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Chase Ink Business cards are very popular with small-to-medium business owners, and for good reason. Three of the four cards allow you to pool points, the rewards categories are practical for many businesses, and you can visit a Chase branch if you run into issues.
And if you travel a lot for business, Ink Business cards can help you and your employees manage spending. If your travels take you abroad, you’ll want to have the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card or Ink Business Premier® Credit Card in your wallet. Neither of these cards has a foreign transaction fee, but they do both have relatively modest annual fees.
The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card and Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card do have foreign transaction fees. And while that fee may not be a reason to get or not get a specific card, it’s certainly a consideration along with other factors like the annual fee and rewards structure.
Chase Ink Business credit cards
| Foreign Transaction Fee | Annual fee | |
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Ink Business Premier® Credit Card
|
None | $195 |
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Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
|
None | $95 |
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Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
|
3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars | $0 |
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Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
|
3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars | $0 |
Ink cards with no foreign transaction fees
Ink Business Premier® Credit Card
- Simple rewards rate
- Bonus rewards on large purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
- $195 annual fee
- No points transfers to other Chase cards
The Chase Ink Business Premier offers 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; unlimited 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more; unlimited 2% cash back on all other business purchases. And new cardmembers can also earn $1,000 bonus cash back after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Who it’s right for
The Ink Business Premier is a pay-in-full card that’s designed to support higher levels of spending, making it a good fit for established small businesses that are scaling. For example, a small manufacturing company that’s investing in new equipment or a restaurant that’s looking to open new sites and needs to purchase kitchen equipment.
It does also have a Flex for Business feature that may allow you to pay off some purchases over time if you qualify.
Transfer limitations
There is a downside to the Ink Business Premier when it comes to point transfer. You can typically transfer points between certain Chase cards to help increase your total points balance. For example, you can combine points between many of the Chase Freedom, Chase Sapphire, and Chase Business Ink credit cards.
But you can’t transfer points from the Ink Business Premier to other Chase cards. You should also keep in mind that you can’t transfer points on this card to hotel and airline travel partners, which you can on some of the other Chase cards.
Additional benefits
Other helpful card benefits include purchase protection, extended warranty protection, and cell phone protection.
Learn more in our Ink Business Premier review.
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
- Elevated rewards in common business categories
- Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
- No intro 0% APR promotional periods offered
With the Ink Business Preferred, you earn 3X bonus points for every $1 of the first $150,000 spent in select business categories each account anniversary year:
- Shipping
- Travel (including airfare, car rentals, hotel stays, train tickets, and taxis)
- Internet
- Cable
- Phone services
- Advertising purchases for social media sites and search engine ads
New cardholders earn 120,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Who it’s right for
This card is a good choice for businesses that have high travel expenses. For example, if you have a sales team that frequently travels to meet clients. Or if your business has out-of-state satellite offices that you need to travel to regularly.
It’s also good for retailers who do a lot of business online, since shipping is an elevated category. Customer-facing businesses, including doctor and dentist offices, will get a lot out of phone services (and potentially cable for their waiting rooms). And any office will benefit from the elevated rate on internet services.
Primarily online businesses could also benefit from the elevated rewards for social media and search engine advertising.
Transfer options
Unlike with the Ink Business Premier, you can transfer points to any of Chase's travel partners, which include Marriott, Hyatt, IHG, JetBlue, United, and Southwest, among others. The value you can get from transferring your points can vary, but you may often see a value ranging between 1.2 to 1.5 cents per point.
Keep in mind that some transfer partners may have blackout dates or their points may expire. Alternatively, you can keep all of the Chase points you earn since points don’t expire on the Chase Ultimate Rewards program.
Additional benefits
Other useful card benefits for frequent business travelers include trip cancellation insurance, emergency roadside assistance, primary rental car insurance, cell phone protection, purchase protection, and extended warranty protection.
Learn more in our Ink Business Premier review.
How to qualify for the Ink Business Preferred and Ink Business Premier
As with most business credit cards, to qualify, you’ll need to provide your business information, including your tax identification number. You’ll also want to keep in mind that transactions on the card should be for business-related purchases.
The Chase Ink Business Preferred and Ink Business Premier cards are subject to the unofficial 5/24 rule, which stipulates that if you’ve opened five credit card accounts within the past 24 months, your application will likely be declined.
FAQ
What are foreign transaction fees?
Foreign transaction fees are additional charges applied by credit card issuers on purchases outside of the U.S, assessed every single time you run your card. A foreign transaction fee can also apply to online purchases processed by an international bank, even if you were physically in the U.S. when you made the transaction. In short, they’re a way for you to throw away money.
If your credit card charges a foreign transaction fee, it will typically cost you about 3% per transaction. That fee breaks down into two parts: a 1-2% fee from the card issuer and a 1% fee from the card network (such as Visa or Mastercard). These fees will show up on your statement as a separate line item, making it starkly clear just how much running your card in another country actually costs you.
Which Ink Business card is best?
The best Ink Business credit card is different for everyone. The Chase Ink Business Preferred card is great for travel because it has no foreign transaction fees. Plus, new cardholders can earn 120,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
If you're looking for a cash back card, the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card could be best. It offers 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; 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year; and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
How do I get an Ink Business card?
Sole proprietors, small business owners, and established corporations are all eligible to apply for Ink Business credit cards from Chase. The business credit card application process is similar to applying for a consumer card. Business credit card approvals can take longer than personal credit card approvals because there may be some additional information to verify, such as a business name, type, or employer identification number. But don’t worry, this is common.
What credit score is needed for an Ink Business card?
Chase will check your personal credit score during the application evaluation process. In order to get approved for a business credit card, you’ll likely need good to excellent credit. Good FICO scores start at 670.
Can you have all four Ink Business cards?
You can apply for all four Ink Business cards. Whether you are approved for them depends on a variety of factors, including your credit score, how many cards you’ve applied for recently, and when you applied for each card. Before applying for an additional card, carefully consider whether having a hard inquiry on your credit report is worth the potential payoff.
Do the Ink Business cards report to personal credit?
Although Chase will check your personal credit reports when considering your application for this line of Chase credit cards, it won’t add your new Ink Business card to those reports as long as you manage your account responsibly. If you don’t keep up with payments, however, Chase may add late payments and defaults to your personal credit reports.
Bottom line
The Chase Ink Business Preferred and Ink Business Premier don’t charge foreign transaction fees, while the Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited do. If you frequently travel abroad or make foreign purchases online, it makes sense to use cards with no foreign transaction fees.
For more of our top recommendations, check out our list of the best small business credit cards.
Hot Welcome Bonus
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Current Offer
Earn 120,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee
$95
Rewards Rate
3X points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year; and 1X points per $1 on all other purchases