What credit score is needed for the Chase Ink Business Premier?

Applicants for the Chase Ink Business Premier credit card will need a good to excellent credit score (FICO score of 670 or higher or a VantageScore of 661 or higher) for the best approval odds. Also, before applying, please be mindful of the issuer’s 5/24 rule that states that your application will likely be denied regardless of creditworthiness if you’ve opened five or more credit cards from any issuer in the past 24 months.

Does the Chase Ink Business Premier earn cash back on all purchases?

This card earns a minimum of 2 percent cash back on all expenses that are considered purchases. Like most rewards cards, there are a few exceptions: Balance transfers Account fees, including cash advance fee payments, interest payments and annual fees Cash-like transactions and checks that access your account, including foreign currency exchanges, money orders, traveler's checks and wire transfers Gambling transactions Unauthorized charges

Is the Chase Ink Business Premier a metal card?

If you’d like to add a card with a sleek, metal finish to your wallet, you’re in luck. The Ink Business Premier is known as Chase’s metal business credit card. However, keep in mind that this is a purely cosmetic trait and not all metal credit cards will suit your business needs and spending habits.

Chase Ink Business Premier® Credit Card review: A laid-back cash back rewards card for big spenders

Earn big rewards on big business spending.

Written by

India Davis

Edited by

Tracy Stewart

Mar 21, 2024 / 13 min

The Bankrate promise

At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for and how we rate our cards. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.

Snapshot

3.4

Bankrate rating

Bottom line

High-spending business owners that prefer simple unlimited cash-back rewards will find the Ink Business Premier Card to be an ideal fit thanks to its 2 percent rewards rate on all purchases and 2.5 percent purchase bonus on all expenditures over $5,000.

BEST FOR LARGE BUSINESS EXPENSES

Rewards value

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

3 / 5

APR

Rating: 2 stars out of 5

2 / 5

Rewards flexibility

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

4 / 5

Features

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

3 / 5

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)

A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

Recommended Credit

Intro offer

Earn $1,000 bonus cash back after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

$1000

Offer valuation

We calculate this number by multiplying the card's intro offer by Bankrate's valuation of this issuer's rewards program, showing you how much your points or miles are worth in dollars.

2% - 5%

Rewards Rate

Unlimited 5% total cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠ Unlimited 2.5% total cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more Unlimited 2% cash back on all other business purchases.

Annual fee

Regular APR

On This Page

Ink Business Premier Credit Card Overview

The Ink Business Premier Credit Card is Chase’s latest addition to its portfolio of business credit cards and includes unique features along with a few drawbacks. As Chase’s first premium flat-rate business rewards card, the Ink Business Premier stands apart from the competition with boosted rewards on large purchases, simplified flexible spending features and excellent travel protections. On the other hand, it’s also the first premium Chase Ultimate Rewards card that doesn’t offer a boost in rewards value when redeeming toward travel, nor does it allow access to the issuer’s travel transfer partners.

The Business Premier card is among the top options available if your business requires strong purchasing power and straightforward, generous rewards on big purchases. However, it is important to consider your business spending habits and whether you spend enough monthly to justify the $195 annual fee and limited redemption options. If not, a different flat-rate business credit card or one that allows you to redeem for travel, like the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, could be a better fit.

Rewards
5 percent cash back on travel booked through the Chase travel portal, 2.5 percent cash back on purchases over $5,000, 2 percent cash back on all other eligible purchases

Rewards value: 1 cent per percent

Expert Appraisal: Good
See our Expert’s Analysis
Welcome offer
$1,000 cash back after spending $10,000 on purchases in first 3 months of account opening

Expert Appraisal: Exceptional
See our Expert’s Analysis
Rates and fees
$195 annual fee

$40 late payment fee or 2% of the minimum payment, whichever is greater

$15 cash advance fee or 5 percent of the transaction amount, whichever is greater

No foreign transaction fees

19.49 percent to 27.49 percent Flex for Business Variable APR

Expert Appraisal: Typical
See our Expert’s Analysis
Other cardholder perks
Free employee cards

Trip cancellation/protection insurance

Extended warranty protection

Flex for business feature

Expert Appraisal: Good
See our Expert’s Analysis

Ink Business Premier pros and cons

Pros

The card offers boosted rewards on Chase Ultimate Rewards travel and large purchases, significantly increasing your rewards earning potential.
Cardholders can redeem both cash back and travel at a 1:1 value, so neither redemption choice reduces the value of your rewards.
It carries excellent travel protections and perhaps the best cellphone protection perk in its category.
The sign-up bonus is among the best available for business cards for the requirement.

Cons

If you don’t anticipate making several large purchases, the annual fee is hard to justify.
Cardholders have limited redemption options, as they can’t take advantage of transfer partners or redeem points for more value toward travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Cardholders cannot combine rewards with other Chase cards to increase rewards value.

