Which Business Credit Cards Pull From Experian?

American Express, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Bank of America, U.S. Bank, and Discover are the major issuers that commonly pull a hard inquiry from your Experian report for business credit card applications.

• American Express - Business Gold, Business Platinum, Blue Business Cash
• Capital One - Spark Cash, Spark Miles, Spark Classic
• Chase - Ink Business Preferred, Ink Business Unlimited, Ink Business Cash
• Citi -  Business / AAdvantage Platinum Select, Business / AAdvantage Platinum Card
• Bank of America - Business Advantage Cash Rewards, Business Advantage Travel Rewards
• U.S. Bank - Business Platinum Card, Business Cash Rewards Card
• Discover - Business Card (when offered)

These issuers typically rely on Experian for the hard pull, though occasional exceptions may occur based on the specific product or applicant profile. For more on how Experian handles business inquiries, see Experian's business credit‑card guide.

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• American Express Business Gold Card - typically generates a hard inquiry on your Experian report
• American Express Business Platinum Card - commonly pulls a hard inquiry from Experian
• Capital One Spark Cash for Business - usually creates a hard inquiry on the Experian file
• Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card - often triggers a hard inquiry on Experian
• CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Card - frequently pulls a hard inquiry from Experian
• Bank of America Business Advantage Cash Rewards Mastercard - generally produces a hard inquiry on Experian
• U.S. Bank Business Platinum Card - regularly results in a hard inquiry on your Experian report

A hard inquiry appears on your Experian report as soon as the issuer records the application, typically within 24‑48 hours after you submit the request (soft pulls do not create this entry).

If the issuer pulls the business file - commonly the case with Capital One Spark, American Express Business Gold, and Chase Ink - the inquiry lands on the business Experian report linked to your EIN; if they rely on personal credit, which often happens for newer businesses, the same hard pull shows up on your personal Experian report and will remain for two years, although the exact visibility can vary due to each bureau's reporting cycle.

For more detail, see how hard inquiries affect your Experian report.

Soft pulls appear on your Experian report as 'soft inquiries,' visible only to you and lenders who request a soft check; they do not lower your credit score.

Typical soft‑pull scenarios include: American Express's business‑card pre‑qualification tool, which runs a soft inquiry on the SSN/EIN you provide; Capital One's online eligibility check, which generally logs a soft pull before a full application; and any issuer that runs a pre‑screen using your EIN or personal SSN without committing to a decision.

If the same issuer later processes a complete application, the inquiry upgrades to a hard pull and will affect your score.

You can see exactly which business inquiries have hit your Experian report by logging into the Experian Business Credit portal and viewing the inquiry section.

1. Go to Experian Business Credit Connect and sign in with your business credentials.
2. Click Business Credit Report, then select Inquiry History.
3. Look for entries marked hard inquiry; these are the pulls that affect your score. The issuer's name (for example, Chase or Capital One) appears next to each hard pull.
4. Soft pulls appear as soft inquiry and do not impact the score - use them to verify that a pre‑approval check stayed soft.
5. Match the dates and issuer names to the applications you filed (see the 'when you'll see a hard inquiry on Experian' section).
6. Export the list or screenshot it for future reference, especially before applying for additional cards to avoid multiple hard pulls.

Avoid multiple hard Experian pulls by planning applications, using employee cards wisely, leveraging EIN‑only products, monitoring inquiries, and consolidating requests.

• Space out each application - submit new business‑card requests several weeks apart; every hard inquiry counts individually on your Experian report, so timing them reduces the chance of overlapping hits.
• Consolidate under one issuer - some banks allow additional employee or authorized‑user cards without a new hard pull; verify the issuer's policy first (e.g., American Express may still run a hard pull for each added card).
• Apply with your EIN - issuers that accept an EIN instead of a personal SSN (such as Brex or Divvy) typically perform only a soft pull on your personal Experian file, keeping hard inquiries off that report.
• Use soft‑pull pre‑qualification tools - many card programs let you check eligibility with a soft pull; take advantage of these tools before committing to a hard inquiry.
• Check your Experian report ahead of time - knowing which hard inquiries already exist helps you choose cards whose issuers haven't yet pulled, preventing duplicate entries.

