iStock
Our quick take: Chase’s Ink Business Unlimited? Credit Card is one of the best no-nonsense rewards credit cards for businesses. Cardholders can earn 1.5% cash back rewards on every business purchase, and even get a 0% Intro APR on purchases for 12 months (then 18.49% - 24.49% Variable).
We receive compensation from our partners for Featured Offer placements, which impacts how and where their offer is displayed.
Earn $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO? credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Pros:
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business
- 0% Intro APR on purchases for 12 months (then 18.49% - 24.49% Variable)
- No annual fee and employee cards at no cost
- Primary auto rental coverage when you rent a car for business purposes
- Purchase protection against damage or theft and extended warranty coverage
Cons:
- Can only transfer rewards to Chase’s airline and hotel partners when combined with another premium Chase card
- Some cash back credit cards for businesses offer a higher flat rate of rewards
- 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars foreign transaction fee
Current welcome bonus: Earn $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Best for: Small-business owners and entrepreneurs who want to earn easy cash back on all their business spending while gaining access to some consumer protections and travel benefits.
Introducing the Ink Business Unlimited card
Business owners who prefer flat-rate cash back to other types of rewards should check out the Chase Ink Business Unlimited. This credit card comes with a very large welcome bonus right off the bat and then earns a flat 1.5% cash back rewards on every business purchase with your card. There are no bonus categories to remember or quarterly categories to activate — it’s just 1.5% cash back on everything.
It’s also easy to redeem cash back from the Ink Business Unlimited. You can request a statement credit online in just a few seconds, or use your rewards for merchandise, gift cards or even travel booked through the Chase portal.
But the Ink Business Unlimited becomes an even more powerful small-business credit card when it’s combined with one of Chase’s premium credit cards. That’s because you can then convert any cash back earned with the Business Unlimited into valuable travel points and get even more for your rewards than you would if you just redeemed them as cash back. More on that in a moment.
Advantages of the Ink Business Unlimited card
One of the biggest benefits of the Ink Business Unlimited is its first-year rewards potential. New cardholders can earn $900 bonus cash back after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. That’s a high spending threshold to meet, but many small businesses easily have that much in regular monthly expenses, and the bonus is big enough that it’s worth the effort.
You’ll also earn 1.5% cash back for every dollar you spend on the Ink Business Unlimited, including on the purchases you make to meet the minimum spending requirement to earn the bonus. That is a terrific haul for a credit card that doesn’t charge an annual fee.
But you can get even more value than that. Chase issues cash back in the form of Chase Travel? points, which you’d normally redeem at a rate of 1 cent per point for cash back. But if you also have a premium Chase card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred? Card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve? or the Ink Business Preferred? Credit Card, you can pool all your Chase Travel? points together.
Once you’ve done that, you can then use all your points based on the rules of the most powerful Chase card you have. That means if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve?, you can redeem all your points for travel at a rate of 1.5 cents per point, or at a rate of 1.25 cents per point with either the Chase Sapphire Preferred? Card or Ink Business Preferred. And all three premium Chase cards let you transfer your points to any of Chase’s 14 airline and hotel partners and potentially get even more value for them.
Another benefit of the Ink Business Unlimited is its 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases after you open the account, which can be useful if you need some time to finance a large business purchase or everyday business expenses. Just remember that the rate jumps to a APR of 18.49% - 24.49% Variable after the intro period ends, so make sure you pay the balance in full before then.
Finally, while this isn’t a high-end travel card, there are some relatively decent perks on the Ink Business Unlimited. You’ll get primary auto rental coverage when you rent a car for business purposes, so you can save on the cost of paying for the rental company’s collision damage waiver. You typically just have to pay for the rental cost with your Ink Business Unlimited card for this protection to apply, but make sure you review all the terms and conditions before relying on this coverage.
Other Ink Business Unlimited cardholder perks include roadside dispatch, purchase protection for 120 days against damage or theft for items you buy with the card, up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account and an additional year of extended warranty on eligible purchases that already come with an eligible manufacturer’s warranty of three years or less.
Disadvantages of the Ink Business Unlimited card
The biggest downside of the Ink Business Unlimited is that you can find a handful of other small-business credit cards that offer a higher rate of cash back. On the flip side, those other cards don’t offer the option to convert your cash back into more valuable travel points when combined with other Chase cards. So while this isn’t a deal breaker, it does make sense to know in advance whether you’re likely to use your rewards as cash back or travel points.
Also note that, unlike the Ink Business Preferred, the Ink Business Unlimited doesn’t let you transfer your rewards to airline or hotel partners if it’s the only Chase card you have. You must have one of the three premium Chase Travel? cards — all of which charge an annual fee of at least $95 — in order to take advantage of that option.
The other downside to note is that the Ink Business Unlimited charges a foreign transaction fee of 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars on overseas purchases. That’s not unusual for a credit card with no annual fee, but you won’t want to use it when you’re traveling internationally, as the fee will more than offset any value you get from the card’s rewards on those purchases.
Other credit cards similar to the Ink Business Unlimited card
If your main focus is a business card that earns simple cash back and you’re not interested in converting your rewards to travel points, you may want to consider a no-annual-fee card such as The American Express Blue Business Cash? Card * The information for the The American Express Blue Business Cash? Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. (terms apply, see rates and fees). Your small business will earn a flat 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. New card members can also earn a $250?statement credit after spending?$3,000 in purchases in the first?three?months of account opening.
All information about The American Express Blue Business Cash? Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored.
All information about the The American Express Blue Business Cash? Card * The information for the The American Express Blue Business Cash? Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. has been collected independently by CNN Underscored Money. The American Express Blue Business Cash? Card is not currently available through CNN.
All information about The American Express Blue Business Cash? Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored.
Or, if you don’t mind paying a small annual fee and prefer to collect travel rewards right off the bat, the Ink Business Preferred could be a better fit. The Ink Business Preferred starts new cardholders off with a whopping welcome bonus of Earn 90,000 bonus points.
The Ink Business Preferred also earns 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. While the Ink Business Preferred does charge a $95 annual fee, you’ll automatically be able to transfer your points to Chase’s partners like Southwest, United, and Hyatt at a 1-to-1 ratio.
We receive compensation from our partners for Featured Offer placements, which impacts how and where their offer is displayed.
Earn $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO? credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Should you get the Ink Business Unlimited card?
Small-business owners who are solely interested in earning cash back and who have less than $50,000 in credit card expenses each year may do slightly better with Blue Business Cash offering, but if you have travel on your mind at all in 2023, we think it’s worth earning slightly less cash back in exchange for the ability to convert your rewards to travel points down the line when you get a second Chase card. Chase’s roster of transfer partners is one of the best, and it’s easy to redeem points for travel on Chase’s website as well.
So, if you’re a business owner looking for a credit card with no annual fee and the flexibility to swap your cash back for travel rewards, the Ink Business Unlimited should be at the top of your list. Not only does it come with a solid earning rate and access to an introductory interest rate offer on purchases, but the welcome bonus is hard to beat.
To view rates and fees for The American Express Blue Business Cash? Card * The information for the The American Express Blue Business Cash? Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , please visit this page.
All information about The American Express Blue Business Cash? Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines, hotel chain, or other commercial entity and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of such entities.
This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended and should not be understood to constitute financial, investment, insurance or legal advice. All individuals are encouraged to seek advice from a qualified financial professional before making any financial, insurance or investment decisions.
Note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed or may no longer be available.
