If you're a business owner looking to simplify employee spending and earn rewards on expenses, opening a small business credit card is a great idea.
Credit cards geared toward business owners provide spend management tools, rewards on common business purchases, travel insurance and more benefits to make operating a company easier.
Chase offers three business credit cards with similar names — Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (see rates and fees), Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (see rates and fees) and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees) — that offer cash back or points on all business spending. (Chase also offers co-branded business cards with United and Southwest that may be a fit for frequent fliers, but we're focusing on the Ink cards for this review.)
Since it can be confusing to separate the key features of each card, CNBC Select did the work for you. Below, we compare the Ink Business Cash card, Unlimited card and Preferred card, so you can choose the best business card for your needs.
Chase Ink Business cards
- Best for travel: Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
- Best for cash back: Ink Business Cash Credit Card
- Best for special financing: Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card
Best for travel
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is an excellent business card with useful benefits, valuable rewards and a generous welcome bonus.
- Earns flexible travel rewards you can transfer to airline and hotel loyalty programs such as World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Valuable welcome bonus worth $1,125 in travel when redeemed through Chase Travel
- Strong travel and shopping protections
- No intro APR offer
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
- Earn 5x total points on Lyft rides through 9/30/27.
- With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
- Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
- Go further when you book with Chase TravelSM. Enjoy competitive rates, seamless booking and premium benefits.
- Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
- Receive complimentary access to DashPass by DoorDash.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
The Ink Business Preferred Credit Card provides generous travel rewards and benefits that can make business trips more affordable. You and your employees can earn 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in select categories each account anniversary year (then 1X).
Eligible categories include: travel; shipping purchases; internet, cable and phone services; and advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines. All other purchases earn 1X point per dollar.
In addition to a rewards program, you can benefit from a generous welcome bonus: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,125 toward travel when redeemed through Chase TravelSM.
You also have the option to transfer points on a 1:1 rate to leading frequent travel programs, such as JetBlue and Hyatt. This card also has no foreign transaction fees, making it ideal for business trips outside the U.S.
The Ink Business Preferred card does have a $95 annual fee, but you can offset it by spending $3,167 annually on combined 3X rewards categories.
Best for cash back
The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is a no-annual-fee cash-back business card that's especially rewarding at office supply stores and gas stations.
- Valuable welcome bonus
- Intro APR for purchases
- No annual fee
- Bonus spending categories have annual limits
- Has a foreign transaction fee
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn $750 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening
- Earn 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
- Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases on dining and gas each account anniversary year. Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases
- With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
- No Annual Fee
- Complimentary three-month lnstacart+ membership.
- 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases
- Earn 5% total cash back on Lyft rides through 9/30/27.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Foreign transaction fee
3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
If you would rather earn cash back instead of points, the Ink Business Cash credit card offers a competitive program. Cardholders earn the following cash-back rates:
- 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 (then 1%)
- 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases on dining and gas each account anniversary year (then 1%)
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
The card offers a welcome bonus of $750 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening
Cash back can be used to offset the cost of your bill or for gift cards. You can also redeem rewards for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, just like the Ink Business Preferred card, but won't receive more value.
Cardholders can also benefit from a 0% APR for the first 12 months from account opening on purchases (then 16.74% - 24.74% variable APR). This can help pay for new business expenses over time.
The Ink Business Cash card has no annual fee, saving you the $95 cost of the Ink Business Preferred card, but it does have a 3% foreign transaction fee. You should use an alternative card for travel abroad to save money.
Best for special financing
The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card is a flat-rate cash-back card with a strong intro-APR offer for purchases.
- Intro APR for purchases
- Valuable welcome bonus
- No annual fee
- You can't transfer rewards to travel partners without pairing it with another Chase card
- Has a foreign transaction fee
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business
- No Annual Fee
- Redeem rewards for cash back, gift cards, travel and more through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Earn rewards faster with employee cards at no additional cost. Set individual spending limits for greater control.
- Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
- With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
- 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases
- Earn 5% total cash back on Lyft rides through 9/30/27.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Foreign transaction fee
3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
Start-up costs and large business purchases can be hard to pay for within the standard 21-day credit card grace period. But if you use the Ink Business Unlimited credit card, you can pay off new purchases over time with no interest charges for the first 12 months from account opening (then 16.74% - 24.74% variable APR).
This is a great way to finance new furniture, laptops or other high-cost expenses. Granted, you'll need to pay it off before the intro period ends to benefit from no interest charges.
In addition to special financing, you can earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business and $750 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening.
Cash back can be redeemed for a statement credit, gift card or travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
The Ink Business Unlimited card also has no annual fee like the Ink Business Cash card, but it comes with a 3% foreign transaction fee, making it a costly choice for travel outside the U.S.
Benefits offered by all Chase Ink Business cards
Chase Ink Business credit cards come with standard benefits and security that provide added value to cardholders. Here's a breakdown of the perks:
- Free employee cards
- Cell phone protection
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
- Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance
- Purchase protection
- Extended warranty protection
Learn more: How to apply for a business credit card
Not a business owner? Check out CNBC Select's list of the Best Chase Credit Cards.
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