Last Chance to Earn 100,000 Points With the Brex Corporate Card
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Update: Apply for the Brex Corporate Card for Startups through our official application link to earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 with Brex and start taking advantage of Brex's new partnership with JetBlue.
The Brex Corporate Card for Startups made some waves earlier this year when the company announced the addition of transfer partners to its rewards program, plus a limited-time offer exclusively for TPG readers. New cardholders who pass Brex's competitive application process can earn 100,000 points after spending just $1,000 on the card within the first three months. Now is your last chance to take advantage of that offer — it ends August 31.
With Brex's revamped rewards program, TPG values points at 1.7 cents each. That makes this sign-up bonus worth a very generous $1,700. The $1,000 spending requirement is easy to hit and the card comes with no annual fee, making this offer a no-brainer for businesses that qualify.
Beyond the sign-up bonus, the Brex Exclusive Rewards Program offers a solid rewards structure:
- 7x on ride-shares, including Uber, Lyft, taxis, scooters and more
- 4x on travel booked through the Brex travel portal
- 3x on restaurants
- 2x on recurring software subscriptions
- 1x on everything else
The fact that there is no cap on bonus-category earning (most small business cards cap bonus rewards at around $150,000 in spend per year) is a nice perk, but the rewards structure does come with an important caveat. In order to qualify for these bonus categories, Brex has to be your exclusive card. What exactly does that mean? Good question. Brex's website doesn't offer details on how they define exclusivity, not even in the FAQ or Terms and Conditions.
Want to learn more about the Brex Card? Check out our full card review.
Other Things to Consider Before Applying for Brex
And there are a few other things to think about before hitting that "apply" button. This is a corporate card geared toward startups and Brex has been selective in their application approval process. Your business has to be a non-individual liability company, such as an LLC, LLP, C-corp or S-corp. Brex acts as the underwriter on the card, which is great for large corporations and startups but not ideal for small-business owners without an employer identification number (EIN). You also have to show that you have at least $100,000 in a business bank account. That automatically knocks a lot of businesses out of the running for the card.
Even some who hit both of those qualifications have been turned down for the card. A few TPG readers have reported that Brex is being selective about the types of businesses it approves — some businesses, such as a restaurant that otherwise meets the qualifications, have reportedly been denied the card. Brex has been choosey and that's something to consider if you're on the fence about applying.
Bottom Line
Brex is certainly living up to the "exclusive" in their Brex Exclusive Rewards program, but those who are approved will get a lot of their cardmembership. The Brex Card is not for everyone. The requirements for approval are strict and the hoops a business must jump through in order to enjoy the Brex card's features will turn off a lot of potential cardholders. However, startups that fit into Brex's criteria should seriously consider applying.
This 100,000-point offer is only available for TPG readers through an exclusive link and you can only receive the bonus if you apply before the limited-time offer ends on Jan. 1, 2020. A $1,700 sign-up bonus is rare — especially for a card with no annual fee and a rewards structure as potentially lucrative as the Brex Corporate Card for Startups. If you're confident that this card will help your business thrive, I would argue that the hoops you may have to jump through for approval are well worth the thousands of dollars in value that you'll get from adding this card to your business' wallet.