Santander business credit card: costs, cashback and who can get it

Santander's only business credit card, the Business Cashback Credit Card, pays 1% uncapped cashback for a £30 annual fee, with a representative 23.7% APR (variable). To get it, you need to be a limited company with an existing Santander Business Current Account and no more than two directors. Every director gives a personal guarantee.

The 1% cashback only covers the £30 fee once you put £3,000 a year of eligible spend on the card (about £250 a month). Below that, the card costs more than it pays back.

Read on for an in-depth look at the main features, rates, limits, costs, eligibility criteria and suitability considerations.

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The Santander Business Cashback Credit Card at a glance

The Business Cashback Credit Card is Santander's only business credit card. It comes with up to 56 days interest-free credit, 1% uncapped cashback with credit limits up £25,000 (all for to a £30 annual fee.

Take a look at the table below, which outlines the features of Santander's Business Cashback Credit Card:

Representative example: representative 23.7% APR (variable), based on a £1,200 credit limit, a purchase rate of 18.9% a year (variable) and a £30 annual fee. Santander confirms your actual limit if you're accepted.

Source: Santander Business Cashback Credit Card and its Key Facts Document (effective 28 April 2026), checked on 12 October 2026. Rates and fees can change, so check them with Santander before you apply.

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Who can get a Santander business credit card?

Your company needs a Santander Business Current Account and must be based and registered in the UK to apply. It can have no more than two directors, who own all the shares between them. Any company with three or more directors can't apply, wherever it banks.

Here's Santander's full eligibility list for limited companies:

• You must already hold a Santander Business Current Account.
• The company is based and registered in the UK.
• It has no more than two directors, who own the business entirely.
• Every director and shareholder is 18 or over and a UK resident.
• You have a good credit history and haven't been declared bankrupt.
• Neither the company nor its directors or owners have had an Individual Voluntary Arrangement in the last six years.
• The company doesn't already have a Business Cashback Credit Card.

If you don't bank with Santander, you'd need to open a Santander Business Current Account first.

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What you sign up to as a director

Every director of a limited company gives Santander a personal guarantee before the card is available, so you're personally liable if the company can't pay. Santander also runs a full credit check on application.

That's a legal commitment to repay the company's card debt yourself. If a new director joins while the company has the card, Santander will ask them for a guarantee too. It's worth reading how a personal guarantee works and Santander's own guide to personal guarantees before you sign.

The card also comes with these rules:

• The company is responsible for everything spent on every card, including staff cards.
• Every director must have a card, which counts towards the limit of four.
• The card is for business spending only, and you repay it from the business account, not personal savings.

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How the 1% cashback works and when it covers the fee

Santander pays 1% back on eligible purchases each month, credited to your card account. You need £3,000 a year of eligible spend before the cashback covers the £30 fee.

Santander adds up your eligible purchases on each statement and pays 1% of the total onto your card account on the following statement date. Spending by staff cardholders counts too. Cashback doesn't count towards your minimum payment, and you lose any cashback not yet paid if you close the account.

You don't earn cashback on:

• Balance transfers
• Cash transactions, including gambling, money orders and buying foreign currency or travellers' cheques
• Interest and account charges
• Refunded, cancelled, unauthorised or fraudulent transactions

Santander can change or withdraw the cashback with 30 days' notice (cashback terms).

What the card returns after the £30 fee (1% of eligible spend, minus £30, if you pay in full every month):

If you carry a balance, interest at 18.9% a year soon outweighs the cashback. If you'd like to compare other cashback cards, see compare cashback and rewards cards.

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Is the Santander business credit card hard to get?

Santander doesn't publish an approval rate. It runs a full credit check on the company and its directors, and that check decides both whether you're accepted and your limit.

The search covers your personal credit file and your business credit file, and it's recorded on both. The ceiling is £25,000, but your starting limit depends on the checks. Before you apply, it helps to know what counts as a good business credit score. The free iwoca Credit Compass shows your company's Equifax business credit score and the key factors affecting it, so you can see where you stand first.

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Are purchases protected? Section 75 and chargeback

Generally, no. Section 75 protects consumer credit, so purchases on a limited company's card usually aren't covered. Chargeback through Mastercard may still help with a faulty or undelivered purchase.

Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act makes a card provider jointly liable for consumer purchases between £100 and £30,000 (MoneyHelper). A company card isn't a consumer agreement, so for a disputed purchase you'd ask Santander to raise a chargeback. It has tighter rules than Section 75, so check the supplier's refund terms on big purchases too.

