Business credit cards for new businesses and weaker credit

First, what the pages do and do not say

None of the 18 cards we compare is marketed as a bad-credit or credit-builder product, and none guarantees approval. Every page says some version of “subject to status”. So this guide cannot tell you which card will accept you. It can tell you what each issuer states about trading history, turnover and credit, which is where a new or recovering business gets filtered out. Zempler Bank’s business credit card page, read on 13 October 2026, states that you cannot currently apply on its website, so we have not listed it.

Trading history requirements

Most issuers do not set a minimum age for the business on the product page, but a few do. Funding Circle’s cashback card requires a UK limited company with at least one year of trading history and annual turnover of at least £30,000. Virgin Money requires that the business has been actively trading for at least 12 months. Capital on Tap states that there is no minimum trading period requirement; it asks instead that the business is active on Companies House, that the applicant is an active UK director or a shareholder of 25% or more, and that there are no unsatisfied CCJs in the last 12 months. Barclaycard accepts a business whose turnover or new business plan is between £10,000 and £6,500,000 a year, which is the only card page we read that explicitly mentions a plan for a new business.

Counting across the 18 card pages, only two set a minimum trading period (Funding Circle and Virgin Money), one states there is none (Capital on Tap), and the rest say nothing on the product page. Silence does not mean there is no test: “subject to status” means the issuer applies its own criteria, which it need not publish.

Credit history and conduct requirements

Where issuers mention credit history, they do so in particular terms. Barclaycard asks that you and the business are not bankrupt, that existing financial commitments are not overdue and have been well managed over the last 12 months, and that you have not been declined for a Barclaycard commercial card in the last six months. Santander asks for a good credit history and no Individual Voluntary Arrangement in the last six years. Capital on Tap excludes applicants with an unsatisfied CCJ in the last 12 months. Beyond status and a credit search, HSBC and the Co-operative Bank state no credit history test. In practice, then, the published tests are about insolvency events, county court judgments and recent conduct, not a score threshold.

The account requirement

Many bank cards are only open to existing business current account customers: HSBC, Lloyds, Metro Bank, NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander, Virgin Money and the Co-operative Bank all say so. For a new business that means opening the account first, and the account itself has its own checks. Capital on Tap also asks for a business bank account. The Barclaycard, American Express and Funding Circle pages do not state a bank-account tie, though American Express asks for a UK bank or building society account and the personal earnings tests below.

American Express and personal earnings

American Express states personal earnings tests. Its Business Gold card asks that you earn at least £20,000 a year, its Business Platinum card £35,000, and the British Airways Accelerating Business Card £20,000. The Gold and Platinum cards are for limited companies and LLPs, while the British Airways card says it is available to sole traders and small businesses. For a new business with a founder who has other income, that can matter more than the company’s own trading record.

What to do if your credit history is weak

• Do not apply blindly. Each hard search is recorded. Where an issuer offers a soft eligibility check, use it first. Our guide to business credit cards and your credit score explains which issuers describe soft checks.
• Read the exclusions. If a page lists CCJs, IVAs or bankruptcy as disqualifying, applying with one is usually wasted effort and an unnecessary search on your file.
• Check your files first. Look at your personal and business credit reports and correct any errors before you apply.
• Consider the alternative. If you need funding rather than a card specifically, our guide to start-up business loans covers the government-backed Start Up Loans scheme, and our card, loan and overdraft guide compares the products.
• Expect a guarantee as a limited company. Some issuers say they will ask for one, as set out in our guide to personal guarantees.

We cannot say which issuers would accept a particular applicant, and we will not guess. The table below sets out each card’s published eligibility in the issuer’s terms. Where the card page lists nothing, that is shown as it is.

Sourced comparison

Sources

Every issuer figure in this guide was read from the issuer’s own page on the date shown. Terms change, so check the live page before you apply.

• Capital on Tap Business Credit Card (Free plan): capitalontap.com, read 13 October 2026
• American Express Business Gold Card: americanexpress.com, read 13 October 2026
• American Express Business Platinum Card: americanexpress.com, read 13 October 2026
• American Express British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card: americanexpress.com, read 13 October 2026
• Barclaycard Select Cashback business credit card: barclaycard.co.uk, read 13 October 2026
• Santander Business Cashback Credit Card: santander.co.uk, read 13 October 2026
• Virgin Money Business Credit Card: uk.virginmoney.com, read 13 October 2026
• Funding Circle Cashback business credit card: fundingcircle.com, read 13 October 2026

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