Brex
Corporate charge card with no personal guarantee or personal credit check; limits from business cash and revenue, $0 Essentials software, pay daily or monthly. Best for funded startups.
Rates & Cost
What the financing costs, normalized so lenders can be compared.
Repayment Terms
How and how fast you pay it back, and how flexible it is.
Eligibility & Access
Who qualifies and what you have to put on the line.
Speed & Service
How fast you get funded and how the lender treats you.
Company Verification
Who actually stands behind the lender: legal entity, registration, and how long the business and its website have existed. Checked against public registries.
Best for: Equity-funded startups (about $50,000 in cash for monthly billing, or any funding if you pay daily from a Brex account) and U.S. companies with $500,000+ in yearly revenue that want a corporate card with no personal guarantee.
Not for: Sole proprietors, thinly capitalized bootstrapped firms, or anyone who needs to carry a balance.
Lender List verdict: Brex gives funded companies high limits with no founder guarantee or personal credit pull. The catch is a high entry bar and rewards that only pay off when Brex is your sole corporate card; points are worth 0.6¢ as cash.
Brex at a glance
Brex is a corporate charge card owned by Capital One since April 7, 2026.
| Brex | |
|---|---|
| Lender type | Corporate charge card (Mastercard) and spend software |
| Founded | 2017 |
| HQ | San Francisco, CA |
| Parent/owner | Capital One Financial Corporation (since April 7, 2026) |
| Products | Corporate cards, expense software, bill pay, banking |
| Amounts | Dynamic limit from business cash and revenue; no published maximum |
| Cost (headline) | No card annual fee listed; software $0 or $12 per user per month |
| Term | Pay in full daily or monthly; no revolving balance |
| Funding speed | Decision in minutes; virtual card immediately |
| Status | Active (2026-10-26) under Capital One |
What is Brex? (Now part of Capital One)
Brex is a San Francisco fintech, founded in 2017 by Henrique Dubugras and Pedro Franceschi, that pairs a corporate card with expense, bill-pay and banking software. Capital One bought it for $5.15 billion in cash and stock on April 7, 2026; Franceschi remains CEO.
Brex says 35,000+ companies use it; partner banks issue its Mastercard cards. It pulled back from small businesses in June 2022, and its requirements still reflect that.
How the Brex card works
The Brex card is a charge card: you spend against a limit Brex sets from your business finances, then repay the full balance either daily or monthly.
- Monthly payments: The full balance is debited every 30 days; the limit reflects cash and cash flow.
- Daily payments: Each purchase is debited the next business day; the limit tracks your required Brex business account balance.
- Underwriting: Bank connections or two to three months of statements, not personal credit.
- Speed: A decision in minutes and a virtual card right away.
Brex fees and rewards: what it really costs
Brex lists no card annual fee; you pay through software plans ($0 or $12 per user per month), an FX markup of up to 3%, and any late or replacement fees disclosed at approval.
- Software: Essentials $0; Premium $12 per user per month; Enterprise custom
- Foreign spend: No foreign transaction fee, but up to 3% in the exchange rate unless you use a local-currency card
- Rewards: 7x rideshare, 4x Brex Travel, 3x restaurants, 2x software, 1x other; points worth 1¢ in Brex Travel or 0.6¢ as cash (NerdWallet)
Rewards example: $20,000 a month on Brex as the only corporate card ($8,000 software, $4,000 restaurants, $3,000 Brex Travel, $500 rideshare, $4,500 other). That earns 48,000 points a month, worth $480 in Brex Travel (2.4% back) or $288 as cash (1.44%). If Brex is not your only card, NerdWallet reports a flat 1 point per dollar: 20,000 points, or $120 in cash, which ten Premium users ($120 a month) would cancel out.
Brex requirements
Brex requires a U.S. EIN, U.S. incorporation and a physical U.S. address, and funded startups need roughly $50,000 in cash for monthly billing.
| Requirement | Brex minimum |
|---|---|
| Personal credit score | None; personal credit not used or reported |
| Time in business | No minimum stated |
| Annual revenue | Daily pay: over $500,000 or any equity funding; monthly pay: over $500,000 (commercial) or over $4.8M (mid-market) |
| Cash balance | $50,000 minimum for funded startups on monthly billing |
| Bank account / integrations | Connected bank accounts or statements; Brex account for daily pay |
| Credit check | No personal credit check |
| Collateral / guarantee | No personal guarantee; the company is liable |
Sole proprietors and restricted industries are turned away.
