Our Verdict
With 5% cash back rewards on the first $25,000 in combined spending annually on common business expenses (office supplies, internet, cable and phone services), a generous welcome bonus (points are worth up to 25% more value in the Chase Travel℠ portal if you have an Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card) and no annual fee, the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is a robust and value-packed business rewards card for small business owners who want maximum rewards with no annual fee cutting into their bottom line.
Pros
- No additional fee for employee cards
- High rewards rates in select bonus categories
- Generous welcome bonus
Cons
- High cash advances and balance transfer fees
- Spending cap on bonus categories
- Low rewards rates outside of bonus categories
Current Ink Business Cash® Credit Card 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
- 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
- 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
Alternatives to the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
Table of Contents
- Ink Business Cash Credit Card Introduction
- Chase Ink Business Cash Fine Print
- Chase Ink Business Cash Quick Facts
- Who Is the Chase Ink Business Cash Best For?
- Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card Rewards
- Chase Ink Business Cash Introductory Rates
- Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card Benefits
- How To Maximize the Chase Ink Business Cash
- Our Experience Using the Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card
- Complementary Cards for the Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card
- How the Ink Business Cash Credit Card Stacks Up
- Is the Ink Business Cash Credit Card for You?
- Methodology
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Ink Business Cash Credit Card Introduction
Running a business is expensive. Wouldn’t it be nice to recoup some of those costs? Depending on the kinds of bills your business has, the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card may be able to help you do just that. The card earns 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. Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases.
On top of lucrative rewards, you also have access to some notable perks, including an auto rental collision damage waiver, purchase protection, plus travel and emergency assistance. For no annual fee, the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card offers a nice welcome bonus: Earn $350 bonus cash back after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening.
The card also offers a 0% introductory APR on purchases for 12 months, then a standard APR of 17.49% to 25.49% variable applies for purchases and balance transfers. A balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies. This makes it a good option for a business looking for a break in interest.
Chase Ink Business Cash Fine Print
Interest Rates
- Regular APR: 17.49% - 25.49% Variable
- Purchase intro APR: 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 12 months
Fees
- Annual fee: $0
- Balance transfer fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
- Foreign purchase transaction fee: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
Chase Ink Business Cash Quick Facts
- 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 and 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
- 0% introductory APR on purchases for 12 months, then a standard APR of 17.49% to 25.49% variable applies for purchases and balance transfers. A balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies
- $0 annual fee
- Visa Signature benefits
Who Is the Chase Ink Business Cash Best For?
With no annual fee and abundant rewards offered in popular business spending categories, the Ink Business Cash could be valuable for various business owners and sole proprietors. The card ranks high in these categories:
| List | Best For | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Best Cash-Back Business Card for Category Bonuses | The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card offers up to 5% cash back (on the first $25,000 in combined spending annually) on essential office supplies and utility bills without charging an annual fee. | |
| Top Cash-Back Business Card for 5% Cash-Back Categories | The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card generates 5% cash back up to the spending limit on internet, office supplies and other small business purchases. Plus, you can transfer those points to a premium Chase rewards card for 25% bonus value via Chase Travel. | |
| Best Intro APR Business Card for Bonus Cash Back | The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card offers a staggering welcome bonus and a generous introductory APR on purchases, too. | |
| Best No Annual Fee Business Card for Common Business Expenses | The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card offers an excellent 5% cash back on office supply stores and internet/cable/phone services up to the spending limit. | |
| Best for Tiered Cash Back | The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card offers between 2% and 5% cash back on gas, dining, utility bills and other essential office expenses up to the spending limits, then 1% back. |
Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card Rewards
Earning Rewards
The Ink Business Cash earns 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. Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases.
The card also has a welcome bonus: Earn $350 bonus cash back after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening.
Redeeming Rewards
The Ink Business Cash earns Chase Ultimate Rewards® points. Rewards are issued as cash back, which can be applied to your billing statement in any amount at any time. Each point is worth 1 cent.
The Ultimate Rewards you earn can be pooled into one account and redeemed for higher value (1.25 to 1.5 cents per point) if you have the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card or one of the premium consumer cards: the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Those three cards also enable you to transfer your points to Chase’s hotel and airline travel partners.
Rewards Potential
By maxing out both bonus categories annually, you can earn up to $1,750 in rewards to put back into your business. However, let’s look at a more realistic return on your credit card spending.
Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies to determine baseline income and spending averages across various categories. Households in the 70th percentile earn $118,438 per year and can put $39,337 on a credit card. We estimate that a sole proprietorship will have similar business expenses. Based on spending from our sample, these are the numbers cardholders can expect to earn.
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card Rewards Potential
| Category | Earning Rate | Estimated Annual Spend | Estimated Annual Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office supply stores, internet, cable and phone services | 5% | $4,835 | $241.75 |
| Gas stations and restaurants | 2% | $8,184 | $163.68 |
| All other purchases | 1% | $26,318 | $263.18 |
| Total: $668.61 |
Chase Ink Business Cash Introductory Rates
The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card offers a 0% introductory APR on purchases for 12 months, then a standard APR of 17.49% to 25.49% variable applies for purchases and balance transfers. A balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies.
