If you have recently started a business, there is no doubt that you have a lot on your plate right now. Running a company comes with a lot of responsibilities, and you certainly cannot ignore those if you want to succeed. If you want to ignore the responsibilities, then you shouldn’t have established a business in the first place, because it takes a lot of work to grow and to keep improving.
You certainly do want your business to grow, which is why I am sure that you will do everything you can to improve the way you are operating. You will constantly be thinking of new improvement methods you can use. That’s what every single company owner does, because simply establishing a firm and starting to sell something isn’t enough. You need to adapt and evolve if you want to stay competitive on this market.
There is one thing, though, that you will absolutely need when trying to adapt and evolve. I suppose you know that I am talking about money. No business can succeed and grow without having money to invest in the company. And, keep in mind that I am not talking about your starting capital here. While that is also important, there is no doubt that you need to keep on investing in order to continue boosting your business and improving your products and services.
Credit cards can play a huge role in your process of investing in the growth of your business. There is absolutely no doubt that you have already heard about the existence of business credit cards, and I am sure that you have started wondering one thing right away. Do you really need those? Go here to try and find your answer to that.
In addition to wondering whether you need these cards, you are probably also bothered by a few more question. You want to understand why it is that you should get these cards, and you want to know precisely how to apply for a card with a high spending limit. After all, you need that limit to be high if you really want to invest in your company and scale it. So, that is a great question.
To be fair, all of these questions that you have are definitely important. That is why I have decided to provide you with the answers, and you’ll find those if you keep on reading. We will start by helping you understand if you need a business card, and then we will proceed towards helping you get a clear picture about how you can apply for a high spending limit one. That way, we will cover all the topics that you’re interested in, and you’ll be ready to start your hunt for the perfect business credit card.
Do You Need A Business Credit Card In The First Place?
Since we are taking this one step at a time, it is only logical for us to begin with this specific question. There would be no point in talking about, say, the process of getting a card, if you don’t even know whether you really need one or not. Well, let us make this perfectly clear right away, so that we can proceed to the possibly more important questions that you need to have answered.
In essence, you don’t really need a business credit card. Thus, if you aren’t ready to get it, feel free not to. This, however, certainly doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get it and that you cannot benefit from it. After all, even though you might not really need it, the truth is that it can be highly useful for all small business owners, including you. So, if you ask me, you should definitely think about getting this card, even though it isn’t a requirement that you absolutely need to meet.
Why Should You Get One?
Now that you know that this is optional, you have most likely started wondering why it is that you should actually think about getting these card types. Can’t you just continue doing business the way you are doing it right now, possibly by using your personal card? Well, in theory, you could. In practice, though, using a business card is a much more beneficial option, so let me now tell you about a few reasons why you should use it.
This could help you figure that out as well: https://www.cnbc.com/select/benefits-of-small-business-credit-cards/
1. Separate Your Expenses
When you use your personal card for business expenses and for personal expenses, figuring out how much you have spent and on what can be pretty tricky. The same goes for your employees that are using personal cards for company expenses that they should be reimbursed for. This can get all kinds of confusing and you could find yourself getting frustrated over being unable to keep good track of everything.
Well, there is a simple solution to this particular issue. Basically, when you get a business credit card, you will be able to separate those expenses and stop being confused all the time. This will make things completely clear, and you’ll know exactly how much you are spending on your business, which could even give you an idea about some costs that you might want to cut in order to save money. Having the data all clear and in one place will certainly help you organize your spending.
2. Finance The Necessary Purchases
Perhaps the biggest reason why you should get a business credit card is because you want to finance certain purchases and you definitely don’t have cash lying around to fund those. I am talking about buying equipment, investing in marketing and basically paying for any other business related expenses. All companies need to spend money to make money, and that can be pretty difficult if you don’t really have anything to spend. This simple financial tool can help you get the spending money and finance anything you need in order to scale your company.
