Divvy Business Card review: Regular payoffs pay off

Boasting a unique rewards program that gets you extra points when you pay off your bill more than once per month, the Divvy Business Card could be a solid rewards option for small-business owners who like to stay on top of their balances and are focused on using rewards for travel. Pay your charges off in full each week and the Divvy Business Card could prove one of the best business credit cards you can get for no annual fee, offering impressive rewards rates and several practical perks that make tracking spending and setting employee budgets a cinch.

That said, the card offers little payment flexibility as a charge card, its rewards rates will fall short if you’re only able to pay off your bill once per month and Divvy point values for non-travel redemptions are low. If you can consistently pay off your bill on a weekly basis, think the card’s bonus categories are a good match for your spending habits and plan to only redeem for travel, the Divvy Business card could offer impressive value. But that may be a few too many “ifs” for the average small-business owner.

Quick highlights

• Rewards rate: 2X-7X on restaurants, 2X-4X on hotels, 1.5X-2X on recurring software subscriptions and 1X-1.5X on all other purchases (based on how often you pay off your bill)
• Welcome offer: None
• Annual fee: $0
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A
• Regular APR: N/A (charge card)

Current welcome offer

Unlike many business rewards cards, the Divvy Business card does not offer a sign-up bonus. Several competing cards—including many with no annual fee—give new cardholders a chance to earn hundreds or even thousands of dollars’ worth of cash back, points or miles when they meet a spending threshold within a set timeframe. While sign-up bonuses shouldn’t necessarily be the deciding factor when you’re evaluating rewards card options, the value they offer can’t be ignored.

Rewards rate

By far the most unique aspect of the Divvy Business card is its rewards program, which is one of the only programs we’ve seen with rewards rates that shift based on your payoff schedule. While this could mean major rewards for small-business owners who can keep up with multiple payoffs each month, it will likely hold back many cardholders who lack the cash flow to pay off all card expenses on a weekly basis.

How you earn

If you can keep up with proactive weekly bill payments, the Divvy Business Card could be your ticket to some of the most generous rewards rates available on a business credit card, especially in the restaurant and hotel spending categories. But if you can only pay off your bill monthly or semi-monthly, then the card’s rates will prove much less impressive.

By paying your bill off in full on a weekly basis, you can earn 7 points per dollar on restaurant spending, 5 points per dollar on hotels, 2 points per dollar on recurring software subscriptions and 1.5 points per dollar on all other purchases. These may not be the most practical categories for every type of business, but if your business spends heavily on dining and hotel bookings, the Divvy Card offers some of the top rates out there, beating out the rates you’ll find on many of the best no-annual-fee business cards.

Even if you’re willing to put up an annual fee, 7 points per dollar at restaurants is almost unheard-of. For example, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, one of the few business cards that comes close, offers just 6 points per dollar at restaurants while charging a $95 annual fee. Plus, Hilton points are only worth an average of around 0.6 cents apiece according to Bankrate’s latest point valuations. While Divvy’s point values also leave a lot to be desired (more on this later), you’re at least guaranteed a 1-cent-per-point value when you redeem for travel booked directly with Divvy.

When paid off weekly, the card also stands out by offering more than 1 point per dollar back on general purchases—a rare sight among business rewards cards. Competing cards typically earn either a flat rewards rate of 1.5 or 2 points per dollar back on all spending (with no bonus categories) or higher rates in specific spending categories and a base rate of just 1 point per dollar on general purchases. Offering 1.5 points per dollar back on general spending in addition to higher rates in specific categories makes the Divvy Business Card much more viable as a standalone rewards card to cover all your expenses.

Even if you can’t manage to pay off your bill every week, you can still earn boosted rewards by paying semi-monthly. If you make more than one payment per month, you can earn 4 points per dollar on restaurants, 3 points per dollar on hotels, 1.75 points per dollar on recurring software subscriptions and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.

