Brex credit card review 2024: Top-notch rewards, if you fit the right profile

---

Brex offers rich, if complicated, rewards for tech and life science companies. This card is best for well-funded companies who bank with Brex.

---

Brex Card * The information for the Brex Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. basics

• Annual fee: $0.
• Welcome bonus: 10,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. Available only to Brex Cash customers who make daily card payments.
• Rewards: The Brex Credit Card’s rewards structure varies based on a few factors, but the default rewards structure offers 7 points per $1 on rideshare, 4 points per $1 on travel booked through Brex Travel, 3 points per $1 on restaurants, 2 points per $1 on recurring software and 1 point per $ on everything else. You must agree to use Brex credit card exclusively in your business to qualify.
• APR: None. Brex requires all accounts to be paid in full every month.
• Other perks and benefits: Credits and discounts valued up to more than $180,000 in annual savings across a number of vendors, including AWS, Quickbooks, UPS, Gusto, Slack, Vouch, Experian and Freshworks.
• Does the issuer offer a preapproval tool? No.
• Recommended credit score: No personal credit check is required but business financial information is collected during the application. 

About the Brex credit card

The Brex business credit card is just one part of a much larger business-focused offering. Brex aims to be an end-to-end financial platform for small and medium businesses, offering a variety of tools, including expense management, travel booking, credit lines, bill payment and bank accounts.

The Brex credit card is a strong rewards card, offering five different rewards structures, depending on your type of business, whether or not you bank with Brex and your commitment to pay your credit card statement daily or monthly. At a minimum, companies can earn 7 points per $1 on rideshare, 4 points per $1 on travel booked through Brex Travel, 3 points per $1 on restaurants, 2 points per $1 on recurring software and 1 point per $ on everything else. Software and life science companies have programs optimized specifically for them. You can also get more rewards if you choose to make daily payments. 

These points can be spent in a variety of ways, including for traditional redemption options like travel bookings or cash back, but also for more business-focused needs like paying for billboards or mental health therapy sessions for employees.

Brex offers a welcome bonus of 10,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening, but this is available only to Brex Cash customers who make daily card payments. This welcome offer could be higher if you come to Brex via a partner referral.

Beyond points, Brex offers credits and discounts valued at over $180,000 in annual savings across a number of vendors, including AWS, Quickbooks, UPS, Gusto, Slack, Vouch, Experian and Freshworks.

The credit limit for the Brex credit card is directly tied to the amount of cash your business has on hand in connected bank accounts. This means Brex is good for companies who have employees with company credit cards but the Brex card will have limited usefulness for  cash-strapped organizations. 

Pros

• Rewards tiers optimized for software and life science companies. For example, companies can earn 7 points per $1 on rideshare, 4 points per $1 on travel booked through Brex Travel, 3 points per $1 on restaurants, 2 points per $1 on recurring software and 1 point per $ on everything else.
• Flexible credit limit. Brex offers a flexible credit limit for the card, where the credit limit is directly tied to the amount of cash your business has on hand in connected bank accounts.
• Wide variety of Brex Point redemption options, including travel booking via Brex’s travel portal, statement credit, airline transfer partners, cryptocurrency, cash back, billboard purchases, offsite and event planning, executive coaching, mental health sessions for employees via Spring Health and gift cards.
• Rich credits and discounts valued at over $180,000 in annual savings across a number of vendors, including AWS, Quickbooks, UPS, Gusto, Slack, Vouch, Experian and Freshworks.

Cons

• Credit limit is tied to cash-on-hand, limiting the card’s usability for cash-strapped companies.
• Best rewards rates are reserved for customers who fully commit to Brex. Some rewards multipliers are only available to customers who also have a Brex Cash bank account and pay their credit card bill daily and for those which exclusively use the Brex credit card.
• Cannot be used to withdraw cash from ATMs.

Brex credit card rewards

Unlike most credit cards, Brex does not have a single rewards structure for all customers. When you apply you are automatically put into their Brex exclusive program. In this program you agree to only use the Brex credit card in your business. If you don’t agree to this you are ineligible to earn any rewards at all. 

Brex has their basic rewards program that is available to all customers but they have specially designed rewards for software and life science companies. 

You can also earn extra rewards if you make payments daily, rather than monthly. 

Rewards for software companies

Rewards for life sciences companies

Rewards for other types of companies

^{*Eligible Apple product purchases include Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods, Apple Certified Refurbished products, Apple accessories and Apple software.}

Brex credit card welcome bonus

Similar to the rewards structure, the Brex card also has multiple versions of a welcome bonus. By default, Brex does not offer a welcome bonus. However, if you make daily payments, you can earn 10,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. 

Brex also has a special bonus offer for customers that are referred to Brex by Maximizing Money: 30,000 points after spending $3,500, or 80,000 points after spending $9,000, on their Brex card within the first 30 days.

