Your guide to the Chase Ink Business credit cards

Editor’s note: This post has been updated with current information.

While Chase offers a robust portfolio of consumer credit cards, the issuer also has a suite of business cards that are tailored to different types of companies and expenses.

Known as the Ink Business family, these credit cards earn either cash-back rewards or Ultimate Rewards points. Depending on the card you carry, you may be able to combine your rewards with other cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points — such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Freedom Flex or Chase Freedom Unlimited — to further boost your earning and redemption options.

There are currently four Ink Business cards available for applications: the New Business Card! Ink Business Premier Credit Card, the Ink Business Cash Credit Card, the Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card and the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card.

Let’s take a look at how the four cards stack up, including the best-ever welcome offers currently available on two of these cards.

Chase Ink Business cards overview

Chase Ink Business cards

Ink Business Premier Credit Card

Sign-up bonus: Earn $1,000 after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of account opening.

Annual fee: $195.

Rewards: Earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or greater and 2% cash back on all other eligible purchases.

Who should apply? The Ink Business Premier is the newest and most premium offering in the Chase business card family as it carries a $195 annual fee. Originally available only to those with a Business Relationship Manager, the card is now available to the general public.

Unfortunately, the Ink Business Premier does not earn fully-transferable Ultimate Rewards points like its counterpart, the Ink Business Preferred (more on that below). Nor can you transfer the rewards earned on the Ink Business Premier to other Ultimate Rewards cards.

Instead, Ink Business Premier cardholders can redeem their points for cash back, gift cards, statement credits and more through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. As such, this card is geared toward business owners with high operating expenses who want to recoup the $195 annual fee, invest back into their business' operating expenses and aren’t as concerned with earning travel rewards. In sum, the Ink Business Premier is a niche option that likely won’t appeal to most but has its place for those who want a simple yet lucrative card with no preset spending limit.

Related:

• Ink Business Premier review
• TPG exclusive: A first look at Chase’s new Ink Business Premier credit card
• Who should (and who shouldn’t) get the Chase Ink Business Premier?

Official application link: Ink Business Premier.

Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

Sign-up bonus: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

Annual fee: $95.

Rewards: Earn 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines, shipping purchases and internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.

Who should apply? This is the only Ink card that earns full-fledged Ultimate Rewards points (those you can transfer to airlines and hotels) on its own rather than cash back. It is also the only Ink card that earns bonus points on travel purchases, specifically. The annual fee is low enough that freelancers and side hustlers can easily offset the cost, but the higher spending cap on business bonus categories means it’s also a nice card for established business owners with offices and employees.

Related:

• Ink Business Preferred Credit Card review
• 5 reasons to get the Chase Ink Business Preferred credit card
• How to maximize your rewards earning with the Ink Business Preferred

Official application link: Ink Business Preferred.

Ink Business Cash Credit Card

Sign-up bonus: Earn $900 cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases within three months of account opening.

Annual fee: $0.

Rewards: Earn 5% cash back on up to $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year. Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Who should apply? Despite being one of Chase’s entry-level business credit cards with no annual fee, the Ink Cash offers a solid return on purchases, though its bonus categories are probably best suited for those who have physical offices. This means people who work from home and have to pick up office supplies or pay for their own phone services or those who have a small office building with employees.

Even if you carry the Ink Business Preferred, you might want to consider this card as well, thanks to the fact that it has no annual fee and earns 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants, which the Ink Business Preferred does not. Then, you can convert the rewards earned into miles or points with Chase's airline and hotel partners, or redeem them at better rates of 1.25 cents (if you transfer to the Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred) or 1.5 cents (if you transfer to the Sapphire Reserve) toward travel reservations made through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.

Related:

• Ink Business Cash Credit Card review
• Reasons to apply for the Chase Ink Business Cash Card
• Better together: Pair the Ink Business Preferred with the Ink Business Cash

Official application link: Ink Business Cash.

Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card

Sign-up bonus: $900 cash back when you spend $6,000 on purchases within three months of account opening.

Annual fee: $0.

Rewards: Earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases. As with the Ink Cash, you have the ability to open up more redemption values and more redemption opportunities if you carry another Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning card such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred.

Who should apply? This is an excellent card for freelancers who want a card that earns well on every dollar without having to keep track of bonus categories. It’s also a great choice for business owners who need a card for their expenses that don’t fall under a bonus category with their other cards since you get unlimited 1.5% back on every purchase. For freelancers or those with side hustles, this means maximizing every purchase without having to juggle multiple cards with annual fees. For established businesses, this is a great card to pair with other Chase cards, covering purchases that don't have extra earnings on other cards.

Related:

• Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card review
• 6 reasons to get the Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card
• Who should (and shouldn’t) get the Ink Business Unlimited?

Official application link: Ink Business Unlimited.

Which Ink Business card is right for you?

