The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (learn more) is a phenomenal no annual fee business card with a welcome bonus of up to 100K points, up to 5x points bonus categories, and valuable perks, like rental car coverage. Personally I’d consider this to be one of the all-around most lucrative business credit cards, and in particular, one of the best no annual fee cards.
This is a card that I’ve had for years, as part of a larger Chase Ink Business card strategy. I initially picked up the card for its massive welcome bonus, but I’ve kept the card thanks to the lack of an annual fee, great rewards structure, and perks. In this post, I’d like to share the reasons I’d recommend considering the Chase Ink Business Cash Card, if you don’t yet have it.
Link: Learn more about the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card and apply with 100K bonus points
In this post:
1. The Ink Cash has a 100K points welcome offer
The Chase Ink Business Cash Card has a highest-ever publicly available welcome bonus of 100,000 points after spending $8,000 within the first four months. I consider this to be among the best welcome offers out there, and that doesn’t even account for this being a no annual fee card.
On the surface this is a cash back card, meaning that the 100,000 points are worth $1,000 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 $1,700. Yes, on a no annual fee card. That’s incredible.
2. The Ink Cash has no annual fee
The Chase Ink Business Cash Card 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.
I’d argue that this is one of the two most compelling no annual fee business cards, along with The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), which offers 2x Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 spent each calendar year (and 1x points after that).
3. The Ink Cash has valuable 5x points categories
The Chase Ink Business Cash Card offers 5x points on the first $25,000 of combined purchases per account anniversary year at office supply stores, and on internet, cable, and phone services.
If nothing else, earning 5x points on your cell phone and cable bill is huge, in my opinion. However, I should note that some may prefer the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (learn more), which offers 3x points on your cell phone bill, but also offers a great cell phone protection plan.
4. The Ink Cash has 2x points categories as well
On top of the 5x points categories, the Chase Ink Business Cash Card offers 2x points on the first $25,000 of combined purchases per account anniversary year at restaurants and gas stations.
While these are categories that other cards also offer bonuses on, that’s pretty generous for a no annual fee card, and for many businesses it may be worth putting that spending on this card.
5. The Ink Cash offers business rental car coverage
The Chase Ink Business Cash Card offers primary collision damage waiver (CDW) 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 (learn more) or Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (learn more).
6. The Ink Cash offers travel & purchase protection
In addition to rental car coverage, the Chase Ink Business Cash Card offers other purchase and travel benefits, including (but not limited to) the following:
- Trip cancellation and interruption coverage, of up to $5,000 per person and $10,000 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.
7. Maximize the value of Ultimate Rewards
On the surface, the Chase Ink Business Cash Card is a cash back card, as the name suggests. When I talk about “points” above, each point gets you one cent cash back.
That’s potentially valuable in the categories in which the card offers bonus points, since 2-5% cash back on a no annual fee card is solid. However, for base spending you’re only earning a return of 1%, which isn’t terribly competitive.
However, you can do much better than that if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Reserve Business, and/or Ink Business Preferred.
If you have the Ink Business Cash in conjunction with any of the above four 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 Chase Travel℠ 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%. Let me emphasize that you’ll get the most value if you have this card in conjunction with the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Ink Cash application rules, and how to get approved
If you plan to apply for the Chase Ink Business Cash Card, there are a few things to be aware of:
- The Ink Cash is in theory 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; however, this rule is no longer consistently enforced, so this seems to fit into the category of “your mileage may vary”
- While the Ink Cash 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
- It’s possible to get approved for the Ink Cash and earn the bonus even if you don’t have a corporation, as you can apply as a sole proprietorship
- You are eligible for the Ink Cash if you have the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (learn more) or Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (learn more), but you aren’t eligible if you have the no annual fee Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (learn more), as eligibility for the two card bonuses is mutually exclusive nowadays
- 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 Chase Ink Business Cash Card is a phenomenal no annual fee business credit card, and on top of that it’s offering a huge welcome bonus. Getting $1,000 cash back (or 100,000 points) as a bonus on a no annual fee card is remarkable.
On top of that, being able to earn 2-5x points on a card that complements other Ultimate Rewards cards is an excellent opportunity. 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. This is a card that I’ve had for years… my only regret is that I can’t sign up and earn the bonus again. 😉
If you have the Chase Ink Business Cash Card, what has your experience been?
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees).
I was planning to apply for the no annual fee Amex card for a big upcoming expense but I found out just in the nick of time that they don’t accept Amex, so this sounds like a great option. Thanks for sharing!
The future value of nearly all Chase UR cards will be seriously eroded with the impending Hyatt devaluation. It has me reconsidering my commitment to the ecosystem.