Rewards rate | Intro offer | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ramp Card NerdWallet Rating Apply now on Ramp's website | $0 | 1%-1.5% Cashback | N/A | Apply now on Ramp's website |
 Brex Card NerdWallet Rating Apply now on Brex's website | $0 | 1x-7x Points | 10,000 Points | Apply now on Brex's website |
 BILL Divvy Corporate Card NerdWallet Rating Apply now on BILL Spend & Expense's website | $0 | 1x-7x Points | N/A | Apply now on BILL Spend & Expense's website |
 Coast Fleet Card Apply now on Coast's website | Monthly fee of $4 per active card | 2¢-10¢ | N/A | Apply now on Coast's website |
Best EIN-only business credit cards
Corporate cards are among the only options available to business owners searching for an EIN-only business credit card. You won't find big sign-up bonuses or sky-high rewards rates with most corporate cards. Instead, these cards boast high credit limits and have robust expense management platforms built in. But you need substantial revenue and cash on hand to qualify.
Ramp Card
Best EIN-only card for cash-back rewards
The
Ramp Card
is easier to obtain than other corporate cards, which often require annual revenue in the millions. Ramp is available to incorporated businesses that have strong revenue and at least $25,000 in a business bank account. There's no personal guarantee or credit check, and the card comes with built-in expense management and card-level spending controls. Ramp has no annual fee and offers cash back on qualified purchases, but the actual reward rate varies by business. Learn more and apply.Brex Card
Best EIN-only card for venture-backed startups
Brex is geared toward professionally funded startups and requires a bank balance of $50,000 to qualify ($1 million if you're self-funded). This card has a modest welcome bonus and the opportunity for big rewards:
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.
BILL Divvy Corporate Card
Best card for smaller businesses (soft credit pull)
BILL Spend & Expense
BILL Divvy Corporate Card
NerdWallet Rating
2.7
Reward Rate
1x-7x
Read Review
Apply now
on BILL Spend & Expense's website
While the
BILL Divvy Corporate Card
does a soft credit pull to help determine approval, it does not require a personal guarantee (similar to other corporate cards). The BILL Divvy Corporate Card
offers a wide range of credit limits — anywhere from $500 to $5 million — and a lower minimum bank account balance (at least $20,000), making it a potentially more accessible option for smaller companies than EIN-only options like Brex and Ramp. Business fuel cards
Best EIN-only business card for gas rewards
If gas is one of your business's primary expenses, a fleet card may be a fit. These cards are best for businesses that manage at least five vehicles and care more about tracking driver expenses than earning lucrative rewards.
You can apply for AtoB's secured fuel card with just your EIN, for instance. And while Coast's application asks for a Social Security number, the card doesn't require a personal guarantee and applying for it won’t affect your personal credit.
Other EIN-only business credit cards
Several business technology companies also offer EIN-only business cards, though most require you to use their services. These products include:
- The iO Card and Rho Corporate Credit Card are part of larger business banking ecosystems from Mercury and Rho, respectively. Both offer flat-rate cash back and don't require a personal guarantee. The iO Card requires you to have a Mercury business bank account, whereas Rho lets you use the card independent of their other accounts.
- The Expensify Card from expense management platform Expensify isn’t really a credit card — you can only spend the money you have in your business account — but it allows your employees to make business purchases and offers cash back.
- The Stripe Corporate Card and the Square Credit Card from payments providers Stripe and Square, respectively, offer invite-only corporate cards with credit limits based on your company’s payment processing history. Square says applying doesn’t impact your personal credit; Stripe doesn’t require a personal guarantee.
- Shopify has a no-credit-check business card for eligible sellers on its e-commerce platform. Applicants need to provide a Social Security number to verify their identity, but Shopify says your personal credit won’t be impacted.
Alternatives to EIN-only business cards
Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® Secured credit card
A secured business card is a good option for business owners who want to build business credit but don't have the personal credit score or the business revenue to qualify for other options. You can’t apply with only your EIN; secured business credit cards require a Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). But approval is not based on your personal credit score.
Bank of America’s Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card earns unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases. You need to put down a security deposit (minimum of $1,000), which is equal to your credit limit. Bank of America will periodically review your secured card and may upgrade you to an unsecured card if and when you qualify. This card has no annual fee.
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
If you have good personal credit and simply want a card to build your EIN credit history, this no-annual-fee business credit card is a great option. You'll earn
1.5%
on all purchases and there's an excellent welcome offer: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
You'll need your Social Security number to apply, and Chase will do a hard credit pull — which may temporarily impact your personal credit score. But Chase does not otherwise report activity on business cards to consumer credit bureaus (unless you default on the card). Instead, activity on the
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
appears on your business credit report and can help you build credit with your EIN.
Chase
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
NerdWallet Rating
5.0
Reward Rate
1.5%
Read Review
Apply now
on Chase's website
Why do business credit cards require an SSN?
Most small-business cards require applicants to personally guarantee the debt on the card. In other words, you are still responsible for paying back any debt, even if your business goes under.
Card issuers use your personal credit score as a basis for approval and will use your SSN or ITIN to check your personal credit even if you also provide an EIN. Many small-business cards require good to excellent personal credit (typically FICO scores of at least 690).
Will an EIN-only card affect your personal credit?
Activity on most business credit cards won't affect your personal credit score unless your account is seriously delinquent. That's true of EIN-only cards, as well. Instead, these cards typically report to commercial credit bureaus.
But EIN-only cards provide another layer of protection for your credit, since most do not require a personal guarantee. That means if your business fails and you default on your card, the issuer won't come after your personal assets for repayment.
