Protecting Your Personal Credit Before Applying For Business Credit Cards

When applying for a business credit card, it's important to know that the approval of your account will largely depend on your personal credit history unless you already have a solid business credit history. A credit card issuer will be checking your personal credit report to see whether you are worthy of a business credit line. The exact terms and conditions will of course differ from one business credit card issuer to the next. This is why you should spend time examining the fine print before submitting a business credit card application. As the owner of the business and the business credit card, you will be personally liable for the debts that will be incurred in your account. This is known as the personal liability clause which can be found in the Terms and Conditions page. How can you protect your personal credit from being damaged? Listed below are pointers for all business credit card users: 1) Avoid rejection. If your business credit card application gets declined, your personal credit score will surely drop. Be sure to check the issuer's credit requirement prior to submitting your application. You can order a copy of your credit report from each of the three credit bureaus so you can check the status of your credit firsthand. If you find errors in your report, you can send a dispute letter to the bureau that issued your report and wait for at least 3o days before proceeding to apply for a business credit card. 2) Choosing the wrong business credit card. Credit cards for small business come with different interest rates, fees and features. You need to find a credit card that complements the needs of your business. Does the credit card offer features and provisions that you can use to the benefit of your small business? What about reward business credit cards? Before signing up for a business reward credit card, consider carefully if the reward program is suited for your type of business. 3) Don't be fooled by teaser offers. While doing comparison, you might come across credit cards for business that offer low interest rate or zero interest rate. Never sign up for the first offer you see no matter how tempting the business credit card seems to be. Check the fine print. How long will the low rate last? What happens when the teaser rate is over? You might be able to enjoy a low rate or zero interest for up to 6 months, but you could get stuck with a high rate card afterwards. What about the rest of the fees? Are they reasonable as well? 4) Know your privileges and limitations. As a business credit cardholder, you can enjoy certain privileges provided by your issuer. Nevertheless, you will have limitations as well. For example, consumer credit cardholders can dispute unauthorized charges and not be liable to pay them. As a business credit cardholder, you may not enjoy the same rights. Hence, you need to be more cautious when using your small business credit card for transactions.