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The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is a cash back card for small business owners who want purchasing power combined with increased rewards on business purchases like office supplies, internet, cable, and phone services, gas, and restaurant purchases. The Ink Business Cash carries no annual fee.
The card’s biggest strength is its bonus cash back categories. The Ink Cash earns 5% cash back on the first $25,000 in combined purchases each account anniversary year at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services. The card also earns 2% on $25,000 in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants, plus 1% cash back on all other purchases. Although rewards are marketed as cash back, the card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards® points behind the scenes, which can be transferred to a premium Chase Ultimate Rewards® card and redeemed for greater value.
The Chase Ink Business Cash® credit card also offers a handful of benefits useful to small business owners, including primary auto rental collision damage waiver when renting for business, purchase protection and extended warranty protection.
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card offer: Get up to $750 in new cardmember rewards. (Annual fee: $0)
bonus_miles_full (Get this welcome bonus.)
Chase recently made this bonus easier to earn. Best no-annual-fee Ink card welcome bonus. Rewards are earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points
Bonus rewards in business-related categories, at gas stations, and at restaurants. (More in our card review.)
This is an affiliate link.
Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card at a glance
Here’s what you need to know about the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card.
Rewards
Office supply stores | 5%* | |
Internet, cable, and phone services | 5%* | |
Gas stations | 2%** | |
Restaurants | 2%** | |
All other purchases | 1% |
*Only the first $25,000 in combined spending each cardmember year earns 5% in these bonus categories.
**Only the first $25,000 in combined spending each cardmember year earns 2% in these bonus categories.
Rewards are earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which can be redeemed for cash back at one cent per point. You can get more than one cent per point of value from Ultimate Rewards if you hold an additional premium credit card. See below for more details.
Benefits
Consumer insurance benefits Extended warranty Purchase protection Cell phone protection | |
Travel insurance benefits Auto rental collision damage waiver |
Other important terms
Annual fee: $0 | |
Foreign transaction fee: 3% |
Welcome bonus
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card offer: Get up to $750 in new cardmember rewards. (Annual fee: $0)
bonus_miles_full (Get this welcome bonus.)
Chase recently made this bonus easier to earn. Best no-annual-fee Ink card welcome bonus. Rewards are earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points
Bonus rewards in business-related categories, at gas stations, and at restaurants. (More in our card review.)
This is an affiliate link.
Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card rewards
The Chase Ink Business Cash rewards small business owners who spend heavily on business purchases like office supplies, internet, cable and phone services. Details are below.
5%* | Office supply stores Office supply stores are stores that specialize in selling a variety of office supplies. Merchants that sell a wide variety of general goods like discount stores, department stores, or electronics stores, are not included in this category. Wholesale distributors are not included. | |
5%* | Internet, cable, and phone services Includes purchases of internet, cable, satellite television and radio, cellular, wireless data, and landline services. Equipment purchases are excluded. | |
2%* | Gas stations Includes locations that sell automotive gasoline. | |
2%* | Restaurants Eat-in, or take-out purchased directly from a restaurant, including fast food and fine dining establishments. Third-party delivery services are not included. | |
1% | All other purchases |
* The rewards that you can earn in this category are limited by cardmember year. See below for more details.
Bonus category limits of the Chase Ink Business Cash®
The Chase Ink Business Cash®
5% rewards at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services are limited to $25,000 in combined spending each cardmember year. You’ll earn 5% cash back on up to $25,000 spending in these categories. After spending exceeds $25,000 across these categories, you’ll earn 1% rewards.
2% rewards at gas stations and restaurants are limited to $25,000 in combined spending each cardmember year. After spending exceeds $25,000 across these categories, you’ll earn 1% rewards.
Limits are based on your cardmember year, meaning they reset after your cardmember anniversary.
The Ultimate Rewards® points you earn with your card can be transferred between your cards. If you hold multiple cards that earn Ultimate Rewards®, you can earn points on one card and use the enhanced redemption options of another card.
Here are the best Ultimate Rewards® redemption options by card:
Cards with no annual fee | Premium cards | High-tier premium cards | |
---|---|---|---|
| |||
Chase Freedom Flex Chase Freedom Unlimited® Ink Business Cash® Ink Business Unlimited® | Chase Sapphire Preferred® Ink Business Preferred® | Chase Sapphire Reserve® | |
Cash back 1 cent per point | |||
Travel through Chase Travel℠ | 100% of cash value | 125% of cash value | $150 of cash value |
Transfers to travel partners See list of transfer partners below. | – | ||
Gift cards 1 cent per point, with occasional sales on select brands |
The Ink Business Premier® Credit Card is marketed as an Ultimate Rewards® card, but it doesn’t allow you to transfer points to other cards, so it is not included in this table.
Ultimate Rewards Transfer partners
Point transfers to Ultimate Rewards® transfer partners are widely believed to be the best way to get the most value from your Chase points. When you transfer points to a partner, your Ultimate Rewards® become point in that partner’s loyalty program. You can then redeem your points for awards offered by a partner loyalty program. Point transfers cannot be reversed, so be sure you know what you’re going to use your points for before transferring them.
