Revenued Business Card review: An expensive option for business owners with subpar credit

The biggest difference between the Revenued Business Card's Flex Line and a traditional interest rate is how repayment is determined. A factor rate is different from an interest rate and is presented to cardholders as a decimal rather than a percentage. Rates typically range between 1.1 and 1.5, which is essentially a 10% to 50% charge for access to funds. For example, if you make a $5,000 purchase with a factor rate of 1.1, then you’ll owe $5,000, plus $500 in finance charges over a repayment term set by Revenued (typically 4-18 months). 

The following tables show how much interest or financing fees you’d face if you paid off a $1,000 balance on a credit card with an APR around the national average of 20% (based on Bankrate’s credit card payoff calculator), on a credit card at a 35% interest rate (as is common for poor or fair credit business cards), or on the Revenued Business Card + Flex Line.

As you can see, the option that will be most affordable for you depends on a number of different factors, including the business credit card interest rates you can qualify for, the length of time you’ll need for repayment, and the factor rate you qualify for with Revenued. 

For example, if you need to make a $1,000 purchase, qualify for a card with a 20% APR and can pay your balance within three months, you’ll pay less in interest than you would with Revenued’s lowest factor rate. However, if you can only qualify for a business card with a 35% APR and need to carry a $1,000 balance for more than a year, Revenued may be more affordable, depending on your factor rate.

The Revenued Business Card + Flex Line could be a way for business owners — especially those with limited or damaged personal credit — to separate their business spending from their personal spending. The card’s simple application process may also allow you to access these funds sooner than with other cards.

Benefits: Quick application process and no hard inquiry

Once your Revenued Business Card + Flex Line application is reviewed, you’ll get an approval decision within an hour. You also aren’t required to move forward with opening an account until you see your spending limit and factor rate — a rare perk among credit cards. 

Since your funding decision is based on revenue and cash flow — not your credit score — the Revenued Business Card + Flex Line can also be a good choice for cardholders with a limited or less-than-ideal credit history. And because the Revenued application does not require a hard credit inquiry, your credit score won’t drop temporarily, as it would if you applied for a typical business card.

Credit limit: Spending limit increases with your revenue

How much funding you’re eligible for is based on your current business savings, income, cash flow and debt, so your spending line evolves with them. This means as your business grows, so too will your Flex Line.

This can be helpful for business owners who are seeing rapid growth and continuously need more funding for their operations, but may not qualify for a large business loan or credit limit on a traditional credit card.

One of this card’s best traits is its low entry barrier when it comes to your credit score — a big perk if you have fair credit or limited credit history and need access to business funding. However, beyond this convenience, there are few perks on this card.

Rates: Flex Line can be expensive to use

On the surface, the card can seem pretty affordable. There’s no annual fee for this card, making it an accessible option for business owners who don’t have a lump sum of cash to tie up in fees. The Revenued Business Card also doesn’t come with a definitive APR since it is factor-based, so you don't have to worry about compounding interest charges. 

However, to use your Flex Line, you’ll have to pay finance charges based on your factor rate, and funds are automatically deducted from your account based on your rate and payback term. You’ll also face fees if you don’t have enough money in your account or if your payment bounces ($35 for each day it’s assessed). Depending on the factor rate you qualify for, this option can be more expensive overall than traditional business credit cards.

Repayment terms: Can get you in trouble

Revenued’s Business Card and Flex Line share some common features with merchant cash advances (MCAs), a type of business financing where lenders provide a lump sum in exchange for a cut of your business’s future sales.

MCAs are notorious for their aggressive daily or weekly repayment schedules, which automatically deduct repayments until the principal and finance charges are repaid — and Revenued can work the same way, depending on the specific repayment terms set at the time of financing.

Frequent repayments can make it difficult for business owners to manage their cash flow and make needed purchases from incoming revenue. This, in turn, can lead to a cycle of dependence on business financing that can prove costly — even devastating — over time.

Benefits: Scarce for a business card

While the Revenued Business Card has some positive benefits for beginners, the long-term value is limited. Most of the card’s benefits are centered around the application and the Flex Line feature, along with the standard online dashboard and 24/7 customer service. 

For business owners building their credit, this could be enough. However, for those looking for a card that includes better benefits, this card can be severely lacking. If you have good to excellent credit, it may be better to look at cards that offer business product discounts or travel credits. 

It might be a good idea to pair this card with a no-annual-fee card that also earns rewards on purchases. While the Revenued Business card can help you access funding with a damaged or limited credit history, it’s not the most practical long-term credit-building option since you can’t avoid finance charges. A no-annual-fee card may prove less expensive and more efficient at building credit over time.

It’s hard to compare the Revenued Business Card + Flex Line because of its unique funding and payback structure, and because it shares very few features with traditional business cards. 

If you’re looking for a new business card, and you have fair or average credit, the Revenued Business Card + Flex Line may be one of your only options. But if you’re close to a good credit score, consider these alternatives:

Our proprietary card rating system takes into account a mix of factors when scoring business credit cards, including each card’s rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, APR, fees, perks and more.

We analyzed over 50 of the most popular business credit cards and scored each based on how its key features stacked up compared to those of other cards in its category.

Here are some of the key factors that gave this card its score: