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As points and miles power collectors for over a decade, my wife and I have dozens of credit cards. But only a handful of these cards can earn a place in my everyday wallet.
For everyday spending, I carry the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (unless we're working on a new sign-up bonus). For dining, we utilize the no-longer-available Citi Prestige® Card. But our primary travel payment card is the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees).
Here's why I use this scrappy $95-annual-fee credit card (instead of its more expensive competitors) as my everyday travel card — and why now is a great time for you to consider adding this card to your wallet.
- Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 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
- Earn 5x total points on Lyft rides through 9/30/27.
- 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
- Go further when you book with Chase Travel℠. Enjoy competitive rates, seamless booking and premium benefits.
- Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
- Receive complimentary access to DashPass by DoorDash.
- Member FDIC
- 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 on all other purchases
Page Contents
Ink Preferred Earning Rates
In addition to the card's current 100,000-point sign-up bonus, the Ink Preferred offers a solid 3X earning rate across four categories:
3x points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year.
If you reach that $150,000 annual cap, you'll earn one point per $1 spent afterward.
Depending on how you spend your money, some of those bonus categories will be more useful than others. Since I travel the world full-time, I'm laser-focused on that 3X travel earning rate. (But I also charge my Google Fi cell phone plan to my Ink Preferred for 3x earnings and cell phone protection.)
Earning 3X transferrable points on general travel on a $95 annual fee is hard to beat. Yes, other travel credit cards offer a higher earning rate when you book paid travel through the bank's own travel portal. However, the Ink Preferred is handy for those everyday travel purchases you can't book through the travel portal. That includes:
- Taxes and fees on award flights
- Airlines not bookable through portals
- Travel-related providers, such as Point.me subscriptions
- Metros, trams, and rideshares, including Uber trips and for 5X earnings on Lyft
- Trains and train passes
- Cruises, such as the repositioning Carnival cruise I recently took
- Miscellaneous travel costs like parking meters and city taxes on hotel stays
- Other travel purchases when you aren't sure they will trigger a higher earning rate on another card, such as Marriott Homes & Villas and Small Luxury Hotels
How You Can Use Your Ink Preferred Points
The Ink Preferred earns fully transferable Ultimate Rewards points. That means the points you earn can be transferred to 14 transfer partners — including Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, World of Hyatt, and Air Canada Aeroplan. And you can combine Chase points earned on no-annual-fee Freedom and Ink cards with the Ink Preferred to turn those earnings into fully transferable points as well.
Here are Chase's current transfer partners:
Alternatively, you can redeem the points earned through the Ink Preferred — or transferred in from no-annual-fee Ink- or Freedom-branded cards — to purchase travel through the Chase Travel℠ Portal at up to 1.75 cents per point. That means the 100,000-point bonus can be worth up to $1,750 toward paid travel purchases.
At the very least, you can redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for a statement credit at 1 cent per point. At that base rate, you can redeem the 100,000-point bonus for $1,000 to offset any purchases you want.
Travel & Shopping Protections
In addition to the 3X earning rate, I use the Ink Preferred to pay for flights and award flight taxes/fees because of its extensive travel protections. These include:
- Trip delay reimbursement: Up to $500 per ticket on delays of 12+ hours or overnight
- Baggage delay insurance: Up to $100 per day for 5 days on delays of 6+ hours
- Lost luggage reimbursement: Up to $3,000 per passenger
- Trip cancellation / interruption insurance: Up to $5,000 per person and $10,000 per trip
- Auto rental Collision Damage Waiver (CDW): Primary when “renting outside your country of residence,” if you do not have automobile insurance, or when renting for business purposes within the U.S.
- Travel accident insurance: Up to $500,000 for accidental death or dismemberment
- Roadside dispatch
- Travel and emergency assistance
- No foreign transaction fees
Like most credit cards, the Ink Preferred has a chip for tap-to-pay transactions. But you can also request a PIN from Chase to use the card as a chip-and-pin credit card. That makes the Ink Preferred clutch for international payment terminals that require a PIN to complete the transaction, such as train kiosks in Europe and unattended parking garages in several countries.
Comparing the Ink Preferred to Other Travel Cards
Now that we've gotten an overview of the benefits of the Ink Preferred, let's compare it to other travel credit cards to see how it stacks up.
Ink Preferred vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Most travelers probably think about the Chase Sapphire Reserve® when considering a Chase travel card. And indeed, the Sapphire Reserve offers some incredible earning rates on certain types of travel bookings:
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
However, you'll notice that this is a much more limited set of travel purchases. My wife and I almost always book direct vs. booking through a portal. While we could earn 4x points on directly booked flights and hotels, we would earn just 1x points on everyday travel purchases.
Plus, the Sapphire Reserve charges a $795 annual fee. For some travelers, that fee is worth it to get additional perks like Priority Pass Select membership, TSA PreCheck/Global Entry/NEXUS application fee credits, up to $300 in travel credits each year, and all of the other statement credits and card benefits on this premium travel card.
Comparatively, the Ink Preferred‘s $95 annual fee is a much cheaper option for earning a solid 3X points on a much broader set of travel purchases (up to the $150,000 annual limit).
$95Rates & Fees
- 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 on all other purchases
$795Rates & Fees
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
Ink Preferred vs. Citi Strata Premier® Card
Another card that offers 3X on general travel is the Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees). For a $95 annual fee, cardholders earn 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com; 3X points per $1 spent on air travel and other hotel purchases; and 3X points at gas stations, EV charging stations, restaurants, and supermarkets.
While that means it falls short of the 3X points on all travel (up to the $150,000 annual limit) offered by the Ink Preferred, the Citi Strata Premier‘s 3X bonus category also includes gas stations, EV charging stations, restaurants, and supermarkets. That makes it a more well-rounded spending card for many consumers and small businesses.
$95Rates & Fees
- 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 on all other purchases
$95Rates & Fees
- 10X on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 1X – Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
But, isn't the Ink Preferred a business card?
Indeed, the Ink Preferred is a small business credit card. That means you'll need to have a small business to qualify to open the card. With that said, you may be surprised by who's eligible to get a small business credit card. If you do freelance or gig work, sell items online, or monetize your hobbies, you may be eligible to get a small business card.
While we're talking about restrictions, also keep in mind that the Ink Preferred is restricted by the Chase 5/24 rule. If you've opened five or more personal credit cards in the past 24 months, Chase will likely deny your application.
Related: How to Check Your Chase 5/24 Status for Free
Why Now’s a Great Time To Get the Ink Preferred
The Ink Preferred is currently offering a 100,000-point sign-up bonus after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. While that's not the card's best bonus ever, it's an excellent six-digit bonus on a modest-annual-fee card.
No doubt, this is still a hefty spending requirement of around $2,700 per month. However, it's much more attainable than the long-time spending requirement of $15,000 required for years. Plus, by utilizing our tips to meet spending requirements — such as using your credit card to pay taxes — you may be able to reach this spending requirement that you previously thought was unattainable.
Bottom Line
For years, I've used the Ink Preferred as my primary travel payment card, thanks to its 3X earning rate on general travel and excellent travel protections. Now that Chase is offering an excellent 100,000-point sign-up bonus, this card is an appealing option for those who don't already have it.
- Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 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
- Earn 5x total points on Lyft rides through 9/30/27.
- 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
- Go further when you book with Chase Travel℠. Enjoy competitive rates, seamless booking and premium benefits.
- Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
- Receive complimentary access to DashPass by DoorDash.
- Member FDIC
- 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 on all other purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), and Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees)
