On This Page:
- Our Favorite Chase Business Card
- Why We Love Chase Business Ink Cards
- The Three Chase Business Ink Cards For Side Hustlers
- How To Maximize The Odds Of Approval
- Summary
Some of the best travel rewards cards recommended by ChooseFI are three Chase cards that many people think they don’t qualify for.
But they do!
The trio is the Ink Business Cash Credit Card, Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, and the Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card.
Our Favorite Chase Business Card…
We love the Ink Business Cash Credit Card because it has no annual fee–ever. It also has a good sign up bonus that is pretty easy to earn. Just spend $3,000 in purchases in the first three months and you'll earn a $500 bonus–which will show up in your account as 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
This card is billed as a cash back card but it actually earns Ultimate Rewards points which don't have to be redeemed for cash. (They can be, they just don't have to be.) You can also transfer those Ultimate Rewards points over to another premium Chase card to add them to any points you've already accrued. They do not have to be used for business travel.
And then there is the 5% Cash Back (again, you can get even better value by redeeming for travel instead of cash) when you use it to pay for your mobile and internet expenses.
3 pro-tips to earn more points
Pro-Tip #1: You get the 5% on every dollar up to $25,000 per anniversary year. Most people will not spend that much, but a little known way to get maximum value is to head into an office supply store like Staples or Office Depot and get gift cards ONLY for places you actually use (remember, don't spend extra money just to earn 5%!). This gift card tactic is ideal if you:
- Have plans to go to Disneyland
- Stay at Airbnbs or hotels
- Use Uber to get around
- Subscribe to Netflix or use iTunes
- Shop at Wholefoods
You can even get these cards from Staples.com, but be careful to pick egift cards. The physical plastic cards come with a shipping and handling fee, which kind of defeat the purpose.
Pro-Tip #2: You can use the same gift card tactic to cross the finish line if you are short of the $3,000 minimum spend. Here, you would just be pre-paying for them to help you earn your 50,000 Chase UR bonus. Again, only do this for services that you already use or plan to use – it would hurt your FI journey to spend money you can't afford just to earn that bonus.
Pro-Tip #3: You may think that the expenses you put on the Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card have to be for business use only. That's not the case, especially if you have a side hustle going. Your cellphone and internet plans, auto expenses, insurance, trips and even meals are all valid business expenses from the card issuer's perspective. So too are gift card purchases from office supply stores. You will have to check with your tax expert on what proportion of these expenses would qualify as a deductible business expenses, but credit card issuers don't share the same expectations as the IRS.
3 ways to get the most value from your points
How to get GOOD value from the 50,000 points
Redeem them for $500 cash. That's a pretty good trade if you don't have the time or interest to get better value by using the point for travel rewards.
How to get BETTER value from the 50,000 points
Transfer the points to a Chase premium travel card (Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Ink Business Preferred, or a Chase Sapphire Reserve), then use the 25%-50% extra bonus when you use the points to book travel on the Chase Travel Portal.
How to get GREAT value from the 50,000 points
The most value you'll probably get is to transfer your points to a Chase premium travel card (see above), then transfer those points to a partner program such as
- Hyatt hotels
- Southwest Airlines
- United Airlines
- British Airways
Learn how to apply for the Ink Business Cash Credit Card here.
Why We Love Chase Business Ink cards
Besides the generous bonuses and versatility and value of the Chase Ultimate Rewards points, there are two other things we love about the Chase Business Ink cards.
- You can apply for more than one if you have more than one side hustle business.
- These business cards do not add to your 5/24 number. This is an important yardstick that Chase uses to decide if it would even process your application. If you have had five or more credit card applications in the last 24 months, your application will be declined.
To find out more about the Chase 5/24 rule, as well as how to maximize the value of your Chase Ultimate Rewards points, check out our free travel course.
Anyone With A Side Hustle Can Apply
Don’t let the “Business” in the cards’ name throw you off. These are great cards to have in your wallet, and most people in the FI community will qualify for it.
