AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Offers for the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card are not available through this site. Some offers may have expired. Please see our card marketplace for available offers
Chase has updated its language when applying for two no-annual-fee Ink Business cards — the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (Rates & Fees) and Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (Rates & Fees). And apparently, you have to be quite the detective to find it. This new language may restrict who can apply for these cards and how often.
Let's dive into the new details.
What Changed With No-Annual-Fee Ink Card Application Terms?
If you apply for either the Ink Cash or the Ink Unlimited and click on the “Offer Details,” you’ll see a lot of text surrounding each card’s welcome bonus, rewards structure, and more. In the welcome bonus section in particular, you’ll find the following language:
“The new cardmember bonus may not be available to you if you have ever had this card or any other Chase for Business card without an annual fee. We may also consider factors pertinent to your business in determining your bonus eligibility.”
On its own, this wording is pretty unassuming. However, Chase added new and far more restrictive language elsewhere on the application page. And you won’t see it until you begin the application process.
At the bottom of the application page, there is a list of certifications you must agree to. Pay close attention to the last item in that list.
To make it easier to read, here's the full text of point #11:
“The new cardmember bonus may not be available to you if you have ever had this card or any other Chase for Business card without an annual fee. We may also consider factors pertinent to your business in determining your bonus eligibility.”
This language appears for both the Ink Cash and the Ink Unlimited, which do not have annual fees. It sounds confusing and a bit ambiguous, so let’s try to make sense of the wording.
Related: How to Get a Business Credit Card in 3 Easy Steps
What Does This Mean and Why Does It Matter?
Before these changes to the application terms and conditions rolled out, Previous data points indicated that applicants could successfully get all three Ink Business cards and earn the cardmember bonus on each one. Indications were that you could even get multiple of the same Ink Business card again, making it a lucrative way to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards through the cardmember bonuses.
Now, by the letter of the wording, it appears that Chase is cracking down. This language indicates that if you already have or have had any no-annual-fee Ink Business card, you could not earn the cardmember bonus on the other no-fee card. Likewise, it appears that you cannot earn the cardmember bonus again multiple times on the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
Sorting that out, it sounds like one no-annual-fee card — the Ink Cash or Ink Unlimited — and the Ink Preferred are the limitations for Ink cards you can have.
However, notice the presence of the little word “may.” As Amex has recently done, this non-definite word “may” means there could be some wiggle room in the application rules. The only way to confirm whether or not you can continue to get a cardmember bonus on Ink cards despite your previous Ink card holding is to try. But, this new language is certainly concerning for those hoping to continue to apply for more Ink Business cards.
Bottom Line
Chase has made a subtle change to the wording on its Ink Business card applications. This change seems to imply that there will be tighter restrictions on who can apply and earn cardmember bonus offers of the suite of Ink cards. This will be something to monitor as more data points come in.
Let us know in the comments if you are successful in getting more Ink cards despite the language to the contrary.
- 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year
- 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year
- 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (Rates & Fees), and Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
