The Capital on Tap business credit card is designed for UK limited companies seeking flexible business spending and rewards. Its standard Free plan offers 1% uncapped cashback, no annual fee, no foreign transaction fee, credit limits up to £250,000, and up to 42 days interest-free on purchases when balances are paid in full and on time.
How the Capital on Tap Business Credit Card Works
Capital on Tap provides a revolving business credit facility. Once a business is approved, it receives a credit limit that can be used for eligible business purchases. The available limit reduces as the company spends and becomes available again as repayments are made.
The maximum advertised credit limit is £250,000, although approval for the card does not mean a business will receive anything close to that amount. The actual limit and interest rate depend on Capital on Tap’s assessment of the business and its creditworthiness.
Businesses can also use Capital on Tap’s Preloading feature. This allows a company to add its own money to the account and spend beyond its normal credit limit. For example, a business with a £5,000 credit limit that needs to make a £9,000 eligible card purchase could preload additional funds rather than necessarily requesting a £9,000 credit facility. Preloaded spending can still generate rewards.
This distinction matters because preloading increases spending capacity, not borrowing capacity. The additional money belongs to the business rather than being additional credit from the lender.
How Much Cashback Does Capital on Tap Pay?
The standard Capital on Tap card currently earns 1 point for every £1 of eligible card spending, equivalent to 1% cashback when redeemed at the standard cashback value. Rewards are uncapped, and Capital on Tap states that points do not expire. Points become available after qualifying purchases clear.
The value becomes easier to judge by looking at actual expenditure.
| Average qualifying card spend | Approximate annual spend | Approximate cashback at 1% |
| £2,000/month | £24,000 | £240 |
| £5,000/month | £60,000 | £600 |
| £10,000/month | £120,000 | £1,200 |
| £25,000/month | £300,000 | £3,000 |
These examples assume all spending qualifies for the standard 1% rate and illustrate cashback before considering any interest or other costs.
A business spending £60,000 a year through the card, for example, could generate about £600 in cashback. If it always pays the statement balance in full, the rewards may represent a genuine reduction in operating costs. If it regularly carries a balance and pays substantial interest, however, borrowing costs can quickly outweigh the 1% reward.
Rewards can also be used against the card balance, transferred as cash, exchanged for selected gift cards or converted into travel currencies including Avios and Virgin Points.
Capital on Tap Free vs Pro
Capital on Tap now operates both a Free and Pro tier. The underlying decision is not simply whether Pro gives you more benefits. The better question is whether those additional benefits are worth £299 every year for your particular spending and travel habits.
| Feature | Free | Pro |
| Annual fee | £0 | £299 |
| Standard card-spend cashback | 1% | 1% |
| Cashback on eligible preloaded spend | 1% | 1.25% |
| Avios conversion | 10 points = 8 Avios | 1 point = 1 Avios |
| Virgin Points conversion | 10 points = 8 Virgin Points | 1 point = 1 Virgin Point |
| New-customer Pro bonus | Not applicable | 10,000 points after £5,000 spend in first 3 months, subject to eligibility and offer terms |
| Airport lounges | Not included | Unlimited main-cardholder access to 1,600+ lounges, plus specified guest benefits |
| Radisson Rewards status | Standard redemption option | VIP status |
| Card | Standard | Premium metal card |
Current Pro features and the £299 annual price were confirmed by Capital on Tap in July 2026. Promotional bonuses can change and should be checked immediately before applying.
There is an important break-even calculation that simple card comparisons can overlook. Pro pays 1.25% on qualifying preloaded spending, but Free already pays 1%. Therefore, the incremental benefit is only 0.25 percentage points on that spending.
To recover a £299 annual fee purely from the extra 0.25% reward:
£299 ÷ 0.0025 = £119,600
A business would therefore need roughly £119,600 a year of qualifying preloaded spending before the incremental cashback alone offsets the Pro fee.
That does not mean Pro requires £119,600 of spending to be worthwhile. Airport lounges, the improved 1:1 airline-points conversion, the initial bonus and hotel benefits may provide substantial value to a frequent traveller. But a business owner who rarely flies and mainly wants cashback should compare the incremental benefits against the £299 fee rather than counting cashback that the Free card would already have earned.
Who Is Eligible for a Capital on Tap Business Credit Card?
Capital on Tap’s current UK criteria state that applicants must be an active company director or a shareholder with at least 25% ownership and must reside in the UK. The business must be an active UK-registered Ltd, LLP or PLC, and neither the applicant nor the business can have an unsatisfied County Court Judgment within the previous 12 months. Certain higher-risk industries are excluded.
Notably, Capital on Tap currently says there is no minimum trading-history requirement. This can make the card relevant to newly incorporated companies that would not satisfy providers requiring six or twelve months of accounts. Approval is still subject to credit assessment, so being eligible to apply does not guarantee acceptance or a particular limit.
Sole traders are not currently eligible for the Capital on Tap UK business credit card. A sole trader therefore needs to compare cards from providers that specifically accept self-employed applicants.
Does Capital on Tap Carry Out a Credit Check?
Capital on Tap makes an important distinction between personal and business credit searches.
At the application stage, it says it carries out a soft search of the applicant’s personal credit file. That search is visible to the applicant but does not affect their personal credit score. If the business proceeds and signs its credit agreement, Capital on Tap says it carries out a hard search on the business credit file, which can be visible to other lenders.
This makes checking eligibility less intrusive to the director’s personal credit record than an application involving an immediate personal hard search. It should not, however, be interpreted as guaranteed approval.
