Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: 3x rewards on categories for small business

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.

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offers small business owners rewards on business category purchases like travel, shipping, internet services, and advertising, plus essential protections like extended warranty and primary auto rental collision damage waiver insurance when renting for work. The card carries an annual fee of $95.

The card earns three points per dollar on the first $150,000 in combined purchases in its bonus categories, which include:

• Shipping purchases
• Internet, cable and phone services
• Advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines
• Travel

Purchases beyond $150,000 in these categories and all other purchases earn one point per dollar. Rewards are earned as Ultimate Rewards points, which can be transferred to one of Chase’s 15 travel transfer partners.

The Ink Business Preferred comes with a robust set of travel and insurance benefits which, while not as generous as the Chase Sapphire Preferred, do cover the essentials. The card includes primary auto rental collision damage waiver when renting for business, baggage delay protection, and trip delay reimbursement as well as purchase protection and extended warranty protection

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offer: 100,000 bonus points after $8,000 of spending in 3 months. (Annual fee: $95)

bonus_miles_full (Get this welcome bonus.)

Largest welcome offer available on an Ultimate Rewards® card. Rewards are earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points

Travel insurance for employees. Point transfers to partners. 25% more value for redemptions through Chase Travel℠.

This is an affiliate link.

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card at a glance

Here’s what you need to know about the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.

Welcome bonus

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offer: 100,000 bonus points after $8,000 of spending in 3 months. (Annual fee: $95)

bonus_miles_full (Get this welcome bonus.)

Largest welcome offer available on an Ultimate Rewards® card. Rewards are earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points

Travel insurance for employees. Point transfers to partners. 25% more value for redemptions through Chase Travel℠.

This is an affiliate link.

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card rewards

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card earns three Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on the first combined $150,000 in spending each calendar year in several business categories, including travel. Here are the details:

* The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card earns 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on the first combined $150,000 in spending each calendar year across all of its 3x bonus categories.

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, points are worth 1.25 cents each toward travel. Travel redemptions are the easiest way to get increased value from your points.

Chase Ultimate Rewards® card synergies

Chase Ultimate Rewards® points can always be redeemed for cash back rewards at one cent each. This makes 10,000 points worth $100. But your points can become even more valuable when you hold a premium Ultimate Rewards® credit card.

If you hold a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred card, you have access to a handful of redemption options that can increase the value of your points:

• Point transfers to airline and hotel partners
• Increased value when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠
• Pay Yourself Back options

To use the points you earned from your non-premium Ultimate Rewards® credit card for one of these redemptions, simply transfer your Ultimate Rewards® points to your premium Ultimate Rewards® credit card.

How to apply:

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offer: 100,000 bonus points after $8,000 of spending in 3 months. (Annual fee: $95)

bonus_miles_full (Get this welcome bonus.)

Largest welcome offer available on an Ultimate Rewards® card. Rewards are earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points

Travel insurance for employees. Point transfers to partners. 25% more value for redemptions through Chase Travel℠.

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 Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card after the first year?

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card has an annual fee of $95. While it certainly makes sense to pick up this card and keep it around for a year for its welcome bonus, does it make sense to pay the annual fee and keep the card?

One of the biggest advantages of the Ultimate Rewards ecosystem is that you can combine your points across cards. This allows you to use the best redemption option available on any card you have for all of your points. The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card lets you redeem your points for 1.25 cents each toward travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards or transfer points to one of Chase’s transfer partners. Having this feature available might make keeping this card worth it.

Beyond that, if you spend heavily in the card’s bonus categories of shipping, online advertising, internet, cable and phone services, and travel, the marginal amount of points you earn might make the card worth keeping. And the card does offer Chase’s excellent trip delay reimbursement benefit. If you don’t have access to this benefit otherwise, that might factor into your decision.

Ultimately, you should keep the card if you feel you’re getting more value year-over-year than you’re giving up by paying the $95 annual fee.

Benefits of the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Here is a summary of the benefits offered by the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.

Travel insurance benefits

Cards targeted toward travelers often offer travel insurance benefits that can protect you when you are traveling away from home. Terms and restrictions apply to all benefits.

Auto rental collision damage waiver – Auto rental collision damage waiver insurance protects you against damage or theft to your rental vehicle. For coverage to apply, you need to reserve and pay for your vehicle using your card and decline your car rental company’s collision damage waiver. When renting for business purposes within your country of residence, the collision damage waiver insurance you get from the Chase Ink Business is primary coverage, meaning it pays without you needing to make a claim to your personal auto insurance. Coverage inside your country of residence is secondary when renting for a personal trip. International car rentals are covered by primary insurance. Additional terms apply. See your card’s guide to benefits for details.

Trip delay reimbursement – Trip delay reimbursement covers expenses like food and hotel expenses if your common carrier (airline, train, bus, cruise ship, etc.) transportation is delayed significantly or overnight. With the Ink Business Preferred, you’ll get up to $500 in reimbursements for lodging, meals, toiletries, medication and other reasonable personal expenses when your travel is delayed by more than 12 hours or overnight.

Baggage delay insurance – Baggage delay insurance can cover your essential purchases like toiletries and clothing when the baggage you checked with a common carrier, like an airline, is delayed. The Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card will provide up to $100 per day of reimbursement for five days if your luggage is delayed more than six hours.

Lost luggage reimbursement – Lost luggage reimbursement provides coverage to replace items that are lost or damaged while traveling on a common carrier, like an airline. Coverage is typically in excess of any reimbursement you receive from the carrier. Chase covers up to $3,000 for each person per covered trip. You must charge your common carrier fare to your card to get coverage.

Travel accident insurance – Travel accident insurance typically covers you for things like accidental death or dismemberment when you are traveling. Policy terms vary, so see your card’s guide to benefits for details.

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance – Trip cancellation and interruption insurance can reimburse you for prepaid travel expenses if your trip is canceled or you must cut your trip short for a covered reason. Chase will cover up to $5,000 of nonrefundable prepaid travel expenses, including prepaid tours, trips, and vacations.

Consumer insurance benefits

Many cards offers consumer insurance benefits that can protect the things you buy. Terms and restrictions apply to all benefits.

Cellular telephone protection – Cell phone protection can cover the cost of repairing or replacing your phone if it is damaged or stolen when you pay your monthly cell phone bill with your card. Chase will cover up to three claims within 12 months, up to $600 per claim, and $1,800 per 12 month period, subject to a $100 deductible.

Purchase protection – Purchase protection protects the things you buy with your card from damage or theft for a certain amount of time after you buy them. Chase covers your new purchases for up to 120 days from the date of purchase, up to $10,000 per claim. This benefit is limited to $50,000 in claims per year.

Extended warranty – Extended warranty protection provides additional warranty coverage on items you purchase with your card. With the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, you get one additional year on eligible warranties of three years or less. You’re covered up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.

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.