What Credit Score Do You Need to Get a Business Credit Card? [Based on Actual FICO Data]
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I’ve been a business owner since 2007. Today, I own two businesses, both of which have business credit cards. To qualify for those cards, I had to use my personal credit history and credit score. That got me thinking: what credit score do you need to qualify for a business card?
Credit Score Data Is Hard To Find
Credit card issuers don’t tell you what credit score they require. They give you general credit requirements, such as you need “good credit.”
Searching for the information in Google returns results that are flat-out wrong. A recent search found countless claims by the “big” credit card sites that we here at AllCards know are wrong:
- “The best business credit cards typically do require a good personal credit score, however, which means you need a credit score of 700+ to qualify.”–Wrong
- “Most cards require good or excellent credit, typically a personal FICO score of 690 or higher. . . .”–Wrong
- “Generally, at least a good credit score is required, which means a score of 700 or higher.”–Wrong
What’s worse, these sites don’t back up their claim. They don’t disclose the basis for what they are telling thousands of business owners. Let’s do better than that.
How AllCards Collects Credit Score Data
Here at AllCards, we know that business owners with low to mid 600s scores have been approved for some of the most popular business credit cards available. How do we know this?
We’ve been collecting credit score data for years. Our team searches credit and credit card forums to gather scoring data, where forum members share their experiences applying for credit cards. We’re there when they post the results of their credit card applications and their credit score. We make all of this data available to you.
Also See: How to Get a Business Credit Card In 4 Steps
Our Credit Score Data for Business Credit Cards
The average approved credit score for the top business cards is in the 700s. However, we’ve found many users approved with credit scores in the low to mid 600s. Even the very popular Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card has approval with a FICO score of just 653.
We found credit score data for the list of business credit cards below. You’ll see the lowest approved credit score publicly available and the average approved credit score from the data we’ve collected. These numbers update automatically as we add more FICO scoring data.
You’ll also see a table with the details of the credit score data we have for each card.
As you review the data, keep in mind that different card issuers check credit reports from different reporting agencies. Here’s a table of the major issuers and the credit reports they typically check (it can vary by state and by card) based on data from Creditboards.com:
| Issuer | Credit Bureau Most Frequently Pulled | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| American Express | Experian | Pulls from TU and EQ a small percentage of the time |
| Bank of America | Experian | Pulls from TU and EQ a small percentage of the time |
| Capital One | All Three | Capital One pulls from all three major credit bureaus |
| Chase | Varies by state | They pull from any of the 3 based in part on location |
| Citi | Experian and Equifax | Pulls from TU a small percentage of the time |
| U.S. Bank | All Three | Pulls from TU, EQ or EX based on location |
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Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card
Lowest Approved Credit Score: 604
Average Approved Credit Score: 651
App Status Date Credit Score Bureau Credit Limit Approved 05/06/2022 610 Equifax $1,000 Approved 11/25/2021 655 Equifax $2,500 Approved 11/25/2021 668 TransUnion $2,500 Approved 11/25/2021 672 Experian $2,500 Approved 06/15/2021 640 Not Provided — Approved 06/15/2021 660 Equifax $1,000 Approved 06/16/2021 664 Experian $2,000 Approved 06/16/2021 678 Equifax $2,000 Approved 06/16/2021 691 TransUnion $2,000 Approved 05/06/2022 604 Experian $100 Approved 05/06/2022 616 TransUnion $1,000 -
