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Business · last verified Oct 9, 2026

Brex startup credits: $350K+ in perks (2026)

Open a Brex card or business account and unlock over $350,000 in advertised partner discounts and credits, including up to $5,000 in AWS credits for new customers (subject to AWS Activate eligibility), $1,000 in OpenAI credits, up to 20 free GitHub Enterprise seats for qualifying startups, plus an occasional time-boxed sign-up bonus.

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I quick answer

Brex offers $350K+ in aggregate partner discounts in credits (AWS portion: up to $5K).

No equity, no fees. No referral needed; apply directly.

Stage fit: Venture-. Difficulty: moderate.

II key facts

Brex at a glance

Max value
$350K+ in aggregate partner discounts (AWS portion: up to $5K)
Stage fit
Venture-
Takes equity
No
Who files it
You (no code needed)
Geography
US-incorporated companies with a US EIN and US physical address; international founders can apply only through a US entity
Referral needed
No
Difficulty
Moderate
Review time
Not stated officially
Credits expire
No program-wide expiry; Brex says perk availability may change over time, Day Zero Stack partnerships are always subject to change, and each perk has its own term (e.g.
III available programs and tiers

What Brex actually gives you

  1. Partner perks (Brex customers)
    Brex advertises over $350,000 in discounts and credits on AI and SaaS tools. The support page names 34 partners (20 Day Zero Stack + 14 others), redeemed one by one from Rewards > Perks and discounts in the dashboard.
    Brex customers; individual tiles carry their own conditions (for example new Brex customers, qualifying startups, company size caps)
  2. Day Zero Stack: AWS credits
    Up to $5,000 in AWS credits for new Brex customers, depending on AWS Activate eligibility; granted through AWS Activate, not by Brex
    New Brex customers who also pass AWS Activate's own checks
  3. Day Zero Stack: AI and dev tools
    OpenAI $1,000 credits (1 yr); GitHub Enterprise up to 20 seats free for 1 yr for qualifying startups (+50% off Advanced Security); Notion Business plan incl. Notion AI free up to 6 mo; Linear Business free 6 mo; ElevenLabs 3 mo free; Granola 3 mo free; Warp 6 mo free (via startup payroll expert); v0/Vercel +$500 credits on Teams/Business; Slack 30% off 12 mo (companies of 200 or fewer employees); Gusto 50% off yr 1; Deel up to $5K credits or 50% off yr 1; Carta 20% off yr 1 + 10K points; Attio up to 80% off Pro for 1 yr; Drata 25% off first contract. Retool $25K credits for 1 yr (new customers) is listed under other partners
    Brex customers (per-tile conditions apply)
  4. Other listed partners
    Google Cloud/Firebase costs covered up to $200,000 over 2 years (Google's own eligibility applies); Efficient Capital Labs financing up to $2M; Indeed $500 job-sponsoring credit; 1Password $100 credit; QuickBooks 30% off 12 mo; Perplexity, Pilot, Zendesk and others
    Brex customers; partner terms and deadlines apply and may change
  5. Card points
    1x base; 7x rideshare, 4x Brex travel, 3x restaurants, 2x software; redeem for cash back, travel, billboards, swag, offsites and more. Brex's points help page values Brex travel at 1 cent/point and cash or statement credit at 0.6 cent/point (value can differ by agreement)
    All Brex cardholders
  6. Sign-up bonus (rotating, time-boxed)
    None confirmed live as of Oct 9, 2026. Most recent: $1,000 statement credit after $4,000 spend within 30 days of activation (apply, be approved and activate Sept 1-30, 2026; expired). Earlier in 2026: 25,000 points for $15K spend or 90,000 points for $50K spend within 90 days (Mar 23-May 31, 2026, via brex.com/fasttrack), and a $500 gift card (sign up before Jul 31, 2026)
    New Brex customers only; cannot be combined with other promotional bonuses
  7. AWS Activate companies
    80,000 Brex points after spending $10,000 (listed on startups.aws.com/learn/brex, undated, no further terms shown there)
    Startups already in AWS Activate who claim the offer through AWS's link to Brex
IV eligibility

Who qualifies

You likely qualify if

  • Your company has a US EIN issued by the IRS and valid US incorporation with US operations
  • Your company has a US physical address Brex can verify (virtual address only if a beneficial owner or control officer has a verifiable US presence; no PO boxes or private mailboxes)
  • Your industry is not on Brex's restricted list
  • Monthly-payment startup card: accelerator- or VC-funded, or angel-funded and planning to raise from an accelerator or VC, with at least $50,000 minimum cash balance (the threshold can be lower via certain partner referrals)
  • Daily-payment startup account: received equity investment (accelerator, angel or VC) or plans to soon, or over $500K annual revenue, or a tech startup on a path to those and referred by an existing customer or partner; companies with no funding or under $50K cash may still qualify
  • For the AWS perk: you are a new Brex customer and separately meet AWS Activate's rules (new to Activate credits or requesting more than previously received)
  • Meeting the requirements does not guarantee approval

You won't qualify if

  • Companies without a US EIN or US incorporation (non-US entities cannot open an account)
  • Sole proprietors and unincorporated businesses (Brex requires valid US incorporation)
  • Businesses in Brex's restricted industries
  • Existing Brex customers for perks labeled for new Brex customers (e.g. the AWS credits and Pylon/Retool offers) and for sign-up bonuses
  • Startups that already hold AWS Activate credits of equal or greater value than they would request (AWS Activate's own rule, which gates the $5K AWS perk)

Geography. US-incorporated companies with a US EIN and US physical address; international founders can apply only through a US entity

V how to apply

How to apply to Brex for Startups (rewards & partner perks)

