Is The Chase Ink Business Unlimited Card Worth It?

Link: Apply now for the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (review) is one of the all-around most lucrative business credit cards. The card has no annual fee, an excellent welcome bonus, and a great rewards structure. In conjunction with other cards earning Ultimate Rewards points, this can be one of the most useful cards for a small business.

In this post I wanted to look at seven reasons you should consider applying for the Chase Ink Business Unlimited.

1. 75,000 bonus points welcome offer

The Ink Business Unlimited has an excellent welcome bonus of 75,000 points after spending $6,000 within three months of account opening. I consider this to be in line with the best welcome bonus offered by any no annual fee card out there.

On the surface this is a cash back card, meaning that the 75,000 points are worth $750 cash back. However, you can potentially convert these rewards into “full” Ultimate Rewards points, which I value at 1.7 cents each, so to me that bonus is worth up to $1,275. Yes, on a no annual fee card. That’s incredible.

2. No annual fee

The Ink Business Unlimited has no annual fee. Getting a no annual fee card that’s super rewarding is rare, especially when you consider the value of the welcome bonus. Not only does the card not have an annual fee for the primary cardmember, but you can also add authorized users at no extra cost.

3. 1.5x points on everyday spending

The Ink Business Unlimited offers 1.5x points on all purchases, with no limits. This is a straightforward rewards structure, so there’s no need to focus on bonus categories. If you use this card correctly, it’s the single best Chase business card for earning Ultimate Rewards points on everyday spending.

Note that while points on the card can ordinarily be redeemed for one cent each cash back (meaning that 1.5x points is really 1.5% cash back), in conjunction with other Chase cards, these can be converted into “full” Ultimate Rewards points (more on that below). Since I value Ultimate Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, to me the card offers a 2.55% return on everyday spending, which is excellent.

4. Business rental car coverage

The Ink Business Unlimited offers primary collision damage waiver coverage for rentals of most types of vehicles in most countries, except where it is prohibited by law, by individual merchants, or is in violation of the territory terms of the rental agreement. There aren’t many no annual fee cards offering rental car coverage, so I think that’s pretty remarkable.

Prior to renting, you should check with the benefits administrator (call the number on the back of your card) to verify your coverage. Keep in mind, you’re only eligible for coverage when renting for business purposes. For personal rentals, look to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) or Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review).

6. Travel & purchase protection benefits

In addition to rental car coverage, the Ink Business Unlimited offers other purchase and travel benefits, including (but not limited to) the following:

• Trip cancelation and interruption coverage, of up to $5,000 per trip
• Purchase protection for up to 120 days against damage or theft
• Extended warranty protection, for up to a year on eligible purchases

You’ll want to read the cardmember agreement for exact terms, but this has the potential to be extremely valuable for purchases as well. Tiffany wrote about her experience with this benefit on a Chase card.

7. 0% intro APR

While this isn’t personally something I’ve ever taken advantage of, I know this is a popular benefit for many, especially those who have growing businesses. The Ink Business Unlimited is offering 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months.

You’ll want to try to pay that off within that time period, though, because after that the variable APR can be quite high, currently at 18.49% - 24.49%.

8. Maximize the value of Ultimate Rewards

On the surface, the Ink Business Unlimited is a cash back card, as the name suggests. When I talk about “points” above, each point gets you one cent cash back. So when the card offers 1.5x points on everyday spending, that means it ordinarily earns the equivalent of 1.5% cash back.

However, you can do much better than that if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and/or Ink Business Preferred.

If you have the Ink Business Unlimited in conjunction with any of the above three cards, then those points can be converted into “premium” Ultimate Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio. This allows them to be transferred to Ultimate Rewards airline & hotel partners, or to be redeemed through the Chase Travel Portal at a favorable rate.

I value Ultimate Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so to me that increases the value of the points earned on this card by 70%.

How to get approved for the Ink Business Unlimited

If you plan to apply for the Ink Business Unlimited there are a few things to be aware of:

• The Ink Business Unlimited is subjected to Chase’s “5/24 rule,” meaning you typically won’t be approved for the card if you’ve opened five or more new card accounts in the past 24 months
• While the Ink Business Unlimited is subjected to 5/24, note that when you apply it won’t count as a further card toward that five card limit, since business cards generally don’t appear on your personal report
• You are eligible for the Ink Business unlimited if you have the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review) and/or Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (review), as the cards are considered separate products (I have all three cards, for example)
• While there’s no hard limit to how many Chase credit cards you can have, there is often a limit to how much total credit Chase will extend you
• Generally, I recommend only applying for one Chase business card every 30 days at most

Bottom line

The Ink Business Unlimited is a phenomenal no annual fee business credit card, and on top of that it’s offering an excellent welcome bonus. Getting $750 cash back (or 75,000 points) as a bonus on a no annual fee card is remarkable.

The primary reason to keep this card in the long run is that if you’re looking to earn Ultimate Rewards points, this is the best business card for everyday spending. The card offers 1.5x points on all purchases, and in conjunction with some other Chase cards, those rewards can be converted to the Ultimate Rewards airline and hotel partners. Add in the fact that the card offers great benefits, and this is a no annual fee card you’ll want to keep long term.

If you have the Chase Ink Business Unlimited, what has your experience been with the card?