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The no-annual-fee Brex Card calls itself an extremely user-friendly financial product for startup companies.
But Brex's definition of a "startup" isn't nearly as lenient as you'll find with other credit card issuers, such as Chase and American Express. Sole proprietors aren't eligible for the card — nor are small and medium businesses with less than $400,000 monthly revenue, for that matter.
If you do qualify for the Brex card, it offers generous rewards and valuable airline transfer partners such as Avianca, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, and more. But you'll have to go all-in on Brex to get the most value since you'll only earn elevated rates if you use this card exclusively.
Brex Credit Card Overview
Let's get the most important bit out of the way first. When reviewing applications of any business, Brex looks for the following markers:
- Startup companies: Brex targets accelerator-funded companies, venture-funded companies, and angel-funded companies. If you're the company's startup founder or final financial decision-maker, you are a good fit for this card.
- Mid-market companies and enterprises: Brex works with mid-market companies or enterprises with more than $400,000 in monthly revenue, or $4.8 million a year. You are a good fit for this card if you're a CFO, financial leader, or decision-maker of a large company that meets these revenue metrics.
These requirements preclude most smaller companies from qualifying for a Brex Card. If you do qualify, however, there are plenty of reasons to consider this card option.
When you think of the best rewards business cards, you might assume that you'll need to shell out a sizable fee each year for the ability to rack up bonus points. The Brex Card, however, proves that assumption incorrect. The Brex Card doesn't charge an annual fee. And new cardholders can earn 10,000 points when you spend $3,000 on your Brex card within three months of your Brex business account being opened.
The Brex Card packs a generous reward structure, which can be tailored to pay out more based on the type of business you run. For instance, you can earn 7x points on rideshare, 4x on travel booked through the Brex portal, 3x points at restaurants, and more.
Note: You'll only earn bonus points on the Brex Card if you use it exclusively — and Brex will check your financials to see if you've been cheating. If you use another credit card for any other purchases, you'll only earn 1 point per dollar spent on the Brex card, regardless of category.
There are also plenty of opportunities to redeem your rewards, including cash, statement credits, or transfers to Brex's airline and hotel partners.
However, there are some caveats to be aware of before you apply for the Brex Card. Here's what to know to help you decide if it's the best small business credit card for your business.
$0
N/A
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Earn 10,000 points
Poor to Excellent
- No personal guarantee
- Several bonus categories
- Discounts with Slack, Zoom, AWS and more
- No annual fee
- You can only earn bonus rewards if Brex is your only corporate card, so it doesn't pair well with other business rewards credit cards
- Fewer options for redeeming rewards compared to some business credit cards from Amex and Chase
The no-annual-fee Brex Card is lauded as an extremely user-friendly bank for startup companies. The definition of "startup," however, isn't nearly as lenient as you'll find with other banks, such as Chase and American Express. Sole proprietors aren't eligible for the card — nor are small and medium businesses, for that matter. If you do qualify, Brex offers generous rewards and valuable airline transfer partners such as Avianca, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, and more.
Brex Credit Card Rewards
Brex offers some generous bonus categories for certain purchases, but falls short on others.
Brex Credit Card Welcome Bonus
If you qualify for the Brex Card, you can earn a welcome bonus of 10,000 points when you spend $3,000 on your Brex card within three months of your Brex business account being opened. Your points are worth:
- 1 cent each when you redeem for Brex travel bookings
- 1 cent each when redeemed for gift cards
- 0.6 cents each when redeemed for cash back
- 0.6 cents each when redeemed for crypto
You can get more value from your welcome bonus by transferring your points to Brex's airline partners to book award flights (more on that below) — but even that isn't a great deal.
