Corpay vs. Ramp: Full Breakdown of Features, Rebates, and Tools

Comparing Corpay and Ramp cards for your business? Each card takes a different approach to rebates, AP software, and spending controls. This guide shows how they stack up and which one makes more sense based on how your team manages payments and expenses. 

For finance teams handling significant transaction volumes, understanding these differences can lead to substantial savings and efficiency gains.

What Is a Corporate Card?

Corporate cards are credit cards designed specifically for larger businesses, typically companies with at least $4 million in annual revenue. These cards allow organizations to manage everything from regular office supplies to major business transactions. Unlike personal credit cards, the company itself is responsible for payment, not individual employees.

Corporate cards come with robust tools for controlling spending, tracking expenses across departments, and integrating with accounting systems. They offer valuable rewards like travel benefits or cash back that benefit the company directly. While they have stricter qualification requirements than a business card, corporate cards help large companies improve cash flow management and generate more accurate financial reporting.

What Is a Business Card?

Business credit cards are tailored for small business owners, freelancers, and startups. The main difference from corporate cards is that business cards typically require a personal guarantee, making the owner personally liable for all charges. Approval for business cards depends largely on the owner's personal credit history, making them more accessible than corporate options.

Business cards create a clear separation between business and personal expenses, which streamlines accounting processes. These cards offer specific rewards for typical business purchases and higher spending limits compared to personal credit cards. Despite their higher interest rates in comparison to corporate cards, business credit cards remain an essential tool for small businesses to track expenses and establish business credit history.

Features to Look for in a Corporate Card 

• Rewards and rebates: Consider programs that offer cash back or points on business spending that aligns with your expense patterns. The best corporate cards provide customizable rebate structures based on your spending volume.

• In-house AP automation: Built-in accounts payable functionality can simplify vendor payments and provide a more comprehensive financial management solution.

• Expense management: Advanced expense tracking tools, receipt capturing capabilities, and automated categorization features help streamline accounting processes and reduce manual work.

• Spend controls: Detailed permission settings, customizable spending limits, and merchant category restrictions allow you to maintain control over company spending and ensure policy compliance.

• Credit limit and financing options: Flexible credit lines, favorable payment terms, and options that help optimize working capital are crucial for managing cash flow effectively.

• ERP integrations: Seamless connectivity with popular accounting systems (QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, etc.) ensures transaction data flows automatically into your financial systems.

What is the Corpay Corporate Card?

Corpay stands as the #1 B2B Mastercard issuer in North America, processing over 125 million transactions and $10 billion in physical card spend annually. The Corpay corporate card program is integrated with its comprehensive spend management platform, featuring built-in-house AP automation tools that streamline the entire procure-to-pay process. With Corpay, you get a full solution that ties your spending controls, rebates, and payment workflows together in one place.

Pros for the Corpay Corporate Card 

• Unlimited cashback rebates: Corpay offers customized rebate programs based on your company's spending patterns and cash flow needs, potentially providing higher returns than fixed-rate programs.

• Full-featured AP automation: With in-house developed tools rather than third-party integrations, Corpay's platform provides comprehensive accounts payable functionality alongside the card program.

• Universal ERP compatibility: Corpay syncs with virtually any ERP or accounting system, with updates reportedly occurring every 5 minutes for real-time financial data.

• Established presence: With years of experience in the corporate card space, Corpay brings stability and experience, processing billions in transactions annually.

• Travel benefits: The premium World Elite Mastercard includes airport lounge access (over 1,500 lounges worldwide), travel discounts, and concierge services.

• Traditional credit card structure: Corpay offers credit cards — not charge cards —  with revolving credit options, providing more flexibility for managing cash flow.

Cons for the Corpay Corporate Card 

• Potential monthly fees: Smaller programs may incur membership fees if maintaining fewer than 10 active cards.

• More complex implementation: The robust feature set may require more setup time compared to newer, streamlined competitors.

• Less modern interface: While functional, the user experience may not be as sleek as newer fintech offerings.

