How to Apply for a Chase Business Credit Card (and Who Qualifies)

Some people think Chase business credit cards are hard to get, but that's not necessarily true. Just about any type of business with income can qualify for Chase business credit cards, including freelancers, gig workers, online resellers, and more. The application process is usually simple — sometimes you don't have to do more than fill out a brief application form online.

We think Chase business credit cards are some of the best business cards available, and provide valuable rewards and perks to small business owners. Let’s explore how to apply for a Chase business credit card and who qualifies.

Key takeaways

• You don’t need to have a large business to qualify for Chase business credit cards. You may qualify as a freelancer, gig worker, small business owner, and more.
• It’s common to not get instantly approved for Chase business credit cards.
• There’s a chance to qualify for a Chase business credit card through the Chase reconsideration line even if you were initially denied through the online application process.
• Chase business credit cards typically follow the Chase 5/24 rule, which is an unofficial rule that means Chase likely won’t approve you for a new credit card if you’ve opened up five or more consumer credit cards from any card issuer in the past 24 months.

How to apply for Chase business credit cards

It’s simple to apply for Chase business credit cards online, as the process can be done online in a few minutes by filling out an application. But most people aren’t instantly approved, which is where some of the difficulty of qualifying for a Chase business credit card comes into play.

You’ll need certain personal and business information to successfully apply for a Chase business credit card.

What information do you need?

Chase business credit card applications are often split into two parts: one for personal information and one for business information. Here’s what you typically have to include on your application:

Personal information

• Authorizing officer title (your position in the business)
• First and last name
• Date of birth
• Mother’s maiden name
• Social Security number (SSN) or individual tax ID number (ITIN)
• Address
• Email address and phone number
• Total gross annual income (what you earn before taxes, benefits, and other deductions)

Business information

• Legal business structure (whether it’s a corporation, LLC, non-profit, partnership, or sole proprietorship)
• Business legal name and desired name on your credit card
• Whether your business uses another name, such as a trade name, assumed name, or doing business as (DBA)
• Employer identification number (EIN), SSN, or ITIN
• Whether your business’ physical address is the same as your personal address
• Number of employees and business phone number
• Business established date and annual business revenue
• Business category, business type, and business sub-type
• Estimated monthly business spend (i.e., the amount you would charge on your card each month)

You can also choose to add employee cards during the online application process. If you choose to add employee cards, you’ll need to provide certain information for each employee, including:

• First and last name
• Address
• SSN or ITIN

Once you have the information needed, you can begin filling out your credit card application.

How to fill out a Chase business card application

1. Fill out your personal information, including your first and last name, date of birth, and your mother’s maiden name.

2. Enter your Social Security number or individual tax ID number, address, email address, and phone number.

3. Enter your total gross annual income (income before taxes and deductions) and continue onto filling out your business information. Start by selecting your legal business structure, entering your legal business name, and typing in your employer identification number, Social Security number, or individual tax ID number.

4. Fill in your number of employees, business phone number, business established date, and annual business revenue. You also need to select your business category, business type, and business sub-type. At the end of this step, Chase asks how much you think you’ll spend on your business credit card each month.

5. Agree to the terms and conditions and submit your application.

Recommended Chase business credit cards

We think the Chase business cards application process is well worth your time because these business credit cards provide generous welcome bonuses and earning potential. We especially recommend comparing the Chase Ink Business credit cards because they’re excellent business credit cards.

The Ink lineup includes:

• Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card: Earn 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.
• Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card: Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase.
• Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card: Earn 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 Premier^® Credit Card: Earn 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.

We like these rewards business credit cards because they all provide generous welcome offers and earn travel rewards for business expenses. Specifically, they earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which are redeemable for travel, cash back, and other options.

Even better, you can typically earn bonus points for common business purchases, such as gas stations or office supply stores, depending on which card you use.

Chase also offers several co-branded business credit cards, including:

Who can apply for Chase business cards?

Any legitimate business owner can apply for Chase business cards, and there’s no official limit on how many Chase business cards you can have. In general, Chase tends to limit you to a certain amount of overall credit rather than a number of credit cards.

But remember that applying for Chase business cards follows the unofficial Chase 5/24 rule.

In addition, you might not qualify for more than one Chase business credit card in a 30-day period. It’s an unofficial guideline, but most people haven’t had luck being approved for more than one Chase business card in the same 30-day period. So a best practice is to space out your applications, often a few months at a time to be on the safe side.

What counts as a business?

Legitimate business owners can apply and may qualify for Chase business credit cards. But how do you know if you own a business?

