Business Credit Cards Essential for Home Based Businesses

Those who run home-based businesses belong to one of the most dynamic segments of the working world. Technology has revolutionized the way people work and we are witnessing probably the largest sociological shift in generations. If you are a home-based business owner you are part of that revolution.

Working from home gives you two wonderful benefits: you don’t have to pay rent for office space, and you don’t have to commute (no rush, no traffic, less gas). But working from home also entails careful planning especially when it comes to funding the business. This is where business credit cards become very useful.

The most common reason why home-based businesses fail is the mismanagement of finances. Many of those who own home-based business are using their hard-earned savings, home equity loans or lines of credit, and personal credit cards, not business credit cards, as sources of their business funds.

Using your savings may be preferable, if you have reasonable assurance that your home-based business will earn income at a rate higher than the interest rate on your small business credit card. In home equity loans or lines of credit, you will have to pledge the equity of your home. And if your home-based business does not succeed, you could lose your home. On the other hand, unless you use business credit cards for your business, you run the risk of commingling your personal and business expenses, and that makes them harder to manage.

The importance of business credit cards, especially for home-based businesses, cannot be disregarded. Whether the business is home- or office-based, the business needs to keep business finances separate from the owner’s personal finances. Business credit cards give owners the freedom to do just that. You will really appreciate this business credit card benefit when tax season comes and you download your business credit cards transaction history, as well as your monthly and annual reports, from your business credit card company’s website: tax filing becomes a breeze. Keep your personal and business finances separate with your business credit card; it’ll be good for you in the long run.

When you are just starting out your home-based business, you’re likely to incur big purchases. Use a business credit card to pay for office equipment such as computers. You will get some purchase protection, and this is one business credit card benefit that is impossible to overstate.

There are a number of ways to apply for a business credit card. You may be confused about which one of the many business credit cards offers to choose: there are so many flying around. You may want to talk with a friend who is business savvy before making any decision on which business credit card to get.

There may be downsides to using business credit cards, but prudent usage gives you a really effective financial tool. Any business needs credit; and business credit cards help you to establish just that for your home-based business. The best thing to do, if you have doubts on whether you should get a business credit card or not, is to talk to a business consultant about it.

Business Credit Cards Versus Business Lines of Credit

Nothing quite matches the convenience of business credit cards. When you are looking for a good alternative to cash, checks, and personal credit cards, it is probably a business credit card you want. With credit-when-you-need-it convenience, savings and discounts on purchases, and extremely helpful reporting facilities, business credit cards can be a good tool in your financial management tool kit.

You will find it easier to get a business credit card than to open a business line of credit. For this reason, business credit cards can do a lot to help you ease your cash requirements even as you are still gearing up with office supplies and equipment. It can never be repeated too often: use business credit cards with caution and afford it the same respect you would afford any other business line of credit!

The ability to borrow money, whether from a business line of credit or from business credit cards, is something that you need for your business. Like business credit cards, the line of credit is a revolving credit, and both charge interest only on the balances that are left outstanding. The credit limit on business credit cards may be lower than on lines of credit, but both do have a predetermined ceiling. There are however a few differences between these two forms of business credit:

Cost

Business credit cards generally have higher annual percentage rates and lower credit limits, than lines of credit. When it comes to cost-effectiveness therefore, the commercial lines of credit will beat business credit cards anytime.

However, if you manage business credit cards wisely, you can maximize the 21 to 25 days grace period or float on purchases. When the statement comes and you pay off the entire balance, you will actually avoid paying any interest. The crux of the matter is that you get a 25-day interest free loan! Not bad…and only from business credit cards.

Convenience

Business credit cards may lose on cost, but they are miles ahead when it comes to convenience. If your checking account is running low and you need to buy some supplies, you no longer have to call the bank to transfer funds from your credit line. You could easily charge the whole transaction to your business credit card, get out of the store and back to running your business. Business credit cards also offer you the convenience of easy bookkeeping and quick cost analysis.

What’s more, business credit cards are heavily loaded with perks like frequent flyer miles, purchase protection and warranty extensions, discounts and cash backs on hotel stays, car rentals, gas purchases, and more. These business credit card incentives can be valuable to a business, not only for the sake of convenience but also for the cost savings that you get.

Business credit cards and lines of credit are two financial tools that you can use together. Business credit cards are perfect for very short-term borrowings – we’re talking 30 days at the most. You should pay off the bulk of the balance when it falls due, to save on interest. You may want to carry 20% of the balance forward to the next month to make your business credit card issuer happy, otherwise they’re never going to earn any interest income from your business credit card account.

Lines of credit are perfect for larger purchases, particularly those that would exceed your business credit card limit, as well as for reserve funds when cash flow becomes irregular over a period. Lines of credit help you to shore up your working capital, such as payroll, paying off merchant credit and payables, or settling the quarterly taxes.

