A business credit line is a very used borrowing tool in the businesses arena. It works as a credit card in several different ways. For instance, it does not have a set length or established monthly payments; your monthly payment depends on how much you have borrowed. Also, the rate that is charged is a variable interest rate based on economic market indicators.

A business line of credit works by offering a lump sum of pre-approved funds to a business. When using a credit line, the business only needs to take out money as the need arises.

It’s the business manager’s decision to take as much or as little money as it needs in a specific situation as long as the funds withdrawn are less than the credit available in the line of credit. In addition, many businesses choose a business line of credit as the borrowing tool of their choice because the business only pays interest in the used money.

The business can take money out as often as it needs it as long as there’s still some balance available. In other words, the business has always a pre-approved source of funds waiting to be used giving the business a lot more flexibility.

You can withdraw money from the business line of credit in one of two ways anytime you need to: you can write a check or you can withdraw cash. In addition, the minimum balance to pay each month is calculated by the money used. You can choose to pay all of the balance off, a portion of it or only the minimum payment (usually the interest.) By paying at least a portion, you increase the available credit for future needs.

When you decide to get a business line of credit, you can choose between two different kinds: a secured credit line and an unsecured credit line.

In a secured credit line, your business must have some collateral that will work “as payment” in case you default on the business credit line. In a secured credit line, the company’s credit or the owner’s credit is not as important.

If you choose to apply for an unsecured credit line, your business doesn’t need any collateral to back up the money from the business line of credit. With this option, the business or the owner of the business needs to have a very solid credit rating.

Generally speaking, you’ll get better terms and a higher credit limit when you apply for a secured credit line. This happens because the lender takes a smaller risk when granting you the business line of credit.

If you are starting your business and don’t have much collateral, you can choose to apply for an unsecured credit line. In this type of business credit lines, you should expect slightly higher rates and lower credit limits.