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’d like to take an in-depth look at the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card, which is potentially the most compelling Chase business credit card for everyday spending, and part of the Chase Ink Business card portfolio.
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.
Link: Learn more about the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card with 75K bonus points
Chase Ink Business Unlimited Card basics
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 Ink Business Unlimited currently has a welcome bonus of 75,000 points after spending $6,000 within three months of account opening. This is a great welcome offer, especially for a no annual fee card.
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. This is the best welcome bonus you’ll find on any no annual fee card.
Chase Ink Unlimited 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.
This is a card that you can keep long term, and it won’t cost you anything.
Chase Ink Unlimited rewards structure
The Ink Business Unlimited offers 1.5x points on all business 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.
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.
How to maximize the value of Chase Ink Unlimited 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 all business purchases, 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.
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:
If you have the Ink Unlimited in conjunction with one of those cards, suddenly your points will get you the following when redeeming through Chase Travel℠:
- If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred, points can be redeemed for up to 1.75 cents each toward a travel purchase with Points Boost
- If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, points can be redeemed for up to 2.5 cents each toward a travel purchase with Points Boost
That potentially increases the value of your points significantly, and you can often get even more value out of your points by transferring them to one of the Ultimate Rewards airline or hotel partners.
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%. 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 a great 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 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.
- 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
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).
Chase Ink Unlimited 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.
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.
Chase Ink Business Unlimited eligibility requirements & application process
Every credit card comes with its own eligibility terms, though fortunately the Chase Ink Business Unlimited Card has among the less restrictive terms. As you’ll see when you look at the offer terms for the card, here are the rules:
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.
If you want to be approved for a Chase Ink card, there are some general restrictions to be aware of:
- The Ink 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 (many business card applications don’t count toward that limit); that being said, there are increasingly data points that this is no longer enforced
- You may not be eligible for the Ink Unlimited bonus if you have another no annual fee Chase business card, like the Ink Cash; however, you are eligible if you have any other Chase business card, including the Ink Preferred
- You can apply for this card if you have a corporation or a sole proprietorship; many people don’t realize that a sole proprietorship makes you eligible for a business card
- 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
My experience applying for the Chase Ink Unlimited Card
I applied for the Chase Ink Business Unlimited Card a couple of years back, for a sole proprietorship, and I’d like to share my experience with that.
Chase’s business card applications are pretty straightforward. The first section just requires completing personal information, which is pretty standard for any credit card application.
The next section asked for business information. You should always answer credit card applications truthfully. If you decide to apply for the card as a sole proprietorship, here are some tips:
- For legal business structure, you can select “sole proprietorship”
- For the legal business name, you can just use your name
- For the tax ID type, you can select social security number, and enter that
- You can then enter the information about the number of employees (there’s no shame in having just one), business phone number (it can be the same as your personal number), business establishment date, and business revenue
- For the business category, you can select whatever best describes your sole proprietorship
I submitted my application, and found that I was instantly approved. I can’t help but think that many Chase business cards are easier to get instant approvals for nowadays. Shortly before that I had applied for the Ink Business Preferred, and received an instant approval, which I’ve previously almost never gotten on a Chase business card.
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 bonus, and it’s worth keeping for everyday spending, assuming you use it in conjunction with Ultimate Rewards.
I’d like 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 Ink Business Unlimited with other cards
In many ways the best complements to the Ink Business Unlimited are two of Chase’s premium business cards in the Ultimate Rewards ecosystem, so you can maximize rewards, thanks to the various bonus categories:
- 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
- The Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (review) has a $795 annual fee, and offers 4x points on direct airfare and hotel purchases, 3x points on select advertising purchases, and up to thousands of dollars in credits annually, plus lounge access
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 you earn 1x points).
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 all eligible purchases on the first $50,000 of purchases each calendar year, 1% thereafter, which is a solid cash back return.
Bottom line
The Ink Business Unlimited is a phenomenal no annual fee business credit card, and on top of that it’s offering a great welcome bonus. Getting $750 cash back (or 75,000 points) as a bonus on a no annual fee card is impressive.
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 business purchases, and in conjunction with some other Chase cards, those rewards can be converted to 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?
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).
