Ramp Corporate Card
No-annual-fee corporate charge card with no personal guarantee, 30-day pay-in-full, variable 0–1.5% cashback set by Ramp, unlimited employee/virtual cards, and expense software bundled
Local/Regional Credit Union Business Cards
Membership-gated, usually $0-annual-fee revolving business card with low-to-mid APR and simple 0–1.5% cash back or 1x points — not a premium travel or startup charge card
Costs & Pricing
| Metric | Ramp Corporate Card | Local/Regional Credit Union Business Cards |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $0 on the card. Platform software is separate: Free $0/user/mo; Plus $15/user/mo + unpublished platform fee by team size (20% off annual); Enterprise custom. | CATEGORY: Often $0; some charge $15–$25 waived with spend — confirm Schumer, not marketing. EXAMPLE A BECU Low Rate and Cash Back: None (rates PDF 1 Sep 2026). EXAMPLE B NFCU GO BIZ: None. |
| Employee card fee | $0; unlimited physical and virtual cards | CATEGORY: Usually $0; some premium tiers charge per extra card after N cards. EXAMPLE A BECU: not disclosed as a dollar fee; employee cards offered with spend-limit controls. EXAMPLE B NFCU: offered; dollar fee not disclosed publicly. |
| Purchase APR | N/A — charge card; no revolving APR published. Marketing “0%” is 30-day statement float, not an intro APR. | CATEGORY: Variable, Prime + margin, often ~11%–29%. EXAMPLE A BECU Low Rate: 14.49%–26.49% variable (WSJ Prime + 7.74%–22.24%), rates PDF 1 Sep 2026. EXAMPLE A Cash Back: 16.99%–28.99% variable (same Prime + margin method). EXAMPLE B NFCU: 16.65%–18.00% variable as of 1 Jul 2026 product footnote; will not exceed 18.00% (agreement); adjusted quarterly off Prime. FAQ also printed 16.90%–18.00% as of 1 Dec 2025 — use 1 Jul 2026 footnote unless a newer PDF is issued. Illustrative: CU1 (AK) 10.25% (Prime + 3.50%) as of 3 Apr 2026; SDCCU 11.74% (Prime + 4.99%, floor 9.99%) effective 30 May 2026. |
| Intro APR (purchases) | Not offered (no APR product) | CATEGORY: Common on some local CUs (6 months typical); not universal. EXAMPLE A BECU: not offered. EXAMPLE B NFCU GO BIZ: not offered. |
| Foreign transaction fee | No separate FTF line. International charges that clear in a non-settlement currency: Visa conversion + markup not exceeding 3%. Local-currency cards on Enterprise / Canada can avoid conversion if spend matches card currency. | CATEGORY: Split — many advertise $0; others 1–3%. Official rates table wins. EXAMPLE A BECU: None (rates PDF). EXAMPLE B NFCU: None. Illustrative SDCCU: 3%. |
| Late payment fee | Official: none on the card product. Auto-pay of the full statement is required; failed debit is the operational penalty (possible lock, limit cut, account action). | CATEGORY: Often $20–$35. EXAMPLE A BECU: $25. EXAMPLE B NFCU: $20 if min payment missed (can assess each month past due). Illustrative CU1: $30; SDCCU: $25. |
Rewards & Value
| Metric | Ramp Corporate Card | Local/Regional Credit Union Business Cards |
|---|---|---|
| Base earn rate | Rate determined by Ramp on Qualified Purchases (Rewards Terms, 15 Jul 2026). Public/spokesperson range 0%–1.5% assigned per customer. Do not treat 1.5% as guaranteed. Canada cards are a separate fixed 1% (out of scope). | CATEGORY: Most CU business cards are flat 1%–1.5% cash back or 1 point per $1 (≈1¢). Category bonuses uncommon. EXAMPLE A BECU Low Rate: no rewards (APR positioning). EXAMPLE A Cash Back: 1.5% on qualified purchases, no category caps. EXAMPLE B NFCU GO BIZ: 1X = 1 point per $1 eligible purchases; unlimited; no category bonuses; cash redemption 1¢/point (= 1%). |
| Welcome bonus | Not disclosed on official corporate-card or pricing pages (3 Sep 2026). Third-party listings conflict: NerdWallet 15 Jun 2026 — $1,000 Ramp card on approval, no min spend, one per new customer; older reviews $500. Treat live offer as Unclear — confirm on application. | CATEGORY: Modest ($100–$300 or 2,500–25,000 points) or none. EXAMPLE A BECU Cash Back (time-limited): $300 statement credit after $3,000 qualifying purchases in first 3 months; offer now through 30 September 2026. Not available to current cardholders of this card; prior holders who received this bonus in last 12 months; current Business Credit Card holders who switch to Cash Back; anyone who opened a different Business Cash Back account in previous 12 months. EXAMPLE A Low Rate: no published welcome bonus. EXAMPLE B NFCU GO BIZ: none on current public page as of 3 Sep 2026. Do not import Cash Preferred / consumer GO REWARDS bonuses. |
| Redemption value | Cash/statement path is 1¢ per 1% only to the extent Ramp assigned that earn rate. Transfers are not 1:1. Cashback is not automatic unless auto-applied to Plus/Bill Pay fees. | CATEGORY: Statement credit (auto monthly/quarterly) or points catalog; transfer partners generally not offered. EXAMPLE A Cash Back: accrued cash automatically credited to statement each month; no portal / transfer partners. EXAMPLE B NFCU: every 1 point worth $0.01 when redeemed for cash; catalog illustrations exist — treat cash at 1¢ as contractual floor. Visa SavingsEdge on Visa GO BIZ is a merchant-discount program, not card earn rate. |
