Can You Get a Business Credit Card Without Having a Business?
Link: Chase Ink Plus
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Update: The 70,000 point offer has now ended. The card still offers 50,000 points and has gone back to having no annual fee in the first year.
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The short answer is yes, probably—and there’s nothing deceitful about it.
In the wake of the huge new bonus for the Chase Ink Plus card, a bunch of folks have been asking me if they can get a business credit card without having a business.
For the most part, the distinction between “business” and “personal” cards doesn’t matter much. If you don’t have a tax ID number you can apply for a business card using your social security number, just as you would for a personal card. You can list your name as the business name. No big deal, and it’s totally honest.
These days, more and more people are doing some kind of business work. If you receive any income whatsoever apart from a paycheck from a company, you are essentially self-employed at least part of the time. If you do any sort of freelancing, any kind of consulting, any affiliate marketing (i.e., you have an affiliate link on your blog)—then essentially you are eligible.
If you plan to start a small business (of any kind) at some point in the future, you might as well also have a plan for tracking your expenses, which for most of us includes a credit or debit card.
So generally, it’s not a problem.
Of course, there’s no guarantee of acceptance. You should never get a credit card that you can’t use responsibly by paying off the balance each month. Past performance is no predictor of future results, etc.
But this new offer is a tremendous one, and if you’re eligible, you shouldn’t miss it.
At the time of this post, the best business cards are:
- Chase Ink Plus (duh—it’s a great offer even without the increased bonus)
- Starwood Business (and maybe also Gold Delta SkyMiles®)
- The Business Platinum Card from American Express
I have each these cards and use them regularly.
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Image: Markus