These rates, while not the highest you can find, are still impressive for a business card, especially one that doesn’t charge an annual fee. They’re in the same neighborhood as the American Express® Business Gold Card. Though that card comes with a $295 annual fee, it also includes far more perks to help justify the cost. This includes a welcome offer, airline bonus, and the ability to transfer your points, which could get you far more value than the Divvy card offers.

If you only pay your Divvy Business Card bill off monthly, the rates you earn are less impressive — just 2 points per dollar back on restaurant and hotel spending, 1.5 points per dollar on recurring software subscriptions and 1 point per dollar on all other spending. Several flat-rate business rewards cards earn 2 percent back on all purchases, not just on restaurant and hotel spending. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, for example, charges no annual fee, offers 2 points per dollar on up to $50,000 in purchases per year (1 point per dollar after that) and earns more valuable and flexible Membership Rewards points.

Overall, while the Divvy Business Card offers terrific rewards potential, you’ll need to pay your bill off at least semi-monthly—and ideally weekly—to enjoy noteworthy rewards. If such frequent bill payments sound impractical, you may want to consider a card that offers simpler, more consistent rewards, even if that means sacrificing a bit of rewards potential.

How you redeem

However frequently you pay your bill, your Divvy Business Card rewards redemption options remain the same. While not all redemptions will get you the same value for your points, the card offers decent variety, allowing you to opt for cash back, travel booked directly with Divvy, gift cards or statement credits. This is a fair list of redemption options, though not being able to transfer your points to partner airline or hotel loyalty programs is one clear shortcoming of Divvy’s rewards program. While you may need to put up an annual fee, several travel-centric business cards from issuers like American Express and Chase let you transfer your rewards to partners and potentially squeeze extra value out of them.

While the Divvy Business Card offers a decent selection of redemption options, the value you get out of redeeming your rewards leaves a lot to be desired. According to the issuer, your points could be worth as little as 0.49 apiece, depending on how you redeem. You’ll fare best if you stick to travel redemptions, as Divvy points are worth:

• 1 cent per point when redeemed for travel directly with Divvy
• 0.52 cents per point when redeemed for cash back
• 0.51 cents per point when redeemed for gift cards
• 0.49 cents per point when redeemed for a statement credit

A 1-cent-per-point value for travel redemptions is solid, but the steep drop-off in point value you’ll find for other redemptions is a clear downside to the Divvy Business Card. While many travel-centric rewards cards offer lower value for non-travel redemptions, 0.51 cents per point is especially low.

Membership Rewards points, for example, are worth up to 1 cent apiece (usually at least 0.7 cents apiece) when redeemed for a selection of gift cards and 0.6 cents apiece when redeemed as a statement credit. While that may not sound like a big difference, it can add up to hundreds of dollars: While 100,000 Divvy points would be worth just $510 in gift cards or $490 in statement credits, 100,000 Membership Rewards points would be worth up to $1,000 in gift cards and $600 in statements credits.

Even if travel redemptions are your goal, competing business cards may offer greater rewards value. Not only do many business travel cards let you transfer rewards to airline or hotel loyalty programs to potentially boost the value of your rewards (for example, a point worth 1 cent in an issuer’s program may be worth 1.5 cents after being transferred to a partner), but some, like the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, even offer bonus value when you redeem through the issuer’s travel portal.

That said, if you plan to pay off your bill every week to enjoy the card’s maximum rewards rate, limited redemption options or a lower redemption value may be a worthy tradeoff.

While the card lacks the flashier benefits you’ll find on higher-tier business rewards cards—like airport lounge access and travel credits—the Divvy Business Card boasts a respectable list of business-centric perks that could help you better track and allocate employee spending. These practical perks could be a big help when it comes to day-to-day business operations.

Valuable special offers

Along with its ongoing rewards, the Divvy Business Card offers a rotating slew of valuable perks and discounts for cardholders, including discounts on services like digital advertising, printing, ride sharing, food delivery and more. Among the many deals you’ll enjoy, here are some standouts:

• Up to $25,000 in Amazon Web Services (AWS) Activate Credit over two years (limited-time offer, see terms)
• $150 off Google Ads
• $50 off a new Costco membership
• $50 off a new phone with Verizon Wireless
• 25 percent off your first year subscription with Gusto
• $200 account credit with BambooHR
• 20 percent off your first year at over 600 coworking spaces through Deskpass

While these individual discounts may not be especially impressive, collectively they could add up to hundreds of dollars in savings, which may help make up for the card’s lack of a traditional sign-up bonus.