How to Earn Points With the Brex Card
Here's a look at a standard rundown of earning potential with the Brex Card:
- 7 points per dollar on rideshare spending
- 4 points per dollar on travel booked through the Brex portal
- 3 points per dollar at restaurants
- 2 points per dollar on software
- 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
Here are a few curveballs that change the above earning rates:
- If you've got a Brex Cash account and pay your card daily instead of monthly, you'll earn 8x points on rideshare, 5x points via Brex Travel, 4x points at restaurants, 3x points on eligible Apple purchases, 1.5x points on ads, and 1x on everything else
- If your company is in the technology industry, you'll earn 8x points on rideshare, 5x points via Brex Travel, 4x points at restaurants, 3x points on eligible Apple purchases, 3x points on recurring software, and 1x on everything else
- If your company is in the life sciences industry, you'll earn 8x points on conference tickets, 5x points via Brex Travel, 3x points on eligible Apple purchases, 2x points on lab supplies, and 1x on everything else
There's a big caveat to the reward structure. Let's start with the most important piece of the puzzle: You have to use the Brex Card exclusively to get in on all those bonus opportunities. Brex scans the bank details you provide and cross-references third-party sources to "ensure card exclusivity."
If Brex finds that you're using other cards for your spending, you'll earn 1 point per dollar on everything. This card is only for business owners who aren't afraid of a serious commitment and willing to break up with their other cards.
How to Use Points From the Brex Card
You can redeem Brex Card points for cash, gift cards, or statement credits with Brex. You'll get a 1.6:1 transfer ratio at a range of airlines including:
- Aeromexico
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- Emirates
- Avianca
- Asia Miles (Cathay Pacific)
- Singapore Airlines
- Qantas
Depending on how you use your points, you could easily receive a value above 1 cent per point in airfare — making it potentially the best redemption option.
Transferable points are typically the most valuable reward currency to earn because you can redeem them in so many ways by choosing different transfer partners. Read through Business Insider's guide to points and miles valuations to help you figure out the best ways to maximize your points.
Brex can claim a first in the business credit card space: You can redeem your rewards toward cryptocurrency. The company allows redemption conversions in Bitcoin and Ethereum, which sets it apart from just about every other business credit card offer you'll find right now. If you're looking to dabble in crypto, this is a low-risk way to do it — though you'll only get 0.6 cents worth of crypto for each point you invest.
Brex Credit Card Benefits and Features
The Brex Card comes with all the standard World Elite Mastercard benefits and protections.
Cellphone Protection
If you're paying for cellphone insurance on your mobile device, you can skip that bill. The card covers up to $1,000 in annual cellphone protection benefits, with a maximum payout of $800 per claim, and up to two claims a year.
Luxury Hotel Benefits
The Mastercard World Elite Luxury Hotel and Resorts portfolio includes over 3,000 properties. Your Brex Card will make staying there feel more elite with complimentary breakfast for two, room upgrades, and a lowest-hotel-rate guarantee.
If you want to feel really elite, the World Elite Mastercard also comes with access to the Mastercard concierge who can help you book private jet service and private car services at exclusive discounts.
ID Theft and Zero Liability Protection
The World Elite Mastercard comes with the kind of top-tier identity and fraud protection you would expect from a premium credit card. You won't have to worry if anyone else gets ahold of your card, and you'll also have a monitoring service for any suspicious activity around your identification.
In addition to those benefits, Brex has a range of partner deals that can make a difference for your business operations and your bottom line, including:
- $5,000 credit and up to $100,000 on AWS Activate — Amazon Web Services' program for startup growth
- 40% off your first year of QuickBooks to help manage your finances
- 50% off on UPS shipping services
- 50% off the first year of Gusto, a payroll and HR benefits platform
- 25% off a year of Slack paid plans
- $150 of Google Ads credits
- Up to 25% off business insurance through Vouch
- $10,000 credits on Freshworks products
Brex says that all those additional perks add up to more than $150,000, which is an impressive figure. However, you should take a complete inventory to see which services would work for your company.
Brex Card Annual Fee and Other Costs
The Brex Card doesn't have an annual fee, and there is no interest charged on the Brex Card. Instead, Brex's revenue comes from small fees charged to merchants instead of cardholders.
