Mercury vs Brex vs Relay: Best Business Bank Account for Food Trucks & Pop-Ups
Your food truck or pop-up bank account is more than just a place for daily sales. It’s the core of your money system. Mercury, Brex Cash, and Relay are three top online banking options. They each offer different perks for food business owners, like managing daily cash flow, paying for supplies, and separating business money.
READY TO TAKE ACTION?
Use the free LaunchAdvisor checklist to track every step in this guide.
The Quick Answer
Mercury is usually the best first choice for most food trucks and pop-ups. It's simple, has no fees, and just works for daily sales and payments. Relay is better if you have a small crew and need to track money for different things like ingredients, payroll, or permits. Brex Cash works if you already use a Brex card for your food business expenses and want everything in one place.
Side-by-Side Breakdown
Mercury: No monthly fees. No minimum balance. Your money is FDIC insured up to $5M through partner banks. You can even earn money on extra cash. It's good for connecting with online tools, like your POS system or accounting software. Handles direct deposits (ACH), wire transfers for large supply orders, and checks for things like commissary kitchen rent.
Relay: No monthly fees (Relay Pro costs $30/month for extra features). You can open up to 20 separate checking accounts and get 50 debit cards. This is great for keeping money separate: one account for ingredients, another for permits, one for staff pay, and one for taxes. You can give different permissions to your team members who help with ordering or payments.
Brex Cash: It's free if you use a Brex corporate card. Your money is FDIC insured up to $6M. You can earn money on the cash you keep in your account. It works seamlessly with your Brex expense card, so you see all your spending in one spot. You cannot open Brex Cash without also getting a Brex card.
When to Choose Mercury
Choose Mercury if you’re a solo food truck owner, run a small pop-up, or just starting. You need a simple, no-fee bank account for your daily operations. This means easily accepting payments, paying for daily ingredients, propane, market fees, or your Square POS system. Mercury is also quick to set up – many food businesses get approved in 1-2 days without visiting a bank branch.
When to Choose Relay
Choose Relay if you have a small team helping you — maybe a cook, server, or someone managing your farmers market booth. You can give them cards with spending limits. It's also perfect if you want to separate your money into different buckets, like one for fresh produce, one for truck maintenance, one for payroll for your weekend staff, and another for future permits or equipment like a new griddle.
When to Choose Brex Cash
Choose Brex Cash if you already use Brex for your corporate card, perhaps for larger inventory purchases, truck repairs, or regular fuel fill-ups. It keeps your card spending and bank balance together on one dashboard. This makes managing all your food business expenses simpler.
The Verdict
Start with Mercury for your food truck or pop-up. It's the easiest to use, has no hidden fees, and fits most new food businesses. Switch to Relay if you start hiring a team or want to organize your money better into separate funds for ingredients, taxes, or a new deep fryer. Consider Brex Cash if you go all-in with the Brex corporate card for your business spending.
How to Get Started
Mercury: Apply at mercury.com. You'll need your EIN, business formation papers (like your LLC documents), and your personal ID. Approval is usually same-day or within 48 hours.
Relay: Apply at relayfi.com. Before you open, think about how you want to split your money. Deciding on accounts for 'ingredients,' 'payroll,' and 'truck repairs' beforehand will save you time later.
Brex Cash: Open it when you apply for the Brex corporate card. You can't get Brex Cash by itself.
RECOMMENDED TOOLS
Mercury
No-fee startup banking with API access
Relay
Multi-account business banking for teams
Brex
Banking + corporate cards in one platform
Some links above are affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you sign up — at no extra cost to you.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Are Mercury and Relay real banks?
No. Both are financial technology companies that partner with FDIC-insured banks to hold deposits. Your deposits are FDIC insured, but Mercury and Relay themselves are not chartered banks.
Can I use Mercury or Relay for payroll?
Yes — both support ACH transfers needed for payroll. But most businesses use a dedicated payroll platform (Gusto, Rippling, ADP) and simply connect it to their Mercury or Relay account for the ACH pull.
Which account earns the most interest on cash?
Mercury Treasury earns a competitive yield on balances over $500K. For smaller balances, Brex Cash currently offers the highest yield on operating balances among the three. Rates change frequently, so compare current rates at account opening.