Ramp business credit card review: Pros, cons, and eligibility

• Annual fee: $0

• APR: N/A (charge card — balance due at the end of each month)

• Foreign transaction fee: N/A

• Minimum credit score requirement: N/A

• Typical spending limit range: Variable based on business finances, but typically up to $100,000

• Rewards: Up to 1.5%

• Best for: Small businesses looking for basic spend controls and cash-back rewards
  

The Ramp credit card offers solid expense management features and cash back rewards, making it a good choice for many small businesses that don’t require high limits. However, the card falls short in several key areas for scaling businesses and large enterprises, like global acceptance, 24/7 support, and premium ERP integrations. While the Ramp business card is a capable tool with above-average spend analysis built-in, startups and other high-growth companies may find more value in other high-limit business credit cards.

Benefits

• Cash back rewards program

• No personal guarantee required

• Integrations with other popular business software

• Unlimited employee cards

Drawbacks

• Reward rate tends to vary by customer and at Ramp’s discretion

• Minimum bank account balance required to qualify

• No 24/7 customer support

• Limited currency capabilities outside of USD

Want to apply for a Ramp credit card? All you’ll need to provide is:

• Your business email address

• Credentials to connect your business bank account

• Your company's EIN and official formation docs

• Personal details including address and the last four digits of your SSN (non-SSN holders can use a foreign passport and address proof)

• Your approximate monthly business credit card spend

Upon approval, you'll receive instant access to a virtual card. A physical Ramp card typically arrives within 10 business days. You’ll also get access to the Ramp dashboard, where you can:

• Order additional cards (virtual and physical)

• Set up spending limits and notifications

• Assign various user roles (admin, bookkeeper, employee, etc.)

• Integrate with business tools like QuickBooks, Gusto, and Asana

• Access options for customer support

1. The Brex Business Credit Card

The Brex Business Credit Card offers a lot of value for startups to enterprises due to its higher limits, customizable controls, expansive rewards, and global acceptability. Brex’s underwriting uses company financials rather than personal credit scores to determine credit limits, which in turn maximizes spending power for growing businesses. The card integrates seamlessly with Brex's comprehensive financial platform, providing flexible spend controls, built-in expense management, accounting automation, and real-time insights.

Beyond physical and virtual business credit cards, Brex offers a suite of financial tools including startup banking, bill payments, travel booking, and employee reimbursements. This modular approach allows businesses to adopt additional features as they expand, making Brex an adaptable partner in a company's financial evolution. And because Brex enables global spending in more currencies for both cards and payments, it’s the preferred card for orgs with global operations.

• Annual fee: $0

• APR: N/A (Charge card — balance due in full each month.)

• Foreign transaction fee: N/A

• Minimum credit score required: No personal credit check required

• Typical spending limit range: Up to 10-20x higher than traditional cards, based on cash balance and revenue.

Benefits

• Higher spending power: Brex underwrites according to your company's financial health and growth, often resulting in credit limits 10x-20x higher than other card providers. Your limit can increase as your business grows, too.

• No personal guarantee required: Brex is one of the best business credit cards with EIN only and doesn't require you to put your personal assets at risk to get business credit.

• Robust rewards program: Earn up to 7x points on common business expenses like travel, dining, and software subscriptions. Then flexibly redeem your points for cash back, statement credits, travel, or unique business-building services like billboard ads and team offsites.

• Extensive partner perks: Access over $180,000 in discounts and credits from essential business service providers including AWS, UPS, Slack, and QuickBooks.

• True global usability: Brex corporate credit cards are accepted in more than 210 countries and are available in more than 20 currencies. You can also make payments from local bank accounts in 50+ countries.

• Leading integration options: Connect with thousands of software platforms, including popular accounting, ERP, and HRIS solutions, ensuring accurate financial data and enhanced productivity. Brex is known for its strong NetSuite integration and Sage Intacct integration.

Drawbacks

• Approval difficult for businesses with inconsistent cash flow and non-professional investment

• Expansive rewards program may be complex for looking for a cash-back plan

• Card balance due in full each month

What they’re saying about Brex vs. Ramp

“We chose Brex over Ramp because we wanted a tool that helped foster a company culture of accountability and ownership. Brex's spend limit functionality lets our employees see how much they have to spend and how much they've already spent, and having that information at their fingertips is critical to their ability to make an informed decision every time they go to use their card.” — Justin Wade, Director of Finance, Xeal

“As a hard tech startup, we have a lot of equipment and supplies to buy all the time, and Brex offered us a substantially higher credit limit. That was really valuable for us and showed that Brex could flex with our business as a true partner.” — Nishant Karandikar, Strategy and Operations Lead, Limelight Steel

Why people choose Brex over Ramp

Finance leaders choose Brex cards over Ramp cards due to Brex’s higher card limits, global acceptance and multi-currency capabilities, 24/7 support, and expansive rewards program. Additionally, customers choose Brex over Ramp to automate accounting with the award-winning Brex-NetSuite integration and leverage Brex’s AI-powered budgets, expenses, travel, and payments services to do more with less. Check out the Ramp vs Brex comparison for more reasons customers make every dollar count with Brex.