Pros and cons
Brex's best feature is no personal guarantee; its worst is an entry bar that shuts out most small businesses.
Pros
- No personal guarantee or personal credit check
- Brex says its limits can run up to 30 times those of standard business cards
- $0 Essentials plan includes expense software and bill pay
- Virtual card the same day you are approved
- Local-currency cards in 50+ countries sidestep the FX markup
Cons
- High bar: $50,000 cash for monthly pay, or equity funding or $500,000+ revenue for daily pay
- Multipliers only apply if Brex is your sole corporate card
- Cash redemption at 0.6¢ per point is weak versus a flat 1.5% card
- Trustpilot rating of 1.9/5 from 575 reviews
Brex vs. Ramp vs. American Express Business Gold
Brex and Ramp both skip the personal guarantee, while the Amex Business Gold card charges $375 a year and favors good to excellent personal credit.
| Brex | Ramp | Amex Business Gold | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card type | Charge card, pay daily or monthly | Charge card, pay daily (1-day) or every 30 days | Charge card with Pay Over Time option |
| Annual fee | None listed; software $0 or $12 per user per month | $0; software Free $0 or Plus $15 per user per month | $375 |
| Rewards | 7x / 4x / 3x / 2x / 1x points | Up to 1.5% cash back | 4X on top 2 categories (first $150,000 a year), 3X Amex Travel, 1X other |
| Personal credit / guarantee | Not used; no guarantee | No credit check; no guarantee | Good to excellent credit recommended |
| Cash requirement | About $50,000 (funded startups, monthly pay) | $25,000 in a U.S. business bank account | Not published |
| Foreign spend | No FTF; FX markup up to 3% | No FTF listed; FX markup up to 3% | No foreign transaction fees |
Ramp cash back is from NerdWallet and the Amex credit note from Upgraded Points; other figures are from issuer sites, checked 2026-10-26.
Choose Brex for heavy software and travel spend. Choose Ramp for flat cash back. Choose Amex Business Gold to carry a balance.
Brex alternatives on Lender List
Ramp and American Express are the closest Brex alternatives; to finance spending instead, use a revolving line.
- Bluevine — a line of credit you can carry month to month
- Fundbox — a fast revolving line for short-term cash gaps
- Browse all business credit and charge cards on Lender List
Frequently asked questions about Brex
Brex is a legitimate Capital One-owned corporate card with no personal guarantee, built for funded and high-revenue U.S. companies.
Is Brex Legit? Yes. Brex has operated since 2017, partner banks issue its cards, and Capital One has owned it since April 2026. It rates 1.9/5 on Trustpilot from 575 reviews, and FINRA fined its Brex Treasury unit $900,000 in 2024 over anti-money-laundering controls.
Who Owns Brex? Capital One owns Brex. It agreed in January 2026 to pay $5.15 billion in cash and stock and closed on April 7, 2026. Co-founder Pedro Franceschi remains CEO, and the card and software are still sold under the Brex name.
Is Brex a Bank? No. Brex is a fintech company, not a bank. Partner banks (Emigrant Bank or Fifth Third Bank, N.A.) issue its cards, and business-account money sits at program banks with up to $6M of FDIC coverage. Its owner, Capital One, does run a bank.
Is Brex a Credit Card? No, it is a charge card. Brex sets a spending limit, but you repay the full balance either the next business day after each purchase or at the end of each 30-day cycle. You cannot revolve a balance, and Brex quotes no purchase APR.
What Are the Brex Credit Card Requirements? You need a U.S. EIN, U.S. incorporation and operations, and a physical U.S. address. Funded startups need about $50,000 in cash for monthly billing; otherwise Brex wants equity funding or over $500,000 in yearly revenue, and mid-market companies need more than $4.8M a year.
Does Brex Require a Personal Guarantee or Credit Check? No. Brex asks for no personal guarantee and does not use or report founders' personal credit. Limits come from business cash, revenue and funding, and only the company is liable for the balance. NerdWallet reports that no Social Security number is required for underwriting.
How Does Brex Make Money? Mostly from interchange, the fee merchants pay on each card purchase; Sacra estimates Brex earns about 2.7% of card volume and says interchange is most of its revenue. Brex also sells software (Premium at $12 per user per month), adds an FX markup of up to 3%, and earns from banking partners.
