What Types of Business Cards Don't Require a Personal Guarantee?

Corporate cards, charge cards, and fleet cards don't require personal guarantees. Corporate cards from platforms like Ramp base approval on your business's financial health, charge cards require full monthly payment, and fleet cards provide vehicle expense management with spending controls.

Corporate cards

Corporate cards eliminate personal guarantee requirements by evaluating company revenue, cash reserves, and business credit scores instead of personal credit. This works best for mid-size companies with established revenue and strong business credit.

Qualification and options

Traditional banks require multiple years of operating history and substantial annual revenue, often reaching into the millions. They want established business credit and consistent cash flow before extending credit without a personal guarantee.

Fintech platforms analyze business bank account data and cash flow in real time. Ramp offers corporate cards without personal guarantees based on cash on hand and business revenue, with flat cash back and integrated expense management tools. Most platforms require meaningful cash reserves and limit availability to corporations and LLCs.

What you give up

Trade-offs include:

• Lower rewards rates: Typically 1-1.5% versus higher category bonuses on cards with personal guarantees. Welcome bonuses are rare.
• Full monthly payment: Many require paying the balance in full monthly, eliminating the option to carry balances for cash flow gaps.
• Higher credit limits: Limits are based on business metrics like revenue and cash balances, but you need consistent cash flow.

You're trading flexibility for keeping business debt separate from personal credit.

Other options without personal guarantees

Fleet cards

Fleet cards focus exclusively on fuel and vehicle expenses. They offer cents-back per gallon at partner stations plus cash back on maintenance. These cards capture gallons, fuel grade, and receipts automatically while providing controls and reporting that help manage vendor spending.

Fleet cards carry monthly per-user fees and require full monthly payment. They're useful only for businesses with regular fleet operations where specialized tracking justifies the costs.

Charge cards

Charge cards require full monthly payment, which removes issuer exposure to revolving debt and eliminates the need for personal guarantees. Approval requires business credit history, solid financials, two years of operating history, and strong payment scores showing you pay vendors reliably.

Frequently asked questions

Can startups get business cards without a personal guarantee?

Most startups won't qualify because these cards require established revenue and business credit history. Companies under two years old without substantial cash reserves will need to provide a personal guarantee.

Do no-personal-guarantee cards affect my personal credit score?

No. These cards don't pull or report to personal credit. Activity appears only on your business credit report.

What's the difference between a corporate card and a charge card?

Corporate cards can allow revolving balances while charge cards always require full monthly payment. Corporate cards typically require stronger business financials while charge cards use the payment requirement to reduce issuer risk.

Are the rewards on no-personal-guarantee cards worth it?

Rewards are typically 1-1.5% flat versus category bonuses on traditional cards. Whether this works depends on your spend management priorities and whether avoiding the personal guarantee justifies lower rewards.