Chase Ink Business Cards [2024]: A Side-by-Side Comparison

The four Chase Ink Business credit cards all provide generous welcome offers and robust rewards on business purchases, and cardholders also have the added convenience of being able to easily track business expenses and employee spending.

As a small-business owner, I’d pay attention to which business expenses are likely to add up the most, and pick a business card that rewards them. And since it’s just me, I’d steer clear of cards with a high annual fee and open a great no-fee rewards card.

But which Ink Business credit card is right for you? That depends on the scope of your business and your spending needs. Here, we’ll dive into the differences so you can make an informed decision.

Key takeaways

• You can’t go wrong with any of the Chase Ink Business cards, but we especially love the Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card for its $0 annual fee and high earning potential.
• One of the best ways to maximize your earning and redemption value is to use the Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card, Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card, and Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card in categories where they earn the most points and then combine your points together.
• If travel is a priority for you, the Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card is best for maximizing your rewards redemptions.

The Chase Ink Business cards, compared

Do you travel internationally for business? You’ll likely want a card with no foreign transaction fees and added travel perks. Do you have expensive startup costs? You may want a card with a 0% introductory APR (annual percentage rate) and a high credit limit.

To decide which Ink Business card is the best credit card for you, consider how you’ll use your card and check out our side-by-side comparison.

Card name	Welcome bonus	Earnings rate	Annual fee
Ink Business Premier® Credit Card  5.0 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Earn $1,000 bonus cash back after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening	5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; unlimited 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more; unlimited 2% cash back on all other business purchases	$195
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card  4.8 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening	3X points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year; and 1X points per $1 on all other purchases	$95
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card  4.8 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Earn $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening	Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase	$0
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card  4.8 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Earn $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening	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; and 1% cash back on all other purchases	$0

How the Ink Business cards stack up

All of the Ink Business cards offer solid value for business owners. The best business credit card for you will depend on what kind of purchases you need to make for your business, how much you’ll spend, and how you plan to redeem your rewards. The best business rewards card for me might not be ideal for you.

Consider the following factors when deciding which Ink Business credit card to apply for.

Earning rates and bonus categories

There’s no clear winner when it comes to earning rates since getting the best bang for your buck depends on your regular expenses and redemption needs. But all the Ink cards are part of a robust rewards program.

Card name	Earnings rate
Ink Business Premier® Credit Card	5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; unlimited 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more; unlimited 2% cash back on all other business purchases
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card	3X points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year; and 1X points per $1 on all other purchases
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card	Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card	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; and 1% cash back on all other purchases

If you often make large business purchases, you may enjoy the earning rate of the Ink Business Premier Card. This card earns 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more.

To put that into perspective, say you expect to make two purchases of $5,000 each year. At 2.5%, you’d earn a total of $250 per year on those two purchases, which already is more than your annual fee for the card.

Frequent business travelers will likely get the most value out of the Ink Business Preferred Card since it offers 3X points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. That rate means you can effectively get $3.75 toward travel for every $100 you spend on travel purchases.

If you’re mainly using your card for common business expenses, the Ink Business Cash offers the best earning rates, including 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 and 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year.

But if most of your business purchases fall outside those categories, you’ll likely get the best overall rewards from the Ink Business Unlimited credit card, which offers unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase. This one’s also nice if you prefer simplicity and don’t want to keep track of varying rewards rates and cards.

Welcome offer

Welcome offers may vary, but since they’re often a way of getting great value out of a new card, it pays to check your business spending before applying. The Ink Business Preferred card tends to have an excellent offer, especially if you plan to travel for business. You can earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Each card under the Ink Business umbrella has a great bonus after meeting a minimum spending requirement. Your choice depends on what you can reasonably expect to meet within the first months after opening an account.

Card name	Welcome bonus
Ink Business Premier® Credit Card	Earn $1,000 bonus cash back after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card	Earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card	Earn $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card	Earn $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening

If your business expenses don't align with the bonus categories on the Ink Business Premier or Ink Business Preferred, consider the Ink Business Cash or the Ink Business Unlimited, both of which also provide valuable welcome offers.

Basically, Ink Business Cash is the card that offers a welcome bonus for the lowest minimum spend. That’s why this one would be my first choice as a sole proprietor with lower expenses.

You’ll want to try the Ink Business Preferred or Ink Business Premier if you’ll be spending more overall.

Introductory purchase APRs

While it’s generally ill-advised to put purchases you can’t afford on a credit card, business startup costs might be an exception, and these Chase credit cards can help.

Sometimes you simply need to spend money in the early days of your business to get it up and running. While I wouldn’t recommend putting a lot of expenses on credit and letting your balance grow for long, the Ink Business Cash or Ink Business Unlimited card may benefit you.

Both of these credit cards come with introductory APR offers on purchases, which gives you some leeway in terms of larger purchases you might make before profits begin to trickle in. (But make a plan to pay the balance off in full before that introductory period ends!)

