Our Take
2.8
NerdWallet rating
The bottom line:
The Ramp Card is a fit for incorporated businesses that have strong (and growing) cash flow and value no personal guarantee over other potential perks and benefits.
More details from Ramp
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees.
- No personal credit check or personal guarantee required.
- Issue unlimited virtual cards and physical cards for each employee.
- Prevent out-of-policy spending with built-in controls, including spend restrictions by category or merchant.
- Ramp is a corporate charge card powered by Visa. Businesses are required to pay the monthly balance in full by each statement period.
- Must have at least $25,000 in cash in any U.S. business bank account to qualify.
- Must have most of your operations and corporate spend in the US (although Ramp does support international transactions and will waive all related transaction fees).
- Ramp is only available to corporations, LLCs and limited partnerships. Individuals, sole proprietorships and unregistered businesses are not eligible.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees
- No personal guarantee or credit check
- Direct integrations with popular tools and card-level spending controls and alerts
Cons
- Balance must be paid in full each month
- Not available to sole proprietors or unincorporated businesses
- Rewards rate varies and is determined for each customer by Ramp.
Compare to Other Cards
at Ramp | at Chase | at American Express |
Annual fee $0 | Annual fee $95 | Annual fee $0 |
Regular APR N/A | Regular APR 20.74%-26.74% Variable APR | Regular APR 17.74%-25.74% Variable APR |
Intro APR N/A | Intro APR N/A | Intro APR 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 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
Ramp is a financial technology company that offers business owners all-in-one spend management services. The
Ramp Card
is a corporate card that's part of that overall platform, which also includes features like expense reporting and bill payment.The
Ramp Card
itself is a business charge card, which means you'll need to pay your balance in full each billing cycle. The card has no annual fee, card-level spending controls and direct integrations with top business tools. You can also get a Ramp Card
without a personal guarantee or credit check — provided your business is eligible. As a corporate card, the Ramp Card is only available to incorporated businesses (corporations, LLCs and limited partnerships). Your company will also need to be located in and do most of its business within the U.S., as well as have strong revenue and at least $25,000 in a business bank account to qualify.
Compared to the best business credit cards, the
Ramp Card
lacks perks like a sign-up bonus or no preset spending limit. But if you're looking at similar offerings from other fintechs, like the Brex Card
or BILL Divvy Corporate Card
, the Ramp Card
is worth considering. Recent changes to the card's rewards structure might give business owners pause, though. In May 2024, Ramp shifted from a simple, transparent 1.5% back on all purchases to a more opaque policy. While you can still earn cash back on qualified purchases (
1%-1.5%
), the reward rate now varies by customer and is determined by Ramp.Key features
Card type: Small business.
Annual fee:
$0
.Sign-up bonus:
None.
Rewards:
1%-1.5%
. (Reward rate varies by customer and is determined by Ramp.
) APR:
N/A
.Foreign transaction fee: None.
Other benefits:
- Automatic receipt matching and expense categorization help streamline accounting functions.
- Spending controls and automatic approval flows allow you to dictate when, where and how company cards are used.
- Expense management and forecasting tools help identify cost-savings opportunities.
- Access to discounted pricing with partner vendors and free contract negotiation.
Ramp business card requirements
To apply for a
Ramp Card
, you need to provide the following:- A business email address on a company domain.
- Login credentials to link your business bank account.
- Employer identification number, or EIN, and business formation documents (articles of incorporation, etc.).
- Personal address and Social Security number (last four digits). Business owners without an SSN can use a foreign passport and proof of address.
- Estimated monthly spend on all business credit cards.
Once approved, business owners get a virtual card and can start using it immediately. Businesses that apply for a physical card will receive one in seven to 10 business days.
Ramp account holders can order additional cards (physical and virtual) through the Ramp dashboard and set spending controls and alerts. You can also assign roles for admins, bookkeepers, employees and card managers, and set up integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, Slack and other business applications.
Customer support (via phone or email) is also handled through your Ramp dashboard. The dashboard is available via a web browser or mobile app. (Note: Ramp does not currently have an Android app.)
Why you might want the Ramp Card
Available without a personal guarantee, credit check
Ramp is one of the few business cards you can get with only an EIN. That's because Ramp looks at your business’s revenue and cash flow — rather than your personal credit history — to determine eligibility and set your credit limit. So business owners with bad credit can qualify as long as their company is thriving. And Ramp doesn’t require a personal guarantee, so business owners aren’t personally liable for any outstanding balance if the business fails.
Streamline spend and expense management
If your employees often spend on behalf of the business and submit reimbursements, Ramp's software could save everyone time. Ramp users can create unlimited virtual and physical employee cards, set highly specific controls on spending and set up workflows so that certain spending automatically comes out of certain budgets. It can even prompt users to upload their receipt by sending an automatic text message every time they use their card.
Ramp vs. Brex
Ramp and Brex are two of the leading corporate credit cards on the market. Both are charge cards, and neither requires a personal guarantee or credit check. There are a few key differences between the
Brex Card
and the Ramp Card
, such as the rewards rate and eligibility threshold.Ramp Card | ||
|---|---|---|
Rewards | Reward rate varies by customer and is determined by Ramp. Rewards can be redeemed for statement credits, airline or hotel loyalty points, or gift cards. | Earn 1 point per $1, or up to 7x points when you use the Brex card exclusively. Multiple ways to redeem, including travel, gift cards and statement credit. Rewards values vary by redemption type. |
Sign-up bonus | None. | Get 10,000 points when you spend $3,000 on a Brex Card within your first 3 months. |
Eligibility | Minimum bank balance of $25,000. You must connect a business bank account to your Ramp card. | With professional investors: Minimum bank balance of $50,000. You must connect a business account to your Brex card. Self-funded: Minimum balance of $1 million. Businesses that don't meet these requirements may qualify for Brex Card with daily payments. |
Integrations | Yes. | Yes. |
Spending controls | Yes. | Yes. |
Why you might want a different card
Requires business account balance of at least $25,000
You need at least $25,000 in a business bank account to qualify for a Ramp corporate card. That’s a high bar for companies to clear, especially startups without outside funding.
If you're looking for a potentially more accessible option, consider the
BILL Divvy Corporate Card
. Its minimum business account balance to qualify is $20,000. However, that card has a much more complicated rewards program than the Ramp Card
and requires a personal credit check. » MORE: Best credit cards for startups
Unable to carry a revolving balance
Ramp is a charge card, so your balance must be paid in full each month. To ensure this, companies connect a business checking account during the application process. Your card balance is automatically debited from your business account on the same day each month.
If you want the high-limit spending power of a charge card — but also a little wiggle for certain big-ticket purchases — the
Ink Business Premier® Credit Card
may be a fit. And if you're looking to finance a larger purchase, consider a business credit card with a 0% APR intro period that lets you pay it off over 12 to 15 months without incurring interest charges.Sole proprietors and unincorporated businesses don’t qualify
The
Ramp Card
is available only to registered, incorporated businesses: corporations, LLCs and limited partnerships. Individuals, sole proprietors and unregistered businesses cannot apply, making Ramp inaccessible to the vast majority of small-business owners in the United States. Should you get the Ramp Card?
Ramp is worth a look if your business has strong financials, will take advantage of its suite of services and you can’t (or don’t want to) get a business credit card on the merits of your personal credit history.
Business owners with strong personal credit can access more perks with some traditional business credit cards — and may even want to consider a different corporate option like the
Brex Card
, which offers greater opportunities to earn and redeem points, if you opt to use it exclusively.Apply now
on Ramp's website
New elevated offer
