The best Chase Ultimate Rewards® welcome bonuses: Large bonuses on Ink cards.

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Chase is currently offering its best-ever bonus on the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card and it recently made the welcome bonus on the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card easier to earn. The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card also offers one of the largest welcome bonuses available on a card with no annual fee.

Here are the best Chase Ultimate Rewards® welcome bonuses currently available.

Current Ultimate Rewards® welcome bonuses

Ultimate Rewards® card	Welcome bonus	Card at a glance
Chase Freedom Flex℠ Annual fee: $0	Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Bonus is earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.	Rewards: 5% in rotating categories (up to $1,500 in combined purchases per quarter). 5% travel through Chase. 3% dining. 3% drugstores. 1% other purchases. Benefits: Extended warranty. Purchase protection. Cell phone protection.
Chase Freedom Unlimited® Annual fee: $0	The Chase Freedom Unlimited currently has two welcome offers. Standard offer: Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Cash back match offer: bonus_miles_full Bonuses are earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.	Rewards: 5% travel through Chase Travel℠. 3% dining. 3% drugstore. 1.5% all other purchases Benefits: Extended warranty. Purchase protection.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Annual fee: $95	bonus_miles_full	Rewards: 5x hotels and car rentals through Chase Travel℠. 3x dining. 3x streaming. 3x online grocery. 2x other travel. 1x other purchases. Benefits: Premium travel insurance benefits. 25% more value on travel redemptions. Point transfers.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® Annual fee: $550	bonus_miles_full	Rewards: 10x hotels and car rentals through Chase. 10x Chase Dining. 5x flights through Chase Travel℠. 3x dining. 3x other travel. 1x other purchases. Perks: $300 annual travel credit. Priority Pass + Chase lounge access. Redeem points at 1.5c/point for travel. Transfer partners.
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card Annual fee: $0	bonus_miles_full Bonus is earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.	Rewards: 5% on $25k spent at office supply stores, internet, cable, and phone services. 2% on $25k spent at gas stations and restaurants. 1% on all other purchases Benefits: Extended warranty. Purchase protection. Primary auto rental collision damage waiver insurance when renting for business.
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card Annual fee: $0	bonus_miles_full Bonus is earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.	Rewards: 1.5% on every purchase. 5% on Lyft rides through March 2025. Benefits: Extended warranty. Purchase protection. Primary auto rental collision damage waiver insurance when renting for business.
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card Annual fee: $95	bonus_miles_full	Rewards: 3x shipping, internet, advertising with social media sites and search engines, travel (Up to $150k combined spend). 1x other purchases. Benefits: Point transfers to travel partners. Premium travel protections. Redeem points for 1.25 cents each through Chase Travel℠.

My take on the best Chase Ultimate Rewards bonuses

There is a lot to like about the current crop of Chase Ultimate Rewards® credit card welcome bonuses.

If you want the most points, go for the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card welcome bonus, but if you’re averse to paying an annual fee, the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card and Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card both offer large bonuses with no annual fee. The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card welcome bonus was recently made a bit easier to earn. Remember that you probably own a small business. Even if you occasionally sell things on eBay or Facebook Marketplace, your small business (however small) probably qualifies you to get a small business credit card.

I do like the low spending requirement of the $200 offer on the on the Chase Freedom Unlimited® and Chase Freedom Flex℠. I’m not terribly excited about the Chase Freedom Unlimited®‘s 1.5% extra bonus rewards on $20,000 of spending that’s currently being offered through affiliate networks, but I’ve included that as a secondary welcome bonus offer in case that works better for you.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® welcome offers are decent if you’re looking for one of these cards. Chase occasionally increases the welcome offer on these cards, but it’s been quite some time. You likely can get a better offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card in branch.

More about the best Chase Ultimate Rewards® welcome bonuses

Here’s a bit more about the best Chase Ultimate Rewards® welcome bonuses. You can learn more about these cards and apply through the links in this section.

Chase Freedom Flex℠ welcome bonus

About the Chase Freedom Flex℠

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is Chase’s take on the 5% rotating category card, offering increased rewards in limited-time categories that are announced quarterly. The Chase Freedom Flex℠ has no annual fee.