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Lowest Approved Credit Score: 653
Average Approved Credit Score: 743
App Status Date Credit Score Bureau Credit Limit Approved 03/18/2023 825 Experian $6,000 Approved 12/14/2023 783 TransUnion $8,000 Approved 12/14/2023 787 Experian $8,000 Approved 12/14/2023 791 Equifax $8,000 Approved 10/04/2023 734 TransUnion $8,000 Approved 10/04/2023 735 Equifax $8,000 Approved 10/30/2023 850 Experian $16,000 Approved 04/25/2023 662 Equifax $4,000 Approved 04/25/2023 667 TransUnion $4,000 Approved 04/25/2023 718 Experian $4,000 Approved 04/16/2023 843 Experian $16,000 Approved 01/12/2024 653 Experian $4,000 Approved 01/12/2024 672 TransUnion $4,000 Approved 01/12/2024 675 Equifax $4,000 Denied 01/12/2024 756 Experian — Denied 01/12/2024 775 TransUnion — -
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card
Lowest Approved Credit Score: 659
Average Approved Credit Score: 716
App Status Date Credit Score Bureau Credit Limit Approved 10/12/2021 810 Not Provided $10,000 Approved 06/13/2022 659 Experian $1,700 Approved 09/07/2021 679 Equifax $1,700 -
Amazon Business Prime American Express Card
Lowest Approved Credit Score: 670
Average Approved Credit Score: 749
App Status Date Credit Score Bureau Credit Limit Approved 01/22/2024 817 Experian $10,000 Approved 07/24/2023 725 Equifax $22,000 Approved 07/24/2023 727 Experian $22,000 Approved 07/24/2023 731 TransUnion $22,000 Approved 05/28/2023 726 Equifax $3,000 Approved 05/28/2023 800 Experian $3,000 Approved 05/28/2023 806 TransUnion $3,000 Approved 04/04/2024 710 Not Provided $3,500 Approved 05/26/2023 670 Equifax $3,000 Approved 05/26/2023 702 Experian $3,000 Approved 05/26/2023 709 TransUnion $3,000 Approved 02/13/2023 717 Experian $3,000 Approved 11/30/2023 774 Experian $3,000 Approved 11/30/2023 806 Equifax $3,000 Approved 11/30/2023 814 TransUnion $3,000 -
American Express Blue Business Cash Card Review
Lowest Approved Credit Score: 680
Average Approved Credit Score: 738
App Status Date Credit Score Bureau Credit Limit Approved 05/20/2023 690 Not Provided — Approved 08/23/2023 746 Experian $10,000 Approved 08/23/2023 752 TransUnion $10,000 Approved 08/23/2023 753 Equifax $10,000 Approved 09/12/2023 823 Experian $5,000 Approved 01/20/2024 717 Experian $10,000 Approved 01/20/2024 739 Equifax $10,000 Approved 01/20/2024 741 TransUnion $10,000 Approved 02/23/2023 680 Experian $2,000 -
American Express® Business Gold Card
Lowest Approved Credit Score: 682
Average Approved Credit Score: 733
App Status Date Credit Score Bureau Credit Limit Approved 02/01/2024 760 Not Provided — Approved 07/15/2023 709 Equifax — Approved 07/15/2023 715 Equifax — Approved 07/15/2023 719 TransUnion — Approved 07/15/2023 724 Experian — Approved 07/15/2023 726 TransUnion — Approved 01/10/2024 797 Experian — Approved 10/13/2023 682 Equifax — Approved 10/13/2023 721 Experian — Approved 10/13/2023 732 TransUnion — Approved 06/06/2023 780 Not Provided — Approved 01/22/2024 725 Experian — -
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
Lowest Approved Credit Score: 686
Average Approved Credit Score: 686
App Status Date Credit Score Bureau Credit Limit Approved 05/22/2022 686 Experian $3,000 -
Ink Business Premier® Credit Card
Lowest Approved Credit Score: 690
Average Approved Credit Score: 745
App Status Date Credit Score Bureau Credit Limit Approved 06/27/2023 690 Experian $10,000 Approved 01/03/2023 755 Not Provided $20,000 Approved 01/03/2023 766 Not Provided $20,000 Approved 01/03/2023 768 Not Provided $20,000 -
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Lowest Approved Credit Score: 690
Average Approved Credit Score: 741
App Status Date Credit Score Bureau Credit Limit Approved 02/11/2023 720 Not Provided — Approved 08/29/2023 767 Experian — Approved 08/03/2023 690 Not Provided $50,000 Approved 03/24/2023 788 Not Provided $2,000 Denied 12/11/2023 753 Experian — -
