Credibly vs Bluevine — who wins for what.

Frequently asked questions

What does Credibly actually accept for bankruptcy-flagged files in 2026?

Credibly's bankruptcy underwriting follows a structured matrix as of 2026-06-28. The realistic acceptance rules: (1) Discharged Chapter 7 BK 4+ years post-discharge with clean post-BK credit rebuilding history — accepted at surcharge pricing typical factor 1.28 – 1.38. Current credit profile must show 2+ years of clean payment history on at least 2 – 3 credit accounts post-BK. (2) Discharged Chapter 7 BK 7+ years post-discharge with established post-BK credit — accepted at near-standard pricing factor 1.20 – 1.30 if current credit is otherwise clean. (3) Discharged Chapter 13 BK with completed payment plan + 2+ years post-discharge seasoning — accepted at surcharge pricing similar to 4-year post-discharge Chapter 7 files. (4) Discharged Chapter 13 BK with completed plan + 5+ years post-discharge — accepted at near-standard pricing. (5) Discharged BK under 4 years post-discharge — typically declined; underwriting routes to deep distressed paper specialists. (6) Open BK in active plan or pending discharge — declined regardless of plan status. (7) Multiple BK filings — typically declined regardless of timing because pattern suggests systemic financial issues. (8) BK with active subsequent legal issues (judgments, tax liens, foreclosure) — typically declined regardless of BK timing because the additional issues amplify risk. The structural reasoning: Credibly's MCA structure with 4 – 9 month payback period plus daily ACH visibility provides ongoing payment performance monitoring that supports underwriting BK-flagged files at appropriate risk-grade-specific pricing. The merchant-prep implication for BK-flagged files: documented post-BK credit rebuilding history (2+ years minimum) + clean current credit profile + overall B-paper or better trading history is the structural minimum to qualify. Merchants who recently emerged from BK should focus on credit rebuilding before seeking capital; merchants with established post-BK credit have realistic Credibly path at surcharge pricing. The 4-year post-discharge floor is approximately the structural minimum across most mainstream MCA funders that accept BK-flagged files; deeper distressed paper specialists may accept earlier post-discharge with higher pricing.

Why does Bluevine require 7+ years post-discharge when Credibly accepts at 4 years?

The structural reason mirrors the broader LOC vs MCA underwriting pattern as of 2026-06-28 — Bluevine's LOC product commitment vs Credibly's MCA per-deal structure. Bluevine LOC approves once and remains available for draws over 12 – 24 months before line review, creating a multi-year exposure window that requires deeper credit history visibility. The 7+ year post-discharge requirement matches FICO bureau reporting timelines — Chapter 7 BK falls off the credit report after 10 years, Chapter 13 after 7 years, so requiring 7+ years post-discharge ensures the BK is approaching or past the credit report reporting window and the merchant has demonstrated sustained credit recovery during that period. Credibly's MCA structure has 4 – 9 month exposure window with daily ACH visibility, allowing earlier post-BK acceptance because the per-deal exposure is time-limited and the daily ACH provides ongoing payment performance monitoring. The structural rule applies broadly across LOC vs MCA products: LOC funders (Bluevine, Fundbox) require 7+ years post-discharge typically; MCA funders (Credibly, Greenbox, Accord, Forward Financing) accept earlier post-discharge with appropriate surcharge pricing. The merchant-prep implication for post-BK merchants: (1) Credibly MCA is the structural primary option for capital access during years 4 – 7 post-discharge; (2) Plan the credit-rebuilding path during the 7-year seasoning period — secured credit cards, small installment loans paid clean, business credit accounts paid on time. (3) Refinance to Bluevine LOC at substantially cheaper pricing once 7+ year seasoning completes. (4) For merchants in years 1 – 4 post-discharge the realistic alternatives are very limited and may require deep distressed paper specialists (Pearl Capital, Yellowstone Capital, World Business Lenders) at significantly higher pricing, plus a focus on credit rebuilding before pursuing additional capital. The structural reality of post-BK capital access: the cheapest capital (LOC products, term loans, SBA loans) requires the longest post-BK seasoning periods; MCA products provide the bridge during the seasoning period at material cost premium.

Which is right for a 5-year-old retail business with Chapter 7 discharge 5 years ago and clean post-BK credit?

Credibly is structurally the only option in this 2-way for this file as of 2026-06-28. The 5-year post-discharge Chapter 7 status structurally rules out Bluevine LOC (which requires 7+ years). Credibly's underwriting accepts the file at the 4+ year post-discharge threshold; the documented clean post-BK credit rebuilding history plus 5-year established retail business profile creates a realistic path to approval. Expected Credibly pricing: factor 1.26 – 1.34 for $40K – $100K MCA over 6 – 9 month payback term, reflecting BK-flagged credit surcharge but otherwise clean B-paper profile. Effective APR roughly 45 – 65%. The realistic retail business playbook: (1) Route to Credibly as structural primary in this 2-way; provide documentation of post-BK credit accounts (secured cards, installment loans, business credit) showing 2+ years of clean payment history. (2) Evaluate Forward Financing in parallel as B-paper alternative — Forward's reconciliation policy provides cash flow protection during retail seasonal cycles. (3) Evaluate Accord Business Funding for broadest B/C-paper acceptance including most BK-flagged files at competitive surcharge pricing. (4) Plan the 2-year migration to Bluevine LOC: once full 7-year post-discharge seasoning completes (next 2 years for this file), Bluevine LOC at 8 – 22% APR becomes available — material cost reduction vs continued Credibly MCA cycling. (5) Continue building business credit profile during the migration window — D&B Paydex score, Experian Business credit, vendor trade lines paid on time. (6) Consider embedded retail capital options (Shopify Capital, Square Capital, Clover Capital) if the merchant processes through those platforms — embedded capital often has more flexible BK underwriting using platform transaction data instead of traditional credit profile, potentially providing alternative capital access during the seasoning period. The structural rule for post-BK retail merchants in the 4 – 7 year post-discharge window: Credibly MCA is the realistic primary option for capital access; Bluevine LOC becomes available after full 7-year seasoning at materially cheaper pricing. The 2-year gap between Credibly's 4-year acceptance threshold and Bluevine's 7-year threshold is the structural pricing premium merchants pay for capital access during the credit recovery period.