Separating personal and business finances is an essential part of your company’s accounting, but many business credit cards still blur the lines: Most small business cards can hold you personally liable for company debt. Only business credit cards with no personal guarantee allow entrepreneurs to protect their assets while building their business’s credit. These cards typically have stricter eligibility requirements and are less common overall, but they can be an attractive choice for established companies with solid revenue streams and credit profiles.

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What Is a Personal Guarantee on a Business Credit Card?

For properly-registered businesses (like an LLC or corporation), the company’s assets and liabilities are generally kept separate from the owner’s. This is an important layer of protection, meaning the owner’s personal savings and property are sheltered against being used to pay off business debt. However, when a business owner gives a personal guarantee to a credit card issuer or other lenders, they agree their personal assets and credit can be used to cover any business bills brought into collections.


How To Qualify For a Business Card Without a Personal Guarantee

Qualifying for a business credit card without a personal guarantee can be challenging for new businesses. Lenders may require companies to demonstrate one or more years of strong revenue history and business assets to consider applications without personal guarantees.

Until your business establishes this track record, you’ll likely need to start with a traditional business credit card that requires a personal guarantee. Once your company demonstrates consistent profitability and builds solid business credit, you can explore transitioning to cards without personal guarantee requirements.


Best Business Credit Cards Without a Personal Guarantee Requirement

SVB Innovator Card*: Best for Flat-Rate Rewards

Annual fee: $0
Welcome offer: Earn an elevated 3 points per dollar on all purchases for the first six months from account opening or up to $1 million spend and 3,000,000 points earned, offer expires 7/31/2025.
Earning rate: Earn 2 points per dollar on purchases.

If you’re looking for a flat-rate rewards card with high credit limits and no personal guarantee, the SVB Innovator Card* has you covered. With no effort, this card earns unlimited 2 points per dollar on purchases. Rewards can be used for statement credit, travel and more. The card also throws in access to the SVB Travel and Expense Management Platform for no additional cost. And with no annual fee or foreign transaction fees, it’s a low-cost solution for your business.

If you’re not already an SVB client, you’ll need to connect with a team member to get started with an application. The bank doesn’t disclose specific requirements for a card application and may consider startups, new LLCs and companies without proven revenue on a case-by-case basis.

Like many other business cards with no personal guarantee, the SVB Innovator Card* is a charge card, so you must pay the balance in full each month.

Ramp Business Card: Best for Automation and Time Savings

Annual fee: $0
Welcome offer: This card does not offer a welcome bonus.
Earning rate: Earn up to 1.5% cashback.

The Ramp Business Card is another charge card with no personal guarantee requirement on its application. Due to Ramp’s underwriting process, companies can obtain significantly higher credit limits, making it a good snag if you have a high monthly spend or periodically cover huge purchases. However, it’s only available to corporations and LLCs registered in the U.S. with at least $25,000 in cash in a U.S. bank account. Sole proprietors or other unregistered businesses need not apply.

The card touts numerous tools for financial management, including automated savings insights, receipt matching and integrations with major accounting software. It also provides access to significant savings and other perks with dozens of partner businesses, including QuickBooks, Stripe and UPS.

Businesses that need precise expense control for a larger range of employee cards will find the Ramp Card useful. It’s also ideal if you need a higher credit limit than traditional card options. However, your monthly balance must be paid in full, so companies that need access to pay-over-time financing should look elsewhere.

N/A
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

Brex Card*: Best For Well-Funded Startups or Established Businesses

Annual fee: $0
Welcome offer: Earn 10,000 points after spending $1,000 on your Brex card, and another 10,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months of your card.
Earning rate: Earn 7 points per dollar on rideshare, 4 points per dollar on travel booked through Brex Travel, 3 points per dollar on restaurants, 2 points per dollar on recurring software and 1 point per dollar on everything else.

The Brex Card* requires no guarantee because it sets credit limits based on revenue or dollars raised. This means there’s no credit check requirement for business owners without solid or established credit. However, the Brex Card* is a charge card, meaning it must be paid off in full every month—and you might consider daily settlements in order to access a higher line of credit.

If you’re approved, the rewards are top-notch, and your account will qualify for deep discounts at vendors like Amazon Web Services, Slack, UPS, Quickbooks, Freshworks and more. Businesses looking to carry balances should look elsewhere, but for those who can pay off charges each month (or even daily), the Brex Card* offers a long list of perks.

Be aware that Brex’s application process isn’t as quick or easy as the average credit card. While you can initiate the application online, a team member will contact you with the next steps. As part of the process, you may be asked to verify investment sources, revenue or current cash balances.

