Our Verdict
The $95 annual fee Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card serves up higher-than-average rewards in many categories of typical business spending. Top it off with a sweet welcome bonus, sprinkle in perks like travel and purchase protections and the ability to transfer points to hotel and airline partners, and you’ve got the recipe for a top-notch small business card.
Pros
- Remarkable welcome bonus
- No foreign transaction fees
- Employee cards at no additional cost
- Rewards for common business expenses
Cons
- Has an annual fee
- Rewards cap on high-earning categories
- Potential gaps in reward coverage for key business categories
Highlights
- Earn 90k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $900 cash back or $1,125 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠
- Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
- Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
- With Zero Liability you won’t be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
- Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more – your points don’t expire as long as your account is open
- Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠
- Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
- Member FDIC
Current Ink Business Preferred Credit Card Offers
Right now, the Ink Business Preferred has a welcome bonus of 90,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Ink Business Preferred Quick Facts
- Ink Business Preferred Is Best For
- Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card Rewards
- Chase Ink Business Preferred Benefits
- How To Maximize Chase Ink Business Preferred Rewards
- Chase Ink Business Preferred Fees
- Chase Ink Business Preferred Requirements
- How the Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card Stacks Up
- Compare Chase Ink Business Preferred With Other Cards
- Is the Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card for You?
- Methodology
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Ink Business Preferred Introduction
If you’re considering a card for your small business spending, the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is a tempting option. For starters, it offers generous rewards in several appealing categories for businesses. You’ll earn 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. Currently, bonus business categories include shipping purchases, internet, cable and phone services and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines.
For a typical business, these categories cover at least some of the key expense areas. Earning 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 of spending toward select categories makes this one of the most rewarding credit cards.
The large welcome bonus only sweetens the card’s appeal: Earn 90,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. The rewards earned on the Ink Business Preferred are Chase Ultimate Rewards®, which are uber-flexible. Your points can be redeemed for cash back, a statement credit, gift cards, merchandise or travel. Another tantalizing option is to transfer your points earned on the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card to one of its participating travel partners at a 1:1 value.
There’s some icing on this tasty treat of a card: It comes with cellphone protection when you pay the bill with the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, and you’ll get travel perks like primary car rental insurance when you decline at the counter and pay with the card, trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance plus extended warranty and purchase protections.
But no card is perfect, and the Ink Business Preferred does have some drawbacks. The $95 annual fee might not be worth it to a business with minimal expenses. Also, a business that spends beyond the $150,000 bonus rewards cap or doesn’t spend much in the elevated rewards categories may fare best with a card that offers simple, flat-rate rewards on all purchases.
Ink Business Preferred Quick Facts
- $95 annual fee
- Earn 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
- New cardmembers can earn 90,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Rewards are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel through Chase Travel℠
- Ultimate Rewards can be transferred to airline and hotel partner programs including United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Hyatt
- Travel benefits including car rental insurance and trip cancellation insurance
Ink Business Preferred Is Best For
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is one of the best credit cards in these categories:
Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card Rewards
Earning Rewards
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.
Redeeming Rewards
The Ink Business Preferred card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards, which can be redeemed in multiple ways.
The bad news first: When using Pay with Points on Amazon and other participating retailers, your points are worth only 0.8 cents each when redeemed. However, you can redeem at a value of a penny a point for:
- Cash back (as a deposit into most U.S. checking or savings account)
- Statement credit
- Gift cards
- Select merchandise
Travel booked through Chase Travel redeems at a value of 1.25 cents per point. You can pay for all or part of your trip with points and charge the rest to your card. Another travel-related option is to transfer your points at a 1:1 value in increments of 1,000 points to one of Chase’s travel partners, which might offer more than 1.25 cents per point in value depending on the redemption. Some Pay Yourself Back categories may also increase your value per point to 1.25 cents each.
There is no minimum redemption amount required and points never expire as long as your account is active. Additionally, Ultimate Rewards can be combined between this card and your other Ultimate Rewards-earning card(s) or transferred to another household member.
Rewards Potential
To determine the reward potential of the Ink Business Preferred card, we calculated what a sole proprietor or small business might spend in the bonus categories. Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies to determine annual expenses and spending averages across various categories. Based on the data, we calculated the following reward potential for a small business with the following spending scenarios:
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card Rewards Potential
Category | Earning Rate | Estimated Annual Spend | Estimated Annual Earnings |
---|---|---|---|
Travel | 3X | $8,741 | 26,223 |
Shipping, Advertising, Internet, Cable and Phone Services | 3X | $4,689 | 14,067 |
All Other Purchases | 1X | $26,968 | 26,968 |
Total: 67,258 Ultimate Rewards points |
Chase Ink Business Preferred Benefits
Chase Ink Business Preferred Travel Benefits
The Ink Preferred bundles some valuable travel benefits. Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance are included when you use your card to pay for eligible travel plans. You can be reimbursed up to $5,000 per person and $10,000 per trip for your prepaid, nonrefundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours and hotels, if your trip is canceled or cut short due to sickness, weather or another covered scenario.
Chase Ink Business Preferred Car Rental Benefits
Another perk of the Ink Business Preferred is an auto rental collision damage waiver. Decline the rental company’s collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card. The protection provided with the Ink Business Preferred is primary car rental insurance coverage when renting for business purposes and provides reimbursement of up to $60,000 for theft and collision damage for most cars in the U.S. and abroad.