Requirements for the Corpay Corporate Card

Corpay's corporate card program typically targets mid-sized to large businesses with established credit profiles. While specific requirements aren't publicly disclosed, businesses should expect a thorough underwriting process based on company financials rather than personal credit.

What Is the Ramp Corporate Card?

Ramp is a newer entrant to the corporate card market, positioning itself as a modern spend management platform with an emphasis on helping businesses spend less. Unlike traditional corporate cards, Ramp operates as a charge card where balances must be paid in full each month.

Pros for the Ramp Corporate Card 

• Higher credit limits for startups: Ramp can issue credit limits up to 20-30 times higher than traditional sources for qualifying businesses, factoring in metrics like funds raised and revenue rather than just credit history.

• Flexible qualification paths: For startups with at least one year of sales history, Ramp partners with platforms like Stripe, Shopify, and Amazon to use sales data for qualification, which can help newer businesses accelerate growth.

• Modern software interface: With a clean, intuitive dashboard and mobile experience, Ramp offers a user-friendly platform that requires minimal training.

• Completely fee-free offering: For smaller teams, Ramp charges no annual fees, no late fees, no foreign transaction fees, and no additional card fees.

• Partner rewards program: Access to over $350,000 in rewards, including discounts, credits, and perks for services like AWS, OpenAI, HubSpot, and QuickBooks.

• No personal guarantee requirement: For qualified businesses, Ramp doesn't require founder personal guarantees, evaluating companies based on their financial health instead.

Cons for the Ramp Corporate Card

• Less customizable rebate structure: A 1% flat rebate rate doesn't allow for negotiated higher returns based on spending volume like Corpay offers.

• Less frequent ERP sync: Integration refreshes may not be as real-time as Corpay's, which could impact timely financial reporting and data accuracy.

• Charge card limitations: As a charge card, balances must be paid in full each month, offering less flexibility than revolving credit options.

Requirements for the Ramp Corporate Card 

To qualify for Ramp, businesses must:

• Be U.S.-registered corporations, LLCs, or LPs (sole proprietors aren't eligible)

• Maintain at least $25,000 in a U.S. business bank account

• Have a physical U.S. business address with majority of operations U.S.-based

• Provide a valid EIN (tax ID)

Corpay vs. Ramp Corporate Card Comparison 

Let's compare the core features of both card programs side by side:

Comparison Matrix 

Want to see how much you could earn with Corpay's rebate program? Spend 15 minutes with us and we'll show you the rebates you could be missing. 

How Corpay’s Corporate Card Compares to Ramp  

Let's go deeper into how Corpay and Ramp stack up across key features, with a clear winner for each category:

Rebates and Rewards

Corpay offers a customizable rebate program that can adapt to your business's specific spending patterns. Larger corporate programs can negotiate custom rebate structures based on spend volume, potentially reaching up to 2% for high-volume users. Corpay also provides bonus rewards in certain categories, with additional savings (approximately 4%) available at over 16,000 participating hotels and restaurants.

Ramp keeps things simple with a straightforward 1% rebate on all purchases, with no tiers or category restrictions. Their primary value proposition centers around their comprehensive cost-cutting platform and AI-powered insights to help businesses reduce expenses, rather than maximizing rebate returns. They do offer additional partner benefits and discounts (worth up to $350,000 in potential savings) through various business service providers like AWS, OpenAI, and HubSpot.

It's important to note that when Ramp advertises "5% savings" on their website, this refers to their estimate of total combined savings from their spend management tools and expense reduction features, not from direct rebates. While these operational savings may be valuable, the actual direct rebate rate remains at 1%.

Winner: Corpay For businesses with significant spending volume or specific category concentration, Corpay's customizable rebate structure likely provides better returns. Companies can potentially earn higher rebate percentages, turning their card program into a more substantial revenue generator.

Accounts Payable Automation

Corpay's standout advantage is its fully integrated, built in-house AP automation solution. Unlike third-party integrations, Corpay developed their system internally for seamless functionality across their entire payment ecosystem. This means businesses can manage vendor invoices, approvals, payments, and reconciliation all through the same platform that handles their card program.

