5 reasons to get the Chase Ink Preferred

For small businesses and entrepreneurs who want to get the most out of their business credit card, the Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is a smart choice, especially for businesses that want to quickly earn and save up points to spend on business-related travel. With the ability to earn triple points for many types of business expenses, multiple ways to redeem rewards, and features you won’t find offered with other cards, it’s easy to see why small businesses love this card.

Check out our list of the top five reasons we think the Chase Ink Preferred is a great addition to any small business’ spending strategy.

1. Chase Ink Business Preferred welcome bonus

It’s always a good idea to carefully compare sign-up offers when looking for credit cards – and this is even more important for small businesses. After all, an introductory bonus only applies once, so you want to make sure you’ll be able to maximize this opportunity.

The Chase Ink Preferred’s welcome bonus is pretty generous. New cardholders can earn up to 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points when they spend $15,000 in the first three months. That’s a great value, and those points could be worth as much as $1,250 for travel purchases when redeemed through Chase’s Ultimate Rewards® portal. And while a $15,000 spending minimum may sound steep, that averages out to $5,000 a month (since you have three months to meet it), which most businesses could easily reach with normal monthly operating expenses, as the cost of business quickly adds up.

2. Ink Business Preferred card bonus categories

Those familiar with how rewards credit cards work already know about spending categories. One notable benefit of this card is its bonus categories. Bonus categories offer the chance to earn triple the points when spending in certain categories, which is why forgetting about this benefit is like leaving money on the table.

To make it easy to earn rewards, all bonus categories are business-related and may be earned for travel, shipping, internet/cable/phone, and digital advertising. What this means is that you’re earning valuable points for spending money you would normally spend anyway – which is a great way to maximize your expenses. You can also use it with any other Chase Ultimate Rewards card you have to accrue even more points.

3. Chase Ink Preferred travel and purchase protection

Many small businesses must pay travel expenses on a regular basis. The Chase Ink Preferred offers travel benefits and purchase protections, which is another reason to add it to your business portfolio. In addition to offering cardholders cellphone insurance if it’s ever lost, stolen or damaged (up to $600, terms and conditions apply), this card also protects you when traveling abroad by offering the following perks.

Trip delay or cancellation insurance

When that meeting gets canceled last-minute, the Chase Ink Preferred travel protections have your back. When a business trip is postponed 12 hours or more (due to a covered hazard), you can get up to $500 back for hotel, meal or transportation expenses racked up because of the delay. If your trip is canceled entirely, you can get reimbursed for up to $5,000 in already paid travel-related expenses, such as lodging and airfare. This is an excellent deal, but it does require diligent record-keeping, so remember to save those receipts.

Lost luggage or baggage delay

When a business trip goes off the rails, it might be due to late or lost luggage. Chase Ink Preferred watches out for its cardholders by offering up to $100 a day (limit five days) for essential items if your baggage is delayed or misdirected for more than six hours, so you’re not left empty-handed at that important business engagement.

And if your luggage is completely lost, you can get up to $3,000 for lost checked bags or carry-ons (as long as your Chase Ink Preferred was used for booking). You can even get reimbursed (up to applicable limits) for lost or damaged items inside your luggage, like jewelry, laptops or other electronics.

Travel accident insurance

With this card, you could be covered on up to $500,000 for accidental death or dismemberment when traveling on a common carrier (such as an airline or cruise ship). Additionally, anyone who travels with you will also be covered (limits apply).

Finally, the purchase protections on the Chase Ink Preferred are great. When you charge something on your card that ends up being defective, damaged or stolen, you can get up to $10,000 per claim within the first 120 days of the purchase (limit $50,000 per account). Remember that terms and conditions apply to these benefits, so check your card details for more info.

4. Chase Business Preferred Ink travel benefits

One reason why Chase Ultimate Rewards is such an amazing program is that it offers great flexibility. To accommodate travelers of all budgets and locations, it partners with several major airlines and hotels around the world. And when you transfer your rewards points to an airline, you can still earn any frequent flyer miles you’re entitled to, as usual.

Airlines

Chase Ultimate Rewards may be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to the following airline partners:

• Aer Lingus
• British Airways Executive Club
• Emirates Skywards
• Flying Blue (Air France/KLM)
• Iberia Plus
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Singapore KrisFlyer
• Southwest Rapid Rewards
• United MileagePlus
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Hotels

While your Chase Ink Preferred points can only be transferred to three hotel systems, they are highly rated and found worldwide, and they offer a great business travel experience. Cardholders may redeem points at a 1:1 ratio with these hotel partners:

• World of Hyatt
• IHG Rewards
• Marriott Rewards

5. Chase Ink Preferred employee cards

Another great benefit of this business credit card, and one that is often overlooked in other cards, is your ability to add multiple employee cards, as well as set spending limits for each additional card, without incurring extra fees. This offers convenience by not restricting spending to just one card or cardholder.

Another benefit is the ability to track employee spending. You can set alerts when employees go over their spending limits for greater transparency and control over your business.

Bottom line

Overall, one of the best Chase Ink Preferred benefits is its sign-up bonus, which for some may be reason enough to open it. Combined with the opportunity to earn triple rewards in certain business spending categories, high-volume spenders should see nice rewards. Businesses that travel often will also find the Chase Ink Business Preferred benefits to be useful. Triple points for travel-related expenses, travel perks and airline partners make it a good card for businesses that fly frequently.