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The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is one of the best small-business cards on the market, thanks to its 3X earning on select business categories and access to Chase's Ultimate Rewards program. If travel is your goal, the Ink Preferred can help you turn your business spending into huge savings on your next trip.
Moreover, the card offers several benefits for a modest $95 annual fee and delivers new cardholders a valuable welcome bonus.
Let's take a look at everything this card has to offer to see if it's a good fit for your small business.
- 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
- Rates & 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
Page Contents
Ink Preferred Pros
- Excellent sign-up bonus with a reasonable spending requirement.
- Access to Chase's 14 transfer partners without needing to pair with another card.
- Many travel and shopping protections for a modest annual fee.
- Can combine points from many other cards earning Ultimate Rewards.
Ink Preferred Cons
- Has an annual fee, which may be a non-negotiable for some businesses.
- Caps on bonus earnings.
- 1X points per dollar on non-bonus spending.
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card Welcome Offer
The Ink Preferred offers an impressive 90,000-point signup bonus after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
What is the 90,000-point offer worth?
After meeting the minimum spending requirements to earn the sign-up bonus on the Ink Preferred, you'll have, at a minimum, 98,000 Ultimate Rewards points in your account. You'll have even more if you spend within the card's bonus categories. But what are those 98,000 points worth? Here are three primary ways you can redeem them to showcase their potential value:
- Pay with points through Chase Travel℠. When redeemed this way, your Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1.25 cents apiece. That makes your 90,000-point sign-up bonus plus the minimum 8,000 points earned through meeting the spending requirement worth $1,225.
- Get cash back. If you elect to cash out, your points are worth 1 cent apiece, making 98,000 points worth $980 in cash back.
- Transfer points to 14 travel partners. When transferred to 11 airline and three hotel partners, Chase points are worth 1.95¢ apiece on average. That makes 98,000 points worth ~$1,800 toward award travel.
Simply put, these points are worth a lot!
Chase Ink Preferred Benefits
The benefits received for the $95 annual fee on the Ink Preferred are comprehensive, protecting both your travels and everyday purchases.
Auto rental collision damage waiver (CDW)
The auto rental CDW covers up to the cash value of most rental vehicles for damage caused by a collision or theft. This coverage is primary coverage when renting for business purposes, meaning you do not need to file a claim with any other insurer before claiming under the card benefit. The coverage is secondary for personal rentals, which is a very important distinction to make about this card's benefit.
Keep in mind that you must decline the rental company’s insurance and pay for the full cost of the rental on your Ink Preferred for coverage to be in effect.
Trip interruption / cancellation insurance
The Ink Preferred covers up to $5,000 in pre-paid or non-refundable travel expenses if a trip is canceled or cut short for a covered reason. The policy covers the cardholder, immediate family members, and also persons employed by the company for which the Ink Preferred account is issued. This means you can even claim this benefit when employee trips go south.
Coverage applies to trips purchased using Ultimate Rewards points from the account — which are reimbursed at one cent per point.
Related: 21 Credit Card Benefits Every Traveler Should Know About
Trip delay reimbursement
Receive up to $500 for each purchased ticket if your trip on a common carrier is delayed by a covered hazard for more than 12 hours or overnight. This can provide reimbursement for expenses like lodging or meals, and the benefit is in effect as long as you paid for at least part of the trip with your card, which is handy for when you pay for your taxes and fees of award travel with the card.
Baggage delay reimbursement
This perk reimburses up to $100 per day, for a maximum of five days, for the purchase of essential items such as clothing, toiletries, and charging cables for cell phones if your flight is delayed by more than six hours for a covered reason.
Cell phone protection
One of the standalone benefits of the Ink Preferred, which is rare on small business credit cards, is cell phone protection. Pay the full cell phone bill each month with your Ink Preferred, and the phone is covered for theft, damage, and loss up to $1,000 per claim and up to three claims in a 12-month period. Employee phones purchased with this card are also included in the coverage, but there's a deductible of $100 per claim.
Purchase protection
This benefit covers new items against fire and theft, up to $10,000 per claim and up to $50,000 per account. Purchase protection applies to purchases made within the past 120 days.
Extended warranty
Purchase an item with your Ink Preferred and get an extra year on U.S. manufacturers' warranties of three years or less.
Visa SavingsEdge
By carrying this Visa business card, you have access to a built-in savings tool that’s easy to overlook: Visa SavingsEdge. Once enrolled, you can earn automatic statement credits when you shop with participating merchants, including popular business vendors and service providers. Some offers require activation while others apply automatically when you use your card.