If you have any kind of side hustle you can apply for a business credit card. That means even if you have an Airbnb, drive for Uber or Lyft, rent your vehicle on Turo or Maven, or deliver for InstarCart and Doordash, do any freelance work at all, you can get one or more of these cards.
Naturally, everyone’s own situation may be different, but if you have a new-ish side hustle business, you probably should use your Social Security Number to apply for this card.
Business Credit Cards Don't Count Against 5/24
One fantastic benefit of a business card that man people don't realize is that they don't count against your 5/24 with Chase.
Chase has a program that only allows you to sign up for five cards every 24 months–commonly referred to as the 5/24 rule. But business cards don't count as one of your five! So even if you have maxed out your five cards you can still apply for a business card.
The Three Chase Business Ink Cards For Side Hustlers:
Ink Business Cash Credit Card
- Spend $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of opening account and earn a $500 cash back bonus.
- For each account, earn 5% cash back on the purchases from office supply stores, internet, cable, and phone services. Combined purchases on the first $25,000 per year.
- For each account, earn 2% cash back on purchases from gas stations and restaurants, up to the first $25,000 per year.
- 1% cash back on all other purchases. Unlimited.
- 0% APR introductory rate for 12 months on purchases, 14.74% – 20.74% APR after that.
- Employee cards at no additional cost.
- No Annual Fee.
Learn how to apply for the Ink Business Cash Credit Card here.
Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
- Get 100,000 bonus points when you spend $15,000 in the first three months. And when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards, that's $1,250 you can use towards travel.
- For each $1 spent, earn 3 points for the first $150,000 (per year) when spent on travel and certain business categories.
- For all other purchases, each $1 spent is one point earned. Unlimited.
- By redeeming points through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you receive 25% more in value per point.
- As long as the account is open, points do not expire. You can redeem points for cash back, travel, gift cards, and more.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Employee cards at no additional cost.
- $95 Annual Fee.
Learn how to apply for the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card here.
Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card
- Spend $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of the opening account and earn $500 Bonus cash back.
- For every business purchase, earn 1.5% cash back. Unlimited.
- 0% APR introductory rate for 12 months on purchases, 14.74% – 20.74% APR after that.
- No Annual Fee.
Learn how to apply for the Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card here.
| Ink Business Cash Credit Card | Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card | Ink Business Preferred Credit Card | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | $0 | $0 | $95 |
| Foreign Transaction Fees | 3% | 3% | None |
| 0% Intro APR | 12 months on purchases (the regular rate will apply after that) | 12 months on purchases (the regular rate will apply after that) | N/A |
| Highlights | Earn a $500 bonus by spending $3,000 within the first three months Earn 5% cash back on the purchases from office supply stores, internet, cable, and phone services on the first $25,000 in combined purchases per year. Earn 2% cash back on purchases from gas stations and restaurants, on the first $25,000 per year in combined purchases. 1% cash back on all other purchases. Unlimited. | Earn a $500 bonus by spending $3,000 within the first three months Earn 1.5% cash back on every dollar spent. Unlimited. | Get 80,000 bonus points when you spend $5,000 in the first three months. Earn 3 points per dollar spent on travel and in certain business categories on the first $150,000 spent per year. 1 point per dollar spent on everything else |
| Learn how to apply here | Learn how to apply here | Learn how to apply here |
How To Maximize The Odds Of Approval
If your side hustle business is pretty new, it will not have a seasoned credit history, which means the approval decision would depend on your personal credit history, so you'll want to apply for the card using your social security number.
If you have a more established business that has been running for a few years and has its own credit history, applying with your EIN might be helpful.
Summary
We love these cards because all three of the Chase Ink Business cards have great sign up bonuses which will earn you Chase Ultimate Rewards point that can be transferred to your personal accounts.
The Ink Business Cash Credit Card and the Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card both have no annual fee, while the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card has a low $95 annual fee.
And don't think you have to have a brick and mortar business in order to qualify for a business card. Anyone with a side hustle, no matter how small, can apply.
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