Getting approved for a line of credit can be an extremely quick and painless process. As long as you have all your documentation ready to submit, you can get approved in as little as 4 hours. Upon approval, you can expect to get access to your credit line, again, within 4 hours.

Overall, the size of your credit line is dependent on what you plan to use the funds for, and only you can determine this amount. However, it’s important to remember that the size of the line that you would like to get and what you are approved for may be very different. When determining your credit line size, several factors are considered, which can include:

There are a few major differences between a business line of credit and a business credit card. For starters, a standard business credit card functions similarly to a personal credit card, in that you can’t just draw cash directly from the card account into your operating account to cover an expense (i.e. you can’t use a business credit card to cover your payroll). When it comes to credit limits and terms, business credit card approval is mostly based on your personal credit score. A line of credit, on the other hand, offers more flexibility on approval amounts, typically has lower interest rates, and can be used to pull cash into your operating account to cover operational expenses or address seasonal revenue shortages.

There are, however, more defined terms on a line of credit. While a business credit card will continue to revolve so long as you make the minimum payment, a line of credit must be paid back within the amount of time agreed upon with your lender and expires after an agreed period. Both credit cards and lines of credit have a credit limit that can’t be exceeded.

If you’re trying to decide between a business line of credit or a business credit card, think about what expenses you are looking to get covered. If the expenses require cash-on-hand, then a business line of credit could be a better option for you. However, if the expenses can be covered with credit, you may prefer to go with a credit card.