Can you get a business credit card with no personal guarantee?

Running a business is a stressful pursuit, especially if you have to put up a personal guarantee to get your business credit card. When you personally guarantee your company's credit card debt, you’re responsible for repaying it if your business can’t.

That’s what makes business credit cards with no personal guarantee so attractive: The business, not you as the owner, is responsible for all debts. This creates a clear financial separation between your company's obligations and your personal finances.

It’s possible to get a business credit card without a personal guarantee, but it's often more challenging. These cards usually require a higher level of financial stability and a strong business credit score. Luckily, some credit card issuers offer alternative routes to getting approved.

What is a personal guarantee on a business credit card?

A personal guarantee on a business credit card is a legally binding agreement that makes you personally responsible for repaying any unpaid balances if your business can't. This means you're on the hook for the debt if your company can't pay.

With a personal guarantee, card issuers can pursue your individual assets and report negative payment history to personal credit bureaus if your business defaults. Late payments or defaults appear on your personal credit report, which can lower your credit score and affect your ability to get personal loans, mortgages, or other financial products.

You might want to avoid personal guarantees to keep your business and personal finances separate. This separation reduces your personal financial risk, protects your personal assets from business creditors, and keeps clear accounting boundaries between business operations and personal finances.

How personal guarantees work

Personal guarantees activate when certain events occur, such as missed payments, defaulting on the card agreement, or business bankruptcy. Once triggered, the lender can legally pursue you for the outstanding balance, regardless of your business structure.

This gives creditors access to your personal finances. They can pursue your personal bank accounts, investments, real estate, and other assets to recover their money. The default also appears on your personal credit report, potentially damaging your credit score for years.

There are two types of personal guarantees—limited and unlimited:

• Limited personal guarantee: A limited guarantee means you’re liable for a portion of your business’s debt, usually a set dollar amount or percentage
• Unlimited personal guarantee: An unlimited guarantee means you’re responsible for repaying your business’s debt in full, including any interest and fees

A personal guarantee is often necessary to get the funds you need and build your business credit, especially when you’re just starting out, but it’s important to recognize the risks.

When are personal guarantees required for a business credit card?

Personal guarantees are usually required for small businesses, startups, and companies with limited credit history. Card issuers see these businesses as higher risk because they lack a proven financial track record. Without substantial business assets or steady revenue, issuers want extra security through personal guarantees.

Several factors play into whether a guarantee is required:

• Industry: Businesses in volatile industries often face stricter requirements than those in stable sectors
• Business structure: Sole proprietorships and partnerships almost always require guarantees, while established corporations with significant revenue may qualify for cards without them
• Business revenue and maturity: Annual revenue thresholds (often $1 million or more) and time in business (typically 2+ years) are common benchmarks for waiving guarantee requirements

To avoid unexpected personal liability, review the card terms carefully and confirm the guarantee requirements with the issuer before applying for a business credit card.

Who can get a business credit card with no personal guarantee?

Getting a business credit card without a personal guarantee isn’t as simple as filling out an application online. Because issuers shift the risk from you personally to your company, they dig deeper into your business metrics. To get a business credit card with no personal guarantee, you generally need to meet four broad criteria:

1. Incorporated entity with an EIN: LLCs, S corps, C corps, and occasionally LPs with a registered employer identification number (EIN) make up the shortlist of who can qualify
2. Healthy cash balances or revenue: Instead of pulling your personal credit, issuers look at factors like your business bank account balance and annual revenue to determine whether you qualify
3. Established business credit: Because there’s no personal backstop, you’ll typically need a PAYDEX score near 80 or a clean Experian Intelliscore, but strong cash flow metrics can substitute for a thinner credit report
4. Low-risk credit profile: Businesses in high-risk industries will have a harder time getting approved for a no personal guarantee business credit card, typically requiring additional documentation if not outright rejection

If your business is incorporated, has a healthy cash balance, and can prove reliable cash flow, you’re in a good position to qualify for a business credit card without a personal guarantee. New business owners or entrepreneurs with little revenue will likely need to build a while longer or accept the risk of a personally guaranteed card first.

Qualification requirements at a glance

Key benefits of no personal guarantee business credit cards

Business credit cards without a personal guarantee offer major advantages for business owners who want a true separation between business and personal finances. These cards provide structural protections that standard business credit cards can't match:

• No personal liability: Your personal finances are protected if your business faces financial trouble. Defaults, late payments, or collections stay on your business credit profile and never appear on your personal credit report. This keeps your personal credit score safe, even during business challenges.
• Higher credit limits: Approval is based on your business's financial strength, revenue history, and performance—not your personal credit score. That means even startups and small businesses could get access to a high-limit business credit card as long as they meet the card’s requirements.
• Additional business benefits: Many cards offer advanced expense management tools to help track spending and simplify tax prep. They may also offer partner perks like discounts on software, shipping, or travel that directly impact your bottom line.