2. The American Express Blue Business Cash Card

The American Express Blue Business Cash Card is a straightforward cash back card with no annual fee. It allows up to 99 employee cards at no cost, making it suitable for small to medium-sized businesses with moderate expenses. While its simplicity is ideal for local businesses with limited spending, it may not meet the needs of high-spending or global companies. Growing businesses might find more value in American Express alternatives that provide uncapped rewards and more advanced expense management capabilities.

• Annual fee: $0

• APR: 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers; up to 26.49% variable APR after the first 12 months

• Foreign transaction fee: 2.7% of each transaction

• Variable minimum credit score requirement: Typically 700+

• Typical spending limit range: $1,000 to $40,000

Key benefits

• No annual fee

• High rewards rate

• Lower limits

Drawbacks

• Foreign transaction fees

• Caps on rewards bonuses

• Few expense controls

Why people choose American Express over Ramp

People often choose American Express over Ramp because Amex also offers a wide range of credit cards, from no-annual-fee options to premium cards with extensive perks. Amex, for instance, offers robust travel rewards and lifestyle benefits, such as airport lounge access, travel insurance, and exclusive dining experiences. And for those with good credit, Amex cards may offer a higher likelihood of approval.

3. Stripe Corporate Card

The Stripe Corporate Card is a business credit card seamlessly integrated with Stripe's payment processing ecosystem. Designed for existing Stripe users and available by invite-only, Stripe’s card offers expense management tooling and straightforward cash back rewards. This card is ideal for businesses seeking a simple rewards structure without complex bonus categories, while benefiting from tight integration with their existing Stripe services.

• Annual fee: $0

• APR: N/A (Charge card — balance due in full each month.)

• Foreign transaction fee: 0%

• Variable minimum credit score requirement: N/A (Approval is based on your business's Stripe account history and financial health rather than personal credit scores.)

• Typical spending limit range: The default limit for new cards is $500/day.

Key benefits

• 1.5% cash back on every purchase

• No personal guarantee required

• Tightly integrated with Stripe’s products and services

Drawbacks

• Only available to those using Stripe’s payment processing tools

• Lower spending limits for new-ish businesses

• Limited reward benefits

Why people choose Stripe over Ramp

The main appeal of Stripe’s card over the Ramp card is its existing integration within the Stripe ecosystem, which allows for operational continuity and data management across financial services. For businesses seeking higher credit card limits, their transaction history within the Stripe platform may be considered in underwriting decisions and unlock more credit. Further, Stripe's API-first approach offers developers and businesses the flexibility to create highly customized financial solutions and integrations.

What type of card is Ramp?

Ramp is a corporate charge card, which typically requires the full balance to be paid off each month. This differs from credit cards, which typically allow carrying a balance.

What is the minimum cash balance for Ramp?

Ramp requires at least $50,000 in a bank account linked to your business to qualify for their card. However, this can vary based on financial health, revenue, and other factors.

What credit score do you need for a Ramp card?

There’s no personal credit check or a specific credit score for approval.

How does Ramp determine credit limit?

Ramp’s credit limits are based on your company’s bank account balance and overall financial health. They’ll typically offer limits of 10-20% of a company's cash balance, which can be adjusted over time based on spending patterns.

Does Ramp do a hard pull?

There’s no hard pull on your credit when you apply for a Ramp corporate card. Applying for a Ramp corporate card won't impact your credit score.

What is the spending limit on Ramp?

The spending limit Ramp assigns to its cards varies by business. Customers have reported limits of up to $100,00 and sometimes more.

Is Ramp actually free?

Ramp's doesn’t charge annual or user fees for its basic card and expense management services. However, Ramp’s premium features and services may come with additional costs.

The Ramp charge card is a no-frills corporate card that offers cash-back rewards and basic card controls on business expenses without requiring a personal guarantee. However, if you’re looking for travel or lifestyle perks like flight upgrades and lounge access, the Ramp business card falls short compared to other credit cards. Ramp also doesn’t offer a welcome or signup bonus for new cardholders.

Ultimately, Ramp’s credit card is a great entry point for small businesses, whereas other Ramp alternatives like Brex can scale with high-growth organizations who need higher limits and tight spending controls. The Brex Business Credit Card offers customizable controls, automated approvals, business-building rewards, and extensive global and multi-currency capabilities And it’s all integrated into Brex’s AI-powered spend management platform to expedite expense reconciliation and automate accounting.

One G2 review of Ramp approves of the Ramp card but the related accounting tools time-consuming and complex:

“The accounting side is my least favorite. It is difficult to find things for the end of month you have to dig too much, reports have to be modified every month to get details your company specifically needs and it takes WAY TOO MUCH TIME!! The exporting is not easy as it could be as you do not have any idea what charges are going to be part of the debit to account until the statement day so you can't really prepare early. It is not as user friendly as I had hoped at the beginning and spend way too much time in the accounting side which leads me to think it may outweigh the benefits of what I like best about Ramp.”

And finally, remember to always keep your business goals and financial situation at the forefront when choosing a corporate credit card. You may only need a single card with basic spend controls, or you may require hundreds of physical and virtual cards with higher limits. Either way, Brex can help you achieve your goals faster.

Sign up for a Brex card today and join more than 25,000 organizations from startups to enterprises who make every dollar count with Brex.