This intro APR allows you to make a large purchase when you start your business and pay it off within one year without paying interest. Whether you need new furniture for the office or specialty equipment, the extended no-interest loan can help you get things going.
Keep in mind the offer applies to purchases only. There are no intro APR offers for balance transfers.
Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card Benefits
In addition to hearty rewards and a sizeable welcome bonus, the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card includes a solid array of travel- and purchase benefits for added peace of mind:
Travel Benefits
- Travel and emergency assistance services. Contact the benefit administrator should you need emergency assistance while abroad.
- Auto rental collision damage waiver. If you decline the rental company’s insurance and your car is damaged or stolen, you can recoup your losses. Note that this insurance is primary when traveling for business but secondary when traveling for leisure.
Purchase Benefits
- Purchase protection. Purchases made with the card are covered against theft and damage for the first 120 days (up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account).
- Extended warranty coverage. Get an additional year of protection on eligible U.S. manufacturer’s warranties of three years or less.
Other Benefits
- Free employee cards. Pay nothing to add employees as authorized users on your business account.
How To Maximize the Chase Ink Business Cash
One way to maximize the Ink Business Cash is to make sure the dollars you spend at office supply stores and on the internet, cable and phone bills are charged on the card to maximize the 5% earning potential. And if you don’t have another card that earns more than 2% on gas and restaurants, putting that spend on the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card could pad your Ultimate Rewards balance too.
The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card temporarily offers 5% back on Lyft purchases through March 2025. If this offer fits your transportation plans, it’s a solid incentive to choose Lyft over other rideshare options.
The welcome bonus on the card is one of the highest offers for a card with no annual fee—if you can reach the spending threshold. If you want to earn the most cash back possible, it might be best to open the card before you have a large purchase.
Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners
The Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card does not give you the option to directly transfer points to Chase’s more than a dozen transfer partners. The only cards with that ability are the Chase Ink Preferred, Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve.
What you can do, however, is transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points from your Ink Business Cash® Credit Card account to your Ink Preferred, Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve account, and then transfer them to airline and hotel partners. You can do this by visiting Chase Travel, navigating to Reward details and selecting Combine points.
For quick reference, here’s a list of Chase’s current transfer partners. Keep in mind that Chase often runs temporary transfer promotions (e.g. 30% extra points on Aer Lingus), so it’s worth checking back often:
Our Experience Using the Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card
I applied for the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card last year when I saw it had a lucrative cash welcome bonus with no annual fee attached. I’d been searching for a new business rewards card anyway, and none of the Ink Cash card’s no-annual-fee competitors (like The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card. Terms apply, see rates & fees) could come close to its year-one cash back value.
Granted, the U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card came close since it offers a similar $750 in cash back after spending $6,000 on the Account Owner's card in the first 180 days of opening an account. But the Ink Business Cash still won out for two big reasons:
- At the time, a Chase rep told me that the 10% Business Relationship Bonus applied to the welcome bonus, effectively adding 10% to my welcome bonus at year’s end.
- The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card technically generates Chase Ultimate Rewards points, meaning I can move them to my Chase Sapphire Preferred account, where they’re instantly worth 25% more in Chase Travel value. That also bumps the net value of my welcome bonus, which is staggering for a no-annual-fee rewards card.
In the long term, I’ll probably keep the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card as my default payment method for office supplies and my Wi-Fi bill since I’ll continue earning 5% cash back on both (up to the first $25,000 in combined spending per year). And since the card has no annual fee, there’s very little reason to cancel it.
But as soon as I earn the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card’s full welcome bonus, I’ll probably switch to the U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card as my primary so I can start earning that card’s welcome bonus too.
Complementary Cards for the Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card
With a sky-high welcome bonus—but somewhat narrow rewards categories—the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is begging to be paired with another card or two to round out its rewards potential.
Chase Freedom Flex®
The Chase Freedom Flex® offers 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in categories that rotate quarterly (requires activation), 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on dining and drugstores and 1% cash back on all other purchases. These reward categories are often pretty broad (things like groceries, Amazon, PayPal), so if you use both a Freedom Flex and a Ink Business Cash® Credit Card in tandem for business purchases, you’ll earn 5% far more often.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
If you use the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, Freedom Flex and the Sapphire Preferred all together, you’ll have completed a variation of the “Chase Trifecta” for maximum travel rewards.
For context, the Chase Trifecta is when you combine two no-annual-fee Chase rewards cards with a paid card that offers a percentage bonus on all points redeemed via Chase Travel (the Ink Preferred and Sapphire Preferred for 25% or the Sapphire Reserve for 50%). Then, you use your no-annual-fee cards to earn maximum rewards on everyday expenses—and then transfer your points to your paid card for at least 25% more travel value through Chase.