For example, the Ramp Business Credit Card doesn’t require a personal guarantee, relying instead on factors like cash on hand and business revenue. It also offers sales-based underwriting as an alternative way to qualify. Ramp cardholders get access to credit limits up to 30x higher than traditional business credit cards and up to $350,000 in partner rewards.

Plus, Ramp’s cards come paired with a modern financial operations platform that includes expense management software, accounting automation features, and bill pay, making it a strong choice if you’re looking for a card with no personal guarantee.

What to look for in a no personal guarantee business credit card

Choosing the right no personal guarantee business credit card means looking beyond the simple absence of a guarantee. A systematic approach helps you find the card that best supports your business operations and goals.

Rewards structure

Does the card's rewards program match your main business expense categories? Look at your expense reports from the past year to identify your highest-volume categories. Some businesses benefit more from flat-rate rewards, while others get more value from category-specific bonuses. Still other businesses prefer cashback to points-based rewards.

Credit limit flexibility

Are the limits high enough for your monthly expenses? Compare them to your typical monthly expenses and anticipated large purchases. Some issuers offer dynamic limits that grow with your business, while others set fixed ceilings. Check if the card allows temporary limit increases for seasonal spikes or major purchases.

Fee transparency

Fee structures matter, too. Weigh annual fees against the rewards and benefits. Foreign transaction fees are important if you work with international vendors or travel. Ideally, pay your balance in full each month, but know the APR in case you need to carry a balance.

Additional business finance features

Additional expense management and accounting features can add significant value:

• Automated expense management systems help you monitor and report on business spending
• Customizable spending controls for employees, departments, or vendors can help you control business expenses and enforce your expense policy
• Integrations with your accounting software or enterprise resource planning (ERP) system reduce manual reconciliation work
• Other partner perks like airport lounge access, shipping discounts, or software subscriptions, depending on your needs and spending habits

Qualification requirements

Are you likely to meet the card issuer's criteria for approval? Make sure you understand the requirements before applying, and collect any documents or other information you’ll need to provide with your application to ensure the process goes smoothly.

Best business credit cards with no personal guarantee

Modern fintech companies have introduced corporate card options that don’t require a personal guarantee, offering alternative ways to qualify.

The Ramp Business Credit Card doesn’t require a personal credit check or personal guarantee. Instead, you can apply with just your EIN. It offers credit limits up to 30x higher than traditional corporate cards, integrated expense management, customizable spending limits, accounting automation features, and more—and you can get approved in under 48 hours.

The BILL Divvy Corporate Card is another option. Like Ramp, it comes with expense management software built in and allows businesses to issue cards with customizable spending limits. However, it operates on frequent repayment intervals (daily or weekly), which may not suit all businesses' cash flow cycles.

Why growing businesses choose Ramp’s no personal guarantee corporate card

Alexandra Lozano Immigration Law was growing rapidly, adding new clients and employees each month, but its traditional corporate credit card system couldn't keep up with expansion.

"It could take two weeks to get a card physically in hand from our legacy providers," says CFO Wayne Robinson. Employees were forced to share cards, leading to confusion and overwhelming manual work for the finance team.

To solve this challenge, they applied for Ramp’s Business Credit Card, a simple process that only required their EIN, business bank account info, and details like their mailing address and monthly business card spend.

With Ramp, the firm was able to issue both virtual and physical cards to staff immediately. "With our explosion of employees, Ramp has enabled us to set up a lot of virtual cards for specific purposes or for vendors we use daily," says Wayne.

Since switching to Ramp, the law firm has seen just one fraud incident, down from "a large amount of fraud activity on our legacy cards," according to Wayne. The time savings have been substantial too: Wayne no longer spends hours on the phone each week dealing with the old card provider's customer service.

For fast-growing businesses like Alexandra Lozano Immigration Law, quick and easy access to corporate cards is essential. With Ramp, the firm can get cards into employees’ hands instantly, without the lengthy delays and manual work their old corporate card program required.

Get the working capital you need without the personal risk

If you need access to a high-limit business credit card that keeps your personal and business finances separate, Ramp may be right for you.

The Ramp Business Credit Card comes with built-in expense management features, cashback on all purchases, credit limits up to $100,000 or more, and native integrations with accounting platforms and ERPs like QuickBooks, NetSuite, and Sage Intacct.

Ramp gives you complete control over your business spending, with features like:

• Unlimited physical and virtual employee cards with customizable spend limits
• Merchant and category restrictions to help you enforce your expense policy
• Real-time expense tracking and automated savings insights
• Built-in bill pay software that lets you pay vendors by card, check, ACH, or wire

Learn more about how more than 30,000 businesses, from family farms to space startups, use Ramp to grow faster while keeping their personal assets and credit score secure.