Ramp, Brex, Amex: Best Business Credit Cards for Private Healthcare & MedSpa Practices
Opening a private healthcare practice or medspa means you're managing a lot, from patient care to payroll. Your business credit card is a key tool for managing costs like EMR software, medical supplies, and equipment. The right card does more than offer rewards; it helps build your practice's financial standing, keeps your business and personal spending separate, and gives you clear control over expenses for your team. Picking the wrong card can link your personal credit to your practice's purchases for years. This guide helps you choose the best card for your clinic's needs.
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The Quick Answer
Ramp is best for established private practices and medspas with consistent patient revenue who want simple 1.5% cashback and powerful tools to track spending on things like EMR subscriptions, injectables, or medical supplies. No annual fee.
Brex is ideal for growing medspas or functional medicine practices that have secured outside funding or have strong cash reserves for future growth (e.g., expanding to a new location, buying advanced laser equipment). It offers corporate cards with no personal guarantee, limits tied to your bank balance, and rewards.
Amex Business is suited for private practice owners with excellent personal credit who spend heavily on specific categories like medical conferences, travel for specialized training, or online advertising for new patients. It offers premium rewards, but requires a personal guarantee.
Side-by-Side Breakdown
Ramp: $0 annual fee. 1.5% cashback on all practice expenses. No personal guarantee for qualifying practices. Top-tier spend controls, helpful for managing purchases for medical supplies, marketing, or EMR system subscriptions. Best for practices that want simple rewards and easy expense management.
Brex: $0 annual fee. Tiered rewards (e.g., 7x on travel for medical conferences, 3x on restaurants for staff meals, 2x on practice management software). No personal guarantee. Strong spend controls for your team (e.g., front desk, aesthetician). Best for well-funded medspas or practices with strong bank balances acting as collateral for higher limits.
Amex Business Gold/Platinum: Annual fees range from $295-$695. Gold offers 4x on your top two spending categories (e.g., advertising for patient acquisition, medical equipment suppliers). Platinum offers extensive travel perks (e.g., lounge access for frequent conference attendees, travel credits). Requires a personal guarantee. Basic spend controls. Best for practice owners with strong personal credit who spend heavily on certain categories like patient acquisition or advanced training.
When to Choose Ramp
Ramp is a solid choice for private healthcare practices and medspas with steady patient income. There's no annual fee, you get 1.5% cashback on every single purchase – from ordering a new shipment of injectables to paying for your monthly EMR license or physical therapy supplies. It comes with excellent expense management tools like automatic receipt matching, easy links to QuickBooks or Xero, and customizable spending rules for your office manager or clinical staff. To apply, your practice needs a business bank account, usually with a minimum balance of around $25,000, which many established practices meet.
When to Choose Brex
Brex is built for medspas or functional medicine practices that have secured seed funding, received a practice loan, or have a significant amount of cash in their business bank accounts. Your credit limit is based on your practice's deposits, not your personal credit, allowing for higher limits needed for significant investments like a new aesthetic laser system (e.g., CO2 laser, IPL machine) or expanding your clinic space. Its rewards are often strong in categories like software subscriptions (e.g., EMR, practice management), marketing tools, and travel for specialized training. Keep in mind, Brex has been focusing on larger, growing businesses, so very early-stage practices with smaller bank balances might find approval more challenging.
When to Choose American Express Business
American Express Business cards do require you, the practice owner, to personally guarantee the debt. However, they offer reward structures that can be unbeatable for certain types of practice spending. For example, the Business Gold card could give you 4x points on your two highest spending categories, which might be online advertising for patient acquisition, medical supplies from a specific vendor, or professional consulting fees. The Platinum card is best if you travel often for medical conferences, advanced certification courses, or to visit multiple clinic locations, as it provides valuable lounge access, travel credits, and other perks. Choose Amex if you have excellent personal credit and your practice consistently spends big in Amex's bonus categories like marketing, professional development, or specialized equipment purchases.
The Verdict
Ramp: Best for the majority of established private healthcare practices and medspas focused on simple cashback and efficient expense management for recurring costs like EMR and supplies.
Brex: Ideal for funded medspas or functional medicine practices seeking high credit limits for expansion or equipment, without using personal credit.
Amex: Best for practice owners with strong personal credit who want premium rewards for specific high-spend areas like patient marketing, travel for training, or certain medical equipment suppliers.
Remember, don't just chase a sign-up bonus. The card you use daily for patient care, supplies, and staff expenses over the next few years is far more important for your practice's financial health.
How to Get Started
Ramp: Apply online at ramp.com. You'll need your practice's EIN, a business bank account, and typically a minimum deposit balance.
Brex: Apply online at brex.com. Approval is generally easier for medspas or practices with significant funding or strong business bank balances.
Amex: Apply at americanexpress.com/business. You'll need your Social Security Number for a personal credit check and an estimate of your practice's annual revenue.
The application process for any of these cards usually takes less than 20 minutes.
RECOMMENDED TOOLS
Ramp
Best expense management with 1.5% cashback and no annual fee
Brex
Corporate cards with no personal guarantee for funded startups
American Express Business
Premium business cards with strong rewards for qualifying businesses
Some links above are affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you sign up — at no extra cost to you.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Will applying for a business card hurt my personal credit?
Amex and most traditional business cards do a hard pull on your personal credit. Ramp and Brex do not — they evaluate your business bank balance instead.
Do I need a business credit card or can I use a personal card?
Mixing personal and business expenses creates an accounting nightmare and weakens the liability protection your LLC provides. Always use a dedicated business card.
How do I build business credit if I am brand new?
Start with a business bank account and EIN. Apply for a secured business credit card or a card that does not require credit history. Pay in full every month. After 12-24 months, your business credit profile develops.
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