Best Business Credit Cards for No Credit History in 2026

A first card usually earns nothing, and this one earns a flat 1.5% cash back on every purchase, uncapped and with no categories to track. The deposit becomes the credit line and starts at a published minimum of $1,000, so the qualifying question shifts from what your report says to what you can set aside. There is no annual fee, which keeps the cost of starting at zero. The account reports to business credit bureaus, so your company accumulates a file of its own from the first statement rather than borrowing credibility from you. Bank of America also publishes an upgrade path to the unsecured version after a run of on-time payments, releasing the deposit and raising the limit. A personal guarantee is required, and the card charges a foreign transaction fee.

Brex is a corporate charge card that never looks at your personal credit, the right shape for a founder whose file is empty rather than troubled. Underwriting runs on company financials, so the absence of a score is not held against you. The eligibility rules are specific and worth checking before you apply. Brex serves US-registered entities only, meaning a C-corp, S-corp, LLC or LLP, and sole proprietors and non-US companies are not eligible. An EIN is required. The reported cash-reserve expectation for the standard path sits around $50,000, which is the real gate. Balances are paid in full each cycle, so this is a spending instrument rather than a borrowing one, and there is no annual fee. Brex leans toward venture-backed companies, though it also serves non-traditionally funded and pre-funding businesses.

Most cards ask you to prove something you have not had the chance to prove. Spark Classic is aimed at personal scores in roughly the 630 to 689 range, which puts it in reach of a light file well before the premium lineups. It is unsecured, employee cards are free, and there is no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee, with unlimited 1% cash back plus an elevated fixed rate on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. The reason to pick it here is reporting: Capital One sends activity to business bureaus and all three personal credit bureaus, so one account writes two records at once. A high ongoing APR is baked in, so this only works as a pay-every-month account. Check availability, since comparison sites have delisted it.

Starter limits are set for starter businesses, and plenty of new companies spend more in a month than a first card will authorize. This one lets you request your own credit limit within a published range of roughly $2,000 to $100,000, funded by a deposit in the same amount, so an established spending pattern is not capped by an absent credit record. The deposit is held in an interest-bearing account, which softens the cost of committing cash. Where it fits best is a business with capital but no history, a description covering a lot of newly formed companies and recently arrived owners. The card carries an annual fee, and every dollar of limit is a dollar out of circulation, so match the line to actual monthly volume.

Mercury IO is a Mastercard corporate card attached to a Mercury business banking account, with no personal guarantee, no personal credit check and no security deposit. Instead of a score, your balance sets the terms: the reported qualification threshold sits around $25,000 in Mercury balances, and customers holding roughly $15,000 or more across Mercury balances may qualify for higher limits and can choose monthly or daily repayment. The card pays flat cash back on all spend, including international spend, a practical advantage for a founder buying from suppliers abroad. It clears itself automatically from the checking balance, and there is no annual fee. The requirement to watch is structural: an incorporated US business and a Mercury account.