  1. 01Confirm you have a US EIN, US incorporation and a US physical business address.
  2. 02Apply at brex.com/signup (Brex says account setup takes under 10 minutes). Do not rely on brex.com/fasttrack or brex.com/sign-up-offer: both still show expired 2026 bonuses; check Brex's legal offer pages for any new time-limited bonus.
  3. 03Get approved and fund or connect the account; funded startups with $50K+ cash qualify for monthly-payment cards, others may qualify for a daily-payment account depending on funding, revenue or referral.
  4. 04In the Brex dashboard go to Rewards > Perks and discounts (account admins, card admins or users with that capability).
  5. 05Click the tile for the perk you want (e.g. AWS); a window opens with that partner's redemption instructions.
  6. 06For AWS, follow the instructions to apply through AWS Activate; credits are granted by AWS depending on Activate eligibility, not by Brex.
  7. 07If you meet the requirements but are under $50K cash, contact your Brex sales representative or referral@brex.com.

Review time: Not stated officially; Brex says setup takes under 10 minutes but publishes no approval timeline, and the AWS perk still goes through AWS Activate's separate review. Apply at www.brex.com/signup.

VI what changed

What changed in 2025 and 2026

Capital One announced on Jan 22, 2026 that it would acquire Brex, and Brex's site now describes Brex LLC as a wholly owned subsidiary of Capital One, N.A.; no startup-program changes were stated. Brex launched the Day Zero Stack around Oct 21, 2025 (AWS, OpenAI, Carta, GitHub, Notion, etc.; the launch newsletter also named Anthropic, which is not on the current perk lists). During 2026 the sign-up bonus rotated: 25K/90K points (Mar 23-May 31, 2026), a $500 gift card (to Jul 31, 2026), then a $1,000 statement credit for $4K spend (Sept 1-30, 2026); no live bonus is confirmed as of Oct 9, 2026. The newsletter quoted $2.5K OpenAI, $4K Google Cloud and a $180K aggregate; Brex pages now say $1,000 OpenAI, Google Cloud up to $200,000 over 2 years and $350K+ aggregate.

  • Jan 22, 2026Capital One agreed to acquire Brex

Dated change log for every program →

VII stacks well with

Hold these alongside Brex

VIII the AWS angle

Brex credits and your AWS bill

Brex's AWS perk is a doorway into AWS Activate, not a separate pot: new Brex customers can get up to $5,000 in AWS credits only if they also pass Activate's rules (AWS requires applicants to be new to Activate credits or to request more than previously received). Brex is also listed by AWS as an Activate Provider, and AWS lists a Brex offer of 80,000 points after $10,000 of card spend for Activate companies, so paying AWS bills on a Brex card can earn points on top.

IXfaq

Brex startup credits, answered

How much does Brex give startups?

Brex offers $350K+ in aggregate partner discounts in credits (AWS portion: up to $5K). There are 7 tiers: Partner perks (Brex customers): Brex advertises over $350,000 in discounts and credits on AI and SaaS tools; Day Zero Stack: AWS credits: Up to $5,000 in AWS credits for new Brex customers, depending on AWS Activate eligibility; Day Zero Stack: AI and dev tools: OpenAI $1,000 credits (1 yr); Other listed partners: Google Cloud/Firebase costs covered up to $200,000 over 2 years (Google's own eligibility applies); Card points: 1x base; Sign-up bonus (rotating, time-boxed): None confirmed live as of Oct 9, 2026; AWS Activate companies: 80,000 Brex points after spending $10,000 (listed on startups.aws.com/learn/brex, undated, no further terms shown there).

Does Brex take equity?

No. Brex for Startups (rewards & partner perks) is a credits program, not an investment; you keep 100% of your company. No referral needed; apply directly.

Who qualifies for Brex for Startups (rewards & partner perks)?

Stage fit: Venture-, accelerator- or angel-backed US startups (or those planning to raise): $50K+ cash gets monthly-payment cards; others may qualify for a daily-payment business account via equity funding, revenue over $500K, or a partner/customer referral. Bootstrapped companies with no funding plans or revenue may not qualify. You usually qualify if: your company has a US EIN issued by the IRS and valid US incorporation with US operations; your company has a US physical address Brex can verify (virtual address only if a beneficial owner or control officer has a verifiable US presence; no PO boxes or private mailboxes); your industry is not on Brex's restricted list. You will not qualify if: companies without a US EIN or US incorporation (non-US entities cannot open an account); sole proprietors and unincorporated businesses (Brex requires valid US incorporation).

How long does Brex take to approve credits?

Not stated officially; Brex says setup takes under 10 minutes but publishes no approval timeline, and the AWS perk still goes through AWS Activate's separate review. Difficulty: moderate, a real application and usually some back and forth.

When do Brex credits expire?

No program-wide expiry; Brex says perk availability may change over time, Day Zero Stack partnerships are always subject to change, and each perk has its own term (e.g. OpenAI 1 year, Notion and Linear 6 months).

Can I combine Brex credits with AWS credits?

Brex's AWS perk is a doorway into AWS Activate, not a separate pot: new Brex customers can get up to $5,000 in AWS credits only if they also pass Activate's rules (AWS requires applicants to be new to Activate credits or to request more than previously received). Brex is also listed by AWS as an Activate Provider, and AWS lists a Brex offer of 80,000 points after $10,000 of card spend for Activate companies, so paying AWS bills on a Brex card can earn points on top. On AWS, CloudRoute matches you for free with a vetted partner who can file MAP, POC or IW funding when the workload qualifies and AWS approves it. The Brex application you submit yourself.

Verified against www.brex.com/startups on Oct 9, 2026 (confidence: high). Programs change; always confirm on the official page. 15 sources checked.