Here are the airlines and hotels you can transfer to if you hold a premium Ultimate Rewards® credit card:
Transfer partner | Program highlights | |
---|---|---|
Air Canada Aeroplan | Easy-to-use Star Alliance awards, with the option to spend extra miles to make flights cancelable. | |
Air France-KLM Flying Blue | Great for monthly Flying Blue promo awards. | |
Avios Aer Lingus AerClub British Airways Executive Club Iberia Plus | Distance-based programs with good value on shorter flights like USA-Ireland (AerClub) and short-haul flights on Oneworld partners (Executive Club). | |
Emirates Skywards | One of the few ways to book Emirates first class with points. | |
JetBlue TrueBlue | Reward prices tied to cash prices of tickets, usually around 1.3 cents per point. | |
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | One of the few ways to book Singapore first class tickets with points. | |
United MileagePlus | Good value off-peak international economy awards. Generous award change/cancel policies. | |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | Some opportunities to book good-value premium cabin awards with partners. | |
IHG One Rewards | Offers a fourth night free on point redemptions if you hold an IHG-branded credit card, but generally not a good use of Ultimate Rewards® points. | |
Marriott Bonvoy | May be a reasonable use if you need just a few points to top off an award, but generally not a good use of Ultimate Rewards® points. | |
World of Hyatt | Offers excellent redemption value at some properties due to its award chart. |
Redemptions options you shouldn’t use
The table above shows you the best Ultimate Rewards® redemption options. But there are some ways to redeem points that provide less value. Here are the redemption options you should avoid:
- Most gift card redemptions only offer 1 cent per point. You’re not getting any additional value and you’re giving up the flexibility of cash when you redeem for gift cards. Only redeem for gift cards when select brands are on sale.
- Pay with points usually offers less value than 1 cent per point. You can get more value from your points through a cash back redemption.
- Shop with Apple only offers 1 cent per point. If you use your points for cash back and charge your Apple purchases to your card, you can earn rewards for your purchases.
- Chase Dining only offers 1 cent per point. Use your points for cash back instead and get rewards on your dining purchases.
How to apply:
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card offer: Get up to $750 in new cardmember rewards. (Annual fee: $0)
bonus_miles_full (Get this welcome bonus.)
Chase recently made this bonus easier to earn. Best no-annual-fee Ink card welcome bonus. Rewards are earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points
Bonus rewards in business-related categories, at gas stations, and at restaurants. (More in our card review.)
This is an affiliate link.
A few notes on applying for Chase cards
- 5/24 rule. Chase generally won’t approve you if your credit report is showing 5 or more new credit card accounts opened in the last 24 months. This rule is knows as the 5/24 rule. If you’re unsure if you are “under 5/24” you should check your 5/24 status before applying for a Chase card. Note that recently this rule seems to have softened, especially for Ink cards. See our coverage about Chase 5/24 for more.
- Only one Sapphire-branded card. You can only hold one Chase Sapphire-branded card at a time. This means you can have either a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or a Chase Sapphire Reserve®, but not both.
- You can get a welcome bonus on a Chase card, even if you’ve had the card previously. How often you can earn a welcome bonus on a Chase card varies by card family.
- Most cards allow you to earn a welcome bonus if it has been at least 24 months since your last received a welcome bonus on the same card.
- Chase Sapphire-branded cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you can only earn a welcome bonus once every 48 months. (We published a separate article to help you determine if you can get a Sapphire welcome bonus.)
- Marriott cards have their own special rules.
- Chase will match an increased bonus. If you apply for a Chase card and the bank offers a higher bonus within 90 days, you can send Chase a secure message or call them to have your welcome offer matched.
- In-branch offers are sometimes better. Chase sometimes has better credit card welcome offers in-branch than it will publish on its own website or through affiliate networks. Check all channels to make sure you’re getting the best bonus.
- Chase business cards do not report to personal credit reports and do not impact your 5/24 status as long as they are current.
Should you keep the card after the first year?
The Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is offered with no annual fee. As it is a business credit card, it will not report to your personal credit report unless you make a late payment, so it won’t help you build your credit. But if you frequently purchase items at office supply stores, charge internet, cable or phone services to your card or use the card for restaurant purchases, it can be well worth keeping this card around. Here are the benefits that might make this card worth keeping after the first year.
- 5% earnings on office supply store purchases
- 5% earnings on internet, cable and phone services
- 2% earnings at gas stations
- 2% earnings at restaurants
- Extended warranty and purchase protection
- Primary auto rental collision damage waiver insurance when renting for business on a no-annual-fee card
Card benefits
In addition to earning generous rewards across a variety of business categories, the Chase Ink Business Cash card offers a limited suite of benefits for small business owners who travel or purchase durable goods using the card.
Primary auto rental collision damage waiver (when renting for business): Decline the rental company’s collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card. Coverage is primary when renting for business purposes and provides reimbursement up to the actual cash value of the vehicle for theft and collision damage for most cars in the U.S. and abroad.
Extended warranty protection: Extends the time period of the U.S. manufacturer’s warranty by an additional year, on eligible warranties of three years or less.
Purchase Protection: Covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get multiple Chase Ink Business Cash cards?
In practice, readers have reported that Chase will allow you to get multiple Chase Ink Business Cash cards. This can be useful if you maximize the card’s 5% categories and want another card to use for an additional $25,000 of 5% spending.
Can I have both the Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited cards?
Chase lets small business owners hold any combination of their four Ink-branded credit cards: Ink Business Cash®, Ink Business Premier, Ink Business Unlimited®, and Ink Business Preferred®
What is included in the office supply category of the Ink Business Cash?
Office supply stores are stores that specialize in selling a variety of office supplies. Merchants that sell a wide variety of general goods like discount stores, department stores, or electronics stores, are not included in this category. Wholesale distributors are not included.
Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.