| Transfer partners | Not listed in current Rewards Terms. Historical 2024 in-product list (verify in-dashboard): Aeromexico, Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways, Etihad Guest, Marriott Bonvoy, Qantas, Qatar Privilege Club, TAP Miles&Go, Wyndham — commonly 1.5 Ramp points : 1 partner unit. Min historically 100 partner points (150 Ramp). Irreversible; name must match an authorized admin. | Generally not offered on CU business cards. Do not import consumer Flagship / GO REWARDS transfer or lounge perks onto GO BIZ. |
Credit & Eligibility
| Metric | Ramp Corporate Card | Local/Regional Credit Union Business Cards |
|---|---|---|
| Personal guarantee | Not required. Official: “Ramp does not require founders to personally guarantee your expenses.” Corporate liability. | CATEGORY: Typical Yes. EXAMPLE B NFCU: Yes, we require personal guarantees for all business lending products; guarantor must be an NFCU member. EXAMPLE A BECU: not disclosed on product/eligibility pages — Unclear, read signed agreement; CU lending almost always includes owner liability. |
| Credit check | Official: no personal credit check; no impact to personal credit score. Last 4 of SSN (or foreign passport) of one officer is KYC, plus selfie/ID if stepped up — not a published hard pull. | CATEGORY: Hard pull on owners/guarantors is standard. EXAMPLE B NFCU: Experian on owners and/or guarantors; business credit potentially including the credit profiles of the business. EXAMPLE A BECU: subject to membership and credit approval; hard vs soft not disclosed for the card (do not import consumer membership soft-pull language). |
| Employee cards | Unlimited physical and virtual; company liable. Spend controls: amount, frequency, category block/allow, merchant lock. Apple Pay / Google Pay; 3DS. USD physical cards: no PIN. | CATEGORY: Common with per-card limits; not Ramp-class software. EXAMPLE A BECU: yes; individual spending limits; number allowed not disclosed. EXAMPLE B NFCU: yes; count/fee/controls beyond multiple cardholders not fully disclosed; one GO BIZ per business membership, up to 2 total if multiple business memberships. |
| Product type | Corporate / commercial charge card plus spend-management platform (pay-in-full; not revolving; no published APR) | CATEGORY: Revolving business credit cards. Not charge cards. Not NPSL commercial charge products. Not spend-management platforms. EXAMPLE A: BECU Business Low Rate Credit Card and BECU Business Cash Back Credit Card (two named variants). EXAMPLE B: GO BIZ® Rewards Credit Card (one product, Visa or Mastercard plastic). |
Pros & Cons
Ramp Corporate Card
Pros
- $0 card AF and $0 extra-card fees with unlimited virtual/physical cards
- No personal guarantee and no personal credit check (official); corporate liability
- Native controls, receipt capture, and accounting sync — the software is the product
- 30-day interest-free float if auto-pay succeeds
- Visa Signature purchase security, extended warranty, and rental CDW on USD cards
Cons
- Cashback rate is not a published guarantee (0–1.5%, Ramp-determined); foreign/non-USD spend excluded from Qualified Purchases
- Must pay in full; cannot revolve or balance-transfer
- Sole props ineligible; $25k cash + real U.S. address bar
- FX markup up to 3% despite “no FTF” marketing; Plus platform fee and 2026 Bill Pay per-item fees can erase “free”
- Limit can move with linked cash; missed debit is operationally harsh
Local/Regional Credit Union Business Cards
Pros
- Annual fee is frequently $0 (BECU, NFCU, CU1, many others)
- APR can undercut big-bank business cards when the CU posts Prime + a small margin (CU1 10.25% as of 3 Apr 2026; BECU Low Rate from 14.49% as of 1 Sep 2026; NFCU capped at 18%)
- FTF often $0 (BECU, NFCU; not universal — SDCCU 3%)
- Employee cards with per-user limits without per-card annual fees (BECU, NFCU)
- Visa/Mastercard Business insurance package on BECU’s posted guide; relationship model — membership + deposits can be the real product
Cons
- Field of membership is a hard gate (BECU geo/association; NFCU military/DoD + all owners must be members)
- Rewards are simple and low vs national business cards (1–1.5%; no transfer partners)
- Limits are modest (NFCU $5k–$25k official; others often unpublished and relationship-sized)
- Personal guarantee is the CU default (NFCU explicit); public Schumer data is uneven — BECU marketing vs PDF conflicts on overlimit and penalty APR
- Expense-ops tooling (virtual cards, QBO-native codes, approvals) is absent
Verdict
Ramp Corporate Card
Ramp is a charge-card ops platform, not a 1.5% bank card and not Brex’s sibling SKU. Official no-PG / no personal pull plus unlimited virtual cards is the reason to pick it. Do not assume 1.5% cashback, a public welcome bonus, or true $0 FX. Sole props, revolvers, and rate-guarantee shoppers should use a traditional PG cash card instead. Plus seats and Bill Pay rails are software costs, not a card annual fee.
Local/Regional Credit Union Business Cards
This is a CATEGORY PATTERN, not one SKU. EXAMPLE A BECU splits Low Rate (revolve) vs Cash Back (1.5% + $300 through 30 Sep 2026 if paid in full). EXAMPLE B NFCU GO BIZ is a members-only 1% points card capped at $25k with an 18% APR ceiling and explicit PG. Do not average CU terms into a national figure; collect each CU’s Schumer, FOM, PG sentence, and rewards PDF. Poor fit without FOM access or if you need Ink/Amex earn, NPSL limits, or Ramp-class ops.