Each of these cards offers impressive earnings in at least one category:

• The no-annual-fee Ink Business Cash accrues 5% cash back at office supply stores and on telecommunications services, albeit with a limit of $25,000 in eligible spending per membership year.
• The Ink Business Unlimited racks up 1.5% cash back on all purchases without category restrictions, spending limits or an annual fee.
• The Ink Business Preferred Card offers more rewards and benefits that can complement the Ink Business Cash and/or Ink Business Unlimited while only charging a minimal annual fee.
• The Ink Business Premier is a good option for businesses that spend thousands annually and want to earn a lucrative 2%-2.5% cash-back rate on all eligible purchases.

Where the Ink Business Preferred and the Ink Business Premier pull ahead of the others are with cellphone protection, which can be valuable if you tend to damage your phone.

Doubling down on Ink Business credit cards

If you already carry an Ink Business Cash or Ink Business Unlimited, you might want to consider adding the Ink Business Preferred to your lineup for four main reasons:

• The ability to earn 3 points per dollar on travel and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines on up to $150,000 of these purchases per account anniversary year.
• The cellphone protection benefit, which could easily be worth the $95 annual fee.
• Rewards earned on Chase cash-back cards, such as the Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited, can be transferred to the card and then used as full-fledged Chase Ultimate Rewards points with travel partners.
• The 100,000-point sign-up bonus, worth $2,000 based on TPG’s valuations.

If your business doesn’t spend much on the bonus categories of the Ink Business Cash or Ink Business Preferred, then you may be better off simply earning 1.5% cash back on everything with the Ink Business Unlimited.

Related: Clearing up the confusion: How to complete a Chase business credit card application

Now could also be a great time to get an Ink Business Unlimited or Ink Business Cash, due to their best-ever welcome offers. Both cards are offering $900 bonuses after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first three months. That's a higher bonus with a lower spending requirement than what we've seen previously. The value of that bonus can double if you convert your earnings to Ultimate Rewards for use with Chase's travel partners.

Do I qualify for a business credit card?

Carrying a small-business credit card is an excellent way to keep your personal and business expenses separate. However, you don’t have to have an LLC, a storefront or 50 employees to have a qualifying business. An online Etsy store, a freelance writing gig, a side hustle as a rideshare driver and many other micro-businesses also qualify you for a card.

The best business credit cards generally offer attractive sign-up bonuses and high earning potential across multiple categories, which makes them valuable additions to your wallet no matter the size of your business.

Related: Your guide to applying for small business credit cards

Can I have more than one Ink Business credit card from Chase?

The short answer is that you can hold more than one business credit card with Chase. This can be an appealing option for businesses that are fully invested in the Ultimate Rewards ecosystem and want to maximize purchases across multiple bonus categories.

Here’s how you might approach it:

• Ink Business Cash: Use this card at office supply stores and on telecommunication purchases to earn 5% back (or 5 points per dollar), and use it at restaurants as well to earn 2% back (or 2 points per dollar).
• Ink Business Preferred: Use this card for travel costs, shipping providers and advertising purchases with social media platforms and search engines to earn 3 points per dollar. Plus, use it for all purchases outside the U.S. to avoid foreign transaction fees.
• Ink Business Unlimited: Use this card for all other purchases to earn 1.5% back (or 1.5 points per dollar) if you want to earn rewards that can be turned into transferrable points.

If you then combine all of your earnings from these cards under your Ink Business Preferred, you’ll have a nice balance of fully-transferable Ultimate Rewards points. Also consider:

• Ink Business Premier: Use this card for all other purchases if you're OK with earning cash back or if you need a card with no preset spending limit when making large purchases.

The terms of these cards do allow you to open each card and earn the sign-up bonus on each — and even earn the bonus on each card for each of your separate businesses. However, the issuer’s standard application restrictions will apply, so if you do want to add a new Ink product to your wallet, be sure to consider these guidelines to maximize your chance of being approved.

Bottom line

As with Chase’s consumer cards, you can amplify your rewards strategy dramatically by combining two (or more) Ink business cards that offer you the most points and benefits for your small-business spending.

If you’re planning to apply for one or more of these cards, remember that it’s generally recommended to apply for no more than one personal and one business card with Chase within a 90-day window.

When planning your strategy, keep in mind Chase’s 5/24 rule, which means that you could be rejected automatically for most Chase cards if you’ve opened five or more cards in the last 24 months. However, while you need to be under 5/24 in order to be approved, opening a new business card from Chase will not add to your 5/24 status.

If you aren’t immediately approved and need to call for reconsideration, you may be asked questions about your business and be asked to send in supporting documents before your application is approved. But that little bit of extra effort could be well worth it to reap the rewards all of these cards offer.

Official application link: Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
Official application link: Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card
Official application link: Ink Business Cash Credit Card
Official application link: Ink Business Premier Credit Card

Additional reporting by Stella Shon, Madison Blancaflor, Eric Rosen and Ryan Smith.