The specs
BluevinePrime Capital Group
Product typeLOCMCA
Amount range$10K – $250K$5K – $300K
Cost (factor / APR)APR 6.2% – 27% (LOC)Factor 1.22 – 1.44
Speed to fund1 – 3 business days24 – 48 hours after approval
Min time in business12 months6 months
Min monthly revenue$10,000$15,000
Min credit score625+550+
Products
- Line of credit
- Invoice factoring
- MCA (1st, 2nd, 3rd position)
- Renewal funding
Verdicts by use case
- Lowest cost (qualified merchant) — Winner: Bluevine. Bluevine LOC at 6.2 – 27% APR is dramatically cheaper than Prime Capital Group's 1.22 – 1.44 factor (40 – 80% APR-equivalent on 6 – 9 month repayment). For merchants who clear Bluevine's 625+ FICO and 12+ month TIB bar, Bluevine wins on cost by 3 – 5× on the same capital.
- Revolving capital structure — Winner: Bluevine. Bluevine LOC is revolving — draw, repay, redraw without reapplying. Prime's MCA is one-time; another deal requires another underwrite, another commission, another contract. Recurring capital needs favor Bluevine outright.
- Newer business (6 – 12 months TIB) — Winner: Prime Capital Group. Bluevine requires 12+ months TIB. Prime accepts 6+. Sub-12-month merchants are Prime-only in this pair, though most should wait to access Bluevine's better pricing.
- Sub-625 FICO file — Winner: Prime Capital Group. Bluevine's 625+ FICO floor declines sub-625 files outright. Prime accepts 550+. For 550 – 624 FICO files Prime is the realistic path here — though Credibly (550+ FICO floor) is typically cheaper than Prime in that band.
- Builds business credit — Winner: Bluevine. Bluevine reports the LOC to commercial credit bureaus. Prime's MCA is receivables purchase and generally does not report. For merchants building business credit, Bluevine is the structural winner — Prime is invisible to D&B and Experian Commercial.
The honest takeaway
Bluevine and Prime Capital Group solve overlapping but distinct problems. The right choice depends on three things you already know about your business: how fast you need the money, how long you've been operating, and whether the capital need is one-time or recurring.
Frequently asked questions
- Bluevine declined me for credit — should I take Prime Capital Group's offer?
- Probably not as the next step. Bluevine's 625+ FICO floor is strict, but the cascade between Bluevine and a deep-B-paper broker funder like Prime has middle-tier options that are materially cheaper than Prime. Credibly (550+ FICO floor, $5K – $600K) and Forward Financing (550+ FICO, $5K – $300K) accept 550 – 624 FICO files at 1.22 – 1.30 factor — vs Prime's typical 1.30 – 1.40 in the same band. Exhaust the direct B-paper funders before defaulting to a broker-channel MCA.
- Can I use a Bluevine LOC to refinance a Prime Capital Group MCA?
- Yes, the refinance path works. Pay down the existing Prime advance to ~50% of original, demonstrate 6+ months clean payment history, then apply to Bluevine with the Prime payment visible on bank statements. Bluevine's underwriting weights total debt-service-to-revenue; if combined load stays under ~10 – 12% of daily deposits, Bluevine may approve a LOC that's then used to pay off Prime in full. Net savings on a $75K deal can run $18K – $30K depending on remaining balance and time.
- Why does Prime Capital Group's pricing not match Bluevine's even though both serve overlapping revenue bands?
- Different products and different underwriting risk. Bluevine LOC underwrites tighter (625+ FICO, 12+ months, no existing MCA stacking) and prices the lower-risk portfolio at sub-30% APR. Prime underwrites looser (550+ FICO, 6+ months, accepts stacking) and prices the higher-risk portfolio at 40 – 80% APR-equivalent. The Prime premium isn't pure markup — it compensates for genuinely riskier underwriting plus broker commission distribution. Files that fit Bluevine should never see Prime.