Link: Apply now for the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
There are lots of great business credit cards, and many businesses leave a lot of rewards on the table by not using the right credit card. In this post, I wanted to take an in-depth look at the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card, which is the most compelling Chase business credit card for everyday spending, and part of the Chase Ink Business card portfolio.
In this post:
Chase Ink Business Unlimited Card Basics For November 2024
The Chase Ink Business Unlimited Card is one of the excellent cards in Chase’s Ink Business card lineup. There are so many things that make this card great, from the huge welcome bonus, to the rewards structure, to the lack of an annual fee, to the perks. Unlike with some other cards, you’ll need to know what you’re doing to get the most value out of the card, though.
Chase Ink Unlimited Welcome Offer: $750 Or 75,000 Points
The Chase Ink Business Unlimited is offering a welcome bonus of 75,000 points after spending $6,000 within three months of account opening. Those 75,000 points can be redeemed for $750 cash back, or alternatively can be converted into Chase Ultimate Rewards points, and be transferred to airline and hotel partners.
I value Chase Ultimate Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so to me 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points are worth $1,275. This is the best welcome bonus you’ll find on any no annual fee card.
Chase Ink Unlimited Card Eligibility & 5/24 Rule
Chase has several business credit cards in the Ink Business card lineup, including the Ink Preferred, Ink Cash, and Ink Unlimited, and you’re eligible to have all the cards, and even eligible to earn the bonus on all of them. For example, I have three Chase Ink products.
On top of that, Chase’s general credit card application rules apply, including the 5/24 rule. With the 5/24 rule, you typically won’t be approved for a Chase card if you’ve opened five or more new card accounts in the past 24 months. However, this no longer consistently seems to be enforced. Still, you can be strategic about the order in which you apply for Chase cards, to maximize your odds of getting approved.
I also want to emphasize that you can actually pick up a particular Chase Ink Business card for multiple businesses, and you can earn the bonus for each business. In addition to applying for cards for corporations, it’s also possible to apply for Chase business cards for a sole proprietorship, which can be a great opportunity.
You can read about card eligibility requirements, and read about my experience getting approved for the card.
Chase Ink Unlimited No Annual Fee
The Chase Ink Business Unlimited has no annual fee, which is fantastic. This is a card that you can keep long term, and it won’t cost you anything.
Chase Ink Unlimited 1.5x Points (Or 1.5% Cash Back)
The Chase Ink Business Unlimited is marketed as offering unlimited 1.5% cash back. The catch is that this isn’t actually that good, since there are other cards that earn 2% cash back. But there’s a trick that allows you to convert the 1.5% cash back into 1.5x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent. I value Ultimate Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so suddenly, you’re going from a return of 1.5% to a return of 2.55%, by my valuation.
If you’re earning 1.5x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent, I consider this to be the best Chase business card for everyday spending.
3% Foreign Transaction Fees
While the Chase Ink Unlimited is a fantastic card for purchases within the United States, the card does have 3% foreign transaction fees, so I don’t recommend using this card abroad. If you’re looking for a similar card with no foreign transaction fees, consider the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
Chase Ink Unlimited 0% Intro APR
The Chase Ink Business Unlimited offers 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 is 17.99% - 23.99%, based on your creditworthiness.
While this isn’t something I personally value, I know that it’s something a lot of small businesses do appreciate when making a big purchase.
How To Maximize The Chase Ink Business Unlimited
Up until now, I’ve been pretty vague about the rewards structure on the Chase Ink Business Unlimited. As mentioned above, the card earns 1.5% cash back, which isn’t exceptional. Fortunately there is a trick to earning much bigger rewards with this card.
Turn Cash Back Into Ultimate Rewards Points
While the Chase Ink Business Unlimited is a cash back card, in reality the card earns points. You earn 1.5x points per dollar spent, and then ordinarily each point can be redeemed for one cent cash back. That’s how Chase arrives at the valuation of the card offering 1.5% cash back.
