Reasons to apply for the Chase Ink Business Cash Card

Chase’s Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is one of the best small-business cards available. It has a generous welcome bonus, outstanding bonus categories and flexible redemption options. On top of that, it has no annual fee, and you can also add employee cards for no cost. Let’s take a look at why this might be the right card for your business.

Generous welcome bonus

A generous welcome bonus can be one of the best reasons to apply for a new credit card. The Chase Ink Business Cash card does not disappoint here, offering a welcome bonus of $900 if you spend $6,000 in the first three months of having the card. That is a higher-than-average bonus, but also a higher-than-average spending target. Before you apply, you’ll want to make sure that you can meet the $6,000 spending requirement in three months.

Although the welcome bonus is marketed as $900 in cash back, remember that the bonus is granted as 90,000 Ultimate Rewards points. If the Chase Ink Cash card is your only Chase credit card, your Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1 cent per point. This means that your 90,000 Ultimate Rewards points are worth exactly the $900 advertised.

But if you have other premium Chase credit cards, such as the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, then you can combine your Ultimate Rewards points before redeeming them. This strategy can make your Ultimate Rewards points worth 1.5 cents per point or even more, depending on which redemption option you choose. Combining your points can help unlock the value of the Ink Cash card and really maximize your rewards.

Business-targeted rewards categories

With Chase’s Ink Business Cash card, you’ll have access to the following bonus categories:

• 5 percent cash back on internet, cable and phone services, and at office supply stores (for up to $25,000 in purchases per year)
• 2 percent cash back on gas and dining (for up to $25,000 in purchases per year)
• 1 percent cash back on all other purchases

Earning 5 percent cash back at office supply stores and paying for internet, cable and phone services can be a big boost to your rewards. If you’re considering using the Ink Business Cash card as your go-to credit card, keep in mind that your bonus categories are limited to the first $25,000 in purchases each year. Any purchases above that amount will only get 1 percent cash back.

It’s also worth thinking about how much of your overall spending will be in these bonus categories. Remember that you only get 1 percent cash back on all non-bonus spending, a below-average cash back return. So, if you find that a majority of your spending is in non-bonus categories, you might be better off with a card such as the Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card, which earns 1.5 percent cash back on all spending. Or hold both cards, using the Ink Cash for its bonus categories and the Ink Unlimited for all other purchases.

Easy-to-use redemption options

One of the real bonuses of Chase Ultimate Rewards cards is how easy it is to redeem your points, with many attractive redemption options. As mentioned earlier, if you only have Ultimate Rewards cards with no annual fee, like the Chase Ink Business Cash, then the rewards you earn are worth 1 cent per point. The Ink Cash card effectively serves as a cash back card.

The real power of the Chase Ink Cash card is felt when you combine it with other premium Chase credit cards like the Ink Business Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve. You can always combine the Ultimate Rewards points that you earn on different cards into one. If you combine your Chase Ink points with Sapphire Reserve points, then you’ll get a 50 percent bonus when you use them to redeem for travel or through Chase Pay Yourself Back. You can get even more value if you combine your points with a premium card to transfer to Chase’s hotel and airline transfer partners.

No annual fee and no-cost employee cards

One of the best features of the Chase Ink Business Cash card is that it comes with no annual fee. A credit card with an annual fee can be worth it, meaning that you get more in rewards and value than you pay for the annual fee. But being able to get outstanding rewards and value without having to pay an annual fee is the best of both worlds.

You must have a business to apply for the Chase Ink Business Cash card. However, you’re not required to have a business EIN or a certain amount of revenue. You don’t even need to have any employees — you can be approved as a sole proprietorship.

If you do have employees, the Ink Cash card allows you to add employee cards. Each employee card comes with no setup fee and no annual fee. As the main cardholder, you can set up controls and spending limits for each employee card, but ultimately, you are responsible for all purchases made on employee cards on your account.

Peace of mind with fraud, liability and purchase protection

Like most credit cards, the Chase Ink Business Cash card offers fraud and liability protection. You are not liable for any unauthorized or fraudulent activity on your card. You can also get up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account if any of your purchases are damaged or stolen within the first 120 days after the purchase (check terms and conditions for specific eligibility).

Primary car rental insurance

Another great benefit of the Ink Business Cash card is that it offers primary car rental insurance. In fact, it is one of the few credit cards that offers primary car rental insurance that also has no annual fee. Primary car rental insurance is great because it comes into play before any other insurance (like your regular car insurance). If your credit card offers secondary car rental insurance, it generally won’t be used until after you make a claim on your own auto insurance.

The car rental coverage with the Ink Cash card is primary only when renting for business purposes. You can get reimbursed up to the actual cash value of the vehicle for theft and collision damage. This coverage applies to most cars, both in the U.S. and abroad. As with all card protections, make sure that you check the fine print before relying on this insurance coverage.

Bottom line

The Chase Ink Business Cash card is an outstanding credit card for small businesses. With no annual fee and solid bonus categories, any business with significant internet, cable, phone or office supply expenses should consider getting this card. Now is a great time to apply, as it currently comes with a welcome offer of $900 after spending $6,000 in the first three months of having the card. If you have other premium Chase credit cards, then the Ink Cash card is even more attractive since you can combine your Ultimate Rewards points and make them even more valuable.