Card name	Introductory purchase APRs
Ink Business Premier® Credit Card	None
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card	None
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card	0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases (then 17.99% - 23.99% Variable)
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card	0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases (then 17.99% - 23.99% Variable)

Redemption options

One of the best features of any Chase rewards card is the flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards program. With any of the Ink Business cards, your points don’t expire as long as your account remains open, and you can redeem points for:

• Cash back (including statement credits and direct deposits into eligible U.S. checking and savings accounts)
• Gift cards
• Apple purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards

Travel bookings through Chase Travel℠ But now let’s look at the differences in redemption options to help you decide.

• With the Ink Business Preferred Card, you receive more value from your points when you use them toward travel. If you redeem points through Chase Travel℠, your points get a 25% boost in value. This makes Ink Business Preferred an easy choice if you’ll be doing a lot of business travel.
• The Ink Business Preferred also allows you to get the most out of Chase Ultimate Rewards by transferring points to Chase travel partners at a 1:1 ratio. For example, you can transfer points to Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, and the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program. This gives you more flexibility (and possibly more value) when redeeming travel rewards.
• Something interesting to note is that the Ink Business Premier Card (with a higher annual fee) lacks some of the benefits of the Ink Business Preferred. While you can redeem points for travel booked through Chase Travel, there’s no bonus value for using the Chase Travel portal. Plus, you cannot transfer points to travel partners or to other Chase cards. I’d be a little disappointed with that, especially given the higher annual fee.

Other perks

When I’m talking about card perks, this refers to things like purchase protection and insurance for various travel components. I love that you receive identical perks from the Ink Business Unlimited and Ink Business Cash cards. Here’s a quick glance at the protections available to Ink Business cardholders.

Perks available across all Ink Business Cards:

• Auto rental collision damage waiver (primary coverage)
• Roadside dispatch
• Free employee cards
• Purchase protection
• Extended warranty

Perks solely for Ink Business Premier and Ink Business Preferred:

• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
• Cell phone protection

Perk solely for Ink Business Unlimited and Ink Business Cash:

• Travel and emergency assistance: This is basically just access to a dedicated phone line to call while traveling. They can provide legal and medical referrals and other emergency help when you’re away from home, but it doesn’t cover the cost of any services you utilize.

As you can see, all Chase Ink Business card account holders receive a suite of travel and purchase protections. A couple of features make Ink Business Preferred and Ink Business Premier stand out a bit more: trip cancellation and interruption coverage, and cell phone protection.

Cell phone protection can offer up to $1,000 to you or an employee listed on your monthly cell phone bill, if your phone is stolen or damaged and you pay your phone bill with your applicable card.

Be aware that with benefits like trip cancellation insurance or auto rental collision damage waivers, you must pay for those purchases using your Ink Business card in order to be eligible for the benefits. So be careful — if you don’t use the right card for a rental car or flight, for example, you forfeit that added benefit.

How do you decide which Chase Ink card is right?

As you know, no credit card is one-size-fits-all. Here are some guidelines for who is the best customer for each of these cards (and remember, you might want to have more than one to cover all your bases).

When you should choose Chase Ink Business Cash

• You want a $0 annual fee
• You spend heavily in business categories like office supplies, internet and phone services, and gas stations and restaurants
• You also have a Chase Business checking account (you must open your Ink Business card by November 17, 2024 to qualify for a 10% bonus on cash back earned during your first year)

When you should choose Chase Ink Business Unlimited

• You want a $0 annual fee
• You don’t have a particular high spend category in your business and flat rewards rates would make more sense

When you should choose Chase Ink Business Preferred

• You want an elevated rewards rate in shipping, advertising, internet/cable/phone services, and travel
• You want access to Chase transfer partners
• You want a 25% boost to travel redemptions made through Chase Travel℠
• Your business includes overseas travel (no foreign transaction fees)

When you should choose Chase Ink Business Premier

• You want a simple rewards rate for making various business purchases
• You want an elevated rewards rate and make regular purchases of $5,000 or more
• No foreign transaction fees are important
• You have higher spending to justify the annual fee

What factors to consider before choosing

One strategy is to use multiple Chase Ink Business cards simultaneously. This will allow you to earn those higher rewards in certain business spending categories from one card while perhaps enjoying a $0 annual fee on another.

But if you have to choose only one or two of these cards, consider what your personal finance and business goals are to determine the best options. You also want to be sure to keep each card’s benefits straight, so you use each card when it’s most advantageous (I’ve messed this up a few times, forgetting which Chase card has certain rewards categories).

For example, if you want to take advantage of earning rewards on office supply expenses, the Ink Business Cash has an excellent rewards rate for doing just that.

If you don’t want to worry about different spending categories, we recommend the Ink Business Unlimited and Ink Business Premier. For increased travel benefits, the Ink Business Preferred makes sense.

FAQ

Bottom line

Between the generous welcome offers and rewards-earning potential associated with the Chase business credit cards, applying for one of them is a smart move for many small business owners. This is especially true if you already hold a Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve^® card and want to combine your points between eligible cards.

But Chase isn’t the only credit card issuer to offer some of the best business credit cards with impressive rewards. And there are other credit card offers you may qualify for, even if you’re self-employed, are worried about your credit score, or have a limited credit history. To choose the right card for you, consider your spending needs and how you plan to redeem your rewards. Check out our business credit card application tips before getting started.