Sam’s Club® Business Mastercard®*: Best For Businesses Resupplying At Sam’s Club

Annual fee: $0 (paid Sam’s Club membership required to apply)
Welcome offer: Earn a $30 statement credit after opening a Sam’s Club Business credit card and spending $30 in Sam’s Club purchases within 30 days.
Earning rate: Earn 5% back on gas anywhere (on first $6,000 per year, then 1%), 3% back on Sam’s Club purchases for Plus members (Club members earn 1%), 3% on dining and takeout and 1% back on other purchases.

The Sam’s Club® Business Mastercard®* lets you decide whether or not to supply a personal guarantee. With a guarantee, you may be more likely to be approved—but qualified businesses may still be approved even without one.

The rewards are obviously geared toward Sam’s Club members, with different earning rates on Sam’s Club purchases depending on whether you hold a Classic or Plus membership. But for no annual fee, apart from your store membership, the rewards are reasonable. The Sam’s Club® Business Mastercard®* has zero foreign transaction fees but doesn’t offer many benefits beyond this.


Pros and Cons of Business Credit Cards Without a Personal Guarantee Requirement

Pros Cons
No personal liability for business debts
Very limited card options available
Reduced personal risk in financing purchases
Generally inferior to traditional business credit cards
Clear separation between personal and business finances
Challenging application processes
Protects personal credit score from business activities
Poor digital interfaces
Better for larger businesses with established credit
Lack of transparency in card agreements
Can help establish pure business credit history
May require interaction with sales teams
May enable higher credit limits based on business revenue
Limited or no rewards programs
Useful for businesses with multiple partners/stakeholders
Rare welcome bonuses
Could be advantageous during business bankruptcy
Higher APRs
Simpler tax accounting with complete separation
Additional fees

How To Pick a Business Credit Card Without a Personal Guarantee Requirement

Options are rather limited for credit cards that don’t require a personal guarantee, making the comparison process a little quicker. Still, here are some points to consider:

  1. Check the requirements. Business cards without a personal guarantee may include strict requirements for your business structure, funding or cash on hand. Verify your eligibility before applying.
  2. Read the fine print. Make sure to check for card fees hidden in the fine print. Application fees, annual fees and monthly maintenance fees are all possible. The cards in this article are mostly free of fees which is a big reason why they made the list.
  3. Analyze what the card offers. It’s always best to seek out a card that rewards your regular expenses and provides added value through other benefits.
  4. Consider building your personal consumer credit first. If you’re looking for a card without a personal guarantee because your individual credit falls short, it often makes more sense to improve your credit before applying for a business credit card. Strengthening your credit will open up business credit card options with advantageous fee structures, improved rewards and top-notch perks.
Pro Tip
Many businesses may benefit more from traditional business credit cards despite the personal guarantee requirement. The recommended cards on this list may sacrifice rewards, benefits and the potential to carry a balance compared to other options. Risk can be managed by keeping purchases within monthly payment capabilities.

Are Business Credit Cards Without Personal Guarantee Requirements Worth It?

If you need a business credit card and can’t or don’t want to provide a personal guarantee, your options will be severely limited and still come with serious tradeoffs. If you were hoping to avoid the personal guarantee because your personal credit is poor, a secured business credit card could be a better alternative until your score improves.

Few of the business credit cards without a personal guarantee that we’ve reviewed compare well to the best business credit cards. If avoiding the potential personal liability at all costs is important to you and your business is qualified, these cards could be worth pursuing. But for most companies, a more traditional card will be the better fit.

Find The Best Credit Cards For Startups And New Businesses Of 2025


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I get a business credit card without a personal credit check?

Most card issuers require a personal credit check as part of their standard application process, especially for small businesses and startups.

To qualify for a card without a personal credit check, your business usually needs to demonstrate substantial collateral through assets or prove significant revenue. Some start-ups may be waived from these requirements if they can show significant investments.

How do I apply for a business credit card with no personal guarantee?

Applying for a business credit card that doesn’t require a personal guarantee often requires providing more extensive details on your business finances. If you’re not already a client of the issuing bank, linking a banking account to verify account balances may also be required. Approval requirements may be more stringent overall, and you may need to work directly with a relationship manager to submit your application.

How can I minimize personal liability with a business credit card?

One of the most important ways to minimize liability on a business credit card is to only charge what you can pay off so debt does not accrue. Other ways to reduce personal liability with a business credit card include reducing authorized users and employee cards to lower access to the account. Additionally, you may consider using other forms of financing for large purchases, such as a business loan.