Of the three business credit reporting agencies, Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) is the one most used by business lenders. Lenders and other businesses may use your D&B Score to determine how risky it could be to do business with your company.
One easy way to improve your business, or commercial, credit score with D&B and other business credit rating agencies is to have a business credit card that reports to those agencies, use it regularly, and pay it off in full each billing cycle.
When your company is just starting out, it'll have no credit history—and no credit score. It can take months or years to build up a good score, so the sooner you can get started by opening a small business credit card, the better.
In this article, we'll review how credit card providers report card activity to credit bureaus. Then, we'll list some of the card issuers and credit cards that report to Dun &Bradstreet.
How credit card issuers report to credit bureaus
Before we get into the specifics of which credit cards report to D&B, it’s important to understand how business credit card issuers report to business credit bureaus. This will help you make sense of what gets reported, how often your report is updated, and what to do to build a good credit score.
Credit card companies report all of your purchases and payment information—like on-time or late payments—to at least one of the main credit bureaus, which include Equifax, TransUnion and Dun & Bradstreet. In addition to purchase and payment information, your report may contain the following:
- Information about your business, like its ownership and subsidiaries
- The length of your credit history
- Your credit card balance
- Your total outstanding debts
- Whether you're near, at, or above your credit limit
- Your number of recent credit applications
- The types of credit accounts you use
- Whether your debts have been referred to a collection agency
- Any records of insolvency or bankruptcy
Credit cards typically update your report at the end of each billing cycle, which can vary from 28 to 31 days depending on your card. If your credit report and credit card balance don’t match, it’s usually not a problem—just check back after it updates to find your latest information.
Note that unlike consumer credit reports, your business credit report is publicly available. That doesn’t mean just anyone can look at it, though. Usually, it’s entities like creditors and lenders, government agencies, or insurance companies that'll pay to view your business credit report. Just be mindful that unlike your personal credit report, you don’t need to provide authorization, so it’s worth monitoring your report regularly.
Why your business should have a business credit card
There are many benefits to business credit cards beyond building your business credit score. Some of these benefits include the ability to:
- More efficiently manage your cash flow
- Earn cash back (with certain cards)
- Separate your business and personal expenses
When choosing a business credit card, be sure to check whether it requires a personal guarantee and if it reports on-time payments to business credit agencies like Dun & Bradstreet.
Not all credit card issuers report to D&B–why that matters
Not all business credit cards report to Dun & Bradstreet or to the other business reporting agencies, and some only report negative information to credit agencies. If you’re not sure how or whether an issuer reports to business credit agencies, just ask them.
Since D&B is the most used credit reporting agency by business lenders, it’s important to build up your credit profile with that agency. If you’re using a credit card that doesn't report to D&B—even if you’re paying your balance off regularly—your positive payment history won't appear on your credit report with the agency or influence your D&B credit score.
That said, while Dun & Bradstreet is the most commonly used business credit score, it isn't the only one. Some lenders might also use the business credit scores created by Experian, Equifax, or other agencies. Each agency has a slightly different formula they use to calculate scores, and even one agency might have multiple scores measuring different aspects of a company’s creditworthiness.
Having a good business credit score makes it more likely that you’ll qualify for a loan when you need it—and guarantees that you have access to the best terms for that debt. Even if you don’t need credit right now, building up your business’ credit profile will be helpful in the long-term.
According to data from the Federal Reserve, 43% of small businesses have sought financing at some point. 58% of these businesses were looking to finance their operating expenses, while 38% wanted the money to expand. If you need a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan, the first thing your lender will do is check your business credit score. Try out our SBA loan calculator tool if you need help finding the best repayment terms for your business.
Besides lenders, other entities also look at your business credit score. Vendors, investors, insurers, and other stakeholders may examine your business credit history to determine whether you’re a trustworthy business to partner with. If you have a poor credit score or no credit history at all, they might doubt your business’s long-term viability.
Credit card providers that report to Dun & Bradstreet
Here's a quick overview of some credit card providers that report to Dun & Bradstreet:
Credit Card Issuer
Dun & Bradstreet
Equifax
Experian
Ramp
Yes
Yes
Yes
Tillful (Nav)
Yes (self-report)
Yes
Yes
Capital One
Yes
Yes
Yes
U.S. Bank
Yes
No
No
Corpay One
Yes
Yes
Yes
American Express
Yes
Yes
Yes
Chase
Yes
Yes
Yes
Citi
Yes
Yes
Yes
Wells Fargo
Yes
Yes
Yes
Which business credit cards report to Dun & Bradstreet?
Here are some of the credit cards that report to Dun & Bradstreet:
- Ramp Corporate Card
- Nav Secured Card
- Capital One Spark 1.5% Cash Back Business Credit Card
- Capital One Spark Miles for Business
- Capital One Venture X Business Card
- Bank of America Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card
- U.S. Bank Business Platinum Card®
- U.S. Bank Business Leverage® Visa Signature® Card
- U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card
- Corpay One Mastercard
Here's a more detailed look at each of these business credit cards:
Discover Ramp's corporate card for modern finance
How Does Dun & Bradstreet determine your business credit score?
Dun & Bradstreet uses several factors in determining the business credit score of any company. These include the company’s history of on-time payments, the amount of time they’ve been in business, and the amount of available credit that they’re using.
Dun & Bradstreet relies on reports from lenders and creditors, publicly available information such as mortgages and lien filing, and information that businesses themselves provide. You can log into your D&B account to make sure that all of your information is up to date.
What’s a D-U-N-S number?
A DUNS (Dava Universal Numbering System) number is a unique nine-digit identifier for businesses, issued by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). It functions sort like a Social Security number for your company. You—and other parties—can use that number to look up your business through D&B.
You might also need it if you ever decide to become a federal contractor. It typically takes about a month to receive your D-U-N-S number after you apply for it, but you can pay a fee to speed up the process.
While a DUNS number is primarily used for business credit and credibility verification, it doesn't directly enable you to get a credit card.
Other types of companies that report to Dun & Bradstreet
While opening a business credit card and regularly paying off your account each month is one of the best ways to build business credit, some other types of vendors also report to Dun & Bradstreet. Opening accounts with these vendors as well could show Dun & Bradstreet that you have access to different types of credit and result in a boost to your score.
These companies typically offer their clients tradelines, or a credit line with Net 30 reporting terms. In addition to helping build your credit, these types of vendors can also help you manage your cash flow. Examples of other companies that report to D&B include:
- Digital marketing agency Creative Analytics
- Corporate swag producer Shirtsy
- Office product supplier Quill
In addition to vendors, you may be able to establish credit with suppliers, retailers, and service providers, any of whom might extend you credit and report to the business credit reporting agencies.
Take control of your business finances and build business credit with Ramp
In addition to offering a best-in-class charge card and reporting payments to business credit agencies, Ramp offers tools that allow you to take control of your business finances and build business credit.
Ramp’s spend management platform gives you insight into your company’s spending and suggest ways that you can cut costs to make your company more efficient. That makes Ramp different from other credit companies, which encourage more spending to earn points.
