How To Apply for a Chase Business Credit Card: Requirements + Tips

I’m a freelancer, and in an effort to organize my expenses, I decided to apply for a Chase business credit card (specifically, the United℠ Business Card). This was my first time applying for a business card, and while the process was a little more in-depth than applying for a personal credit card, it was still simple. The biggest difference was a longer approval time.

Applying for a Chase business credit card is nearly the same as applying for any other card. And any type of business — whether you’re a freelance writer or flower shop owner — can qualify for business credit cards with this issuer. Learn more about how to get a Chase business card and what information you’ll need, and get tips for applying (or asking for reconsideration).

Chase business credit card requirements

You can apply for Chase business credit cards online in a few minutes by filling out an application (which is what I did).

Chase business credit card applications are often split into two parts: one for personal information and one for business information. If you want to give your employees cards as well, you’ll need some of their personal information, too.

Personal information

Chase will ask for the following personal information on your application:

• Authorizing officer title (your position in the business)
• First and last name
• Date of birth
• Mother’s maiden name
• Social Security number (SSN) or individual tax ID number (ITIN)
• Address
• Email address and phone number
• Total gross annual income (what you earn before taxes, benefits, and other deductions)

Business information

You’ll also need to provide information about your business, such as:

• Legal business structure (whether it’s a corporation, LLC, non-profit, partnership, or sole proprietorship)
• Includes business category, business type, and business sub-type
• Business legal name and desired name on your credit card
• Whether your business uses another name, such as a trade name, assumed name, or doing business as (DBA)
• Business tax ID (can be an Employer Identification number, SSN, or ITIN)
• Whether your business’ physical address is the same as your address
• Number of employees and business phone number
• Business’ established date and annual revenue
• Estimated monthly business spend (i.e., the amount you would charge on your card each month)

Employee information

You can also add employee cards during the online application process, an option available for many business cards. If you choose to add employee cards, you’ll need to provide the following information for each employee:

• First and last name
• Address
• SSN or ITIN

How to fill out a Chase business card application

Once you have the necessary information, you can complete your business credit card application. Here’s what the process looks like from start to finish:

1. Fill out your personal information. This includes your first and last name, birth date, and mother’s maiden name. You’ll also provide your Social Security number or individual tax ID number, address, email address, and phone number.
2. Enter your total gross annual income. This is your personal income before taxes and deductions. Don’t include your total business revenue here — you’ll fill that out in the next step.
3. Enter your business information. Start by selecting your legal business structure, entering your legal business name, and typing in your Employer Identification number, Social Security number, or individual tax ID number. Fill in your number of employees, business phone number, business established date, and annual business revenue. You also need to select your business category, business type, and business sub-type.
4. Think about your monthly spending. Chase asks how much you think you’ll spend on your card each month. This is just an estimate, so don’t worry if you only have a ballpark guess (though we’ll always recommend tracking your spending to budget better).
5. Add employee cards (optional). You can add up to five employees to your account with Chase, free of charge. You just need to enter their personal information.
6. Agree to the terms and conditions. After reading the fine print, confirm your acceptance and submit your application.

What businesses can apply for Chase business cards?

Any legitimate business owner can apply for business credit cards — even if you don’t have an established business structure. For example, I’m just a sole proprietor and still got approved.

Here are some examples of businesses that can apply for a Chase business card:

• Corporations
• Freelancers or independent contractors
• Gig workers
• LLCs
• Partnerships
• Self-employed business owners
• Sole proprietors

To sum up

As long as you’re engaging in an activity that generates business income, you can apply for a Chase business credit card. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll get approved.

How many Chase business credit cards can you apply for?

There’s no official limit on how many Chase business cards you can have. In general, Chase tends to limit you to a certain amount of overall credit rather than a number of credit cards.

