- Business credit cards can help small business owners establish business credit.
- On-time payments and low credit utilization on small business credit cards reported to commercial credit bureaus help build strong business credit scores.
- A good business credit profile may, in turn, help businesses qualify for a wider variety of small business loans and business financing options.
- Major business credit bureaus include Dun & Bradstreet, Equifax, and Experian.
How Can I Ensure My Business Credit Card Activity Is Reported to Dun & Bradstreet?
The best way to ensure your business credit card activity gets reported to Dun & Bradstreet or other business credit bureaus is to choose credit cards that report to business credit reporting agencies.
Not all do. In this article, we’ll explain which cards report and how to build a strong business credit history.
Do All Banks Report to Dun & Bradstreet?
No, not all banks or card issuers or banks report to Dun & Bradstreet, or to other specific commercial credit reporting agencies. It’s up to each individual bank or card issuer to decide which credit bureaus to which it will report information.
Many banks report small business loans and lines of credit to the Small Business Financial Exchange (SBFE). The SBFE is an organization that collects information about payment history from its members, and then makes that information available for purchase through credit bureau partners, including Dun & Bradstreet.
According to the SBFE, all ten of the top ten commercial banks contribute data to SBFE.
That means that even if an account doesn’t appear on your Dun & Bradstreet credit report, lenders (or other businesses) may be able to purchase a credit report from Dun & Bradstreet that includes information from card issuers that report to the SBFE.
Which Credit Cards Can Help Build Business Credit?
Any credit cards that report to business credit reporting agencies can help build business credit. Nav has compiled a list of major business credit cards that report to business credit.
The Nav Prime Card** is a business credit building Visa® charge card that submits tradelines to all major business credit bureaus.
Which Business Cards Report to Dun & Bradstreet?
It can be difficult to nail down exactly which business credit bureaus credit card issuers report to. Surprising, right?
That’s because business credit reports do not usually provide the names of companies that report information. When a lender purchases a business credit report, or when you check our business credit you may see an account listed as “bank card” or another generic description, instead of the name of the card or card issuer.
Nav reached out to individual card issuers to learn which business credit bureaus each reported to. Some chose to share information, and in those cases, we have provided information based on prior research and reputable sources when available.
Does Amex Report to Duns?
American Express reports activity about American Express business credit cards to SBFE. That information may then be available to lenders and other businesses who purchase credit reports from commercial credit bureau partners such as Dun & Bradstreet.
Does Chase Report to Duns and Bradstreet?
Prior research by Nav indicated that Chase reports activity for Chase business credit cards such as Ink Business cards, and cobranded business credit cards such as the United Business Credit Cards, to Dun & Bradstreet, as well as other business credit bureaus. (This information was gathered independently by Nav and was not confirmed by Chase.)
Does Capital One Report to Dun and Bradstreet?
Prior research by Nav research found that Capital One reports activity about Capital One Spark business credit cards to Dun & Bradstreet, Experian and the SBFE. (This information was gathered independently by Nav and was not confirmed by Capital One.)
Does Bank of America Report to Dun and Bradstreet?
Bank of America reports activity about Bank of America business credit cards to SBFE.
Does Amazon Business Amex Report to Dun and Bradstreet?
American Express issues the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card. As mentioned earlier, American Express reports business credit card activity to the SBFE.
How Do I Get My Credit Card To Report to Dun & Bradstreet?
Issuers decide which credit bureaus to which they report. You can’t submit your credit card information individually.
If your issuer does not report, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get them to report your account. There’s a process that a company must go through to report to business credit, and not all issuers choose to report to all credit bureaus.
Is It Hard to Get a Business Credit Card?
Many of the best business credit cards run a personal credit check, and good to excellent personal credit scores are required. A minimum FICO score of 650 or above is not uncommon.
Many of these cards are available to new businesses, as long as the owner meets the qualification requirements. A personal guarantee is usually required.
If your business does not qualify for a business credit card, perhaps due to bad credit or a limited credit history, you may want to consider alternatives like a secured business credit card.
How to Lookup Your DUNS Number
Dun & Bradstreet offers a free D-U-N-S Number Lookup Tool that you can use to look up the DUNS number of any business, including your own. If your business is not registered with Dun & Bradstreet, you can request a D-U-N-S number for free on the D&B website.
How Do I Build Credit with Dun & Bradstreet?
Credit cards can be a great way to build business credit, but they aren’t the only way to build business credit. With Dun and Bradstreet, other types of credit accounts, especially trade credit, can be vital for building your Paydex Score, Dun & Bradstreets popular business credit rating.
Trade references include accounts with suppliers and vendors. With supplier credit you can buy items your business needs (for example, office supplies), and pay for them later—ideally from cash flow. Net-30 accounts, for example, give your business 30 days from the invoice date to pay for those purchases.
If your vendors report your businesses’ accounts as tradelines to business credit bureaus, and you pay on time, these accounts can be helpful for establishing the creditworthiness of your business.
Read: Net 30 Vendors: List of Easy Approval Net 30 Accounts
*There are no requirements to get Nav Prime. To get the Nav Prime Card, you’re required to have Nav Prime, have an approved Nav banking application, and a successfully linked bank account to use as repayment for your Nav Prime Card balance. The Nav Prime Card is currently not available in ND, SD, NV, and CA.
**Nav Technologies, Inc. is a financial technology company and not a bank. Banking services provided by Blue Ridge Bank, N.A., and Thread Bank, Members FDIC. The Nav Visa® Business Debit Card is issued by Blue Ridge Bank, N.A. or Thread Bank, and the Nav Prime Charge Card is issued by Thread Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa cards are accepted. See Cardholder Terms for additional details.
This article was originally written on August 13, 2024.
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