American Express Business Line of Credit Review 2026

Amex underwrites the Business Line of Credit primarily through your bank-account history or connected accounting software (QuickBooks, Wave, Xero). Rather than requiring a traditional loan package, you link your business bank account and Amex's system analyzes cash-flow patterns to determine your credit limit. This data-driven process typically produces a faster decision than a traditional bank LOC application.

The Business Line of Credit is a revolving working-capital product with limits up to $250K — you draw funds, repay, and re-draw as needed. A business credit card offers a similar revolving structure but is primarily designed for point-of-sale purchases and has its own rewards and expense-management features. The LOC is designed for cash flow needs (payroll, inventory, vendor payments) rather than daily purchases. The two products serve complementary use cases.

A revolving line of credit means you are approved once for a credit limit and can draw any amount up to that limit, repay it, and borrow again — the limit refreshes as you repay. This is different from a term loan where you receive a lump sum and repay on a fixed schedule. For small businesses, a revolving LOC is useful for smoothing variable expenses: draw when cash flow is tight, repay when receivables clear.

The Amex Business Line of Credit is generally not designed for day-zero startups. It typically requires at least 1 year of operating history with documented revenue, because the bank-feed underwriting needs real cash-flow data to set a limit. Businesses with under 1 year of history may be better served by a secured business credit card, a CDFI microloan, or an SBA Microloan program while building operating history.

Before applying, compare the effective cost (monthly fee or draw fee expressed as APR) against your bank's business LOC rate, an SBA CAPLine, and alternative platform LOCs (OnDeck, Fundbox). The Amex LOC is a non-bank product, so its cost is typically higher than a bank LOC but lower than many short-term MCA products. Use the factor-rate-to-APR converter on this page to put all options on the same basis before deciding.