Many business owners today use credit cards to fund their businesses. You may have heard of aspiring entrepreneurs and filmmakers who bravely maxed out on their credit cards to execute their ideas. Although there’s nothing wrong with using business credit cards, relying on them as the only means of financing your business poses a great risk. In this article, let’s discuss the necessary precautions that you should consider before obtaining business credit cards.
Credit Cards for Business – The Consequences
Overspending. What are the consequences of using business credit cards? First, there is the tendency to overspend. Since it’s so easy to charge purchases on a credit card, a business owner may not immediately realize that he has already been maxing out on his credit line to shoulder business expenses. There may be times when even personal expenses are also charged to your business credit card. By the time your billing statement arrives, you may be surprised to find out how big the charges are on your account.
High costs. Overspending or maximizing credit brings forth another complication. Because the charges are too high, you may not have enough cash to pay off your monthly balance in full. Instead, you may be forced to pay only the minimum due. Why is this risky? Don’t forget that each time you carry over your balance unto the next billing cycle, you also incur high interest rates on your account. This is the reason why many business credit card holders are facing huge credit card debts.
The wrong credit card. Another challenge that business owners face is choosing a business credit card that matches their needs and spending. Choosing the right card is crucial especially when it comes to credit cards that offer rewards. It’s so easy to get enticed by low interest rates and big rewards but if the program doesn’t suit your business, you may find that you’re not really getting the incentives you expected.
Jeopardize your business credit. It is true that business credit cards can be tools for building a separate credit history for your company. However, this depends on how well you use your business credit card. For instance, if you’re often late in submitting your payments or if you’re in the habit of maximizing on your credit limit, you may doing more damage than good to your business credit.
The effect on your personal credit. Unless, you’ve already established your business credit, your personal credit history will also be affected with the way you handle your business credit card. As the owner of the business, you have the responsibility and obligation to pay for all charges reflected on your business account. This means, late payments on your business credit card will also pull down your personal credit score and affect your credit worthiness.
Use Your Business Credit Card Responsibly
Clearly, your success for using business credit cards in financing your business greatly depends on how well you take on your responsibilities as a card holder. Needless to say, credit cards can assist you with your business spending but it’s still important to seek traditional ways of business financing to reduce the risks.