In general, a business is any activity that generates business income. You might be thrown off by Chase business credit card applications upon seeing business structures such as a corporation and limited liability company (LLC). This may make you think you must run a restaurant, a marketing company, or something similar to count as a business owner.

But that’s not the case. You could be doing freelance photography on the side, running an online blog, or selling items on eBay or Amazon. These are types of self-employed businesses that count when you’re applying for a business credit card.

In many cases, you would apply with the business structure of a sole proprietorship if you’re unsure of what your business structure is. A sole proprietor is someone who owns an unincorporated business by themselves.

If you haven’t filed any paperwork with your state to incorporate your business, you’re likely a sole proprietor, and that’s completely fine.

5 Chase business card application tips

Here are a few tips that we gathered from our experience of applying for Chase business credit cards:

1. Look at the application

You can open up a Chase business card application online whenever you want. It doesn’t hurt to look at the information required on the application. and it can help ease your nerves if it’s your first time applying for a business card.

2. Be truthful

When it’s time to fill out the application, remember to only include the truth. This should be self-explanatory, but it can be tempting to give yourself a higher annual income or more monthly business revenue in the hopes it will improve your approval odds. This is playing with fire and could potentially ruin your relationship with Chase, which isn’t something you want to do.

3. Prepare yourself for a phone call

Many Chase business card applications aren’t instantly approved and require a review process. In some cases, you might have to call the Chase reconsideration line to talk about your business and potentially provide more information. It helps to be mentally prepared for this call ahead of time.

4. Get your facts in order

If you think you have to call the Chase reconsideration line, it can help to get all your ducks in a row. This shouldn’t be hard if you have an established business that you’ve been running for years.

You should know your estimated monthly spending, annual revenue, and other details a Chase representative might ask about. But it might not hurt to brush up on your business ins and outs if you’re a new business owner and don’t have much or any revenue yet.

5. Learn from the process

Whether you end up getting approved or denied, learn from the process. If you’re approved, learn from what went right. If you’re denied, find out why so you can potentially change things for future card applications.

Got denied? Next step for Chase business card applicants

If you’ve received a notice that your Chase business credit card application was denied, consider calling the Chase reconsideration line. This is a special Chase department that can reconsider your application and potentially approve it.

Steps for calling the Chase reconsideration line

1. Review why you were denied

Chase should have sent you a letter or other notification with details about your denial. For example, you might have too much credit with Chase or too many recent credit inquiries. Familiarize yourself with the reasons and formulate arguments for why they might not apply to your situation.

2. Gather business information

Chase will likely ask you about your business, so it helps to know your annual revenue, monthly spending, how long you’ve been in business, and any other relevant information. It may help to know your total personal income and any debts you have as well.

3. Check your credit information

If any denial reasons had something to do with your credit, it’s worth looking into your credit reports to know more about the issue. For example, you could review how many recent inquiries you have on your file if you were denied for having too many inquiries. You could also look for any mistakes on your credit report that Chase may have used in its considerations.

4. Make the call

Call the Chase reconsideration line at 888-270-2127 and talk to a Chase agent about your credit card application. Be as friendly and polite as possible while steering the conversation to the reasons you believe should get you approved. In some cases, you might find an easy solution to help get your approval, such as moving credit around between some of your existing Chase credit cards.

Keep in mind that the experience of calling the reconsideration line can vary greatly depending on who you talk to. If you feel a representative is being difficult, consider calling again and talking to someone else.

FAQ about Chase business credit cards

Bottom line

The initial process for applying for a Chase business credit card is simple, as you don’t typically have to do more than fill out an online application form. If you’re instantly approved, that’s all there is to it.

But if you’re not immediately approved or you get denied, you might have to call the Chase reconsideration line to see if you need to provide more information. Taking this route might eventually get you approved, but there is no real guarantee this is the case.

For both personal and business card options, see which credit card offers might be a good fit for you.

Up to 5% Cash Back

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.

Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card

Apply Now

Current Offer

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

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

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

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Solid rewards on office supply, telecom spending, gas, and dining
• Generous welcome offer
• Intro APR on purchases
• $0 annual fee
• Valuable purchase and travel protections

Drawbacks

• Bonus rewards capped after $25,000 annual spend in each category
• No bonus rewards for travel or advertising purchases
• Foreign transaction fee of 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars

Card Details

• 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
• Earn 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
• Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases
• 10% Business Relationship Bonus If you have the Ink Business Cash card plus a Chase Business Checking account on your first card anniversary
• With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
• No Annual Fee
• Redeem rewards for cash back, gift cards, travel and more through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
• 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases
• Member FDIC