Chase Ink Business Preferred Cellphone Benefits
When you pay your qualifying monthly cellphone bill with your Chase Ink Preferred, you’re eligible for cellphone insurance. Get up to $1,000 per claim in cellphone protection against covered theft or damage for you and your employees listed on your monthly cellphone bill. You can file a maximum of three claims in a 12-month period with a $100 deductible per claim.
How To Maximize Chase Ink Business Preferred Rewards
Although there are several ways to redeem your Ink Business Preferred rewards, you can potentially get more from your points by transferring Ultimate Rewards to partnering loyalty programs. Then, you can redeem those rewards (as branded frequent flyer miles or hotel points) toward travel through that program. When done strategically, this can yield more than 1.25 cents per point.
Transfer Partners
Chase’s travel partners include:
- Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1)
- Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1)
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue (1:1)
- British Airways Executive Club (1:1)
- Emirates Skywards (1:1)
- Iberia Plus (1:1)
- IHG One Rewards (1:1)
- JetBlue TrueBlue (1:1)
- Marriott Bonvoy (1:1)
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1)
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards (1:1)
- United MileagePlus (1:1)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1)
- World of Hyatt (1:1)
- Transfer Ultimate Rewards when you find a transfer bonus to get more miles instantly added to your account.
- Transfer Ultimate Rewards to World of Hyatt to book luxury hotels, including suites.
- Book travel directly with Chase Travel at 1.25 cents per point to avoid blackout dates or choose from airlines and hotels without rewards programs.
Chase Ink Business Preferred Fees
Alongside an annual fee, the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card’s may charge additional fees:
Balance Transfer Fee | Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. |
Late Payment Fee | $40 |
Return Payment Fee | $40 |
Chase Ink Business Preferred Foreign Transaction Fee
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card does not charge a foreign transaction fee.
Foreign Transaction Fees | $0 |
Chase Ink Business Preferred Annual Fee
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card charges a moderate annual fee.
Annual Fee | $95 |
Chase Ink Business Preferred APR
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card charges the following interest rates on purchases and balance transfers:
Regular APR | 20.24% - 26.24% Variable |
Purchase Intro APR | N/A |
Balance Transfer Intro APR | N/A |
Chase Ink Business Preferred Requirements
- Good or better credit. Though Chase doesn’t publish the specific credit and income requirements you’ll need to receive approval for a Chase Ink Business Preferred card, we expect any applicant will need a good or better credit rating. FICO defines a good credit score as 670 or above. Generally speaking, the higher your credit and income, the better your chances of approval.
- A personal guarantee. Like most business credit cards, the Chase Ink Business Preferred will likely require a personal guarantee if your business doesn’t have long-established credit.
- Annual fee. The Chase Ink Business Preferred charges a $95 annual fee.
How the Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card Stacks Up
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card vs. Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
If your business doesn’t spend much in the Ink Business Preferred’s bonus categories, consider the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card. It 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.
Although it doesn’t offer a 25% rewards boost for travel redemptions, the Ink Business Cash card also doesn’t carry an annual fee, and it has a more attainable 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.
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card vs. The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
Time-pressed proprietors who don’t care to fuss with various rewards categories may appreciate the simple structure of The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card (Terms apply, see rates & fees). With this no annual fee card you’ll get 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, making it easy-peasy to take advantage of your earnings.
It also 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. That might be the breathing room you need to pay down a big buy for your business.
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card vs. American Express® Business Gold Card
The American Express® Business Gold Card (Terms apply, see rates & fees) earns 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on the two eligible categories where a business spends the most each month (up to $150,000 combined purchases per calendar year, then 1 point), 3 points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels booked on Amex Travel and 1 point per dollar is earned for other purchases.
This card has a much steeper $375 annual fee. However, if your spending is varied and you don’t want to track categories, the American Express® Business Gold Card does the work for you.
Evaluate Credit Cards Side By Side
Compare Chase Ink Business Preferred With Other Cards
Is the Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card for You?
If you’re looking for a small business card that combines points-earning potential with money-saving perks, the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card may fit the bill. The welcome bonus alone more than makes up for the annual fee, at least for the first year. But if your card usage doesn’t align with the bonus categories or the spending cap, look to another option that better suits your spending patterns.
Methodology
Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors, including:
- Annual fees
- Welcome bonus offers
- Ongoing earning rates
- Value of individual rewards
- Included travel or merchant credits
- 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.
To view rates and fees for The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for American Express® Business Gold Card please visit this page.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What credit score do you need for a Chase Ink Business Preferred?
While Chase does not disclose its specific underwriting standards, the card generally requires excellent credit for approval.
What is the Chase 5/24 rule?
The Chase 5/24 rule stipulates that you will not be approved for a Chase credit card if you’ve opened five or more credit cards in the past 24 months. The rule is set in place primarily to discourage customers from opening credit cards solely for the welcome bonuses only to close the cards after a few months or a year.
What is the limit on the Chase Ink Business Preferred?
Chase will determine your line of credit based on your creditworthiness and the business information provided during the application process. Factors such as your revenue, available assets and any additional liabilities may be considered. You can request a credit limit increase every several months, especially if your financial details have changed.
What's the best way to use rewards from the Chase Ink Preferred?
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card earns Ultimate Rewards points, which can be transferred to over a dozen partners. The most valuable use of points is transferring them to an airline to redeem for premium cabin travel.