Our Take
3.2
NerdWallet rating
The bottom line:
Best for owners who may have limited credit history but a well-funded company. If you're not incorporated or want the ability to revolve a balance, look elsewhere.
More details from Brex
- Get 10,000 points when you spend $3,000 on a Brex Card within your first 3 months.
- No personal guarantee needed – Brex does not ask for a personal credit check or security deposit during the application.
- Credit limits 10-20x higher than traditional small business corporate cards.
- Minimum bank balance of $50,000 from professional investors may be required to qualify for Brex.
- Exclusive signup offers from the best products and tools for your business (e.g. AWS, Google Ads, WeWork, Salesforce) worth up to $150,000 in value.
- 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.
- Miles transfer program to 7 airlines (including Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Air France, and more) and their loyalty programs, giving Brex customers access to book travel across all of the major global airline alliances - Star Alliance, Oneworld, and SkyTeam.
- 30-day charge card running on the Mastercard network. Enjoy global acceptance with no foreign transaction fees.
- Build business credit: Brex partners with Dun & Bradstreet and Experian to report your on-time payments.
- Make employee expenses seamless - automated receipt-capture and expense matching and reconciliation via text, email, and mobile app. Instantly add new users and set spending limits.
- Contactless pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.
- Simplify reconciliation with built-in integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, and more.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- No annual fee
- New cardholder bonus offer
- Qualify with limited/bad credit
- Bonus categories
- No foreign transaction fees
- No personal guarantee
Cons
- Complicated rewards structure
- High capital requirement for approval
- Daily repayment may be required
- Not available to sole proprietors
Compare to Other Cards
at Brex | at Chase | at American Express |
Annual fee $0 | Annual fee $95 | Annual fee $375 |
Regular APR N/A | Regular APR 21.24%-26.24% Variable APR | Regular APR 18.99%-27.99% Variable APR |
Intro APR N/A | Intro APR N/A | Intro APR 0% intro APR on purchases for 6 months from the date of account opening |
Recommended credit score 300850poor - excellent | Recommended credit score 690-850good - excellent | Recommended credit score 690-850good - excellent |
Full Review
Brex is a financial technology company that aims to help business owners manage their expenses in a single platform. Brex offers a suite of products to do this, including a business bank account and a corporate card known as the
Brex Card
. This card comes in two varieties: one you pay off daily, and one that lets you pay once a month. Brex will determine which option you qualify for. It does this by evaluating your company's cash balance, spending patterns and investors. As a corporate credit card, Brex does not consider a business owner's personal credit score, nor does it require applicants to personally guarantee the debt. This can make the
Brex Card
a good choice for entrepreneurs who have little to no credit history, such as recent graduates or founders who are new to the United States. But the
Brex Card
won't be the right fit for every business owner. Brex largely caters to venture-backed startups and mid-market companies. You must be organized and registered in the U.S., and willing to provide Brex access to your bank information. You'll also need to be well funded to qualify for monthly repayments and comfortable paying your bill in full when it's due: Brex offers only charge cards, which means you can't revolve a balance.While the
Brex Card
does earn rewards, you'll also have to jump through some hoops to earn the highest rates.Key features
Card type: Small business.
Annual fee:
$0
Sign-up bonus:
Get 10,000 points when you spend $3,000 on a Brex Card within your first 3 months.
Rewards: The card's baseline rate is 1 point per dollar spent. But if you make the
Brex Card
your only company card, you'll earn elevated and unlimited rewards through its Exclusive rewards program at the following rates:- 7 points per dollar spent on rideshares and taxis.
- 4 points per dollar on travel booked through the Brex portal.
- 3 points per dollar on restaurants.
- 2 points per dollar on software.
- 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
Brex also offers vendor-specific rewards. For instance, cardholders can earn 3 points per dollar spent on eligible Apple purchases.
Brex uses the bank account information you shared upon sign-up, plus data from third-party providers you authorize, to determine whether or not you're eligible for the Exclusive rewards program.
Rewards can be redeemed at a value of 1 cent per point to pay for flights, hotels or Airbnbs through Brex's travel portal. You can also transfer points to one of Brex's multiple airline partners. Members of the Brex Exclusive rewards program enjoy a 1:1 transfer ratio while non-Exclusive members must transfer 1.5 Brex rewards point per 1 airline mile.
You can also redeem your points for gift cards or have them deposited into your Brex business account at the same penny-per-point value. If you want to use your rewards points to pay down your statement, you can do so at a value of 0.7 cent per point.
APR:
N/A
Foreign transaction fee: None.
Other benefits:
- Deals and discounts at various vendors that startups may find appealing, including Amazon Web Services, Quickbooks and more.
- Once approved, you will receive immediate access to a virtual card. Your physical card will be sent to you within three to five business days.
- All cards will work with Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay.
- All cards are free (no fees).