The AP automation system streamlines every step of the accounts payable process from receipt to reconciliation. Key features include:

• Intelligent invoice capture that extracts data automatically

• Customizable approval workflows to match your business rules

• Flexible payment scheduling to optimize cash flow

• Comprehensive reconciliation tools that reduce errors

Corpay customers report significant time savings by eliminating manual paper processes and consolidating payment workflows into a single system.

Ramp offers bill pay features, but their approach focuses more on basic vendor payment functionality rather than comprehensive AP automation. While Ramp's bill pay works adequately for simple needs, it lacks the depth and integration of Corpay's purpose-built solution, especially for businesses with complex approval hierarchies or high invoice volumes. 

Winner: Corpay With its proprietary, built in-house AP automation system, Corpay delivers superior end-to-end accounts payable functionality compared to Ramp's more basic features. This advantage is particularly significant for businesses processing substantial vendor payments alongside their card program.

Expense Management and Reporting 

Corpay's expense management platform offers comprehensive tools for expense tracking, approval workflows, and receipt management. The platform can be configured to auto-categorize expenses based on predefined rules, and it integrates with productivity apps like Slack for approval notifications. Corpay's mobile app allows receipt capture on the go and provides real-time expense visibility.

Ramp's platform is built around simplifying expense management, with particular emphasis on receipt automation. Their AI-powered matching system can automatically link receipts to transactions, even searching across all company transactions if needed. Ramp also offers text message receipt submission and email forwarding capabilities to streamline the process further.

Winner: Tie Both platforms offer strong expense management capabilities. Corpay excels in customization and established workflows, while Ramp offers a more modern, automated approach to receipt handling.

Spending Controls 

Corpay provides detailed control over employee card usage. Administrators can set custom spending rules for each card or user, including transaction caps and merchant category restrictions. Real-time monitoring tools provide instant alerts for non-compliant purchases, and the platform keeps administrators "in the driver's seat" with comprehensive oversight.

Ramp offers similar granular controls, allowing administrators to issue unlimited cards with custom limits and rules. Cards can have time-based spending limits and merchant category restrictions, with transactions automatically declined in real-time if they violate set policies. Ramp also offers automated card locking for non-compliance, incentivizing employees to follow expense policies.

Winner: Corpay Both platforms offer strong spend control features. However, Corpay's more established system provides slightly more sophistication for complex organizations. It provides better delegation capabilities and excels at managing cards across multiple departments or entities.

Modern Interface 

Ramp excels in providing a clean, intuitive interface designed for today's digital-first teams. Their dashboard features a modern, minimalist design that's easy to navigate even for non-financial users. The mobile app extends this simplicity, making on-the-go expense management straightforward for all employees.

Corpay's interface, while functional and comprehensive, has a more traditional financial software appearance. The platform prioritizes feature depth over interface simplicity, which suits experienced finance professionals but may present a steeper learning curve for general staff.

Winner: Ramp For companies that value modern, intuitive interfaces and quick user adoption, Ramp's platform offers a significantly better user experience, especially for teams with varying levels of financial expertise.

Credit Limit and Financing Options

Corpay's card is a true credit card program offering flexible credit lines tailored to each company's needs. Businesses can have up to 51 days to pay their balance in full, helping to extend working capital. Credit limits can scale as businesses grow, and Corpay reports card activity to commercial credit bureaus to help build company credit profiles.

Ramp operates as a charge card where the full balance must be paid each month. Their underwriting approach focuses on business financials rather than personal credit, potentially offering higher limits (up to 20× higher compared to conventional cards) for companies with strong cash positions. However, because it's a charge card, there's less flexibility in payment terms.

Winner: Corpay For businesses that value payment flexibility and occasionally need to carry balances, Corpay's credit card structure provides more options than Ramp's charge card model, which requires full payment each billing cycle.