Business Credit Cards for Those With Bad Credit

Corporate executives and successful business owners, who have exemplary credit records, usually have no problem in obtaining business credit cards. The card companies that issue business credit cards are in a constant race against one another – competing to achieve poll position in a race aimed at securing the custom of these ‘elite’ business credit card holders.

But then, what about those people whose credit records have suffered a few incapacitating knocks, leaving them in the bad debt category? The truth is that they will definitely have a much harder time when trying to gain approval of a business credit card application than those with good and excellent credit histories. This does not mean to say that those with bad credit records don’t need business credit cards!

On the contrary! Every small business - in one way or another - is benefited by having small business credit cards. These benefits are fairly well established by now: the ability to get the business expenses on track with the business credit card, the rewards and cash backs, and the ever ready credit line should the small business face a temporary cash crunch.

The question is: Can they get it?

Here’s the rub. Those with bad credit will have to work harder to get a business credit card secured. They will have to find a way to rebuild their credit standing. Contrary to popular belief, personal bad credit cannot be hidden behind the veil of a business. The business credit card issuers will inevitably draw your personal credit report in the process of evaluating your application for a business credit card.

That does not mean to say that all is lost. It is possible to get yourself approved for a business credit card even if you have less than sterling credit. Most of the business credit card issuers have specially designed business credit cards for people with bad credit or no credit history. The only requirement will be that your recent credit activities must be squeaky clean. That goes to say: no recent late payments and no filings for bankruptcies.

In addition to these business credit card issuers, there are also companies that are willing to help build or rebuild your business credit. This eventually leads to business credit cards. These companies have access to a pool of vendors who agreed to provide credit to people with bad credit. By continuing to transact with them – and being religious in your payments – they can report consistently good credit behavior to the business credit rating agencies, thereby gradually establishing the improvement in your business credit standing

They may have a business credit card issuer participating in the program, who then approves a business credit card for you. The benefits package under this business credit card product can be quite attractive. They can establish an immediate line of credit for you starting at amounts between $5,000 and $10,000 and eventually approve a credit limit of three times that initial amount.

What’s more, the business credit card will be issued with minimal credit or employment checks; in some cases, it is waived altogether. You will not even need to have a checking account. If your business needs some fresh capital, you will also be able to arrange for a secured loan.

If you can link up with groups like these, make sure that you use the opportunity well. Business credit cards are an especially good way to jumpstart the process of preparing your business to qualify for future commercial loans. Good credit histories involving your business credit cards will really lend credence to your business credit report.

Business Owners' Views of Business Credit Cards

There are quite a number of reasons why business owners choose to obtain business credit cards, but recent studies confirm that business credit cards are viewed most useful for keeping business and personal finances separate. Business owners say that their primary reason for using business credit cards is to avoid their business expenses from getting mixed up with their personal expenses: Using business credit cards separates the two, thereby contributing towards maintaining the integrity of their accounting records.

90% of all small business owners use business credit cards purely to make business related purchases, with more than 90% indicating that the primary need for business credit cards is business travel. They believe that airline flights, car rentals and hotel stays would be cumbersome without business credit cards.

Perhaps because of this close association between business travel and business credit cards, you won’t be surprised to hear that almost a third of the business owners consider cash back rewards as the most attractive feature, while one-fifth values the frequent flyer mile rewards most. To a lesser degree, the ready acceptance of business credit cards by vendors and suppliers was deemed to be an important consideration. Business owners are also happy with the ‘no annual fee’ feature offered by most business credit card issuers.

Business owners tend to use their business credit cards with very specific purposes in mind and are more conscious about settling business credit card balances in full. According to recent surveys, 63% of all small business owners execute their credit card payments in this manner to avoid finance charges. By comparison, only 40% of all individual Americans pay their full outstanding balances every month. This means that small business owners are less likely than their individual counterparts to accumulate interest fees on their business credit cards – a fact that issuing banks may not like since they earn their profits from interest charges. Business owners would advise you to pay your business credit cards in full or don’t use them.

Interestingly, nearly half (46%) of business owners thought that interest rates and related terms were their most important considerations when they applied for business credit cards. They indicated an appreciation for the temporary cash flow assistance that business credit cards provide, but expressed a dislike for paying interest fees and for debt accumulation. This concern for interest rates and their diligence in paying off business credit card bills to avoid fees implies that credit card companies do not make much money from small business owners.

Most business owners find one – or at most, two – business credit cards sufficient for their purposes. Compared to the average American who holds four to eight personal credit cards, the survey found that the average small business owner only has one or two business credit cards at most.

In fact, 86% of small business owners believe their business credit card spending limit was high enough for their needs and that too many business credit cards would tempt them to spend more than is really necessary. This attitude towards credit limits and multiple credit cards may be because small businesses, unlike ordinary individuals, do have access to alternate sources of debt financing – something that the ordinary individual does not.