Business credit cards for poor credit are hard to find. They exist, but there are not many of them. If you have bad credit, you need to fix it. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that you need funding options in the meantime. 

Options for Funding Other Than Business Credit Cards for Poor Credit

What are your options for funding your business other than business credit cards for poor credit? There are a few. The best thing to do is choose those that will help you build business credit, so that your bad credit no longer dictates which funding options you choose. Rather, the door will be wide open and you will be able to choose the options with the best rates and terms regardless of credit requirements. 

Credit Line Hybrid Financing: Get up to $150,000 in financing so your business can thrive.

Let’s start with a couple of actual business cards for bad credit. 

Brex Card for Startups

The Brex card for startups is one of the few true options if you are looking for business credit cards for poor credit. Even a FICO as low as 300 may qualify.  There is no annual fee, and you can apply with your EIN rather than your SSN.  There is no personal guarantee requirement. 

The only catch is, not all industries qualify, and some industries require more paperwork than others.
Wondering how they are able to verify creditworthiness if a business has bad credit? They look at the business’s cash balance, spending patterns, and investors.  

Not only can you get this card with bad credit, but they even offer rewards. For example you can get 7x points on rideshare and 4x on travel. Likewise, get triple points on restaurants and double points on recurring software costs. Get 1x points on everything else.

Capital One Spark Classic for Business

If you have fair credit, you may be able to get the Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business.  It also has no annual fee, but there is no introductory APR deal. The regular APR is a variable 26.99%. In addition, you can earn unlimited 1% cash back on every purchase for your company, with no minimum to redeem.

While this card is available if you have fair credit scores, beware of the APR. If you can’t pay on time and in full, skip it. 

Credit Line Hybrid Financing: Get up to $150,000 in financing so your business can thrive.

You Need More

So, business credit cards for poor credit do exist.  They just aren’t enough. It would be highly unlikely that you would be able to reach your business goals using solely the funding offered through one or two cards. 

They are still a good option, because they offer some funding and can help you build your credit.  But, you need more. Here are some other funding options that you can use as alternatives to business credit cards for poor credit, or in addition to them. 

Credit Line Hybrid

A credit line hybrid is unsecured business financing.  It allows you to fund your business without putting up collateral, and you only pay back what you use.  

It is not as hard to qualify as you may think.  You do need good personal credit.  That is, your personal credit score should be at least 680.  In addition, you can’t have any liens, judgments, bankruptcies or late payments.  Furthermore, in the past 6 months you should have less than 4 credit inquiries, and you should have less than a 45% balance on all business and personal credit cards.  It’s also preferred that you have established business credit as well as personal credit. 

How does this relate to getting business funding with bad credit? Here’s the secret.  If you do not meet all of the requirements, you can take on a credit partner that meets each of these requirements.  Many business owners work with a friend or relative to fund their business.  If a relative or a friend meets all of these requirements, they can partner with you to allow you to tap into their credit to access funding. 

The best part of this type of funding is that it reports to your business credit report, regardless of whether you use your personal credit to apply or that of a credit partner. That means, you get your funding and build your business credit at the same time.

If this still isn’t enough funding, there may be even more options for accessing funding funds with bad credit, depending on your specific business.

Account Receivable Financing

To get this type of funding, you have to have open receivables from another business or government agency, not individuals.  In addition, you need to have been in business for at least one year. The minimum credit score is just 500.

You can get up to 80% of receivables advanced in as little as 24 hours.

Merchant Cash Advance

If you accept credit cards as payment, you may qualify for a merchant cash advance.  You only need a credit score of at least 500.  To qualify, your business must bring in $100,000 or more per year in credit card sales.  Typical approval amounts equal one months’ credit processing volume.  In addition to the application, you’ll need 3-6 months bank and merchant statements. 

Equipment Financing

If you need equipment, it might be better to consider equipment financing.  You will put up your existing equipment or the new equipment you want to purchase as collateral.  Amounts are available up to $10 million with terms ranging up to 60 months. You will  need a credit score of at least 550. 

Why would you choose this over a 0 interest business credit card if you could pay it off during the 0 interest period?  Well, the short answer is, you wouldn’t.  That is, unless you cannot get a high enough credit limit to cover the cost of the equipment. However, if you need longer than a year to pay it out, you may very well end up with a better rate going this route. 

Real Estate Financing

Likewise, you probably will not be financing real estate with business credit cards, even if it is 0 interest. You can get real estate financing in amounts up to $10 million with terms from 6 to 60 months and interest rates as low as 6%.  You will need a 500 minimum credit score, and there are a few other requirements. 

Credit Line Hybrid Financing: Get up to $150,000 in financing so your business can thrive.

Business Revenue Lending

Another option is business revenue lending.  Again, the minimum credit score is 500.  Your business must earn annual revenue of $120,000 or more, and it must do more than 5 small transactions each month.  If your business brings in at least $15,000 monthly, then 6 months in business is acceptable.  You will have to fill out an application and provide 6 months worth of bank statements. 

An Expert Can Help

Of course you could seek out each of these options and apply yourself. However, you are going to have an issue in that it takes time to research lenders, find the ones that offer funding that you qualify to get, and avoid scammers.  Not to mention, it doesn’t really do any good if you can’t find lenders that help you build credit for your business as well.  

Also, getting approval for business credit cards is a little different than getting approval for personal credit cards.  You need to have your business set up properly, and it has to be fundable.  An expert can help walk you through this. 

Working with a business credit expert offers a number of benefits.  Not only will a reputable expert already work with reputable lenders, but they will know more quickly which ones will work best specifically for your business. This will save you time and money in the long run. They will be able to guide you to the options that will be most effective for your needs, help you build credit, and offer the best rates and terms. 

If you do all of this yourself, not only do you risk making poor decisions due to simple lack of knowledge, but you could waste valuable time in which your business will still need funding. 

Business Credit Cards for Poor Credit are Out There, But They Aren’t Your Only Option

Many business owners operate under the assumption that if they do not have good credit, their only funding option is credit cards.  Bad credit takes most loans off the table, and without that, many only know about credit cards. 

While business credit cards for poor credit can be a tool to help fund your business, they are far from your only option, even if you have bad credit.  There are alternatives that you can use in place of or in conjunction with credit cards to meet your business goals.  A business credit expert can help you find the options that will work most effectively and efficiently for your business needs. 

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