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Created for small business owners who are looking to earn a little something back, the Chase Ink Business Unlimited gets 1.5% cash back on every purchase. It offers a standard benefits package and a 0% intro purchase APR for 12 months (then 13.24% - 19.24% Variable).
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The information related to Capital One Spark Cash Select for Business has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card provides small business owners with a simple way to earn cash back on every purchase. If you don’t want to worry about bonus categories, or you just need a card for all-around spending, this might be a good option for you.
Cardholders get 5% cash back on Lyft rides and 1.5% cash back for every other purchase, with no limit to the amount of cash back you can earn. There’s also a sizable introductory offer of $750 cash bonus for spending $7,500 in the first 3 months after account opening, which is pretty big compared to most cards in this range.
This card has no annual fee to pay, and you’ll get 0% APR for purchases before the regular 13.24% - 19.24% Variable APR applies. That makes it an inexpensive option to help pay off some business expenses over time. Foreign transactions will cost 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars, however.
You’ll get Visa Signature Business benefits with this card, which mostly consist of shopping and travel protections.
There are currently three cards in Chase’s lineup of Ink business cards. Together they offer rewards on a nice variety of purchases, and you may want to consider using more than one of them for business expenses. If you have the Preferred card, you can transfer rewards to it from the other two cards to get more value from them.
Card | Annual Fee | Foreign Transaction Fee | Purchase APR | Rewards |
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Ink Business Unlimited (This review) | $0 | 3% | 0% for 12 months, then 13.24% - 19.24% Variable |
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Ink Business Cash (Review) | $0 | 3% | 0% for 12 months, then 13.24% - 19.24% Variable |
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Ink Business Preferred (Review) | $0 | 0% | 15.99%-20.99% Variable |
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Keep reading to learn more about the Ink Business Unlimited, or check out one of Chase’s other business cards.
We give the Ink Business Unlimited card 5 out of 5 Stars because it provides cash back at a decent rate for every purchase, with a solid introductory bonus offer.
If you need a card for general business spending, rather than for any particular purchases, the Ink Business Unlimited might be a good pick. There are a few other similar options, however, along with cards that can offer more rewards and better benefits. Check out some of those alternatives below.
Like other business credit cards, the Ink Business Unlimited is available to freelancers. But it’s not the only freelance-compatible credit card, so explore all the best credit cards for freelancers before you submit any applications.
This card earns 1.5% cash back on every purchase, except for 5% cash back on Lyft. But you might be able to get a better return than 1.5% on other purchases if you have another Chase card in the Ultimate Rewards program.
The rewards you earn can be transferred over to certain other Chase cards. Then you can redeem them for a 25% or even 50% bonus, or transfer them again to one of Chase’s travel partners where they could be worth the most.
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It’s a very simple and easy to understand rewards program. You won’t have to think about bonus categories, and which card to use for which purchases.
However, a great strategy is to pair a flat-rate cash back card like this with other credit cards that do have bonus categories. That will let you earn more rewards on certain purchases, while still getting 5% cash back on Lyft rides and 1.5% back on everything else.
Take the Ink Business Cash, for example. It provides 5% cash back on Lyft rides, 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent at office supply stores and internet, cable, and phone services, along with 2% back on the first $25,000 spent at a restaurants and gas stations. You could use the Business Cash for all those purchases, and then the Business Unlimited for everything else.
There are many different cards available, with different bonus categories. The right combination of cards for you will depend on your particular business expenses.
The Ink Business Unlimited is the business version of a different Chase card meant for regular consumers, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Review). It also offers 5% cash back on Lyft rides and 1.5% back for every other purchase, and has a $150 cash bonus for spending $500 in the first 3 months.
The cash back you earn will actually come in the form of points — 1.5X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar. But it’s easiest to just think of this as a cash back card, except for when it comes to reward transfers.
We recommend transferring your cash back to a different Chase card, as explained below. If you don’t have an eligible card to transfer to, your next best option will be statement credits.
Your regular cash back redemption options are:
The best regular redemption option is for statement credits. They simply reduce your account balance, and will always provide the full value of $1 for every $1 in cash back that you earned.
The other methods will offer varying redemption values, and you won’t typically get the full $1 for every $1 that you earned. They’re also more of a hassle to select, and they take longer to process.
If you have another Chase card in the Ultimate Rewards program, you can transfer the cash back you earn with the Ink Business Unlimited over to it. Every cent of cash back will be worth 1 point in the Ultimate Rewards program. This could end up giving you a better rewards value overall.
There are three other Chase cards that you can use to get a better value for your cash back. It doesn’t matter that some are consumer cards and others are business cards, you can transfer rewards between all of them.
These cards provide a bonus when redeeming through Ultimate Rewards:
These three cards also allow you to transfer points to a number of traveler loyalty programs at a 1:1 rate, including both airline and hotel partners. You can often get the best value for Ultimate Rewards points by converting them to airline miles or hotel points.
