Mercantile, a financial services platform and division of Onboard Partners, focused on expanding responsible access to credit for small and professional service businesses, announced a partnership with the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) to bring purpose-built credit solutions to design professionals nationwide. The new ASID American Express^® Business Card will be issued by Celtic Bank and run on the American Express Network — providing ASID members and partners access to Amex Network benefits, offerings, and protections.

The partnership is tailored to independent designers and small design firms — businesses that manage significant project expenses, seasonal revenue cycles, and client payment timing that rarely align with traditional credit structures. Through Mercantile's platform, ASID will offer a new member and partner-focused business credit card designed around the financial realities of running a modern design practice.

The ASID American Express^® Business Card includes:

• Approval pathways, including weekly autopay options that may help qualified businesses with lower credit profiles access credit
  
  
• A unique Credit LimitShield^SM feature that allows cardholders to self-select a percentage threshold that triggers an automatic payment to ensure there is always available credit to make purchases without interruption or delay
  
  
• The ability to build a stronger business credit profile over time, reducing reliance on personal credit
  
  
• Access to Amex Offers and Amex Network benefits across travel, lifestyle, and retail, as well as insurance protections
  
  
• Competitive rewards on everyday business spending offered by Mercantile

"Interior designers are running sophisticated businesses," said Khoi Vo, President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Society of Interior Designers. "They are managing complex project timelines, vendor relationships, and fluctuating cash flow, and that requires financial tools built for how this work actually operates. This partnership with Mercantile reflects ASID's commitment to strengthening the business of design as much as the practice itself. When designers have access to the right resources, they can grow more sustainably, run more efficiently, and stay focused on what they do best: creating spaces that improve people's lives."

"The ASID American Express^® Business Card is designed to help interior designers run their businesses — managing vendors, materials, project timelines, and client billing — by providing financial tools that support their growth," said Scott Shaw, CEO and President at Onboard Partners, Mercantile's parent company. "This partnership with ASID and American Express reflects our commitment to working with trusted professional associations to deliver credit programs specific to their needs."

"American Express is pleased to partner with Mercantile and the ASID," said Will Stredwick, SVP and GM of Global Network Services for North America at American Express. "Interior designers are consistently balancing creativity and commerce, with financial needs that are as dynamic as their work. The ASID American Express^® Business Card provides meaningful credit flexibility, rewards everyday spend and brings the full strength of the American Express Network to help the next generation of interior design leaders grow their businesses."

The ASID program joins a growing roster of association partnerships Mercantile has built over the past five years. This milestone marks the start of the broader Mercantile American Express card program expected to roll out across professional verticals, supporting entrepreneurs and small business leaders in ways unique to the needs of their profession.

The Mercantile & ASID cobrand program is built on the American Express Agile Partner Platform (APP), which enables fintechs and program managers to create and introduce customized payment products quickly, securely, and seamlessly in partnership with American Express.