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How to apply for the Santander business credit card

You apply through Santander once your company holds a Santander Business Current Account. Santander doesn't publish how long a decision or the card takes.

Here are the main steps involved in applying for the Santander Business Cashback Credit Card:

1. Check you qualify. Use the list above: Santander Business Current Account, no more than two directors, UK based, etc.
2. Read the documents. Santander recommends reading the Key Facts Document, terms and conditions, summary box and cashback terms before you apply.
3. Have your details ready. Expect to give business and personal details, your Companies House registration details and information about the company's finances and turnover.
4. Apply. Start from the Santander Business Cashback Credit Card page. Santander runs a full credit check.
5. Sign the personal guarantees. Every director gives one before the card is available.
6. Get your decision and limit. If you're accepted, Santander confirms your credit limit. The £30 fee is added when you activate the card.

If you have questions before or after applying, Santander's business card line is 0330 678 1783.

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Paying and managing your Santander business card

You manage the card in Santander's Online or Mobile Banking. Pay at least the minimum each month from your business account, ideally by Direct Debit, to avoid the £12 late fee.

Here's what you need to know about paying your credit card bill, cardholder quotas and limits, and your statements and support from Santander:

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Paying your bill

The minimum payment is the higher of £5 or the total of any interest, annual fee and default fees, plus 1% of the remaining balance and any arrears. If you owe less than £5, you pay the full amount. Paying only the minimum takes longer and costs more, so pay in full each month to stay inside the interest-free period. You can pay by Direct Debit, standing order, transfer or phone banking.

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Cardholders and limits

You can add up to three cardholders, up to four cards in total, at no extra fee. To add one, fill in Santander's additional cardholder form. Call 0330 678 1783 to set monthly spending limits for staff cards or to remove a cardholder.

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Statements, alerts and support

Santander Online Banking and the Mobile Banking app show your statements and spending. Santander sends alerts when you're near your limit. For lost cards, fraud or other help, go to Santander business support.

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When the Santander card isn't right for you

Santander's business credit card isn't suitable for everyone. Look elsewhere if your company has three or more directors or doesn't want to move its banking to Santander. The same goes if you need more than £25,000 of credit or you typically spend under £3,000 a year on the card.

It's also worth comparing other credit card options if:

• You don't want every director to give a personal guarantee
• You want to pay an annual fee
• You need more than four cards for your team
• You expect to carry a balance and want a lower rate - compare representative APRs, not cashback

Explore and compare more credit card options in our guide to business credit cards for limited companies.

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How the iwoca Credit Card compares

The iwoca Credit Card also pays 1% cashback, with no annual, FX or late payment fees, and you don't need to switch your bank. We require a personal guarantee too. The card has a higher representative APR, so it costs more if you carry a balance.

See our quick-glance Santander vs iwoca credit card comparison table below:

iwoca Credit Card figures from the iwoca Credit Card page, checked on 12 October 2026. Interest rates start at 14.99% per year, with representative 35.40% APR (variable).

It's open to directors of UK limited companies. Like Santander, iwoca asks for a personal guarantee when you apply. If the business falls behind on repayments, it may affect your personal credit score. Applying is free and won't affect your personal credit score.

Santander's business credit card may be a better fit if:

• You'll carry a balance month to month, as Santander's representative APR is lower
• You need to withdraw cash
• You want the longer interest-free period, as Santander gives up to 56 days against iwoca's 42 days
• You'd struggle with a higher minimum repayment, as iwoca's is at least 10% of the balance or £100

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Santander business credit card FAQs

Do I need a Santander business account to get the card?

Yes. Santander only offers the card to companies that already hold a Santander Business Current Account.

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Can a limited company with three directors apply?

No. The card is for companies with no more than two directors who own the business between them.

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Do I have to give a personal guarantee?

Yes. Every director of a limited company gives Santander a personal guarantee before the card is available.

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Can my limited company get a business credit card if it banks elsewhere?

Yes, from card providers that don't need you to bank with them. The iwoca Credit Card, for example, doesn't need an iwoca account. But it still needs a personal guarantee.

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Can I use the card abroad?

Yes. Santander charges no foreign transaction fee on purchases paid in the local currency and uses Mastercard's exchange rate. Cash withdrawals abroad still carry the 3% cash fee.

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Can I pay the card from my personal account?

No. Santander says payments should come from the business, not personal accounts or savings.

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How do I contact Santander about my business credit card?

Call Santander on 0330 678 1783 or use Online or Mobile Banking.