Link: Apply now for the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (review) is one of the all-around most lucrative business credit cards out there. The card has no annual fee, an excellent welcome bonus, and a great rewards structure. In conjunction with other cards earning Ultimate Rewards points, this can be one of the most useful cards for a small business.
In this post, I wanted to look at eight reasons you should consider applying for the Chase Ink Business Cash.
In this post:
1. 75,000 bonus points welcome offer
The Ink Business Cash has an excellent welcome bonus of 75,000 points after spending $6,000 within three months of account opening. I consider this to be in line with the best welcome bonus offered by any no annual fee card out there.
On the surface this is a cash back card, meaning that the 75,000 points are worth $750 cash back. However, you can potentially convert these rewards into “full” Ultimate Rewards points, which I value at 1.7 cents each, so to me that bonus is worth up to $1,275. Yes, on a no annual fee card. That’s incredible.
2. No annual fee
The Ink Business Cash has no annual fee. Getting a no annual fee card that’s super rewarding is rare, especially when you consider the value of the welcome bonus.
I’d argue that this is one of the two most compelling no annual fee business cards, along with The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), which offers 2x Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 spent each calendar year (and 1x points after that).
3. Awesome 5x points bonus categories
The Ink Cash offers 5x points on the first $25,000 of combined purchases per account anniversary year at office supply stores, and on internet, cable, and phone services.
If nothing else, earning 5x points on your cell phone and cable bill is huge, in my opinion. However, I should note that some may prefer the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review), which offers 3x points on your cell phone bill, but also offers a great cell phone protection plan.
4. Even more 2x points bonus categories
On top of the 5x points categories, the Ink Cash offers 2x points on the first $25,000 of combined purchases per account anniversary year at restaurants and gas stations.
While these are categories that other cards also offer bonuses on, that’s pretty generous for a no annual fee card, and for many businesses it may be worth putting that spending on this card.
5. Business rental car coverage
The Ink Cash offers primary collision damage waiver coverage for rentals of most types of vehicles in most countries, except where it is prohibited by law, by individual merchants, or is in violation of the territory terms of the rental agreement. There aren’t many no annual fee cards offering rental car coverage, so I think that’s pretty remarkable.
Prior to renting, you should check with the benefits administrator (call the number on the back of your card) to verify your coverage. Keep in mind, you’re only eligible for coverage when renting for business purposes. For personal rentals, look to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) or Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review).
6. Travel & purchase protection benefits
In addition to rental car coverage, the Ink Cash offers other purchase and travel benefits, including (but not limited to) the following:
- Trip cancelation and interruption coverage, of up to $5,000 per trip
- Purchase protection for up to 120 days against damage or theft
- Extended warranty protection, for up to a year on eligible purchases
You’ll want to read the cardmember agreement for exact terms, but this has the potential to be extremely valuable for purchases as well. Tiffany wrote about her experience with this benefit on a Chase card.
7. 0% intro APR
While this isn’t personally something I’ve ever taken advantage of, I know this is a popular benefit for many, especially those who have growing businesses. The Ink Business Cash is offering 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months.
You’ll want to try to pay that off within that time period, though, because after that the variable APR can be quite high, currently at 18.49% - 24.49%.
8. Maximize the value of Ultimate Rewards
On the surface, the Ink Business Cash is a cash back card, as the name suggests. When I talk about “points” above, each point gets you one cent cash back.
That’s potentially valuable in the categories in which the card offers bonus points, since 2-5% cash back on a no annual fee card is solid. However, for base spending you’re only earning a return of 1%, which isn’t terribly competitive.
However, you can do much better than that if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and/or Ink Business Preferred.
If you have the Ink Business Cash in conjunction with any of the above three cards, then those points can be converted into “premium” Ultimate Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio. This allows them to be transferred to Ultimate Rewards airline & hotel partners, or to be redeemed through the Chase Travel Portal at a favorable rate.
I value Ultimate Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so to me that increases the value of the points earned on this card by 70%.
How to get approved for the Ink Cash
If you plan to apply for the Ink Business Cash there are a few things to be aware of:
- The Ink Cash is subjected to Chase’s “5/24 rule,” meaning you typically won’t be approved for the card if you’ve opened five or more new card accounts in the past 24 months
- While the Ink Cash is subjected to 5/24, note that when you apply it won’t count as a further card toward that five card limit, since business cards generally don’t appear on your personal report
- You are eligible for the Ink Cash if you have the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review) or Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (review), as the cards are considered separate products (I have all three cards, for example)
- While there’s no hard limit to how many Chase credit cards you can have, there is often a limit to how much total credit Chase will extend you
- Generally, I recommend only applying for one Chase business card every 30 days at most
Bottom line
The Ink Business Cash is a phenomenal no annual fee business credit card, and on top of that it’s offering an excellent welcome bonus. Getting $750 cash back (or 75,000 points) as a bonus on a no annual fee card is remarkable.
On top of that, being able to earn 2-5x points on a card that complements other Ultimate Rewards cards is an excellent opportunity. Add in the fact that the card offers great benefits, and this is a no annual fee card you’ll want to keep long term.
If you have the Chase Ink Business Cash, what has your experience been with the card?
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees).
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