This is where there’s a trick that can hugely increase the value of your Chase Ink Unlimited points. If you have the Chase Ink Business Unlimited in conjunction with another card that earns “premium” Ultimate Rewards points, then you can do significantly better. These cards include the following:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review)
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review)
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review)
If you have the Ink Unlimited in conjunction with one of those cards, suddenly your points will get you a minimum of the following when redeeming through the Chase Travel portal:
- If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred, points can be redeemed for 1.25 cents each toward a travel purchase
- If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, points can be redeemed for 1.5 cents each toward a travel purchase
That increases the value of your points by 25-50% right there, and you can potentially get even more value out of your points by transferring them to one of the Ultimate Rewards airline or hotel partners, which include the following:
Airline Partners | Hotel Partners |
|---|---|
IHG One Rewards | |
United MileagePlus | |
Transferring points between cards is easy and can be done online. You can learn more about that process in this post.
Chase Ink Business Unlimited Card Benefits
For a no annual fee card, the Chase Ink Business Unlimited offers an incredible welcome bonus and generous rewards structure, though there are also some perks that are potentially quite valuable.
Chase Ink Unlimited Rental Car Coverage
The Ink Business Unlimited offers an excellent primary auto rental CDW (collision damage waiver) benefit:
- This is valid when renting globally for business reasons, and is valid outside the United States when renting for personal reasons
- To take advantage of this, decline the rental company’s collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card
Chase Ink Unlimited Extended Warranty Protection
With the Chase Ink Business Unlimited, you can extend the time period of your United States manufacturer’s warranty by an additional year, on eligible warranties of three years or less.
Is Chase Ink Business Unlimited Right For You?
If you have a small business, the Chase Ink Business Unlimited is absolutely worth applying for given the incredible bonus, and it’s worth keeping for everyday spending, assuming you use it in conjunction with Ultimate Rewards.
I wanted to look a bit more closely at the best overall strategy to take with the Chase Ink Business Unlimited — what are the best complements, what are the best substitutes, etc.
Complement Chase Ink Unlimited With Other Ink Cards
In many ways the best complements to the Ink Business Unlimited is two other Chase Ink cards — the Ink Business Preferred and Ink Business Cash — as this allows you to maximize rewards thanks to the various bonus categories:
- You can earn the bonuses on all three cards, and all three cards have incredible bonuses
- The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (review) also has no annual fee, and offers 5x points on the first $25,000 of combined purchases per cardmember year on office supply stores, internet, cable TV, mobile phones, and landlines, and 2x points on the first $25,000 of combined purchases per cardmember year on restaurants and gas stations
- The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review) has a $95 annual fee, and offers 3x points on the first $150,000 spent each cardmember year on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable, phone services, and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines
Comparison: Amex Blue Business Plus Vs. Ink Business Unlimited
Perhaps the best alternative to the Chase Ink Unlimited is The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (review), which has no annual fee (Rates & Fees) and offers 2x Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 spent annually (after that 1x).
I’d say that’s an unbeatable card for everyday, non-bonused business spending, though the catch is that you’re capped at earning 2x points on the first $50,000 spent every calendar year. That’s very restrictive for many companies. Personally I have both cards, and have gotten good value from both of them.
Best Cash Back Card Alternative To Chase Ink Unlimited
If you’re looking to earn cash back for your business spending, it’s tough to go wrong with The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card (review), which has no annual fee (Rates & Fees). The card offers 2% cash back on the first $50,000 spent every calendar year (after that 1%), which is a solid cash back return.
Bottom Line
The Chase Ink Business Unlimited is an absolutely phenomenal credit card that I can’t recommend enough, if you’re eligible. The card has a great welcome bonus, has no annual fee, and is the best Chase card for everyday business spending for those in the Chase Ultimate Rewards ecosystem. If you’re into earning Chase points and don’t yet have this card, now is the time to apply.
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), and The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card (Rates & Fees).
Unless you need to separate business expenses, the benefits are basically the same as the personal Unlimited card.