The landscape of rewards credit cards and award travel is constantly changing. Intro bonuses rise and fall, travel sweet spots emerge and disappear. But one recent bright spot is the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card’s sizeable welcome bonus.
For no annual fee, this card gives you one of the loudest bangs for your buck. It earns Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, which is considered by many in the points and miles world to be the most valuable of all travel currencies because of its flexibility.
Though the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is a small business card, the card is easier to get than you might think. Many people operate a small business without even realizing it. For example, if you sell items on Etsy or eBay, perform freelance work on the side, or deliver for DoorDash, you can qualify for this card.
Let’s take a quick look at how to earn the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card bonus and the awesome things you can do with that large chunk of cash back (or potentially transferrable points).
- Best for: Cash Back on Business Expenses
- Annual Fee: $0
- Regular APR: 17.49% - 25.49% Variable
- Reward Rate: 1X - 5X
- Recommended Credit: 670-850
Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
Earn $900 cash-back
Offer Details:
Earn $900 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening.
Why we like it
The Ink Business Cash Card pulls attention with its big intro bonus, currently sitting at up to $900 of cash back. The card has no annual fee and reward spending categories like 5% cash back (5x points) on purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services (up $25,000 per year).
Also, you can supercharge the Ink Cash’s rewards if you have a companion Chase card like the Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred. You can pool your points and make them more valuable by transferring them to Chase’s travel partners like Hyatt, United Airlines, British Airways and more.
Reward details
5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services each account anniversary year
2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year
1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn
Pros & Cons
Pros
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Large welcome bonus
No annual fee
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If you have another Chase card like the Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred, you can pool your points and make them more valuable. You’ll be able to transfer your points to Chase’s travel partners like Marriott, Air Canada, Southwest, United, and more.
Cons
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It does lack some of the juicier benefits attached to other business credit cards like the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. But with no annual fee, it’s hard to argue with its value proposition.
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It’s subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule. So if you’ve opened five cards in the last two years, you’re most likely not going to be accepted.
Terms Apply
How to earn the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card bonus
The Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is offering $900 in cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
This is arguably one of the best credit card bonuses available at the moment—up to $900 of cash back on a no annual fee card is a heck of a deal. However, as we’ll soon cover, this bonus can potentially be worth even more in travel if you have another Chase card that allows you to transfer points to travel partners.
Sounds too good, I know. But we’ll show you how you can easily achieve just that.
To break it down, you’d have to spend an average of $2,000 per month for three months to hit the $6,000 spending requirement. While that may seem a little hefty, remember that you can put all of your daily expenses on the card, and prepay for things like utilities or your cell phone bill. Or, if you have a big purchase coming up, like a new laptop or car repair, those transactions can help you leap towards earning that big bonus.
Qualifying for the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is easier than you might think
When you think of a “small business,” you may envision a revenue amounting to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, multiple employees, a storefront, etc. But in fact, none of these things are required to get a small business card. You can qualify for the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card if you perform services such as:
- Freelance writing
- Driving for Uber or DoorDash
- Selling items on Etsy or eBay
- Dog sitting or babysitting
- Tutoring
A small business doesn’t even have to be your main job. As long as you’ve got a for-profit venture, you qualify for the card—though whether you’re approved will depend on additional factors.
You also don’t have to have an EIN or be an LLC. You’ll be able to fill out a business card application with the same information as a personal credit card. When the application asks you to enter the legal business structure, you have the option to choose sole proprietorship. And when it asks for the Tax ID type, you have the option to choose your social security number.
How to use the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card bonus
The value you’ll receive from the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card bonus depends on how you redeem it. There are lots of ways you can use Chase points, after all. Let’s take a look at some solid options (and reveal the redemptions to stay away from).
Up to $900 of cash back
If you don’t have an accompanying Chase credit card that allows you to transfer points to travel partners, your best bet is to redeem your Chase welcome bonus for up to $900 of cash back.
You can redeem your points for a statement credit or as a deposit in your bank account. With a statement credit, you’ll be offsetting purchases you make on the card and it will lower your bill once your statement comes due.
