Corporate Cards for Startups: Should You Pick Brex, Ramp, or Divvy?

Why Your Startup Needs More Than a Founder's Credit Card

For US startups, the moment your team grows beyond the founding members, the complexity of managing expenses multiplies. Sharing a single card becomes a bottleneck, personal reimbursements create messy bookkeeping in QuickBooks, and you lose visibility into where your runway is actually going. The tipping point to adopt a modern corporate card platform is typically at 5+ employees or contractors. But choosing between the leading options, Brex, Ramp, and Divvy, presents a challenge. Each offers more than just a piece of plastic; they are comprehensive business spend management tools.

Unlike traditional business credit cards from banks like Chase or Amex, which rely heavily on years of credit history, these modern platforms operate differently. They are integrated software systems that combine corporate cards with expense tracking solutions, policy enforcement, and accounting automation. This guide breaks down the best corporate card for US startups based on your cash balance, need for control, and accounting workflow, helping you navigate the uncertainty around which provider fits your stage.

How to Qualify: The New Rules of Underwriting for Startups

Your first question is eligibility. The most significant shift is in their underwriting model. Instead of looking at your company's past credit file, these providers primarily look at your present: your company’s current cash balance. This change is fundamental for early-stage SaaS, Biotech, and E-commerce companies that are rich in potential but have a limited credit file. It allows startups to access corporate credit and expense management infrastructure far earlier, turning a major operational hurdle into a streamlined process.

The reality for most pre-seed to Series B startups is more pragmatic: approval hinges on your liquid assets. Brex has historically targeted VC-backed startups with a balance greater than $50k. Ramp generally requires a minimum cash balance of $75k in a US business bank account. Divvy takes a different approach. Its application has no hard public minimum and is more holistic, considering a broader range of business health indicators. This can make it a more accessible option for bootstrapped or grant-funded deeptech startups with less consistent cash balances.

Once approved, credit limits are not static. Your limit is often a dynamic percentage of your linked bank account's cash balance, typically 10-20%. This means your spending power grows with your funding, but it also requires you to manage your cash buffer carefully to avoid hitting your limit unexpectedly.

Brex vs. Ramp vs. Divvy: A Feature-by-Feature Comparison

While all three platforms solve the core problem of managing team expenses, their philosophies and feature sets differ. Your choice depends on whether you prioritize proactive savings, strict budget enforcement, or flexible team empowerment.

Spend Controls: Enforcing Your Expense Policy in Real-Time

A primary pain point for founders is preventing overspending before it impacts the runway. Instead of asking for forgiveness after a policy breach, these platforms help you enforce rules from the start. Ramp is known for a philosophy of proactive savings, automatically flagging duplicate subscriptions and identifying potential waste. Divvy is built around a budget-first model, where every card is tied to a pre-approved budget, and transactions are declined if they exceed it. Brex tends to offer more empowered flexibility for teams that value speed and autonomy within broader guidelines.

Consider a SaaS startup that needs to give a freelance developer access to its AWS account for a three-month project. With any of these platforms, the founder can issue a virtual card locked to the 'AWS' merchant, with a $500 monthly limit that expires automatically. This provides a powerful tool for employee card controls with precision.

Accounting Automation: From Receipt to Reconciliation

The most time-consuming manual task these platforms solve is month-end reconciliation. Chasing receipts and manually categorizing transactions in QuickBooks is a significant drain on founder time. With an integrated platform, the workflow is automated. An employee makes a purchase, receives a notification to snap a photo of the receipt, and the software syncs the coded transaction directly into your accounting system. The impact is significant, as automated reconciliation can reduce the time to close books by 50-75% for card-related transactions.

For a deeptech startup meticulously tracking R&D costs for US GAAP compliance, simple integration is not enough. The ability to map transactions to custom fields in QuickBooks, like 'Project Phoenix' or 'Lab Consumables,' is essential. This ensures that when the company scales to an ERP like NetSuite, the data structure is already in place. This level of detail is a crucial distinction for scaling companies.

Rewards and Cashback Programs

While the core value is operational efficiency, corporate card rewards comparison is still a factor. Ramp offers a straightforward 1.5% cashback on all purchases, making it simple and predictable. Brex uses a points-based system with multipliers on categories relevant to startups, such as software and travel, which can be more lucrative for specific spending patterns. Divvy also offers a points-based system, with rewards scaling based on payment frequency. While valuable, these perks should be a secondary consideration to the platform's fit with your workflow.

Beyond the Card: Banking and Software Ecosystems

These companies are expanding beyond just cards. Brex offers Brex Cash, a business cash management account that integrates directly with its card product. Divvy was acquired by Bill.com, creating a powerful, integrated solution for both accounts payable and expense management. Ramp is building out a broader procurement platform to help companies manage vendors and contracts more effectively. Consider these ecosystem plays, as they may influence which platform will scale best with your company's future needs.

The Best Corporate Card for Your US Startup Stage

Choosing the best corporate card for your US startup comes down to aligning the platform’s strengths with your current operational reality. Your decision should be driven by underwriting requirements, spend control features, and accounting needs.

• If you have over $75k in the bank and prioritize automated controls and strong, simple cashback, Ramp is a compelling choice. Its 1.5% cashback is easy to understand, and its software focuses on proactively identifying savings opportunities.
• If you are a VC-backed company with over $50k looking for a broad platform that includes banking features, Brex is built for you. Its ecosystem is designed for the high-growth startup trajectory.
• If your cash balance is less predictable or you need rigorous, budget-based controls from the outset, Divvy’s holistic underwriting and budget-first approach may be the best fit. Its integration with Bill.com is also a major plus for managing accounts payable.

Final Verdict: Control Is the Ultimate Reward

Ultimately, rewards should be a tie-breaker, not the primary driver of your decision. The real value is gaining control over spending, saving dozens of hours a month on bookkeeping, and getting a clearer, real-time view of your company’s financial health. By choosing the right platform, you turn expense management from a reactive chore into a strategic advantage. Continue at the expense management policy hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do these startup credit cards require a personal guarantee?
A: No. A key benefit of Brex, Ramp, and Divvy is that they do not require a personal guarantee from the founders. Underwriting is based on your company's cash balance and business health, not your personal credit history, which protects your personal assets.

Q: Can I use these corporate cards for contractors and freelancers?
A: Yes. All three platforms excel at managing team expenses for non-employees. You can issue virtual cards with specific limits, merchant locks, and expiration dates to contractors, providing them with the access they need without compromising security or control.

Q: What is the difference between a charge card and a credit card?
A: Most of these startup cards function as charge cards, which means the balance is due in full at the end of each statement period, typically daily or monthly. This helps enforce financial discipline. Traditional credit cards allow you to carry a balance month-to-month by paying interest.

Q: How quickly can I get approved for one of these business spend management tools?
A: The application and approval process is significantly faster than with traditional banks. By linking your business bank account, you can often receive a decision and access to virtual cards within 24 to 48 hours, allowing you to get your team spending securely right away.