If an unauthorized hard inquiry shows up on your Experian report, you can have it removed by filing a dispute.

How to dispute a mistaken Experian inquiry

• Locate the inquiry on your Experian report (see 'when you'll see a hard inquiry on Experian' for the layout).
• Gather proof that you didn't apply for the card, such as a copy of the application denial letter or a screenshot of your account dashboard showing no request.
• Submit a dispute through the Experian dispute center or by certified mail, clearly stating the inquiry is erroneous and attaching supporting documents.
• Wait up to 30 days for Experian to investigate; they will contact the issuing bank for verification.
• If the issuer cannot verify the pull, Experian will delete the hard inquiry and notify you of the correction.

After the dispute resolves, check your report again (refer to 'check which business inquiries hit your Experian report') and then follow the prevention tips in '5 ways to avoid multiple hard Experian pulls' before you apply with an EIN in the next section.

Applying with an EIN does not automatically shield your personal Experian report from a hard inquiry. Most major issuers - including Chase Ink, American Express Business, Capital One Spark, CitiBusiness, and Bank of America Business Advantage - require a personal guarantee and therefore run a hard inquiry on the applicant's personal credit, even when the business identification number is supplied.

Only a handful of cards bypass the personal hard inquiry: corporate cards that do not demand a guarantee, secured business cards that rely on a cash deposit, and fintech issuers such as Brex or Divvy that build credit from business‑only data. Using an EIN with these products can keep your personal soft pull or hard inquiry off your Experian report, but for the mainstream cards discussed earlier, the EIN is merely a tax identifier, not a bypass for personal credit checks.

A brand‑new business will usually appear on your Experian report as a 'new' or 'no‑score' entity, with only the business name, address and EIN listed. If the issuer also runs a personal pull, your personal credit file will show up side‑by‑side, along with any recent hard inquiries you've incurred.

The business file will contain no trade‑line history, no payment data, and typically an 'N/A' credit score or a short‑term '0‑month' age. Soft pulls made by lenders to pre‑screen you will have added the business record, but they do not affect your score. Any personal hard inquiry the issuer makes will appear on the personal Experian report and can lower your personal credit temporarily.

Because the business file is essentially empty, most of the credit decision hinges on the personal information the issuer sees. That is why the next section explains how applying with an EIN can keep personal Experian pulls out of the picture, and why managing hard inquiries matters for both personal and business credit health.

When an issuer changes the bureau it pulls from, the hard inquiry appears on the new bureau's file, not on the Experian report you've been tracking. For example, the Chase Ink Business Preferred card historically generated a hard inquiry on Experian, but recent applications now generate that inquiry on Equifax, leaving your Experian report unchanged while the new pull still affects your overall credit profile.

Conversely, the switch can mask the impact if you only monitor Experian; the hard inquiry still lowers your score on the bureau now used, and any soft pulls the issuer performs continue to show up on the Experian report.

To stay protected, pull all three major reports after applying, and consider using an EIN for the application to keep personal Experian pulls at bay, as discussed in the 'apply with EIN to avoid personal Experian pulls' section.issuer bureau switch overview

Real applicants confirm that a hard inquiry appears on their Experian report within 24 hours and can shave a few points off their personal credit score.

Typical stories include:

• A freelance designer applied for the Capital One Spark Cash, saw one hard inquiry, and his score dropped about five points;
• A nonprofit manager tried the Chase Ink Business Preferred, received a soft pull during pre‑qualification, then a hard pull after approval that stayed on his Experian file for two years;
• A contractor used an EIN to apply for the American Express Business Gold, avoided any personal hard inquiry, yet the issuer logged a business‑only hard pull on his Experian report.

These examples reinforce the importance of checking your Experian report after each submission, especially before issuers may switch credit bureaus in later stages.