If you choose a bank deposit, once the cash is in your account, you’re free to do whatever you please with it!
Transfer to travel partners (with a catch)
While the Chase Ink Cash is marketed as a cash back card, it technically earns Ultimate Rewards points that can be redeemed for cash back, gift cards, travel, and more.
Ultimate Rewards points are usually known for being highly valuable since they can be transferred to Chase’s travel partners like Marriott and United Airlines. However, you must have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card to transfer your points to airlines and hotels.
But if you hold both an Ink Business Cash and one of the three aforementioned cards, you can convert the Ultimate Rewards points earned from your Ink Cash into transferable Ultimate Rewards points. So that up to $90 cash back welcome bonus can become the premium redemption options available on those cards, which can be converted into hotel points or airline miles for some pretty incredible redemptions.
Chase partners with 14 airline and hotel programs. You can transfer your Chase points to any of these loyalty programs at a 1:1 ratio:
| Aer Lingus | Iberia | Southwest |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | IHG One | United Airlines |
| British Airways | JetBlue | Virgin Atlantic |
| Emirates | Marriott Bonvoy | World of Hyatt |
| Flying Blue (Air France and KLM) | Singapore Airlines |
Transfers are instant with the exception of Singapore Airlines and Marriott. In practice, Marriott tends to transfer extremely quickly (within the hour), while Singapore Airlines miles should appear in your account within a day.
So, why are these transfer partners a big deal? There are a few things you can achieve with the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card’s bonus by converting your points into airline miles and hotel points.
For example, you can transfer 50,000 points to Virgin Atlantic for a one-way flight between the US and Europe in Delta One business class with lie-flat seats (worth $2,000+).
There are countless other ways to get huge value from Chase transfer partners.
Book through the Chase Travel Portal
If you hold the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, you can use Chase Ultimate Rewards points to “buy” airfare, hotels, car rentals, cruises, etc. at a rate of 1 cent each through the Chase Travel portal. While the ceiling for your points is much lower than when transferring to Chase travel partners, this guarantees that you’ll get a reasonable value for your rewards.
Using your bonus to book travel through the Chase Travel Portal will give you $900 in total value. However, if you also have one of the three Chase cards that allows you to transfer points to travel partners, you can boost the value of your points even more.
If you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve® card and you decide to use Points Boost, your points are worth 2x when you book a hotel that’s part of The Edit℠, and up to 2x when redeemed for both thousands of other top-booked hotels and flights with select airlines through Chase Travel.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Ink Business Preferred will find similar deals. Your points are worth up to 1.5x on thousands of both top-booked hotels and flights with select airlines, and up to 1.75x on premium cabin tickets on select airlines when booked through Chase Travel.
Is the Ink Business Cash good for earning points after the intro bonus?
The Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card has bonus spending categories that are focused on popular small business expenses and other everyday purchases. If they align with your spending, it offers great potential. You’ll earn up to 5% cash back or 5x points per dollar for the following spending:
- Earn 5% cash back (5x points) on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services each account anniversary year.
- Earn 5% cash back (5x points) on Lyft rides through March 2025.
- Earn 2% cash back (2x points) on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year.
- Earn 1% cash back (1x points) on all other purchases, with no cap to how much many rewards you can earn.
Ongoing benefits of the Ink Business Cash
The Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card has a few practical ongoing benefits that can save you real money.
You’ll receive insurance and purchase protection. For example, you’ll get:
- Secondary rental car insurance – Get car rental insurance when you waive the rental agency’s in-house CDW. The only catch is that you must be renting for business purposes.
- Extended Warranty Protection – Purchases made on the card can receive an additional year of warranty on top of what the manufacturer offers.
- Purchase Protection – Purchases you make with your card are protected from damage and theft for the first 120 days of ownership, with up to $10,000 per claim and up to $50,000 in claims per account.
The point
The Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card makes for a great travel credit card and comes with a large and very valuable welcome bonus to boot. Its ongoing benefits and reasonable annual fee also make it an attractive card to keep long term.
Remember, many may qualify for this small business card by having a side hustle like dog sitting, delivering for DoorDash, or selling items online.
by your friends at The Daily Navigator
