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Brex Card Review: A Corporate Credit Card for Companies of All Sizes

Review Updated
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One of the best reasons to get a business credit card is to separate your personal and business finances. But most small business credit cards require a personal guarantee that you will pay the debt if the business fails. The Brex Card is a corporate credit card that doesn't involve your personal credit at all. And even better, it's available to companies of all sizes -- not just giant corporations. Though you need to pay one of the two versions of the Brex Card daily, you earn purchase rewards and pay no annual fee. Check out our full Brex Card review for all the details.

Ratings Methodology

Brex Card

Brex Card
Rating image, 3.50 out of 5 stars.
3.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Rating image, 3.50 out of 5 stars.
3.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
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Credit Score: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Credit Score Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Intro APR

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular APR

N/A

Rewards Circle with letter I in it. 8x points on rideshare, 5x points on Brex travel, 4x points on restaurants, 3x points on recurring software, 1x points on other purchases

1x -8x points

Annual Fee

N/A

Welcome Offer

N/A

  • This card is great for small business owners who have limited credit history but have reliable capital.

    • No personal guarantee
    • Purchase rewards
    • Build business credit
    • No card fees
    • Brex Cash account required
    • Must be paid daily
    • No sole proprietors

    • No annual fees
    • No personal guarantee required
    • Flexible card limits based on your company’s cash flow
    • Generous rewards for Brex Exclusive users
    • No foreign transaction fees

Full Brex Card review

This credit card is a good fit for: Business owners who want to avoid a personal guarantee, but whose company doesn't meet typical corporate card requirements.

Top perks

This card has many perks, both intangible and value-based.

No personal guarantee required

The key thing that separates a corporate card from a small business credit card is that most small business credit cards have a personal guarantee that ties you to the credit card no matter what. So if you default on a business credit card, your personal credit takes a hit. And if your business goes under, the bank can still come after you for any remaining balance.

Corporate credit cards, on the other hand, are only associated with your business. In other words, a Brex Card won't interact with your personal credit in any way, giving you complete separation of your personal finances and your company's finances.

Earn up to 8x points per dollar

The Brex Card is a corporate card, and also a rewards credit card. It has a very lucrative rewards structure, albeit a somewhat complex one. If you have the Brex Card that is paid daily (the other is paid monthly), you can earn these purchase rewards:

  • 8x points on ride-hailing services (including Uber and Lyft)
  • 5x points on travel booked via Brex Travel
  • 4x points on restaurants
  • 3x points on eligible Apple purchases through the Brex Rewards portal
  • 1.5x points on ads
  • 1x points on other purchases.

Certain companies can also qualify for extra rewards. Specifically, companies that identify as tech also receive:

  • 3x points on recurring software

And companies that identify as life sciences companies can earn:

  • 8x points on conference tickets
  • 2x points on lab supplies

There's no cap on how many rewards you can earn. Brex rewards don't expire as long as your account is open and in good standing.

Build business credit

As a corporate card, the Brex Card doesn't impact your personal credit. But it can help your business build credit. Specifically, the Brex Card reports your payments to the commercial credit bureaus so you can build a business credit history. It can therefore help you improve your business credit score, and a good business credit history can help you get business loans and other business credit lines.

READ MORE: Best Cash Back Business Credit Cards

No annual or employee card fees

Usually, high rewards rates mean high annual fees. But the Brex Card offers big rewards and $0 annual fees. Employee cards also come without fees. Brex Card users can issue unlimited cards to employees, as well as set custom limits and track team expenses.

So how does Brex make money without annual fees? Through merchant interchange fees. These are small fees charged to a merchant when you use your card to pay.

Zero fraud liability

The laws that limit credit card fraud liability for consumers don't automatically apply to business credit cards, even corporate credit cards. But the Brex Card comes with $0 fraud liability protection, thanks to its partnership with Mastercard. If your Brex Card is used to make fraudulent purchases without your authorization, you aren't on the hook for those charges. Simply report the charges as fraud and let the fraud protection services take care of the rest.

Alternatives to consider

If you prefer to pay monthly: The American Express Business Gold Card is a small business card that you pay monthly. It offers a high rewards rate in many of the same categories as the Brex Card, but includes a big welcome offer (terms apply).

If you are a sole proprietor: The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is a solid choice if you don't qualify for a Brex Card but want similar rewards. You can earn 3x points on the first $150,000 you spend on travel, digital advertising, shipping, and telecom purchases each year. The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card also has a nice sign-up bonus to help make up for the annual fee.

As of Dec. 26, 2024
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Brex Card American Express Business Gold Card Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Rating image, 3.50 out of 5 stars.
3.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
= Good
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= Poor
Rating image, 3.50 out of 5 stars.
3.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.25 out of 5 stars.
4.25/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.25 out of 5 stars.
4.25/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Read Review
Apply Now for Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

On Chase's Secure Website.

