LLC owners can avoid personal guarantees two ways: corporate charge cards underwritten on business cash flow, or secured business cards backed by a refundable deposit. Here are the best options for each path.
LLC owners looking for business credit cards without a personal guarantee usually hit the same wall: most card issuers want a personal credit pull and a personal guarantee from the owner. That puts your personal credit score and personal assets on the line for business spending.
There are two ways around this, and they serve very different stages of business:
This guide covers the best options in each category.
Ramp is a corporate charge card built specifically to avoid personal credit checks. Instead of pulling your personal credit report, Ramp evaluates your business's cash balance and revenue to set spending limits.1
What you get:
Ramp is the strongest option if your LLC is already generating revenue and you want rewards and spend controls without putting your personal credit on the line. The trade-off is accessibility — if your business is early-stage or doesn't have $25K+ sitting in the bank, Ramp won't be an option yet.
If your LLC is newer or doesn't meet Ramp's cash requirements, secured business cards are the fallback. You put down a refundable deposit, which becomes your credit limit, and the card reports to business credit bureaus — building your LLC's credit history without a personal guarantee.
BofA's secured business card stands out because it combines the accessibility of a secured card with rewards you'd expect from an unsecured card:
This is the best secured option if you want to earn rewards while building business credit. The graduation path to an unsecured card is a meaningful advantage — it means you can eventually get your deposit back while keeping the card.
First National Bank of Omaha's secured card is for LLCs that want higher credit limits:
The $39 annual fee is the main drawback compared to BofA's no-fee option, but the higher potential limit and interest earned on your deposit may justify it if your business needs more spending capacity.
Lili takes a different approach by integrating the secured card into a full business banking platform:
This is the best pick for early-stage LLCs that want to build business credit history from scratch. The integrated banking + card approach means you're managing everything in one place, and D&B reporting helps establish your business credit profile.
Not a card, but worth mentioning: Stripe Atlas helps founders set up LLCs with company formation, banking, and tax tools in one package.5 If you're starting an LLC specifically to build toward corporate card eligibility, having proper formation and banking infrastructure in place is step one. Stripe Atlas streamlines that process so you can get to the point where cards like Ramp become available.
| Feature | Ramp | BofA Secured | FNBO Secured | Lili BusinessBuild |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Underwriting | Business cash flow | Security deposit | Security deposit | Security deposit |
| Annual fee | $0 | $0 | $39 | $0 |
| Cash back | 1.5% | 1.5% | None | None |
| Min. requirement | $25K bank balance | $1,000 deposit | Security deposit | Security deposit |
| Credit reporting | Corporate card | Yes | Yes | D&B |
| Personal guarantee | No | No | No | No |
Go with Ramp if your LLC has $25K+ in the bank and is generating revenue. You get rewards, spend controls, and no deposit tied up — all without a personal credit check.
Go with a secured card if your business is early-stage or you don't have the cash balance Ramp requires. BofA's secured card is the best all-around choice (no annual fee, 1.5% cash back, graduation path). FNBO is worth the $39 fee if you need higher limits. Lili is ideal if you're starting from zero and want an all-in-one banking + credit-building platform.
Both paths keep your personal credit and personal liability out of the equation — which is the whole point of forming an LLC in the first place.
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