Chase credit cards for business are popular thanks to their lucrative rewards categories and bonus offers, as well as their affiliation with the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. Some Chase business credit cards are geared toward business owners who travel, while others are better for people who prefer to redeem their rewards for cash back, merchandise or gift cards.

If you’re in the market for a business card from Chase, consider all top Chase credit card options to see which one might work best for your goals. We break down the best cards according to different types of business needs to help you choose your next business credit card.

Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card: Best for flat-rate cash rewards

The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card doesn’t charge an annual fee, and you’ll earn a flat 1.5 percent cash back on all purchases. Better yet, you can earn a $900 welcome bonus when you spend $6,000 within three months of account opening. You’ll also get a 0 percent intro APR on purchases for 12 months, followed by a variable APR between 18.49 percent and 24.49 percent.

Other Ink Business Unlimited benefits include free employee cards, fraud protection, travel and emergency assistance services, an auto rental collision damage waiver, purchase protection and extended warranties on eligible items.

Why it’s best for flat-rate cash rewards

Business owners who want to earn rewards without having to worry about bonus categories or earning caps should consider the Ink Business Unlimited since it offers a flat 1.5 percent back on all purchases without any restrictions. Most rewards credit cards — whether they’re business cards or bonus category cards — offer 1 percent back on all purchases, which means the Ink Business Unlimited offers business owners a chance to earn a higher rate of 1.5 percent on all purchases.

Ink Business Cash Credit Card: Best for bonus categories

The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is another cash back credit card from Chase that doesn’t charge an annual fee and includes a welcome bonus of $900 cash back when you spend $6,000 within three months of account opening. It offers 5 percent cash back at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services (on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year); 2 percent back at gas stations and restaurants (on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year); and 1 percent back on all other purchases.

This card comes with a 0 percent intro APR on purchases for 12 months, after which you’ll pay a variable APR of 18.49 percent to 24.49 percent. Ink Business Cash benefits are the same as the Ink Business Unlimited: fraud protection, free employee cards, an auto rental collision damage waiver, travel and emergency assistance services, purchase protection and extended warranties on eligible items.

Why it’s best for bonus categories

The Ink Business Cash allows you to get 5 percent cash back on certain purchases your business probably spends a lot on. For example, if you spend $25,000 at office supply stores per year, you would get $1,250 in cash back rewards in that category alone. You’ll also earn 2 percent back on restaurant and gas station purchases (on up to $25,000 in combined spending per year). So if you spend $25,000 per year on those purchases, you’ll earn $500 in cash back.

If your business spends a lot on office supplies and telecommunication services, earning 2 to 5 percent back on these types of purchases  could be worth it for you — despite the annual spending cap — especially for a no-annual-fee card.

Ink Business Premier Credit Card: Best for big spenders

With the Chase Ink Business Premier℠ Credit Card, big-spending small-business owners can enjoy heightened cash back rewards on their purchases. For a $195 annual fee, the Premier earns 5 percent cash back on travel booked through Chase, 2.5 percent back on purchases over $5,000 and 2 percent cash back on everything else — effectively also making it a lucrative 2 percent cash back card.

Further, the card features a solid first-year welcome offer: $1,000 cash back after spending $10,000 on purchases in your first three months. Ink Business Premier benefits include top-notch cellphone protection and a variety of travel perks, like trip cancellation and interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, baggage delay insurance, travel and emergency assistance services, an auto rental collision damage waiver, roadside dispatch and no foreign transaction fees.

Note that rewards earned with Ink Premier are NOT Ultimate Rewards points like those with Ink Cash and Ink Cash Unlimited are. This card truly is only a cash-back card; whereas, the others can function as travel rewards cards if that’s what works best for you.

Why it’s best for big spenders

The Ink Business Premier offers an incredible flat cash back rate on purchases over $5,000, making it a solid deal for high-spending businesses. For example, if you were to spend $5,000 on a large purchase for your business, you’d earn $125 in cash back rewards. Compare that to the $75 in cash back you’d earn on the same purchase using the Ink Business Unlimited (which earns 1.5 percent back on all purchases). The Ink Business Premier can also be worth it for businesses able to tackle the $10,000 spending requirement to earn its $1,000 welcome bonus.

Ink Business Preferred Credit Card: Best for flexible travel rewards

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card allows you to earn 3X points on travel, shipping, internet, cable and phone services as well as select advertising purchases (on the first $150,000 spent each year, then 1X points), plus 1X points on everything else. This card also comes with an incredible welcome bonus of 100,000 bonus points when you spend $8,000 within three months of account opening (worth $1,250 toward travel when redeemed via Chase Ultimate Rewards).

Other important Ink Business Preferred Card benefits you’ll receive include free employee cards, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, fraud protection, an auto rental collision damage waiver, cellphone protection, extended warranty coverage and purchase protection. This card does require a $95 annual fee.

Why it’s best for flexible travel rewards

The Ink Business Preferred is best for flexible travel thanks to its affiliation with Chase Ultimate Rewards. This card lets you transfer points 1:1 to popular Chase travel partners like Southwest Rapid Rewards, United MileagePlus, British Airways and World of Hyatt. If you choose to transfer your points, we estimate your points may be worth as much as 2 cents each, according to recent Bankrate points and miles valuations.

If you choose to redeem your points for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal instead of transferring them to a Chase partner, your points will be worth 25 percent more (1.25 cents each). In addition to points transfers and boosted points for travel, you can also redeem your points for cash back, statement credits, merchandise, gift cards and more.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card: Best for domestic flights

The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card features a welcome bonus of 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months. You’ll also earn 4X points on Southwest purchases; 3X points on select hotel and rental car partners; 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshares, as well as social media and search engine advertising; 2X points on internet, cable and phone services; and 1X points on all other purchases.