Is Brex Publicly Traded? No. Brex has no stock of its own. It was private until Capital One bought it on April 7, 2026, so the only way to own a piece of Brex now is through Capital One Financial Corporation shares, which trade on the New York Stock Exchange as COF.
Last verified 2026-10-26. Pricing and terms are provider-stated or third-party-reported and vary by offer; confirm with the lender before applying.
Best for: Equity-funded startups (about $50,000 in cash for monthly billing, or any funding if you pay daily from a Brex account) and U.S. companies with $500,000+ in yearly revenue that want a corporate card with no personal guarantee.
Not for: Sole proprietors, thinly capitalized bootstrapped firms, or anyone who needs to carry a balance.
Lender List verdict: Brex gives funded companies high limits with no founder guarantee or personal credit pull. The catch is a high entry bar and rewards that only pay off when Brex is your sole corporate card; points are worth 0.6¢ as cash.
Brex at a glance
Brex is a corporate charge card owned by Capital One since April 7, 2026.
| Brex | |
|---|---|
| Lender type | Corporate charge card (Mastercard) and spend software |
| Founded | 2017 |
| HQ | San Francisco, CA |
| Parent/owner | Capital One Financial Corporation (since April 7, 2026) |
| Products | Corporate cards, expense software, bill pay, banking |
| Amounts | Dynamic limit from business cash and revenue; no published maximum |
| Cost (headline) | No card annual fee listed; software $0 or $12 per user per month |
| Term | Pay in full daily or monthly; no revolving balance |
| Funding speed | Decision in minutes; virtual card immediately |
| Status | Active (2026-10-26) under Capital One |
What is Brex? (Now part of Capital One)
Brex is a San Francisco fintech, founded in 2017 by Henrique Dubugras and Pedro Franceschi, that pairs a corporate card with expense, bill-pay and banking software. Capital One bought it for $5.15 billion in cash and stock on April 7, 2026; Franceschi remains CEO.
Brex says 35,000+ companies use it; partner banks issue its Mastercard cards. It pulled back from small businesses in June 2022, and its requirements still reflect that.
How the Brex card works
The Brex card is a charge card: you spend against a limit Brex sets from your business finances, then repay the full balance either daily or monthly.
- Monthly payments: The full balance is debited every 30 days; the limit reflects cash and cash flow.
- Daily payments: Each purchase is debited the next business day; the limit tracks your required Brex business account balance.
- Underwriting: Bank connections or two to three months of statements, not personal credit.
- Speed: A decision in minutes and a virtual card right away.
Brex fees and rewards: what it really costs
Brex lists no card annual fee; you pay through software plans ($0 or $12 per user per month), an FX markup of up to 3%, and any late or replacement fees disclosed at approval.
- Software: Essentials $0; Premium $12 per user per month; Enterprise custom
- Foreign spend: No foreign transaction fee, but up to 3% in the exchange rate unless you use a local-currency card
- Rewards: 7x rideshare, 4x Brex Travel, 3x restaurants, 2x software, 1x other; points worth 1¢ in Brex Travel or 0.6¢ as cash (NerdWallet)
Rewards example: $20,000 a month on Brex as the only corporate card ($8,000 software, $4,000 restaurants, $3,000 Brex Travel, $500 rideshare, $4,500 other). That earns 48,000 points a month, worth $480 in Brex Travel (2.4% back) or $288 as cash (1.44%). If Brex is not your only card, NerdWallet reports a flat 1 point per dollar: 20,000 points, or $120 in cash, which ten Premium users ($120 a month) would cancel out.
Brex requirements
Brex requires a U.S. EIN, U.S. incorporation and a physical U.S. address, and funded startups need roughly $50,000 in cash for monthly billing.
| Requirement | Brex minimum |
|---|---|
| Personal credit score | None; personal credit not used or reported |
| Time in business | No minimum stated |
| Annual revenue | Daily pay: over $500,000 or any equity funding; monthly pay: over $500,000 (commercial) or over $4.8M (mid-market) |
| Cash balance | $50,000 minimum for funded startups on monthly billing |
| Bank account / integrations | Connected bank accounts or statements; Brex account for daily pay |
| Credit check | No personal credit check |
| Collateral / guarantee | No personal guarantee; the company is liable |
Sole proprietors and restricted industries are turned away.
Pros and cons
Brex's best feature is no personal guarantee; its worst is an entry bar that shuts out most small businesses.