Capital on Tap also requires a personal guarantee from a director or major shareholder. A personal guarantee means that if the company cannot repay the debt, the guarantor can become personally responsible for repayment. Directors should understand that obligation before treating a business card as risk belonging solely to the limited company.
Interest, Repayments and the 42-Day Interest-Free Period
Capital on Tap advertises variable rates starting from 13.86% APR, but that is a starting rate rather than a promise that every successful applicant will receive it. The actual rate depends on the company’s circumstances and credit assessment.
The card provides up to 42 days interest-free on card purchases when the required balance is paid in full and on time. Businesses that routinely clear their statements can therefore use the card primarily as a payment and cash-flow tool while earning rewards.
Consider a hypothetical business that buys £8,000 of stock shortly after a new statement period begins and expects its customers to pay invoices three weeks later. Using the card may temporarily preserve cash in the bank. If the company receives those customer payments and clears the card by its due date, it may avoid purchase interest while earning approximately £80 in cashback.
The same strategy becomes considerably less attractive if customer payments are delayed and the company repeatedly carries large balances. A 1% reward should not be treated as compensation for expensive revolving debt.
Free Employee Cards Can Be Valuable for Growing Teams
Capital on Tap offers unlimited free employee cards, including physical and virtual cards. Businesses can set individual spending limits, monitor transactions and freeze cards through the app or online portal. Employee spending also contributes to the account’s cashback rewards.
This can be particularly useful for a company with several people regularly paying for fuel, advertising, subscriptions, travel, materials or other operating expenses. Rather than asking employees to use personal cards and submit reimbursement requests, the company can issue controlled cards attached to one centrally managed account.
Capital on Tap also supports integrations with accounting platforms including Xero, Sage, QuickBooks and FreeAgent. Receipts and transaction data can therefore form part of a more automated expense-management process.
The primary account holder remains responsible for debt generated through the account, so employee cards should still be accompanied by clear internal spending rules.
Is the Capital on Tap Business Credit Card Good for Overseas Spending?
One of the more attractive features for companies buying from foreign suppliers or travelling internationally is the lack of a Capital on Tap foreign exchange transaction fee.
That can make the card more economical than business cards charging a percentage fee each time a transaction is converted from another currency.
The lack of an FX fee does not mean the underlying exchange rate is irrelevant. Businesses making significant foreign-currency purchases should still compare the exchange rate applied to transactions and consider specialist international-payment services where large transfers rather than card purchases are involved.
Where the Capital on Tap Card Is Strongest, and Where It Is Weaker
The card’s strongest combination is its £0 standard annual fee, unlimited 1% cashback, employee-card controls, accounting integrations, lack of an FX fee and relatively high potential credit limit. For a limited company that puts significant routine expenditure through cards and clears the balance regularly, these features can work well together.
It is less suitable for a business primarily looking to finance a large purchase over an extended period. Capital on Tap itself notes that a business whose priority is short-term finance without interest may be better served by a card offering a 0% introductory period.
The personal guarantee also deserves significant weight. Limited liability does not necessarily protect the guarantor from the card debt if the business cannot meet its obligations.
Finally, rewards should remain secondary to affordability. A business carrying £20,000 of expensive revolving debt does not improve its financial position merely because those purchases generated £200 of cashback.
How to Apply for the Capital on Tap Business Credit Card
The application is completed online and Capital on Tap says many applicants receive a decision within around two minutes. A sensible application process is:
- Confirm that your company structure, UK residence, Companies House status and CCJ history meet the current eligibility rules. Review the excluded-industry criteria as well. Prepare accurate company, director, turnover and financial information, then check the offered credit limit, APR and personal-guarantee terms before accepting the agreement. If approved, Capital on Tap allows customers to create virtual cards and begin eligible spending without waiting for the physical card.
A fast application should not mean a fast decision about borrowing. The offered interest rate and guarantee obligation are more important than the time required to complete the form.
Conclusion
The Capital on Tap business credit card is particularly competitive for UK limited companies that want a no-annual-fee business card, uncapped cashback, free employee cards and no foreign transaction fee. Businesses that pay in full can also make use of the purchase interest-free period without allowing interest charges to erode their rewards.
The main considerations are the variable APR, the personal guarantee and whether the company genuinely needs revolving credit. The Pro plan can make sense for businesses that value its travel benefits and stronger airline-points conversion, while the £0 Free plan is likely to be the simpler value proposition for businesses focused primarily on cashback and expense management.
FAQ’s
The standard Free plan currently has no annual fee. Capital on Tap Pro costs £299 per year and adds enhanced travel, reward-conversion and preloaded-spending benefits.
Capital on Tap advertises business credit limits of up to £250,000. The actual amount offered depends on approval, affordability and credit assessment, so applicants should not assume they will qualify for the maximum.
Yes. Capital on Tap currently states that there is no minimum trading history, meaning an active qualifying company can apply even if it is newly established. Approval remains subject to status.
Not under the current UK eligibility criteria. Capital on Tap currently accepts qualifying private limited companies, LLPs and PLCs rather than sole traders.
Capital on Tap says the personal credit check performed during the application is a soft search, which does not affect the applicant’s personal credit score. A hard search is performed on the business credit file when the credit agreement is signed.
It depends on how the business uses the benefits. Frequent travellers may obtain value from airport lounges, improved Avios and Virgin Points conversion and hotel status. Businesses interested mainly in cashback should compare the additional Pro rewards with what the Free card already provides. Based solely on the extra 0.25% earned on qualifying preloaded expenditure, approximately £119,600 of such annual spend would be required to recover a £299 fee through incremental cashback alone.
