Brex Credit Cards Offer Cryptocurrency Rewards for Business Owners

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• For business owners curious about crypto, the Brex cards are a low-risk introduction to the space.
• Valuations are assigned in real time, so points appreciate or depreciate in step with the market.
• The ability to earn cryptocurrency rewards differentiates Brex from other small-business cards.
• Read Insider’s guide to the best small-business credit cards.

Between Tesla’s $1.5-billion Bitcoin purchase and Square’s $50 million investment in the most-recognized name in crypto, some elite business owners are playing a major role in fueling the conversation around digital currencies. Now, Brex is giving all entrepreneurs — not just those who can host Saturday Night Live or sell tweets as NFTs — the chance to explore blockchain-based finance without actually buying it. 

If you aren’t familiar with Brex, the company specializes in helping businesses manage their finances. A key piece of that is a generous slate of reward offerings: two Brex card options that give businesses a tiered structure with 8x back on ride-sharing, 5x back on travel booked through Brex, 4x on restaurants, 3x on software like

Zoom
or

Slack
, and 1x back on everything else.

Now, all those payouts can also add up in Bitcoin or Ethereum — an announcement that follows the consumer credit card landscape where companies like BlockFi and Gemini are trying to secure a spot in your wallet.

Read more: The best credit cards to turn rewards from everyday spending into investments

Using Brex points for crypto rewards

“We think that your rewards points are an easy and interesting way to participate in crypto,” Henrique Dubugras, founder and CEO of Brex, told Insider. “A lot of people end up having rewards points that sit there unused. If you’re not using it for cash back or you don’t have any miles to use, maybe you prefer to have it in crypto — possibly appreciating or depreciating.”

“There are quite a few companies that are purchasing crypto on their balance sheets for a reason,” Dubugras said. “We wanted to create a super-easy way for the businesses who wanted to follow that trend to do so. We’re definitely not arguing for having all your money in crypto, but having some exposure is something that a lot of companies are doing.”

Read more: The best cash-back credit cards of 2021

The Brex card offers the flexibility to simply put that exposure in rewards points, and cardholders can continue to designate their rewards in other more stable categories, too. For example, Dubugras says that if you have 100 rewards points, you might have 25 in cash, 25 in cryptocurrency, 25 in miles, and 25 points that are unassigned until a future decision. 

The point valuations are in real time, which is an important piece of the puzzle. If you take a client out for dinner tonight, you would earn an equivalent in Bitcoin or Ethereum at whatever the currency is valued when you pay — not at the end of your billing cycle. 

Are crypto rewards right for your business?

Dubugras points out that embracing cryptocurrency is a decision that rests on “the…