Credit Rating Requirement: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Credit Rating Requirement: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Credit Rating Requirement: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Welcome Offer:

N/A

Welcome Offer: Circle with letter I in it. 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership

150,000 Membership Rewards® points

Welcome Offer: Circle with letter I in it. Earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Earn 90,000 bonus points

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. 8x points on rideshare, 5x points on Brex travel, 4x points on restaurants, 3x points on recurring software, 1x points on other purchases

1x -8x points

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. 4 points per $1 in two of the following categories where you spend most: gas, dining, advertising, transit, electronics & wireless ($150,000 annual spending cap). 3 points per $1 on flights and prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com. 1 point per $1 on other purchases

1x - 4x points

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases-with no limit to the amount you can earn.

Earn 3 points per $1 in select business categories

Intro APR:

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Intro APR:

Purchases: 0%, 6 months from the date of account opening

Balance Transfers: N/A

Intro APR: Circle with letter I in it. N/A

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular APR:

N/A

APR:

18.74% - 27.74%, variable

Regular APR:

20.49% - 26.49% Variable

Annual Fee:

N/A

Annual Fee:

$375

Annual Fee: Circle with letter I in it. N/A

$95

Highlights:

  • No annual fees
  • No personal guarantee required
  • Flexible card limits based on your company’s cash flow
  • Generous rewards for Brex Exclusive users
  • No foreign transaction fees

Highlights:

  • Welcome Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
  • 0% Intro APR for 6 months from the date of account opening on purchases eligible for Pay Over Time, then a 18.74% - 27.74% variable APR.
  • MORE REWARDS: Get 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 select categories where your business spent the most each month. Earn 3X points on flights & pre-paid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com. 1X is earned for other purchases.
  • 4X points apply to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year.
  • Terms Apply

Highlights:

  • Earn 90k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 cash back or $1,125 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠
  • Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
  • Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
  • With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
  • Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
  • Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠
  • Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
  • Member FDIC
Apply Now for Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

On Chase's Secure Website.

Show More Arrow graphic to expand and collapse content Show Less Arrow graphic to expand and collapse content

The information for the American Express Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Motley Fool Money. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

What could be improved

No credit cards are perfect, and this card has its share of drawbacks.

Requires a Brex Cash account

The Brex Card is not a standalone credit card product -- you must have an active Brex Cash account to get a Brex Card. Brex Cash is a corporate bank account you can use for deposits and payments, as well as receiving revenue from payment services like PayPal, Stripe, and Amazon.

The Brex Card is essentially an extension of your Brex Cash account. Your card is tied to your account, and your card payments come from your Brex Cash balance.

Card balance must be paid daily

There are two main versions of the Brex Card: one that is paid daily, and one that is paid monthly. The monthly version is only available to companies that meet specific revenue requirements.

The Brex Card available to businesses of any size must be paid daily. It's tied to your Brex Cash account, and the card draws from your account every day, like a debit card.

Your card's spending limit is tied to your Brex Cash balance. Your Brex Card spending limit equals up to 100% of your Brex Cash balance, and also takes into consideration your company's spending patterns and business credit history.

Sole proprietors don't qualify for a Brex Card

Corporate credit cards, by nature, are only available to businesses that exist as separate entities. This includes the Brex Card. Applicants can only use an Employer Identification Number (EIN) to apply for a Brex Card -- a Social Security number (SSN) can't be used.

These restrictions mean that only certain business structures qualify for a Brex Card. This includes:

  • LLC
  • LLP
  • S-corp
  • C-corp

Sole proprietors, consumers, and unincorporated partnerships are ineligible. The Brex Card is also limited to U.S. companies, so businesses registered outside the U.S. can't use or open a Brex account.

Suggested credit score

The Brex Card is a corporate credit card that doesn't involve your personal credit. You don't undergo a personal credit check to apply, and your personal credit history or credit score doesn't matter.

Brex may check your business credit, if you have any. However, Brex doesn't state any specific business credit requirements to qualify for their Brex Card. You do have to set up a Brex Cash account and keep it funded to maintain your Brex Card spending limit and daily payments.

The Brex Card is right for you if:

  • You want a corporate credit card for your business but don't qualify for a more traditional corporate card.
  • You are able to make the most of the generous purchase accelerators to maximize your rewards.
  • You don't want to pay an annual fee.
  • Your company finances are sufficiently liquid, so you can pay the card off daily.

Check our list of credit card reviews to find alternatives if the Brex Card isn't the right fit.

Our credit card methodology

At Motley Fool Money, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates credit cards.

FAQs

  • All Brex applicants must have a U.S. EIN issued by the IRS, a valid U.S. incorporation, and a physical address.

  • Switching from monthly to daily automatic payments gives you a 1x boost on select spending categories. For ride-hailing services, for example, you will earn 8x points rather than the standard 7x points.

  • Brex points can be redeemed in various ways, ranging from the more traditional such as gift cards and travel, to the less traditional such as mental health benefits and executive coaching.