This Chase Ink business card could line your pocket with a welcome bonus worth at least $1,200 cash back, or more. With the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, you earn 120,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first three months. That's $1,200 cash back, $1,500 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠, or up to $2,460 value when transferring points to some Chase partners.
Before you pull the trigger on this card, be sure to check out its closest competitor, the Capital One Venture X Business Card, now offering 150,000 bonus points for new cardholders.
And be sure your business really needs a credit card and not a small business loan, as we explain in the section "should you get a business card?"
Ink Business Premier Credit Card
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Other cardholder perks
- Free employee cards
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
- Extended warranty protection
- Cell phone protection
What can you spend the bonus points on?
You may use the 120,000 bonus points in several ways.
Cash Back ($1,200 value) – By logging into your Chase Ultimate Rewards account, you will see options for cash back at the rate of one penny for each point. You may redeem any amount for deposit into your checking or savings account – at Chase or other major banks – or as a statement credit on your Chase Ink account. And with the Chase Pay Yourself Back program, you can get 1.25 cents back per point when donating to certain charities through December 31, 2024.
Transfer points to a partner airline frequent flyer or hotel program ($1,200 to $2,460 variable value) – Chase Travel℠ partners with eleven airlines and three hotel chains, so you can easily transfer your Chase points to your preferred partner program at a one-penny-per-point ratio. Since the points on these partner programs may vary in value depending on how and when you use them, the actual value of your transferred Chase points may be more or less than 1:1.
According to The Points Guy, the value of 120,000 points you'll earn from the Ink card offer are worth $2,460 (or 2.05 cents per point) when used strategically with travel partners. I wouldn't count on getting that value; not everyone has the time or energy to maximize their points.
Purchase airfare, hotel or other travel through the Chase Travel℠ portal ($1,500 value) – You may redeem the points through the Chase Travel portal at a 25% higher value.
Once you’ve spent at least $8,000 in the first three months of owning the card, you will need to wait an additional six to eight weeks for the bonus points to post to your account, so don’t plan on redeeming the bonus points immediately.
Let’s say you have a frequent flyer account with United Airlines. You may transfer the bonus 120,000 points to your United account, adding the equivalent of 120,000 miles. However, if you book your flight through the Chase Travel portal, you may redeem them at a 1:25 rate, rather than 1:1, making your United miles worth 150,000 miles on the Chase platform.
If anything goes wrong on your trip, you will interact with customer service agents from Chase Travel rather than United. That’s why understanding how credit card travel portals work is important. Chase tends to get average to high marks for its travel portal customer service.
Should you get a business card?
Before you apply for a business credit card, here are some potential things to keep in mind to determine whether it's the right move:
- Your credit score: Most of the top business credit cards require good or excellent credit, which means a FICO credit score of 670 or higher. If your score is lower than that, your options may be limited. Be sure you understand the details of what makes up a good credit score.
- Potential costs: Business credit cards often charge high interest rates, and some also assess an annual fee. You can avoid interest by paying your balance in full each month, but if you think you'll be carrying a balance, consider how potential interest charges could impact your bottom line. If you're thinking about getting a card with an annual fee, make sure you can get enough value from the rewards program and perks to make up for it.
- Whether you can take on another financial account: Managing multiple financial accounts can be challenging. If you already have multiple personal and business accounts to keep track of, adding another one could make things more complicated. In some cases, it can make sense to stick with what you already have, as long as you have enough accounts to keep personal and business expenses separate.
- Your reasons for wanting one: Business credit cards can help with everyday cash flow, but if you're looking to finance growth in your business beyond the initial stages, you may want to consider a small business loan instead. Also, don't think that using a business credit card will shield you from responsibility if your company goes under — business card issuers typically require a personal guarantee when you apply, so you'll still be personally liable for the debt.
- Security: Make sure you can keep the account secure, particularly from potential business partners and employees.