Chase business cards follow the unofficial Chase 5/24 rule. This rule means you likely won’t be approved for a Chase business or consumer credit card if you’ve opened five or more credit cards from any card issuer in the past 24 months. In addition, you might not qualify for more than one Chase business credit card in a 30-day period, which is another unofficial rule.

A best practice is to space out your applications, often a few months at a time, to be on the safe side. Compare Chase business cards carefully to decide which one to apply for first.

Chase business card application tips

Here are a few tips I can share for applying for a business card with Chase.

1. Call Chase for an update on your application

Many Chase business card applications aren’t instantly approved and require a review process. It took 10 days for me to hear back about my approval.

If you’re getting antsy, there’s a phone number you can call to check on your Chase card application status. Call 1-888-338-2586 to see where Chase is in the process.

2. Apply far ahead of any large purchases

Because it can take Chase up to 14 days to approve an application, you’ll want to apply at least a month in advance of any big business purchases you have planned. This gives Chase enough time to approve your application and send you your new card.

3. Don’t fret about adding employee cards now

Chase asks you during the application if you want to add on any employee cards, but this won’t be your only chance to do so.

Once Chase approves your application, you can easily go into your account and add an employee card at any time. So, if you need more time to gather employee information or decide who should have access to your business’s line of credit, you can apply now and decide later.

What to do if you’re denied

If you’ve received a notice that your Chase business credit card application was denied, consider calling the Chase reconsideration line. This special department can reconsider your application and potentially approve it.

The phone number for the Chase reconsideration line is 1-888-270-2127.

Remember

There’s no guarantee you’ll be approved for a Chase business credit card because you call the Chase reconsideration line. But there’s no harm in trying, so it’s worth putting in a little time and effort.

Steps for calling the Chase reconsideration line

1. Review why you were denied. Chase will send you a letter or other notification with details about your denial. For example, you might have too much credit with Chase or too many recent credit inquiries. Formulate an argument for why you still deserve a credit card — like you’ve always made your credit card payments on time or your business has just seen a significant, sustainable jump in income.
2. Get your facts in order. Have your estimated monthly spending, annual revenue, and other details a Chase representative might ask about all memorized or written out. This way, you’ll sound confident and knowledgeable on the call.
3. Check your credit. If your denial had something to do with your credit, it’s worth looking into your credit reports to know more about the issue. For example, you could check how many recent inquiries you have on your file. Always look for errors in your credit report, and make sure Chase didn’t use incorrect information when considering your application.
4. Make the call. Be as friendly and polite as possible while steering the conversation to the reasons you believe should get you approved. Sometimes, you might find an easy solution to help get your approval, such as moving credit around between some of your existing Chase credit cards. If you feel a representative is being difficult or unfair, consider calling again and talking to someone else.

Keep in mind

Many credit card issuers other than Chase have reconsideration lines for credit card applications as well. It doesn’t hurt to check for a reconsideration line if you’ve been denied a credit card, whether with American Express, Capital One, or another issuer.

FAQs

What is the easiest Chase business card to get?

Most Chase business credit cards require at least a good credit score. Based on your credit score alone, your chances of qualifying for a Chase business credit card should be more or less similar, regardless of the card you choose.

Does Chase perform a hard inquiry for business credit cards?

Yes, Chase performs hard inquiries for business credit cards. These are hard inquiries or pulls of your credit history that appear on your personal credit report. Chase's hard inquiries can be with Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion, the three major credit bureaus.

What credit score do you need for a Chase business credit card?

Most business credit cards from Chase require a good credit score, which is at least 670 on the FICO credit score model. Keep in mind that several other factors come into play when Chase considers your eligibility for its business credit cards, and having a certain credit score does not guarantee approval.

Bottom line

The initial process for applying for a Chase business credit card is simple, as you don’t typically have to do more than fill out an online application form. If you’re instantly approved, that’s all there is to it.

But if you’re not immediately approved or you get denied, you might have to call the Chase reconsideration line to see if you need to provide more information. Taking this route might eventually get you approved, but there is no real guarantee this will happen.

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