If your personal credit score is in the dumps but your business still needs to process payments, buy inventory, and manage cash flow, you're in a tight spot. Traditional business credit cards are off the table, and every application ding feels like another nail in the coffin.
But here's the thing: the things actually worth buying for a high-risk merchant aren't the flashy rewards cards you see in travel blogs. They're the cards that give you a second chance — secured cards that treat a deposit as trust, corporate cards that care about revenue over FICO, and prepaid alternatives that keep you operational while you rebuild.
We dug into the options, cross-referenced NerdWallet's guidance, and tested the real-world approval paths. Here's what works.1
The Best Credit Cards for High-Risk Merchants with Bad Credit
1. Bank of America Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured Card — Best Overall
The pick for most merchants who can front a deposit. This secured card requires a cash security deposit (as low as $1,000) but charges no annual fee and earns 1.5% unlimited cash back on every purchase. It reports to personal credit bureaus, meaning on-time payments directly improve your personal FICO score — the very score that's blocking you from unsecured credit today.1
Over 12–18 months of consistent use, many cardholders graduate to an unsecured line with their deposit returned. It's the cleanest on-ramp we've found.
2. Nav Secured Card — Best for Dual-Bureau Reporting
For merchants who need to repair both personal and business credit. Nav's secured card reports to both personal credit bureaus and business credit bureaus (Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business, Equifax Business). That dual reporting is rare — and critical for a merchant whose business entity needs its own credit footprint separate from the owner's personal history.1
The security deposit starts at $500, and you get access to Nav's credit-monitoring dashboard, which tracks your business credit scores alongside your personal ones. It's a two-front war, and this card arms you for both.
3. Lili Business Card — Best for New Business Entities
For merchants just starting their LLC or corporation. Lili's card is integrated with its business banking platform — no personal credit check required for the basic account. It reports to Dun & Bradstreet, helping you build a business credit profile from scratch. The card itself is free, and the banking platform includes expense categorization, tax savings tools, and real-time spending notifications.1
If you're a sole proprietor looking to formalize, this is your entry point.
4. Ramp Corporate Card — Best for High-Revenue Merchants
For merchants with bad personal credit but strong cash flow. Ramp is a corporate card — meaning it's issued to the business entity, not the individual. It does not check personal credit or report card activity to personal bureaus. Instead, Ramp evaluates your business's revenue, bank balances, and spending patterns.1
You'll need at least $50,000 in monthly revenue and a business bank account. If you clear that bar, Ramp offers 1.5% cash back, no annual fee, and powerful spend-management software. Your bad credit simply doesn't matter.
5. Emburse Prepaid Card — Best No-Credit-Check Alternative
For merchants who can't front a deposit or don't qualify for secured cards. Emburse is a prepaid corporate card — load funds, spend them, no credit check at all. It's not a credit card, so it won't build your credit score directly, but it keeps your business operational while you work on the other strategies above.1
No annual fee, no interest, no risk of overdraft. Think of it as a bridge card while your secured or corporate applications mature.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Bank of America Secured | Nav Secured | Lili Business | Ramp Corporate | Emburse Prepaid |
|---|
| Security Deposit | $1,000+ | $500+ | None | None | None |
| Annual Fee | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Reports To | Personal bureaus |
Why These Picks Work
Secured cards like Bank of America and Nav act as a bridge to unsecured credit. You put down a deposit, use the card responsibly, and within 12–18 months you typically qualify for an unsecured upgrade with your deposit returned. The key is that every on-time payment is reported to the credit bureaus — turning everyday business spending into a credit-repair machine.1
Corporate cards like Ramp bypass personal FICO entirely. They're issued to the business entity and underwrite based on revenue and cash flow, not personal credit history. For merchants with strong revenue but wrecked personal credit, this is the fastest path to a real corporate card with rewards.1
Prepaid options like Emburse are the safety net. No credit check, no deposit, no risk — but also no credit building. Use them as a stopgap while you work on the secured or corporate route.
Strategy Guide: How High-Risk Merchants Can Rebuild Credit
1. Start with a secured card. Put down a deposit you can afford — $500 to $1,000 — and use no more than 30% of the limit each month. Pay in full. This single habit, maintained for 12 months, will move your FICO score significantly.1
2. Separate personal from business credit. If you're operating as a sole proprietor, form an LLC or corporation. Then apply for a card that reports to business bureaus (like Nav or Lili). Building business credit protects your personal score from future business setbacks.1
3. Graduate to a corporate card. Once your business shows consistent revenue ($50K+/month), apply for a corporate card like Ramp. These cards don't report to personal bureaus, so your bad personal credit won't hold you back — and your business credit will grow independently.
4. Monitor both scores. Use Nav's free dashboard or similar tools to track your personal and business credit scores side by side. Dispute errors, watch utilization, and celebrate small wins.
5. Don't apply for everything. Every hard inquiry dings your score. Pick one secured card, use it well, and wait. The fastest path out of bad credit is patience with one good card — not a dozen rejections.
Recomate earns affiliate commissions from some of the products linked in this article, at no cost to you. We only recommend cards we've vetted and verified through independent research. Our picks are the things actually worth buying — no fluff, no filler.
1 NerdWallet, "Best Business Credit Cards for Bad Credit of 2025"
