When it comes to making purchases for your business, a small business credit card can be one of your most important tools. But too often, business users don’t receive a line of credit large enough to meet their needs. You may need a high-limit business credit card to enable short-term financing for key purchases, or you may need the spending power to realize the rewards or benefits of a credit card instead of using another form of payment.
Thankfully, there are some ways to increase your chances of receiving a high credit limit on your small business credit cards.
The Best Business Credit Cards for High Limits
1.
This is a premium travel rewards card. Business owners report being approved for very large purchases, making this one of the best high-limit business credit cards available.
In addition to this card’s bonus points, you’ll There’s a annual fee for this card. Foreign transaction fees — !
2.
This card offers small business owners a higher credit limit than many other cards, as well as plenty of reward points for all purchases, albeit with no bonus spending categories.
Welcome offer: . There’s annual fee for this card.
3.
In addition to offering a high limit to those with excellent credit, this card offers a large sign-up bonus. New applicants . It also offers 3x points on the following business expenses:
- Shipping purchases
- Advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines
- Internet, cable and phone services
- Travel
. There’s a annual fee for this card.
All information about the has been collected independently by Nav. This card is not currently available through Nav. To see what business credit cards are available, please visit Nav’s credit card page.
How Are Business Credit Card Limits Determined?
A business credit card issuer will look at your credit history, credit score and other factors in order to determine the card’s credit limit. These factors can include your history with the card issuer, how many other cards you have open with them, and your personal income.
How High Can Business Credit Card Limits Go?
There’s almost no limit to how high a business credit card’s line of credit can go, and some cards are specifically advertised as having no preset limit. For example, in 2015 Chinese billionaire Liu Yiqia reportedly used a credit card to purchase a painting for $170 million.
It’s not uncommon for small business owners to use their cards to purchase vehicles for tens of thousands of dollars, or to make internet advertising purchases of even more.
Do Business Credit Cards Have Higher Limits than Personal Credit Cards?
Since most business credit cards rely on the account holder’s personal guarantee of repayment, just like personal cards, there’s no inherent difference between the credit limit you’ll receive from a personal card as opposed to a business card. Your creditworthiness, income and history with the card issuer will be much more important factors.
How to Qualify for a High Limit Business Credit Card
1. Maximize your credit score.
The better your credit history is, the more likely you will be to receive a credit card with a high limit. And since a small business credit card application will rely on your personal guarantee of repayment, you’ll want to make every effort to improve your personal credit history.
The most important factors in your personal credit score are your record of on-time payment, and your level of debt. Therefore, making on-time payments is extremely important, as is reducing your long-term debt as much as possible. Another important factor is the number of accounts that contribute to your positive credit history. Unfortunately, some people mistakenly believe that it’s best to have as few accounts as possible. Instead, having multiple lines of credit with a perfect payment history and little, if any debt will add to your credit history and result in a higher credit score. Finally, you’ll want to increase the average length of your accounts and not apply for multiple new lines of credit in a short period of time.
2. Reduce your debt.
Even if you plan on avoiding interest charges by paying off your entire statement balance each month, the card issuer will still be concerned about their exposure to loss in the event you default. Therefore, you’ll want to pay off as much of your debt as possible before applying for your small business credit card. This includes any outstanding balances you have on other issuer’s credit cards, as this is reported to the credit bureaus as debt when your statement cycle closes, even if you will pay it off in full by the due date.
To eliminate all debt from your credit report, you’ll want to pay off your balance before the statement cycle closes, so that your credit report shows very little, if any outstanding balances. Once you’ve paid your balances off and your statement cycle has closed, then you’ll be more likely to be approved for a small business credit card with a very high limit.
If you can’t pay all your balances in full, consider opening a new business credit card account now and moving any business debt onto the card and off your personal card. If you have good credit scores, look for a business credit card with a 0% APR introductory offer like , which allows you to transfer a balance onto the card at no cost and enjoy .
3. Build a relationship.
Just as you would be hesitant to loan a large amount of money to someone that you’ve never done business with before, a credit card issuer is unlikely to offer you a high credit limit if you don’t have an established relationship with it. As a result, you’re likely to receive a high-limit business credit card from a bank that you have worked with before, such as the one that you hold a checking or savings account with, or one where you have investments.
4. Ask for a higher limit.
Many small business credit card issuers will extend customers a relatively modest credit limit at first, but will be open to the possibility of a larger credit limit after the account has been in good standing for at least a year. At that time, you can make a request for a larger line of credit, and continue to grow your credit limit each year that you make your payments on-time and control your debt.
5. Consider a small business credit card without a preset spending limit.
Some small business credit card issuers offer products with no preset spending limit. With these cards, you may be approved to make large individual purchases in excess of the card’s stated credit limit. American Express offers several small business credit cards with no preset spending, and other card issuers occasionally do as well.
FAQs
What is the highest business credit card limit?
There are business credit cards and charge cards offered with no preset spending limit and there are reports of people making purchases of over $100 million.
How do I qualify for a high limit business credit card?
You have to have excellent credit including a high FICO score. You also have to have sufficient income to show lenders that you will pay back the loan. You also have to have a very low amount of debt, if any.
How can I get a $100,000 credit limit?
It’s possible to have a credit limit of over $100,000 if you have a long credit history, a very high income, excellent credit and no debt.
This article was originally written on March 23, 2018 and updated on June 20, 2024.
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