If you run a small business or plan on starting a business, having a business credit card can help you streamline expenses, earn rewards and finance larger purchases. However, opening a new credit card can sometimes be easier said than done.

When applying for a business credit card, issuers may consider your personal credit score if you don’t have a business credit report yet. As such, business owners with low personal credit scores may have difficulty being approved for a business credit card with favorable terms.

Fortunately, there are some business cards that are easier to get than others. CNBC Select reviewed dozens of popular options to determine which business cards are the easiest to get approved for. (See our methodology for more information on how we made this list.)

Who’s this for? The Capital One Spark 1% Classic is best for business owners who have fair or average credit. It’s often difficult to find an unsecured credit card that accepts applicants with less-than-ideal credit scores, making the Spark 1% Classic stand out.

Standout benefits: The Capital One Spark 1% Classic credit card doesn’t charge an annual fee or foreign transaction fee. This card also lets customers earn cash back while they are building their credit.

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Who’s this for? The Brex Business Card is great for start-ups and fast-growing businesses because it doesn’t rely on the owner’s credit scores for approval, but looks at how much money a business has raised, its existing cash balances and its revenue. On the flip side, unlike traditional credit cards, it requires cardholders to pay off their balances in full either daily or monthly.

Standout benefits: Brex cardholders have access to a number of useful features for businesses, including expense management tools and discounts with various vendors.

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Who’s this for? While the Discover it® Secured credit card is a personal credit card, it can still be useful for those who are preparing to apply for a business credit card in the future. Improving your personal credit now can help make it easier to get approved for business credit cards with more attractive offers down the line.

Standout benefits: The Discover it® Secured card has a unique welcome bonus offer where Discover matches all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year.

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The Capital One Spark 1% Classic has lower credit score requirements than many cash-back business credit cards but still earns valuable rewards. Its other benefits are fairly limited, but the card has no annual fee, and once you build your credit, you’ll be able to qualify for more valuable cards.

Rewards

• 5% back on hotels and rental cars you book through the Capital One Travel site
• 1% back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

None

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

The Capital One Spark 1% Classic has no foreign transaction fees and offers roadside assistance and extended warranty protection. Account holders can request free employee cards and take advantage of various Capital One account management tools for businesses.

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The Bank of America Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card is a secured credit card, geared toward applicants with poor or no credit scores. It requires a $1,000 minimum security deposit, which acts as your credit line, but Bank of America may eventually upgrade you to an unsecured card.

Rewards

• 1.5% cash back on all purchases

Welcome bonus

None

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

With this card, there is the ability to upgrade to an unsecured card after demonstrating positive credit habits for a certain amount of time. Cardholders also get access to cash flow management tools that let them schedule automatic payments and transfers as well as download transactions into QuickBooks.

Those with a Business Advantage 360 account can also access their Dun & Bradstreet business credit score for free.

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The Brex Business Card is unique in that it considers other factors to determine eligibility beyond just credit scores. However, as a charge card, you won’t be able to carry debt from one month to the next — all balances must be paid off in full either daily or monthly, depending on the type of card you’re approved for.

Rewards

Cardholders that have a Brex Cash account and make daily payments earn the highest rewards:

• 8X points per dollar on rideshare
• 5X points per dollar on travel
• 4X points per dollar at restaurants
• 3X points per dollar on eligible Apple purchases through the Brex Rewards Portal
• 1.5X points per dollar on ads
• 1X point per dollar on everything else

Learn more about all reward multipliers and options here.

Welcome bonus

Earn 10,000 points when you spend $3,000 on a Brex card in your first three months. Plus, earn an additional 20,000 points when you link your payroll or e-commerce platform to your Brex account in your first three months.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

Although the Brex Business Card may function like a debit card, it offers the standard suite of benefits that you’d expect from a credit card. In addition to the generous reward structure, cardholders can take advantage of benefits associated with the World Elite Mastercard® for Business program, including:

• Discounts on popular software for businesses, such as TurboTax, Microsoft 365, QuickBooks® and Salesforce Essentials
• MasterRental Insurance, which covers damage or theft of a rental car if you use your card to pay for it
• Complimentary ShopRunner membership, worth a value of $79 per year for perks like free return shipping and unlimited free two-day shipping
• Mastercard’s Easy Savings program, which lets you score rebates for hotel stays, dining, car rentals, gas and other business expenses throughout the U.S.

There’s also no limit to the number of employee credit cards you can get from Brex.

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The Discover it® Secured is CNBC Select’s top overall secured credit card. It can help business owners build their personal credit, and eventually help them qualify for the top business credit cards. It offers many benefits that are typically found with unsecured cards, including cash-back rewards, a generous welcome bonus and no foreign transaction fees — all for no annual fee.

Rewards

• 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter
• 1% cash back on all other purchases 

Welcome bonus

• Discover will match the cash back you earn during the first year with no minimum spending requirement or cap on the match.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

The Discover it® Secured charges $0 in foreign transaction fees, which can save your business money if you frequently make purchases abroad. Plus, after seven months from account opening, Discover automatically reviews your credit card account to see if you can upgrade to an unsecured line of credit.

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Applying for business credit cards may seem daunting at first, but they can be a valuable tool for helping build your business credit while taking your small business or startup to the next level. Some cards may be easier to get approved for than others so make sure you do your homework to know what you qualify for.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the easiest business credit cards.

To determine which business credit cards are the easiest to get approved for, CNBC Select analyzed the most popular credit cards available to U.S. business owners with poor or average credit. We compared each card on a range of features, including fees, minimum and maximum security deposit, APR, rewards and benefits for business owners, as well as any additional approval requirements and customer reviews when available. We also considered additional perks, the application process and how easy it is to redeem rewards.

The main criteria in our ranking were the rewards rates and accessibility to a small business owner without good credit. The fewer costs a card required, and the more rewards it offered to offset them, the higher it ranked on our list.

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