No personal guarantee or hard pull required

Unlike nearly all other business credit cards, the Divvy Business Card does not require a personal guarantee. This essentially means you won’t have to serve as a co-signer on the card account and be liable for the debts your small business incurs, as is the case with most competing cards. Indeed, Divvy doesn’t even conduct a hard credit inquiry when you apply. Instead, Divvy will perform a soft inquiry of the business and the authorized signer’s credit, which has no impact on your credit score.

Easily track and divvy up spending

The card also stands out for its comprehensive employee spend tracking tools. The card automatically integrates with Divvy expense management software, allowing you to quickly see purchases and set individual spending limits for each employee’s card. This makes it easy to create unique budgets based on each employee’s expenses and duties. If employees need extra funds, they can request them through the Divvy app and have their limit increased immediately upon your approval.

Free employee and virtual cards

All employee cards come at no additional cost, and you can create an unlimited number of virtual cards for online use. You can even make a limited-time “burner” card that expires after a few days or unique virtual cards for specific recurring purchases, such as digital advertising or utilities.

The Divvy Business Card keeps things simple with its fee structure: The card charges no annual fee and, since it’s a charge card, carries no ongoing APR and does not offer any introductory APR offers on new purchases or balance transfers. You’ll need to pay off your balance in full each month to keep your account in good standing. While this may help you avoid overspending, it also limits the card’s usefulness if you sometimes need to carry a balance. On the other hand, the card has a wide range of potential credit lines based on the size of your business, with Divvy advertising credit lines as high as $15 million.

Assuming you can keep up with weekly bill payments, the Divvy Business Card should earn rewards at an impressive rate — especially on restaurant and hotel spending — and makes sense as a standalone rewards card. But the card’s rates fall short if you’re only paying once per month. Consider these alternatives, which offer more straightforward rewards programs:

Divvy Business Card vs. Brex 30 Card

Like the Divvy Business Card, the Brex 30 Card is a charge card that doesn’t require a personal guarantee, comes with no annual fee and offers a terrific mix of bonus rewards categories. The card also stands out for its valuable perks, including discounts and hundreds of dollars in credits for popular business expenses like digital advertising and web services.

Divvy Business Card vs. Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card

Another business charge card, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card not only offers terrific ongoing value via its flat-rate cash back program, but also carries several lucrative perks. Though it carries a high annual fee, one of the card’s key annual benefits — a $200 cash bonus every year you charge $200,000 or more to the card — can make up for its annual fee on its own, making it a smart choice for businesses with a lot of expenses.

Best cards to pair with the Divvy Business card

Since the Divvy Business Card is a charge card and doesn’t allow you to carry a balance, it won’t be helpful if you need room to pay off expenses over time. If you could also benefit from the ability to temporarily carry a balance at 0 percent as you finance large purchases or free up cash flow, a business card that offers a 0 percent introductory APR on purchases could be a great supplement to the Divvy Business Card. You may even be able to find a card that not only offers an introductory APR but also a rewards program that complements the Divvy Business Card’s.

The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, for example, offers one of the longest introductory periods available on a business rewards card — 0 percent for the first 12 months on purchases (17.99 percent to 23.99 percent variable APR thereafter) — as well as an impressive 5 percent cash back on the first $25,000 you spend in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year. You’ll also get 2 percent cash back on the first $25,000 you spend in combined purchases at gas stations each account anniversary year, a solid everyday supplement to the Divvy Business Card’s rewards program.

If you don’t mind paying off your bill multiple times per month (ideally weekly), then the Divvy Business Card could be a terrific way to earn rewards on some of your everyday business expenses. However, weekly bill payments may be too much for the average small-business owner to keep up with, in which case the Divvy Business Card’s rewards rates will likely fall flat.