In addition to a welcome bonus, Brex also offers a referral bonus in the form of a $250 Amazon gift card for both you and the company you referred, after the referred company is approved and spends $1,000 on their Brex card.

Brex credit card rewards redemption options 

Brex offers a mix of point redemption options with an emphasis on travel and business spend categories. Brex states that the redemption value between these various options is only visible to customers as they go to spend points and the exchange value can change at any time, at Brex’s discretion.

As of the time of writing, the Brex Points redemption options include:

• Travel booking via Brex’s travel portal.
• Statement credit.
• Transfer points to miles. 
• Cryptocurrency.
• Cash back.
• Billboard purchases.
• Offsite and event planning.
• Executive coaching.
• Mental health sessions for employees, via Spring Health.
• Gift cards.

Brex allows business to transfer Brex rewards points for miles to a variety of airlines across the three major global airline alliances, Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance. These airlines include Emirates Skywards, Avianca LifeMiles, Singapore Airlines Krisflyer, Air France KLM Flying Blue, Aeromexico Club Premier, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and Qantas Frequent Flyer.

Brex credit card discounts and credits

Brex offers cardholders a wide variety of credits and discounts, with an estimated value over $180,000. These include:

• $5,000 AWS credit for eligible AWS Activate customers.
• 30% off your first 12 months of QuickBooks.
• 50% shipping discount at UPS.
• 50% discount for one year with Gusto.
• 25% discount for one year with eligible Slack paid plans.
• 25% discount on Vouch business insurance. Brex customers who use Vouch can also earn a 10,000 Brex Points bonus.
• 50% discount for one year of business credit monitoring with Experian. 

Brex credit card APR

Because Brex requires that all balances be paid off in full either daily or monthly, the Brex credit card does not charge an APR or interest rate.

To make that possible, Brex requires that all Brex card accounts be connected to a bank account, whether a Brex Cash account or an account with another bank. Via technology partners Plaid and Finicity, Brex can monitor cash levels in those bank accounts and adjust the Brex credit card’s credit limit automatically.

How the Brex credit card compares to other business cards 

Brex credit card vs. Ramp Business Card * The information for the Ramp Business Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Ramp is a direct competitor to Brex, in that both offer cards as part of a larger expense management, bill pay and accounting suite of products. Like Brex, Ramp requires cardholders to pay their balance in full every month. However the Ramp card has a significantly simpler rewards rate structure, offering 1.5% cash back on U.S. purchases.

The Brex card is also designed for larger companies, such as those with 50 or more employees and/or $1 million or more in annual revenue or those with significant cash flow from investors. Ramp may be accessible for businesses who aren’t that size but are still seeking a corporate card and integrated product suite over a traditional small business card.

Brex credit card vs. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express * The information for the The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

If you’re looking for a more traditional business credit card, consider The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express * The information for the The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. (terms apply). There’s no annual fee and the ongoing rewards are straightforward 2 Membership Rewards® points per $1 on everyday business purchases up to the first $50,000 spent per year, then 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. As a credit card, you do have the option to carry a balance. The card offers a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months, then a variable APR of 18.49% to 26.49% applies.

Brex credit card vs. Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card * The information for the Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.  

If your business needs to build up credit, a card like the Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card * The information for the Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. could fit the bill. It’s one of just a small handful of secured business cards, allowing your company to deposit funds with the bank to act as collateral against any spending on the credit card. There’s a minimum opening deposit requirement of $1,000, but in return the bank will monitor your account and you could graduate to an unsecured version with good payment behavior and have your deposit returned.  There’s no annual fee for this card and offers an ongoing rewards rate of 1.5% cash back on purchases – an excellent perk for a secured business card.

Should you get the Brex credit card?

The Brex credit card can be an excellent choice for well-funded businesses, especially those technology or life sciences companies. The Brex card offers rich rewards with a variety of relevant redemption options. Additionally, Brex offers significant cost savings for companies many businesses are likely to find useful, including AWS, Quickbooks, UPS, Gusto, Slack, Vouch, Experian and Freshworks.

But companies that don’t have strong balance sheets or don’t have big enough coffers to qualify aren’t likely to get approved. 

Brex credit card summary

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Which credit agencies does Brex report activity to?

Brex reports cardholder activity to Experian, Dun & Bradstreet and Equifax.

Does the Brex card have a credit limit?

Brex offers a flexible credit limit for the card, where the credit limit is directly tied to the amount of cash your business has on hand in connected bank accounts.

Is the Brex credit card a secured card?

The Brex card is not a secured card, rather it has a dynamic credit limit tied to your business’ cash on hand, Brex does not require any collateral deposits against credit card spending.

What airlines can I transfer my Brex Points to?

Brex allows business to transfer Brex rewards points for miles to a variety of airlines across the three major global airline alliances, Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance. These airlines include Emirates Skywards, Avianca LifeMiles, Singapore Airlines Krisflyer, Air France KLM Flying Blue, Aeromexico Club Premier, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and Qantas Frequent Flyer.