The two products look alike at the checkout counter. They differ in who signs for the debt. For a founder that is the whole question: with one, the company's balance sheet backs the card; with the other, your personal credit and often a personal guarantee do.
This page is our reading of Regulation Z and the issuers' published terms, not legal or credit advice.
What federal law says about business cards
The Truth in Lending Act's Regulation Z mostly does not apply to credit extended primarily for a business purpose (12 CFR 1026.3(a)). Many of the protections people associate with credit cards are written for consumer accounts. Two rules survive for business cards, according to the CFPB's official commentary: the rules on issuing cards (§ 1026.12(a)) and the limit on liability for unauthorized use (§ 1026.12(b)).
That limit caps a cardholder's liability for unauthorized use at the lesser of $50 or the value obtained before the issuer is notified. There is a business exception that matters here: when one issuer provides ten or more cards for an organization's employees, the issuer and the organization may agree to different liability terms (§ 1026.12(b)(5)). Even then, an employee can be held liable only as the section allows, and the protection covers use by someone other than the employee, not the employee's own misuse.
In practice: once you run ten or more employee cards, read the liability clause in the card agreement; the federal default may no longer be the rule between you and the issuer.
Side by side
| Question | Corporate card (as Ramp and Brex describe theirs) | Typical business credit card |
|---|---|---|
| Whose credit is assessed | The company's: Ramp bases limits on financial factors such as revenue or funds raised | Check the application: it may include the owner's personal credit |
| Personal guarantee | None, per Ramp and Brex | Check the application: a personal guarantee may be required |
| Effect of applying on personal credit | Brex says applying does not affect personal credit; Ramp says there is no personal credit check | Check the issuer’s terms before applying |
| Federal unauthorized-use cap | Applies; replaceable by contract at ten or more employee cards | Same rule |
| Employee cards and controls | The product's main job | Check the issuer's terms |
Our pick
Ramp, once the company qualifies. No personal guarantee, limits tied to the company's finances, and spend controls built for issuing cards to employees. Brex is the equivalent pick for a travel-heavy team. We compare the two, plus BILL Spend & Expense (formerly Divvy), in Ramp vs Brex vs BILL.
Who should skip a corporate card: a new business without the revenue or funding an issuer looks at. Ramp bases its limits on business financial factors such as revenue or funds raised, so a company with neither may not qualify yet. Until you qualify, a business credit card on the owner's guarantee is the realistic option; plan to move once the company can stand on its own.
Traceable evidence
Sources for this decision
- regulatorRegulation Z § 1026.3, exempt transactions (business-purpose credit)Consumer Financial Protection Bureau · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Regulation Z's exemption for credit extended primarily for a business, commercial or agricultural purpose, and the official comment that the card-issuance and unauthorized-use rules of § 1026.12(a) and (b) still apply to business cards; it does not describe any issuer's card terms.Open source ↗
- regulatorRegulation Z § 1026.12, liability for unauthorized useConsumer Financial Protection Bureau · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: The cap on a cardholder's liability for unauthorized use (the lesser of fifty dollars or the value obtained before notice) and the business-use rule letting an issuer and an organization with ten or more employee cards agree to other liability terms; it does not cover an employee's own misuse or any issuer's contract.Open source ↗
- vendorRamp corporate cardsRamp · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Ramp's statements that its corporate cards carry no personal guarantee and no personal credit check, and that limits depend on business financial factors such as revenue or funds raised; it does not guarantee approval for a given company.Open source ↗
- vendorBrex corporate credit card FAQBrex · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Brex's statements that it does not require a personal guarantee, that a company can apply with an EIN and that applying does not affect the founders' personal credit; it does not guarantee approval or a limit.Open source ↗
- vendorRamp official product siteRamp · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: US finance teams evaluating cards, expenses, controls, and accounts payable in one operating workflow. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorBrex official product siteBrex · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Growing companies evaluating corporate cards, travel, expenses, and policy controls. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorBILL Spend & Expense official product siteBILL Spend & Expense · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: SMBs evaluating card controls and expense workflows alongside BILL financial operations. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