Compare business credit builder accounts & vendors to build credit
Written byGerri Detweiler
Summary
- Business credit builder accounts may help establish business credit profiles with major business bureaus, such as Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax.
- While the term “credit builder accounts” is most often associated with accounts that combine savings accounts with credit building, a variety of types of accounts can be used to build a business credit history.
- Net-30 vendor accounts offer one path, and usually require no personal credit check or personal guarantee.
- Business credit cards also offer valuable tradelines but may require personal credit checks and/or personal guarantees.
- Learn how to leverage various types of accounts to build a business credit history.
Compare business credit builder accounts overview
Vendor/account type | Type | Products | Submits to |
Savings account that builds credit | Establish both savings and credit at the same time | Equifax, Experian, PayNet, and SBFE | |
Net-30 | Branded apparel, custom embroidery | Creditsafe, Equifax | |
Coast to Coast Office Supply | Net-30 | Office supplies, electronics | Experian |
Net-30 | Digital marketing and website services | Creditsafe, Equifax | |
Net-30 | Office supplies and digital downloads | Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), SBFE |
Source: Nav
Business credit builder accounts by type
Here are more details on the types of accounts your business may use to build business credit.
Credit builder savings accounts
This is the classic credit builder account. You make payments toward a savings account and those payments are reported to credit bureaus. The money in the savings account is yours to keep, either when you meet the savings goal or close the account.
CreditStrong for Business (CS Business)
CreditStrong offers a 0% interest credit builder loan specifically designed for business credit building. Unlike traditional loans, you pay no interest while building payment history with a large bank.
Product: You pay a one-time fee and make monthly payments that go into an FDIC-insured savings account. These payments may be reported as a financial tradeline to business credit bureaus, helping you establish a payment history while your money accumulates in savings. You unlock the full savings amount when the loan term ends or you close your account.
This may create a large financial tradeline on multiple business credit reports, which can be very helpful for business credit building.
Terms: 25-month or 50-month payment plans
Reports to: Equifax, Experian, PayNet, and SBFE
Pro tip: If you want to build personal credit, MAGNUM is a CreditStrong product that reports to consumer credit bureaus.
Net-30 vendor accounts
Net-30 accounts often form the backbone of business credit building. These vendors extend payment terms allowing you to pay invoices 30 days after invoicing. Pay on time or early to establish a tradeline credit reference.
Get an extensive list of net-30 vendors that report to business credit here.
Branded Apparel Club
Branded Apparel Club provides wholesale custom apparel and promotional products with net-30 terms for businesses needing branded merchandise.
Products: Custom t-shirts, promotional apparel, corporate merchandise
Fees/minimum order: $69.99 annual membership fee. Minimum orders required.
Reports to: Creditsafe, Equifax
Coast to Coast Office Supply
Coast to Coast Office Supply was created specifically for business credit building, offering office products plus digital resources and credit building guidance.
Products: Office supplies, software downloads, business credit guidance
Fees/minimum order: No membership fees, no stated minimum order
Reports to: Experian Business (monthly reporting)
Crown Office Supply
Crown Office Supply caters to small businesses with minimal order requirements and straightforward approval processes.
What they offer: Office supplies, printing materials
Minimum order: $25
Submits to: SBFE
Creative Analytics
Creative Analytics is a full-service digital marketing agency with two net-30 credit building options for businesses looking to combine marketing needs with credit development.
What they offer: Digital marketing services, websites, business information products
Fees/minimum order: $79 annual fee for Purchasing Charge Account ($1000 credit limit), $49/month for Founder’s Plan (up to $5,000 credit limit
Reports to: Creditsafe, Equifax
Business cards
Business credit cards provide revolving credit that can help establish business credit when they report to business credit bureaus. Some cards report to the Small Business Financial Exchange (SBFE), which shares data with major bureaus.
Business credit cards from major issuers
Many business credit cards from issuers often report business credit activity to SBFE and directly to one or more business credit bureaus. Read Nav’s guide to which business credit bureaus can help you build business credit.
Many of these cards require personal guarantees, but most don’t report to personal credit unless you default.
What is a business credit builder account?
A business credit builder account is specifically designed to help establish or strengthen your business credit profile. These accounts focus on:
- Reporting to business credit bureaus rather than just personal credit bureaus
- Offering favorable terms to help businesses establish positive payment history
- Requiring minimal qualifications to help new businesses get started
- Providing clear payment terms that make it easy to build positive credit history
The most effective and accessible business credit builder accounts include net-30 vendor accounts, business credit cards that report to business credit bureaus, and credit builder savings accounts.
What to look for in credit builder options
Factor | Why it matters |
Reporting policies | Look for companies that report on-time payments on a regular basis; monthly rather than quarterly or infrequently can be helpful for building credit. (Some companies only report negative information.) |
Reports to multiple bureaus | Each bureau maintains separate files, so accounts to that report to multiple credit bureaus can maximize your credit building. |
No personal credit check or personal guarantee | Keep business and personal credit separate when possible. Newer businesses and those with lower revenues may need to rely on personal credit and/or personal guarantees. |
Products or services | Choose companies that offer products or services your business really needs and will order on a fairly regular basis. This allows you to maintain active accounts. |
Reasonable minimums | Low minimum orders make it easier to establish and maintain accounts without spending more than your business needs to. |
Industry reputation | Established vendors with good reputations are more likely to report consistently and accurately. |
Brief primer on business credit building
Just like you likely have personal credit reports and scores, your business can have its own business credit files and business credit scores. Strong business credit may open up more opportunities for small business loans and financing, business deals and partnerships, better rates on insurance, and access to more supplier credit.
You build your business credit profile similar to the way you build personal credit by getting credit accounts with companies that report your payments to business credit bureaus. Pay on time to help establish a strong business credit profile.
One of the challenges with building business credit is that not all companies that offer business financing report positive payments to business credit bureaus. And some report to just one or two of the major commercial credit bureaus (Dun & Bradstreet, Equifax, or Experian) rather than all three.
Small business loans and equipment financing may report to the Small Business Financial Exchange (SBFE) rather than directly to the credit bureaus. Some lenders may purchase credit reports with SBFE data, while others may not.
Business credit operates differently from personal credit. While personal credit scores range from 300-850, business credit scores use various scales depending on the bureau and scoring model. Here are a few examples:
Business Scoring Models | Score Range | Highest Possible Score |
D&B PAYDEX® Score | 1–100 | 100 |
D&B Failure Score® | 1,001–1,875 | 1875 |
Experian Intelliscore PlusSM | 1–100 | 100 |
Experian Intelliscore PlusSM V3 | 300–850 | 850 |
Equifax Business Delinquency ScoreTM | 101–662 | 662 |
Equifax OneScore for Commercial | 300–660 | 660 |
FICO® Small Business Scoring Service℠ (SBSS℠) | 0–300 | 300 |
Source: Nav.com
Will business credit builder accounts help your business?
Business credit builder accounts may impact your business's financial options when used strategically. Here's what they can help you achieve:
- Access to business loans without personal guarantees as your credit strengthens and your business grows
- Better payment terms with suppliers and vendors (net-30, net-60 or even longer)
- Lower interest rates on business financing
- Higher credit limits as your payment history develops
- Professional credibility with potential partners and customers who may check your business credit
However, success requires consistency. You need to make payments on time (or early when possible) and maintain accounts over time to see meaningful improvement in your business credit scores.
Timelines vary, but most businesses see initial credit scores within 3–6 months of establishing their first reporting tradelines. Building good credit typically takes 12–18 months of consistent payment history. Again, individual results will vary.