Why You Should Choose Corpay Corporate Card for Your Business 

If you’re looking for lucrative rebates, leading accounts payable software, and a reliable card provider, Corpay gives you all three. Here's why Corpay makes sense for many organizations:

1. Comprehensive AP automation: Corpay's built-in-house AP solution provides end-to-end automation for your entire procure-to-pay process, not just card spending. This proprietary system eliminates the need for third-party AP tools, creating a truly unified platform for all business payments.

2. Revenue generation: With customizable rebate programs that can exceed standard market rates, Corpay turns everyday business expenses into a revenue stream.

3. Working capital optimization: Corpay's credit card structure, with up to 51 days to pay, provides additional flexibility for managing cash flow compared to charge card models that require full monthly payment.

4. Comprehensive integration: With real-time ERP syncing and compatibility with virtually any accounting system, Corpay ensures your financial data stays accurate and up-to-date across all platforms.

5. Global acceptance: As a Mastercard product from North America's largest B2B card issuer, Corpay provides reliable acceptance worldwide with premium travel benefits like airport lounge access (1,500+ lounges worldwide) and hotel discounts.

6. Established stability: With billions in annual processing volume and a long track record, Corpay offers the security of working with an established financial services provider rather than a newer fintech startup.

7. Customized management controls: Corpay allows for penny-accurate dollar amount controls and vendor payment timelines, providing more granular oversight than standard category-based spending limits.

Corpay Comes Out Ahead 

After comparing these two corporate card options, Corpay emerges as the more versatile choice for most businesses. Whether you're processing hundreds of invoices or just getting started with a formal expense system, Corpay's flexibility works for organizations at various stages of growth.

What makes Corpay stand out:

• Higher earning potential with customizable rebates that often exceed the 1% fixed rate from Ramp

• The in-house AP automation that integrates directly with your card program

• Real credit card functionality with up to 51 days to pay, helping with cash flow management

• Consistent ERP updates that keep your financial data current

• Travel benefits like airport lounge access and hotel discounts that add real value

• Bank-agnostic approach that works with your existing financial relationships

As Teri Tocash, AP Manager at CBC Companies, found: "Not only did we eliminate 100% of open checks and the $35 fee incurred for each stopped payment, our monthly rebate pays for our entire accounting department."

Whether you're looking to upgrade from a basic business card or consolidate multiple payment systems, Corpay offers the right combination of control, rewards, and integration that makes financial sense.

Contact Corpay's in-house payment experts today to discuss your specific challenges and future goals. 

Corpay vs Ramp Corporate Card FAQs

Is Corpay better than Ramp? For established businesses with complex needs and significant spending volume, Corpay typically offers more customization, higher direct rebates (compared to Ramp's 1%), and greater payment flexibility. Ramp may be preferable for startups and smaller businesses that prioritize a modern interface, simplified expense management, and can benefit from their partner offers.

What are the main differences between Corpay and Ramp? The key differences include: (1) Corpay offers a credit card with revolving options while Ramp is a charge card requiring full monthly payment, (2) Corpay provides customizable rebates up to 2% or more while Ramp offers a flat 1% rate (note that Ramp's advertised "5% savings" refers to estimated total operational savings, not direct rebates), (3) Corpay has more established processes while Ramp features a more modern interface.

What type of businesses should use Corpay vs Ramp? Corpay is ideal for mid-sized to large businesses with established financial profiles that value customization and potential for higher rewards. Ramp works better for growth-stage companies and startups with significant cash reserves that prefer simplicity and modern software experiences.

Does Corpay require a personal guarantee? For established businesses with strong credit profiles, Corpay typically doesn't require personal guarantees. Requirements vary based on business financials and credit history.

Does Ramp require a personal guarantee? For qualified businesses meeting their financial requirements ($25,000+ in a business bank account), Ramp doesn't require personal guarantees, basing approval instead on company financial health.

Which has better rebates, Corpay or Ramp? For high-volume spenders, Corpay's customizable rebate structure potentially offers higher direct returns (up to 2% or more in some cases). Ramp's standard 1% rebate is simpler but yields lower direct returns. Ramp does supplement this with partner offers and discounts on business services, which might provide additional value for companies that can utilize those specific services.