Pros
- No personal guarantee or personal credit check
- Brex says its limits can run up to 30 times those of standard business cards
- $0 Essentials plan includes expense software and bill pay
- Virtual card the same day you are approved
- Local-currency cards in 50+ countries sidestep the FX markup
Cons
- High bar: $50,000 cash for monthly pay, or equity funding or $500,000+ revenue for daily pay
- Multipliers only apply if Brex is your sole corporate card
- Cash redemption at 0.6¢ per point is weak versus a flat 1.5% card
- Trustpilot rating of 1.9/5 from 575 reviews
Brex vs. Ramp vs. American Express Business Gold
Brex and Ramp both skip the personal guarantee, while the Amex Business Gold card charges $375 a year and favors good to excellent personal credit.
| Brex | Ramp | Amex Business Gold | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card type | Charge card, pay daily or monthly | Charge card, pay daily (1-day) or every 30 days | Charge card with Pay Over Time option |
| Annual fee | None listed; software $0 or $12 per user per month | $0; software Free $0 or Plus $15 per user per month | $375 |
| Rewards | 7x / 4x / 3x / 2x / 1x points | Up to 1.5% cash back | 4X on top 2 categories (first $150,000 a year), 3X Amex Travel, 1X other |
| Personal credit / guarantee | Not used; no guarantee | No credit check; no guarantee | Good to excellent credit recommended |
| Cash requirement | About $50,000 (funded startups, monthly pay) | $25,000 in a U.S. business bank account | Not published |
| Foreign spend | No FTF; FX markup up to 3% | No FTF listed; FX markup up to 3% | No foreign transaction fees |
Ramp cash back is from NerdWallet and the Amex credit note from Upgraded Points; other figures are from issuer sites, checked 2026-10-26.
Choose Brex for heavy software and travel spend. Choose Ramp for flat cash back. Choose Amex Business Gold to carry a balance.
Brex alternatives on Lender List
Ramp and American Express are the closest Brex alternatives; to finance spending instead, use a revolving line.
- Bluevine — a line of credit you can carry month to month
- Fundbox — a fast revolving line for short-term cash gaps
- Browse all business credit and charge cards on Lender List
Frequently asked questions about Brex
Brex is a legitimate Capital One-owned corporate card with no personal guarantee, built for funded and high-revenue U.S. companies.
Is Brex Legit? Yes. Brex has operated since 2017, partner banks issue its cards, and Capital One has owned it since April 2026. It rates 1.9/5 on Trustpilot from 575 reviews, and FINRA fined its Brex Treasury unit $900,000 in 2024 over anti-money-laundering controls.
Who Owns Brex? Capital One owns Brex. It agreed in January 2026 to pay $5.15 billion in cash and stock and closed on April 7, 2026. Co-founder Pedro Franceschi remains CEO, and the card and software are still sold under the Brex name.
Is Brex a Bank? No. Brex is a fintech company, not a bank. Partner banks (Emigrant Bank or Fifth Third Bank, N.A.) issue its cards, and business-account money sits at program banks with up to $6M of FDIC coverage. Its owner, Capital One, does run a bank.
Is Brex a Credit Card? No, it is a charge card. Brex sets a spending limit, but you repay the full balance either the next business day after each purchase or at the end of each 30-day cycle. You cannot revolve a balance, and Brex quotes no purchase APR.
What Are the Brex Credit Card Requirements? You need a U.S. EIN, U.S. incorporation and operations, and a physical U.S. address. Funded startups need about $50,000 in cash for monthly billing; otherwise Brex wants equity funding or over $500,000 in yearly revenue, and mid-market companies need more than $4.8M a year.
Does Brex Require a Personal Guarantee or Credit Check? No. Brex asks for no personal guarantee and does not use or report founders' personal credit. Limits come from business cash, revenue and funding, and only the company is liable for the balance. NerdWallet reports that no Social Security number is required for underwriting.
How Does Brex Make Money? Mostly from interchange, the fee merchants pay on each card purchase; Sacra estimates Brex earns about 2.7% of card volume and says interchange is most of its revenue. Brex also sells software (Premium at $12 per user per month), adds an FX markup of up to 3%, and earns from banking partners.
Is Brex Publicly Traded? No. Brex has no stock of its own. It was private until Capital One bought it on April 7, 2026, so the only way to own a piece of Brex now is through Capital One Financial Corporation shares, which trade on the New York Stock Exchange as COF.
Last verified 2026-10-26. Pricing and terms are provider-stated or third-party-reported and vary by offer; confirm with the lender before applying.
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