No foreign transaction fees
This benefit speaks for itself. You won't pay foreign transaction fees when you swipe the Ink Preferred abroad.
Related: Why the Chase Ink Preferred Is My Primary Travel Card
Ink Preferred Earning Rates
The Ink Preferred provides strong earnings for small businesses that spend in the bonus categories on the card, though it's worth noting that there are limits to these earnings. You'll earn as follows:
- 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
Earning 3x on up to $150k of spending will appeal to most businesses. And earning 3x on travel puts this card on part with heavyweight travel cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® — though without that card's $550 annual fee.
Plus, the bonus points for online advertising, shipping, and internet/phone services make the Ink Preferred perfect for any business operating online, Amazon/eBay store owners, and any business that utilizes online advertising. However, businesses that spend more than $150k annually in these bonus categories may be disappointed to learn that they'll earn just a single point per $1 spent after passing the $150k threshold.
Redeeming Points With the Ink Preferred
You can redeem points from your Ink Preferred card for 1.25¢ each when booking travel through the Chase Travel℠ portal. Additionally, you can redeem them at 1¢ apiece for gift cards or cash back via a statement credit (but please don't do this unless you're in a cash crunch).
Alternatively, you can spend your Ultimate Rewards points directly on Amazon for gifts, essentials, or luxury items delivered straight to your door. This typically isn't the best value for your points, unless you get a targeted offer to save up to 50% off Amazon by using just a few points.
The best way to maximize the value of Ultimate Rewards earned with your Ink Preferred card is by transferring points to Chase’s Ultimate Rewards travel partners. This includes three hotel and 11 airline partners.
Data points from AwardWallet users show they tend to redeem Chase points at 1.95¢ each when utilizing Chase's transfer partners. Check out our comprehensive breakdown of transfer partners, plus 20+ ways to redeem Ultimate Rewards points for maximum value.
Application Restrictions
You need a business to open a business card, in case that wasn't clear. Luckily, qualifications are lower than you might think. You may be surprised by how easy it can be to get a business card through an Etsy store, reselling on eBay, or just a side hustle with freelance work. Even sole proprietorships without an EIN are able to qualify for this card.
Applicants with good to excellent credit stand a good chance of approval for this card. Further, you can open this card and receive the sign-up bonus while also being a cardholder for other Ink Business cards.
As with all Chase cards, you will not be approved if you've opened five or more personal cards from any bank in the last 24 months. Business cards do not count against this number; however, you must be under 5/24 to get approved for a business card. Learn more about Chase's unwritten 5/24 rule.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Cards That Compete With the Ink Preferred
- If you want a lower minimum spending requirement on a Chase card, the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card is a great option. It has a solid sign-up bonus of $750 after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You'll also earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases, and you can combine this with rewards from other Chase Ultimate Rewards cards to turn your earnings into transferable points, assuming you have eligible cards. For more details, check out our full review of the Ink Unlimited card.
- If you want a no-annual-fee card, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is a simple, straightforward card without an annual fee (Rates & Fees) or bonus categories to track. You'll earn 2x points earned on the first $50,000 of purchases each year, then 1x. You can find more details in our full review of the Blue Business Plus card.
- If you want higher earning power, the American Express® Business Gold Card offers 4x points earned on your top two spending categories from a preset list, up to $150,000 per year (then 1x), plus 3x on prepaid airfare and hotels at AmexTravel.com and 1x on other eligible purchases. Learn more in our full review of the Amex Business Gold card.
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business
(Terms Apply)
- Earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. Terms and limitations apply.
(Terms apply)
- U.S. purchases for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
- U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
- U.S. purchases at gas stations
- U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
- Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
- Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.
Related: Top Small Business Card Offers
Final Thoughts
We've had plenty of time since Chase launched the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card to tease out all its secrets, and this is an outstanding business card that offers a strong value proposition with high earning power, second-to-none benefits, a modest annual fee, and a valuable welcome bonus.
I've personally used this card to earn lots of World of Hyatt points to travel the world, book award nights in some of the Hyatt's most incredible suites, and earn top-tier status with the program year after year. The sign-up bonus and the spending categories are enough for me to keep the card each year, and the additional perks are just the icing on the cake.
With an annual fee of just $95 and the ability to earn up to 450,000 points from bonus categories each year, it's easy to see why the Ink Preferred is one of the strongest options out there in the space for business owners.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees), The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (Rates & Fees), and American Express® Business Gold Card (Rates & Fees)
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