Although this Southwest credit card comes with a $199 annual fee, you’ll get a number of perks each year that can make this card a good investment, such as 9,000 bonus points after each cardmember anniversary, four upgraded boardings per year, up to a $100 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fees, free employee cards, in-flight Wi-Fi credits and the ability to earn Tier Qualifying Points (TQP) toward elite status.

Why it’s best for domestic flights

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business card offers more frequent flyer perks than Chase’s other Southwest business credit card, Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card. The Southwest Rapid Rewards program is one of the best programs for domestic flights (and for flights to the Caribbean and Mexico), since you’ll get two free checked bags and access to the most flexible cancellation and rebooking policy of all domestic carriers.

Plus, you can also earn a significant welcome bonus with the Rapid Rewards Performance Business that can easily be worth four round-trip domestic flights (depending on your itinerary). The sign-up bonus could also provide you with a significant head start for earning the Southwest Companion Pass, which lets you choose one family member or friend to fly with you for the year you earn the pass, plus the next year, for the price of only taxes and fees.

United Business Card: Best for international travel

The United℠ Business Card from Chase offers 2X miles on United Airlines purchases, dining, office supplies, local transit and commuting and at gas stations (plus 1X miles on all other purchases). This card also comes with a $99 annual fee, waived the first year, and a 50,000-mile welcome bonus after you spend $5,000 in the first three months.

Why it’s best for international travel

The United Business Card is best for international travel since you can use your United MileagePlus miles to fly to more than 200 countries with the airline and others in the Star Alliance. You’ll also get some lucrative benefits when you travel, including priority boarding, up to two free checked bags (one for you and one for a companion), two United Club one-time passes, up to a $100 statement credit after making seven or more United Airlines purchases of at least $100 per year, 5,000 miles on your cardmember anniversary if you have a personal United card, 25 percent off in-flight purchases and more.

In particular, the two free one-time United Club passes are attractive since you can use these passes to relax in an airport lounge during a long layover.

Benefits of Chase business credit cards

Although Chase business credit cards have numerous benefits, there are a few worth calling out.

Chase Ultimate Rewards program

Many Chase business credit cards — like the Ink Business Unlimited, Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Preferred — are a part of the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. This is one of the most popular and flexible credit card rewards programs around. It offers a wide variety of points redemption options, not to mention more lucrative redemption options (like points transfers) that allow you to squeeze more value out of your rewards. Plus, it’s one of the best rewards programs for flexible travel options.

Variety of business card options to choose from

Chase offers a variety of business cards, such as cards with different rewards structures, fees (or lack of fees), benefits, welcome bonuses, redemption options and more. All of this means you’ll have a better chance of finding the right business card for your needs.

Free employee cards

Chase business credit cards also offer free employee cards. Business owners can set up individual card limits or other restrictions, plus benefit from employees’ spending by earning more rewards on purchases.

How to choose the right Chase business credit card

As you’ve looked over card details, you’ve probably noticed just how different Chase business cards can be. To choose the right Chase business credit card for your needs, consider several factors.

What type of rewards program do you want?

Before you choose a Chase business card, it’s smart to think about the type of rewards you want to earn and how you can use them. Some Chase business cards let you earn cash back that can be redeemed for statement credits, merchandise, gift cards and more. Meanwhile, other cards offer rewards within a specific frequent flyer program or let you earn flexible travel rewards that can be redeemed for points transfers to airline and hotel partners or for a variety of travel purchases.

Do you want 0% interest on purchases for a limited time?

A few Chase business credit cards offer an introductory 0 percent APR on purchases. This perk can help you to pay off large purchases over time without having to pay any interest. If you’re interested in this type of offer, consider a Chase business card that offers this perk like the Ink Business Unlimited or the Ink Business Cash.

Which cardholder benefits do you want?

Many Chase business cards come with benefits like free employee cards, fraud protection, extended warranty coverage, purchase protection against damage or theft, auto rental coverage and more. Some Chase business cards offer travel perks on top of these benefits like trip cancellation and interruption insurance, an application credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, free checked bags, in-flight discounts and more. To help you choose the right card, think about which of these benefits you’d use the most.

Are you open to paying an annual fee?

Finally, decide whether you’re willing to pay an annual fee. In many cases, if you’re able to take advantage of a card’s benefits and credits, you can regain the cost of a card’s annual fee, making the annual fee worth paying for. If you don’t want to pay an annual fee, consider the Ink Business Unlimited or Ink Business Cash.

FAQs about Chase business credit cards

  • No, you do not have to have a bank account with Chase to become a credit card customer. However, if you’re a customer with an established personal or business checking or savings account, Chase may boost your odds of approval.
  • Yes, you can access your Chase business card account online or through the Chase mobile app. Doing so makes it easier to track your spending, pay your bill or take a look at your rewards balance.
  • No, you don’t need an employer identification number (EIN) to apply for a business credit card from Chase or any other bank. Without an EIN, you can apply as a sole proprietor using your Social Security number (SSN).

The bottom line

The best Chase business credit card for you depends on the type of rewards you want to earn, the perks you’re looking for (like travel benefits), whether you want to pay an annual fee and more. However, before you count out other card issuers’ offerings, take the time to explore some of the best business credit cards on the market to see if there’s one that better meets your spending habits and financial needs.