So, the basic strategy here is:
If you put all the rewards you earn through this process, you’ll effectively be getting more than 1.5% cash back with the Ink Business Unlimited. If you end up getting a 25% point bonus you would get a cash back equivalent of 1.875%. And if you get a 50% point bonus, your cash back equivalent would be 2.25%.
In some cases you may get as much as 2 cents per point when transferring to an airline or hotel program. That would give you a cash back equivalent of 3%, twice as much as you can get through a normal redemption method.
In many cases some terms and restrictions will apply to your card benefits. Check your Guide to Benefits to learn the exact details of your benefits.
Purchase APR | Balance Transfer APR | Cash Advance APR |
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0% for 12 months, then 13.24% - 19.24% Variable | 13.24% - 19.24% Variable | 24.99% Variable |
Annual Fee | Foreign Transaction Fee |
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$0 | 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars |
Balance Transfer Fee | Cash Advance Fee |
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Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. | Either $15 or 5% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater. |
Penalty APR | Late Fee | Returned Payment Fee |
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Up to 29.99% Variable | $39 | $39 |
You’ll pay no annual fee to use this card, and there’s a solid 0% intro APR offer to use for purchases.
The terms are pretty straightforward. Take note that you’ll pay a fee on foreign transactions, so look to a different card with no fees, like a travel card, if you need to make purchases outside the U.S.
A different business card from Chase, the Ink Business Preferred, has no foreign transaction fee but also comes with a $95 annual fee.
The Ink Business Unlimited comes with a credit limit of at least $3,000. Your credit limit will be based on your creditworthiness when approved. Chase may request more information for credit lines above $25,000.
You can increase your credit line later on by requesting it from Chase. And Chase may automatically increase your limit with responsible credit behavior.
The Chase Ink Business Unlimited Card is a good option for small business owners who want a flat-rate cash back card for general spending.
You’ll get 5% cash back on Lyft rides and 1.5% back for every other purchase, so other than the temporary Lyft rewards, there’s no need to think about bonus categories. There’s a hefty intro bonus, and a nice 0% intro APR. The extra benefits aren’t bad, but they aren’t the star of the show either.
All this comes for no annual fee, making it easy to profit with this card. Just avoid being charged interest, which can quickly eat up any cash back you earn.
There are quite a few other business credit cards out there, some with annual fees and some without. One of them might fit your business better than the Ink Business Unlimited, so check some out below.
You can apply for the Ink Business Unlimited card securely on Chase’s website, and they’ll check your personal Equifax credit report when you apply.
Usually applicants can get an instant response, but sometimes it might take longer. In certain cases Chase may request more information to process the application.
If you want to consider more options, or if you’re just not that into the Chase Ink Business Unlimited, take a look at some alternatives we’ve listed below.
The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (Review) is a very similar offering from Chase, with the only difference being the rewards program.
With this card you’ll earn over double the cash back you would with the Ink Business Unlimited. The only caveat is, you’ll only earn 5% cash back on a specific set of categories. These include office supply stores and internet, cable, and phone services. You’ll earn 2% on more common purchases of dining and gas, and 1% on all other purchases.
Everything else is exactly the same as it is with the Business Unlimited. So you could use these cards together, earning 5% on those specific categories and 2% on gas and dining, and then using the Business Unlimited for all of your other purchases.
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The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Review) is a higher-tier business card from Chase, aimed towards small business owners who travel.
With this card you’ll earn points over a variety of different categories, including travel, shipping, internet, and phone services. So the rewards are pretty different compared to the Ink Business Unlimited.
The Ink Business Preferred has a few more options when it comes to redeeming those rewards, including some great point transfer partners, which could net you a higher return if you find a good deal with one of Chase’s airline or hotel partners.
You will, however, have to pay $95 per year for the Chase Ink Preferred, and there is no 0% intro APR. But there are also no foreign transaction fees, unlike the Ink Business Unlimited. That feature, along with the transfer partners, make it an obviously better choice for travelers or anyone who will regularly make purchases outside the U.S.
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The Capital One Spark Cash Select for Business (Review) has a rewards program that’s almost identical to the Ink Business Unlimited. There are a few differences in their benefits and terms.
This card earns 1.5% cash back on every purchase, just like the Chase card. However, it does offer far less for the intro bonus while still requiring the same spending limit to qualify, and has a shorter 0% introductory APR. What it does have is no foreign transaction fee, making it more valuable than the Chase card if you do business overseas.
The Spark Cash Select also has a slightly more impressive perk selection, with benefits like Price Protection and Lost Luggage Reimbursement.
So if you’re looking for a business card that has somewhat shinier perks and is less expensive abroad, this might be one to consider (see other business cards without foreign transaction fees).
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The information related to Capital One Spark Cash Select for Business has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
If you have the Chase Ink Business Unlimited Card, how do you like getting 1.5% cash back for every purchase? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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