The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card pairs exceptionally well with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card in a Chase Trifecta since it will provide even more value for your welcome bonus after transferring your rewards to the Sapphire Preferred. Plus, the Sapphire Preferred’s own welcome bonus, elevated earnings on dining and $50 annual Chase Travel hotel credit could all help to reduce your out-of-pocket business expenses.
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
The drawback to each Chase card listed above is that they have numerous rewards categories to track at any given moment (some of which also rotate). If you’d prefer a card that offers simple flat-rate rewards on business purchases, you might like The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card.
With a welcome bonus of $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening and rewards earning of 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement, the Blue Business Cash serves as an excellent companion card to the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card since you can use it to earn elevated rewards any time a purchase doesn’t fall within the latter’s 5% cash back category.
How the Ink Business Cash Credit Card Stacks Up
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card vs. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is decent in terms of earning rewards, particularly if you can come close to the spending cap on office supplies, internet, cable and phone services. When it comes to redemptions, however, it gets outstripped by its big sibling, the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card earns 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. The points earned on the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card are worth 1.25 cents when redeemed through Chase Travel℠ (as opposed to 1 cent with the Ink Business Cash).
Additionally, you may transfer rewards earned with the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card to several airline or hotel loyalty programs that partner with Chase. Doing so can dramatically increase the value of your rewards, especially if you transfer to an airline program and book a business-class flight.
The Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card comes with a moderate $95 annual fee.
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card vs. Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
If you don’t have the time or inclination to worry about spending categories, consider using the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card. It has no annual fee and earns 1.5% cash back rewards on every business purchase. It temporarily earns 5% on Lyft rides through March 2025. The card also comes with a 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases, then a 17.49% to 23.49% variable APR applies for purchases and balance transfers. A balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies.
As you may guess from the card’s name, the rewards aren’t capped. This means you earn cash back as long as you continue using the card. The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card makes for an appealing no annual fee card with an easy rewards structure. It’s a solid option as a standalone card or in addition to a card that does offer category bonuses. However, unlike the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, this card doesn’t provide an opportunity to transfer rewards to travel partners or squeeze additional value out of redemptions through the Chase Travel portal, unless paired with the Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve or Ink Business Preferred.
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card vs. The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
Business owners who are looking for a user-friendly card with an easy rewards structure might also consider The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card (terms apply, see rates & fees). It has no annual fee and offers a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a 17.49% to 27.49% variable APR applies. Additionally, it earns 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement.
Although the reward rates are higher on general spending, the annual limit on bonus earnings is the downside. If your business spends less than $50,000 annually, The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card might be a better fit with a higher earning rate on all purchases. Make sure to run the numbers before selecting a rewards credit card.
Read more. Best Business Credit Cards
Evaluate Credit Cards Side By Side
Is the Ink Business Cash Credit Card for You?
The Ink Business Cash is for you if you want a no fuss, no annual fee solution to earning cash back on your business spending.
– Robin Frankel, Credit Cards Writer
Methodology
Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. The Ink Business Cash Credit Card was rated compared to other business cash-back cards, according to numerous factors, including:
- Annual fee
- Welcome bonus offer
- Ongoing earning rates
- Introductory APR rates
- Other fees
- Included purchase protections
- Additional cardholder benefits
We give greater weight to the card features we believe cardholders will use most frequently. These factors combine to generate a star rating for each card.
To learn more about our rating and review methodology and editorial process, check out our guide on how Forbes Advisor rates credit cards.
Forbes Advisor Credit Card Writer Anya Kartashova contributed to this article.
To view rates and fees for The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card please visit this page.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is the Chase Ink Business Cash hard to get?
You’ll need good to excellent credit to qualify for the Ink Business Cash. Other key approval factors include debt-to-income ratio and the number of cards an applicant has been approved for recently. If you’ve been approved for five or more consumer credit cards from any bank in the past 24 months, Chase will not approve you for this card or any of its other cards.
How do you redeem Chase Ink Business Cash points?
Points can be redeemed for cash back, statement credit, gift cards, travel and more through the Ultimate Rewards portal. You can also combine your Ink Business Cash points with premium Ultimate Rewards-earning cards like the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card or the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which enable 1:1 point transfers to any of Chase’s travel partners.
What credit score do you need for the Chase Ink Cash?
While Chase doesn’t specify the credit score needed to be approved for one of its cards, it requires good credit or above, which is a credit score of at least 670, according to FICO.
What is the average credit limit for the Chase Ink Cash?
The credit limit you can expect will depend on several factors, like your credit history and gross income. However, approved applicants are guaranteed to receive a starting credit line of at least $3,000.
Can you have both the Chase Ink Cash and Ink Unlimited?
Yes! If you meet the requirements to get approved for the card, there are no rules saying you can’t have both cards. By owning both, you could use the Ink Cash for any purchases that fall within its bonus categories and use the Ink Unlimited for everything else.