3. Gain Control Over Employee Spending
I have briefly mentioned this above, but let me now explain it in a bit more details. When your employees spend money for company purposes, they will need to be reimbursed. That is, of course, if they are using their personal cards. Sometimes, those spending habits can get out of control even if you have talked about all of it with the people working for you. There’s an easy thing you can do to put a stop to uncontrolled spending habits.
Basically, you let your employees use your business credit cards and, of course, you set spending limits. This is bound to help you gain better control over employee spending, and that is undeniably important. Remember, though, spending money to earn money is necessary, so don’t be too strict with those employees. Make sure that they are using the cards wisely, but let them have some freedom, especially when word goes of marketing expenses.
4. Earn Rewards
Another thing to look forward to when you get these cards is this. In simple words, most issuers offer certain reward programs that can be quite useful. You can get cash back rewards, miles or points that can be redeemed in various different ways. This is undeniably a huge plus and I am guessing that you like the idea of earning those rewards with your business cards.
5. Keep Track Of Your Spending With Frequent Summaries
As I have explained previously, company credit cards will help you organize your spending. Apart from allowing you to do that by using one card for all of your transactions, the issuers of those financial instruments will go a step further and do another useful thing for you. In short, you’ll be getting frequent spending summaries which will help you control the spending by having all of your transactions listed in one place. That’s a pretty big plus, if you ask me.
How To Apply For A Card With High Spending Limit?
Now that you have a clear idea on why you should get a company credit card, you’re interested in learning how to actually get one. Of course, you want to get one with high spending limit, because you are running a business and you understand the idea of spending money to earn money. So, you don’t want to end up using a card and still being short. This is why you actually want to learn how to get a credit card with a high limit, and I’ll now take you through the steps you should take when trying to do this.
1. Improve Your Credit Score
Before you start the application process, you should take time to check your actual credit score. If it isn’t very good, then you are highly unlikely to get the high spending limit that you are looking for. The good thing is that you can boost the score, and I’ll share some tips on how to do that below.
2. Get Rid Of Your Debt
One of the most significant things to do to improve the score is get rid of your debt. I suppose that this is perfectly logical to everyone, so there is no need for me to explain why this is an important factor. Simply put, credit card companies will look at your debt, and you are highly more likely to qualify for a high spending limit card if your debt isn’t high, or if you don’t have any at all.
3. Make On-Time Payments
Another thing to do is always make on-time payments, as that will certainly influence your credit score. When you pay back everything one time, the bank will recognize you as a trustworthy client. That will certainly influence their decision on whether to increase your spending limit or not.
4. Don’t Open Too Many Accounts In A Short Period Of Time
If you wind up opening too many accounts in a short period of time, that will be a red flag for those banking companies that you are cooperating with. That’s why being careful and not doing this is important. It would be smart to stick to one account and not open too many of them over a short period.
5. Maintain Long-Term Accounts
This tip should be logical to you after reading the previous one, but I will explain it anyway. Maintaining long-term accounts will have a great impact on your credit score. So, do your best to maintain those accounts, because we have made it clear that improving your score will help you get qualified for those high spending limits that we are talking about.
6. Establish A Good Relationship With A Bank
Apart from improving the mentioned score, you should do your best to establish a good relationship with the bank you are actually cooperating with. The better the relationship, the higher your chances of getting qualified for a high spending limit card, which is precisely what you want. Of course, the above tips that I’ve given you will influence your relationship with your bank. If you are a good and a responsible client, you will have higher chances of getting what you want.
7. Ask For An Increase
The simplest thing to do when you want to increase your spending limit is simply ask for it. If you have followed the tips mentioned above, you will probably get the increase rather easily. So, get in touch with those bank representatives and talk about your intentions and requirements.
8. Go For New Issuers If That Doesn’t Work
If, however, your existing issuer isn’t willing to give you the increase, you shouldn’t get discouraged right away. There are, fortunately, other issuers out there and you can search for them and start establishing relationships if your existing one isn’t providing you with great services. Make sure to choose the right companies, though, always keeping in mind that your goal is to get a credit card with a high spending limit. So, don’t go for those issuers that aren’t ready to provide you with this.