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card Review
Lowest Approved Credit Score: 710
Average Approved Credit Score: 788
App Status Date Credit Score Bureau Credit Limit Approved 09/04/2023 760 Not Provided — Approved 09/26/2023 746 Experian $5,500 Approved 09/26/2023 764 TransUnion $5,500 Approved 09/26/2023 798 Equifax $5,500 Approved 12/27/2023 710 Not Provided $14,500 Approved 07/03/2023 755 Experian $14,500 Approved 09/21/2023 816 Not Provided — Approved 01/06/2024 825 Experian $10,000 Approved 01/06/2024 845 Equifax $10,000 Approved 01/06/2024 845 TransUnion $10,000 Approved 10/31/2023 788 Experian $63,000 Approved 10/31/2023 804 TransUnion $63,000 -
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
Lowest Approved Credit Score: 750
Average Approved Credit Score: 755
App Status Date Credit Score Bureau Credit Limit Approved 09/08/2021 750 Experian $60,000 Approved 09/08/2021 750 TransUnion $60,000 Approved 09/08/2021 765 Equifax $60,000 -
Capital One Spark Cash Select
Lowest Approved Credit Score: 750
Average Approved Credit Score: 750
App Status Date Credit Score Bureau Credit Limit Approved 07/22/2022 750 Not Provided $20,000 Denied 07/16/2022 755 Equifax — -
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
Lowest Approved Credit Score: 753
Average Approved Credit Score: 782
App Status Date Credit Score Bureau Credit Limit Approved 12/13/2023 781 Experian $3,000 Approved 12/13/2023 805 TransUnion $3,000 Approved 12/13/2023 811 Equifax $3,000 Approved 01/03/2023 753 Experian — Approved 07/04/2023 755 Experian $3,500 Approved 07/04/2023 791 Equifax $3,500 Approved 07/04/2023 815 TransUnion $3,500 Approved 01/06/2023 757 TransUnion $5,000 Approved 01/06/2023 763 Equifax $5,000 Approved 01/06/2023 764 Experian $5,000 Approved 01/12/2024 810 TransUnion $4,000 Denied 08/10/2023 763 Experian — -
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
Lowest Approved Credit Score: 757
Average Approved Credit Score: 786
App Status Date Credit Score Bureau Credit Limit Approved 05/03/2023 819 Experian $10,000 Approved 12/04/2023 757 Equifax $3,000 Approved 12/04/2023 773 Experian $3,000 Approved 12/04/2023 794 TransUnion $3,000 -
Business Green Rewards Card from American Express
Lowest Approved Credit Score: 784
Average Approved Credit Score: 785
App Status Date Credit Score Bureau Credit Limit Approved 11/17/2021 784 Experian — Approved 11/17/2021 786 Equifax — Approved 11/17/2021 786 TransUnion — Denied 10/14/2020 706 Experian — -
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
Lowest Approved Credit Score: 790
Average Approved Credit Score: 790
App Status Date Credit Score Bureau Credit Limit Approved 11/01/2023 790 Not Provided — -
The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express
Lowest Approved Credit Score: 821
Average Approved Credit Score: 831
App Status Date Credit Score Bureau Credit Limit Approved 04/06/2024 821 Equifax $12,800 Approved 04/06/2024 830 TransUnion $12,800 Approved 04/06/2024 841 Experian $12,800 Denied 12/11/2023 753 Not Provided —
What to Keep In Mind
First, the credit card issuers have not sanctioned, approved, or as far as I know, even reviewed this data. Second, your credit score is just one of many factors that a credit card issuer will evaluate before they approve you for a card. Third, the underwriting standards that a credit card issuer uses can change over time. Finally, some cards have very little credit score data, but we continually search for and add credit score data as it becomes available.
Also See: Our List of the Best Small Business Credit Cards
Summary
If you’re a business owner with average or less-than-perfect credit, you can qualify for a business credit card. If you’d like to share your business credit card experience with us, please send us a note. All data we use is scrubbed of any personally identifiable information so you can remain anonymous.