Compare the Brex Credit Card
Although the Brex Card isn't a good fit for most businesses due to its restrictions and exclusivity requirements, even though it earns up to 8x on ride-sharing, 5x on travel, 4x on restaurants, 3x on eligible Apple purchases, 1.5x on advertising, and 1x on everything else.
Here are two popular competitors from Business Insider's guide to the best business credit cards that might be a better solution for your company. Neither of these cards requires exclusive use, so you can rotate them with other products to maximize your business rewards.
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express vs. Brex Card
If you're interested in building a business relationship with American Express, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is one of the best all-around business credit cards on the market. It earns a flat rate of 2x Amex Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 spent each year across all spending (then 1 point per dollar). New cardholders can also earn a welcome bonus of 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the card within your first three months of card membership.
Additional benefits include extended warranty and purchase protection on purchases such as computers, TVs, monitors, and other expensive electronics or gadgets. You'll also receive secondary car rental insurance benefits and have access to the American Express Global Assist Hotline, as well as targeted discounts and bonuses through Amex Offers.
The card has an annual fee of $0, making it a no-brainer to keep long-term.
Read our Amex Blue Business Plus credit card review to learn more about this card.
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card vs. Brex Card
The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is a versatile business credit card from Chase, another well-known card issuer. This card earns 5% cash back (in the form of 5x Chase Ultimate Rewards points) at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services on the first $25,000 spent each year across all bonus categories; 2% cash back (2x points) at gas stations and restaurants on the first $25,000 a year; then 1% cash back (1x points) on all other purchases.
The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card has a $0 annual fee, and new cardholders can earn $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening. It comes with the best car rental insurance out of the three cards compared here: You'll enjoy primary rental car coverage when renting for business purposes, which means you don't have to submit insurance claims through your own insurance company before utilizing this benefit for supplemental coverage.
Cardholders also enjoy extended warranty and purchase protection, travel and emergency assistance services, and roadside dispatch as needed.
Learn more by reading our Chase Ink Business Cash credit card review.
Brex Credit Card Frequently Asked Questions
Not just any small business can open the Brex Card. You'll need to be either a venture-backed startup or a mid-market company. In other words, small and midsize businesses don't qualify. If you're a sole proprietor looking for a no annual fee business credit card, you'll have to choose from other issuers like American Express, Chase, Citi, etc.
With no annual fee and high-octane earning rates, the Brex Card is worth it as long as two conditions are met:
1) Your business meets the (comparatively stringent) requirements enforced by Brex
2) You can commit to putting all business expenses on the Brex Card — otherwise, you won't receive the points multipliers on your spending.
By paying your Brex Card daily, your credit limit will be up to 100% of your Brex Cash account balance. Depending on how much you've got in your account, this could be significantly higher than other corporate business cards.
If you pay your Brex Card monthly, you're also guaranteed a high account balance. Brex states that you'll get up to 20x the average corporate card's credit line.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed the Brex Credit Card
We evaluated the Brex Card and compared it to similar rewards business cards. We looked at several factors, including:
- Ease of use — Is the card's earning and redemption program easy to navigate? Are there lots of options for using rewards? Is it hard to qualify for the card?
- Rewards earning potential — Are the card's bonus categories broadly useful for business owners, and are any of them capped?
- Benefits — How do the card's benefits, especially for business owners, compare to competing cards?
Here's Business Insider's guide to how we rate credit cards for a closer look at our methodology.
For rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, please click here.
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards.
Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.
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Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Trip Delay Insurance, Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance, and Cell Phone Protection Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. Global Assist Hotline Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers. If approved and coordinated by Premium Global Assist Hotline, emergency medical transportation assistance may be provided at no cost. In any other circumstance, Card Members may be responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers. Extended Warranty, Purchase Protection, and Baggage Insurance Plan Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