Key differences between daily and monthly cards:
Card paid daily | Card paid monthly | |
|---|---|---|
How to get the card: | Included with every Brex business account. | Must apply and be approved. |
Qualifications: | No minimum size or revenue requirement. | Size and revenue criteria apply. |
Payment method: | Payment withdrawn daily from Brex business account balance. | Billed monthly.
Can pay from any account. |
Spend limit: | Up to 100% of your Brex business account's available balance. | Up to 20x higher limits than traditional corporate cards, depending on qualification. |
Rewards earning rate: | Yes, up to 7x Brex points on all card spend. | Yes, up to 7x Brex points on all card spend. |
Highlights of the Brex Card
No personal guarantee or Social Security number required
With the
Brex Card
, there's no founder liability should the business fail. There's also no need to provide a Social Security number or have a hard pull on your credit file.Brex eschews traditional underwriting methods in favor of a focus on funding and cash flow. Instead, businesses must provide an employer identification number and access to bank information.
Light on fees
The annual fee is
$0
, and there are no foreign transaction fees. You also won't pay interest charges, since your balance will paid in full either daily or monthly.Your credit limit can rise with your company's cash flow
The amount of credit you're initially given on the
Brex Card
isn't static. Brex evaluates potential cardholders using factors including cash flow and spending patterns to offer dynamic credit limits that rise along with a business's repayment abilities.Of course, the reverse is also true — more on that below.
Drawbacks of the Brex Card
You need a minimum of $50,000 in the bank to qualify for monthly repayments, maybe more
If your company has professional investors, you can qualify for monthly payments on the
Brex Card
provided you have a business account balance of $50,000. Self-funded companies, however, need at least $1 million in a U.S.-based bank account to qualify for monthly payments.If you can't meet those criteria, you'll have to opt for the version of the
Brex Card
with daily payments. That card can be good if you want to build business credit, but it offers less flexibility. For a corporate card that's potentially more accessible, consider the BILL Divvy Corporate Card
, which requires a minimum business bank account balance of at least $20,000.Your credit limit can fall with your company's cash flow
Brex's credit model updates in real time. So if a company depletes most of its cash in a given month, the credit limit on the
Brex Card
will be reduced until there's more cash in the bank account.If you opt for the
Brex Card
with daily payments, your available credit will be even more limited. Like a debit card, you'll be able to spend only up to the dollar amount of your Brex account balance. So if you want to make a purchase that costs more than you have in your Brex account, you'll need to transfer money beforehand to avoid a failed transaction.No 0% intro APR; automatic debiting
Since the
Brex Card
is a charge card, not a credit card, the balance is due at the end of each day or each month, depending on the card you hold.You won't owe interest, but you also won't be able to carry debt from one month to the next or finance a large purchase over time. Your account will be automatically debited for the balance, so you'll need to have sufficient resources on hand.
If you're looking to revolve a balance and get a break on interest charges, a better choice might be
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
, which earns cash-back rewards and offers an introductory 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months, and then the ongoing APR of 17.99%-25.99% Variable APR
. Terms apply (see rates and fees). The annual fee is $0
.Complex rewards structure with varying point values
Whether you qualify for daily or monthly repayments, the
Brex Card
offers elevated earning rates for select categories of spending — for the first two months, that is. After that, cardholders must exclusively use their Brex Card
for business expenses or be downgraded to the standard rate of one Brex point per dollar spent.And even if you do use the Brex exclusively, bonus-category tracking isn't for everyone. For a corporate card with a simpler rewards structure, look at the
Ramp Card
, which earns up to 1.5% cash back. (Reward rate varies by customer and is determined by Ramp.
)Rewards that may not fit your spending
If your business spending doesn't align with the
Brex Card
elevated earning categories, consider a different option, like the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
. It earns 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores as well as on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year, and 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent each account anniversary year in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants. All other spending earns 1 point per dollar. It also comes with a great sign-up offer.Limited travel perks
The
Brex Card
offers rewards on travel and even allows you to transfer those earnings to several airline partners. But it lacks the flashy benefits that some premium travel credit cards offer.If you're looking for travel rewards, consider an airline card like the
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card
. It earns 2 miles per dollar spent directly with Delta, 2 miles per dollar on U.S. shipping purchases and on U.S. advertising in select media (up to $50,000 in purchases per category, per calendar year) and 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on other purchases. Terms apply (see rates and fees). With this card, your first checked bag on Delta flights is free for you and up to eight others on your reservation. That could be worth far more than the annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $150
. Plus, you'll get priority boarding, and if you spend $10,000 or more in a calendar year, you'll receive a $200 credit toward a future Delta flight. Terms apply.To compare more options, visit NerdWallet's roundup of top credit cards.
Should you get the Brex Card?
For someone unable or unwilling to have a line of business credit in their name, there are few no-annual-fee corporate card options that offer the kind of benefits the
Brex Card
can provide.But the card isn't right for — or available to — every type of business owner. See our roundups of best business credit cards for startups and best overall small-business credit cards for more potential options.
Apply now
on Brex's website
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NerdWallet Rating
5.0