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ offers 5% back on up to $1,500 spent each quarter in rotating bonus quarterly categories. Categories have historically included purchases at grocery stores, Amazon.com, gas stations and big box retailers. In addition, the card offers 3% cash back on restaurants and drugstore purchases and 1% cash back on everything else. All rewards are earned as Ultimate Rewards points, but can be redeemed for cash back.

In addition to cash back rewards, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ offers a generous suite of benefits for a card with no annual fee. The card protects your purchases with Purchase Protection, Extended Warranty Protection, and Cell Phone Protection and it offers protection for your travels with secondary auto rental collision damage waiver insurance and trip cancellation/interruption insurance.

Chase Freedom Unlimited® welcome bonuses

About the Chase Freedom Unlimited®

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers cardmembers 1.5% rewards on all purchases. It is the essential “everywhere else card” in the Chase Ultimate Rewards® ecosystem.

Although the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is marketed as a “1.5% everywhere” card, it offers plenty of bonus spending categories. You get 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% on dining at restaurants including eligible takeout and delivery, and 3% on drugstore 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 Ultimate Rewards® card and redeemed for greater value.

For a card with no annual fee, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® comes with a healthy set of benefits, including purchase protection, extended warranty, secondary auto rental collision damage waiver insurance, and trip cancellation/interruption insurance.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card welcome bonus

About the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of Chase’s flagship rewards cards. It offers elevated rewards in useful categories like travel, online grocery, dining, and select streaming services and best-in-class travel insurance protections. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® carries an annual fee of $95.

The card offers rewards of three points per dollar in several categories, including online grocery, select streaming providers, and dining. When you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠, you’ll earn five points per dollar. All other travel earns two points per dollar. Finally, the card also offers increased rewards for Lyft rides (5x) and Peloton purchases.

The Sapphire Preferred features travel insurance benefits like primary rental car insurance, baggage delay insurance and trip delay reimbursement coverage, making it an excellent choice to use for booking travel. Most importantly, the card offers transfers to Chase’s useful suite of travel partners, plus 25% increased value for your rewards when you redeem them for travel through Chase Travel℠.

Chase Sapphire Reserve® welcome bonus

About the Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card is Chase’s flagship travel card offering increased rewards, transferable points, airport lounge access, an annual travel credit and a robust suite of travel insurance protections. The card has an annual fee of $550.

The card earns increased points on a variety of travel and other categories of spending. When you book hotels and car rentals through Chase Travel℠, you’ll earn 10 points per dollar using the Sapphire Reserve. Flights booked through Chase Travel℠ earn five points per dollar. You’ll also earn three points per dollar on restaurants and on all other travel after the first $300 (which is automatically reimbursed thanks to the card’s annual travel credit.) Finally, the card earns one point per dollar on all other purchases.

The Sapphire Reserve is loaded with additional benefits. First, you’ll get an annual travel credit toward the first $300 of travel expenses you charge to the card. The card includes airport lounge access to Chase’s network of lounges. You’ll also get Priority Pass lounge access, including access to the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club. When traveling, you’ll get one of the most comprehensive suites of travel insurance protections available on a credit card, including trip cancellation/interruption insurance, primary auto rental collision damage waiver insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, and trip delay reimbursement. Finally, holding the Sapphire Reserve card makes all of your Ultimate Rewards points even more valuable. You’ll be able to redeem them for 1.5 cents each toward travel through Chase Travel℠ or transfer your points to airline and hotel partners.

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card welcome bonus

About the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

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.

Learn more about the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card from our overview of card.

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card welcome bonus

About the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card from Chase offers small business owners simple 1.5% cash back rewards on all their spending, with no caps or bonus categories to worry about. The card carries no annual fee.

The strength of the Ink Business Unlimited® card’s rewards is simplicity: You get 1.5% cash back on all of your spending. Chase markets the card’s rewards as cash back, but the card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards® points behind the scenes, which can be transferred to a premium Ultimate Rewards® card and redeemed for greater value.

The card offers a limited, but useful set of perks including primary auto rental collision damage waiver insurance when renting for business, purchase protection, and extended warranty protection.

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card welcome bonus

About the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

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

Additional pointers on Chase Ultimate Rewards® credit cards

Redeeming Ultimate Rewards®

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.

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.

Frequently asked questions

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.