How the Ink Business Cash can earn you high rewards on your business’ needs

Running a business inevitably means you will encounter expenses along the way to generating revenue. You might as well earn some rewards on that money you have to spend anyway. Choosing the right business rewards credit card means asking yourself a few key questions: Are you willing to pay an annual fee to secure a better rewards rate? Do you prefer to earn flexible rewards or cash back? And most importantly, what does your business spend the most on? After all, your rewards haul is often tied to the type of purchases your business makes.

The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card checks off a lot of boxes for small business owners, and it’s easy to see why. This business card has no annual fee, and you can earn a $750 cash bonus — in the form of 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points — when you spend $6,000 on purchases within three months of account opening. Cardholders even get an introductory APR offer on purchases, and the rewards are flexible.

The Ink Business Cash Credit Card also lets small business owners and entrepreneurs earn 5 percent cash back in eligible business-related spending categories (on up $25,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year), 2 percent on gas and restaurant spending (again, up to $25,000 spent in a year) and 1 percent on other purchases. Read on to learn how this business credit card doles out cash back on purchases, how its earning structure compares to similar cards and how you can make the most of this offer.

Ink Business Cash rewards structure

• Welcome bonus: $750 bonus cash (75,000 Ultimate Rewards points) when you spend $6,000 on purchases within three months of account opening
• Rewards: 5 percent 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 percent cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year; 1 percent cash back on everything else
• Annual fee: $0

While earning 5 percent cash back on certain business purchases is truly excellent, it’s important to note the $25,000 cap for each bonus category. If you spend more than $2,084 per month (on average) at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each year, you’ll max out the 5 percent category, after which you’ll only earn 1 percent back. The same is true for earning 2 percent back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year.

For the most part, these limits make the Ink Business Cash Credit Card a better option for businesses with low-to-average regular expenses. Of course, you can also use the Ink Business Cash within its bonus categories until you meet the $25,000 spending threshold for each one. After that, you could switch to another business credit card that offers more than 1 percent back on those purchases.

How to maximize rewards earned with the Ink Business Cash

If you do decide the Ink Business Cash Credit Card is worth it, there are steps you can take to get the most out of it. For example:

• Make sure you always use your card in its bonus categories. Use this card until you reach the $25,000 combined spending threshold in both the 2 percent and 5 percent categories.
• Get free cards for your employees. Getting free cards for employees can help you rack up rewards for every dollar your business spends. Employee cards also make it easy to track work-related purchases made by your team.
• Pair it with another card that offers more than 1 percent back. You can also pair this Chase credit card with a flat-rate cash back card that offers more than 1 percent back on non-category purchases.
• Have a plan to pay off purchases within 12 months. While the Ink Business Cash Credit Card offers a 0 percent intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening, after that your balance will begin accruing interest at the regular variable APR of 18.49 percent to 24.49 percent.
• Take advantage of the perks you get. Ink Business Cash benefits are not overly generous, but you do get perks like primary auto rental coverage when you rent a car for business purposes, travel and emergency assistance services, roadside dispatch, purchase protection and extended warranty coverage.
• Research the card’s rewards program. While the Ink Business Cash Credit Card advertises itself as a cash back card, the rewards officially accumulate as Chase Ultimate Rewards, a powerful travel rewards currency. You can combine rewards earned with your Ink Cash Card with Ultimate Rewards points earned through other Chase cards to make this more of a general rewards card than a straight cash back card.

How does the Ink Business Cash compare to other Chase business cards?

The Ink Business Cash Credit Card offers an interesting rewards proposition for business owners, but other Chase credit cards for business might better suit your needs. At the end of the day, the best card for you depends on your spending habits, the type of rewards you want to earn and whether you’re comfortable paying an annual fee.

The chart below shows how the Ink Business Cash Credit Card stacks up to other popular Chase business cards, each of which earn rewards as Ultimate Rewards points.

As you can see, the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card opts out of bonus categories but gives you a higher rate of rewards (1.5 percent cash back) on all purchases instead. This card also lets you redeem your rewards for cash back, statement credits, gift cards, merchandise and travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

On the other hand, the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card doesn’t advertise itself as a cash back card, but it’s officially earning the exact same rewards as the other two no-annual fee cards. As a premium (that is, annual fee) card, though, Ink Business Preferred allows cardholders to transfer points to Chase airline and hotel partners. You also get 25 percent more value when you use points from the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card to book travel through Chase. A $95 annual fee applies.

The bottom line

If you want to earn a ton of rewards on your business spending, the Ink Business Cash Credit Card can help you get there. You can earn bonus rewards in quite a few popular categories, and there’s no annual fee, too. The rewards alone are a good reason to love Ink Business Cash, but the intro APR offer and cardholder perks are a nice touch, too.

Even so, you may want to look at other options on our list of the best small-business credit cards before you decide. Many credit cards for business offer rewards with no annual fee, including cards from issuers like Capital One and American Express.