This article provides a Secret Formula for Building Business Credit of unsecured business credit cards, including information on different companies that can help your startup business obtain significant amounts of credit, often up to $100,000. Additionally, it mentions that by understanding how to take advantage of incentives, it is possible to secure credit cards with low APR rates and without the need for a personal guarantee or credit check.
What is an Unsecured Business Credit Card?
The majority of credit cards, particularly those used for business purposes, are unsecured. In contrast, consumer credit cards are usually secured to Build Business Credit for Your Small Business and credit history. Businesses tend to use net or vendor accounts instead of secured credit cards. Vendor accounts often provide terms such as net 15, 30, or 45, which means that the business has that many days to pay back whatever it has borrowed from the vendor.
Choosing Business Credit Cards that Report
When choosing a credit card company for your business, the secret formula for building business credit lies in considering whether they report to consumer credit reporting agencies, business credit reporting agencies, or neither. As a business owner, it’s beneficial to look for credit cards that specifically report to business credit bureaus. Using consumer credit cards may negatively impact your company’s credit score, since they make up a significant portion of your personal FICO score, around 30%. A prime example is the Capital One Spark card, which is a great business card, but it reports to both government and consumer credit reporting agencies, meaning that using it will negatively impact your personal credit score. The best business credit cards report only to commercial credit bureaus such as Dun & Bradstreet, Equifax, and Experian.
Personal Guarantees on Business Credit Cards
Secrets to Building Business Credit is when selecting a credit card, it’s important to consider whether or not you are required to personally guarantee the credit card debt. In many cases, providing your social security number and undergoing a credit check to get approval for the credit card also involves giving a personal guarantee. This means that as the primary business owner, you are personally liable for the debt if the business is unable to pay off the credit card. This puts your personal assets, such as your bank account, home, vehicles, stocks, and bonds at risk. To minimize this risk, it is advisable to try and avoid personal guarantees and credit checks whenever possible.