Why you might want the Ink Business Premier

This card’s rewards structure is designed for business owners who want to earn more on larger purchases, accruing unlimited and boosted flat-rate rewards and travel rewards through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Additional benefits add even more to the overall value of this card.

Rewards: Boosted rates for big spenders

This card’s rewards structure is designed for business owners who want to earn more on larger purchases, accruing unlimited 2 percent cash back on every purchase, unlimited 2.5 percent back on large purchases of $5,000 or more and unlimited 5 percent cash back on travel booked through Chase Travel℠. In addition, there’s no limit on how much you can earn, and the rewards don’t expire as long as your account is active.

Cardholders can use Ink Business Premier points to redeem cash back, travel booked through the Ultimate Rewards portal, Amazon.com and PayPal purchases, gift cards to over 175 brands, Apple products and more. Travel purchases and gift cards can be redeemed at one cent per point.

Credit Limit: Flexible options of high budgets

Technically, this card is a charge card, meaning that the full balance must be paid by the close of each billing cycle. However, rather than charge a standard annual percentage rate, the Ink Business Premier functions similarly to some of Amex’s top-tier rewards cards. While cardholders will have to pay their balance in full each month, this card offers Flex for Business, a flexible-spending payment plan option for business owners to pay off purchases over $500 over time with interest (19.49 percent to 27.49 percent variable ongoing APR).

Welcome Offer: Good return on high spend

Ink Business Premier owners can earn a $1,000 cash bonus in the form of 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $10,000 on purchases in your first three months. This requirement can seem intimidating, but the roughly $3,334 per monthly spend fits in with the average small-business yearly spend of $48,000 when divided evenly.

When taking other business credit card sign-up bonuses into account, this spending requirement is quite reasonable given its value to cardholders. Chase’s Ink Business Preferred credit card offers the same point value but requires a slightly lower spend in the same three-month window. In addition, the American Express Business Gold credit card requires the same spend in your first three months, but its bonus is valued less unless you transfer those points to an Amex partner.

Benefits: A good list of travel and purchase protections

The bright side of having a card with an annual fee is that you’ll likely get plenty of travel and purchase protections. Some highlights for the Ink Business Premier include:

Trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance: Pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares and hotels, can be reimbursed up to $5,000 per person and $10,000 per trip in the event of covered situations like sickness and weather.
Auto rental collision damage waiver: You’ll receive primary coverage up to the cost of the vehicle in the event of theft or collision by paying for your auto rental vehicle with your card and declining the agency’s insurance.
Cell phone protection: Providing one of the best cellphone protection plans you’ll find on a credit card, the Business Premier allows cardholders, or the employees listed on the monthly cell phone bill paid by your card to enjoy up to $1,000 per claim (three claims per 12 months with a $100 deductible) in cell phone protection against covered theft or damage.

Why you might not want the Ink Business Premier

If your business requires strong purchasing power and straightforward, generous rewards on big purchases, the Business Premier card is among the top options available. However, it is important to consider your business spending habits and whether you spend enough monthly to justify the $195 annual fee and limited redemption options.

Fees: The amount can add up quickly

While this card's most notable fee is the $195 annual fee, there are other fees to be aware of, such as the late payment fee of $40 or 2 percent of the minimum payment due, whichever is greater. Plus, there is a cash advance fee of either $15 or 5 percent of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater. Fortunately, you’ll be able to shop abroad without worry, as there is no foreign transaction fee.

Pairing: Lack of Chase combinations

Chase has a 1:1 point transfer ratio for the Ultimate Rewards points it earns, meaning 1 point equals 1 mile or 1 cent of cash back. However, since the cash back points earned through the Ink Business Premier cannot be transferred to airline or hotel partners or combined with your Chase Ultimate Rewards® balance on other Ultimate Rewards-earning cards, you won’t get any boosted point value on reward earnings.

How the Ink Business Premier compares to other business credit cards

The Ink Business Premier is one of the top cards around for large businesses with high monthly expenditures. Along with its consistent cash back rewards rate and boosted rates on big purchases and travel, the sign-up bonus is quite attainable for its target audience. However, smaller businesses with lower monthly and annual revenues may receive more value from a competing card.

Ink Business Premier® Credit Card

Bankrate Score

3.4

Apply now

on Chase's secure site

Annual fee

$195

Intro offer

$1,000 Cash Back

Earn $1,000 bonus cash back after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Rewards rate

2% - 5%

Unlimited 5% total cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠ Unlimited 2.5% total cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more Unlimited 2% cash back on all other business purchases.

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Bankrate Score

4.7

See Rates & Fees , Terms Apply

Apply now

on Capital One's secure site

Annual fee

$150

Intro offer

$1,200 cash back

$1,200 cash back once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months

Rewards rate

2% - 5%

Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel Earn unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions

Recommended Credit Score

Excellent (740 – 850)

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Bankrate Score

4.4

Apply now

on Chase's secure site

Annual fee

$95

Intro offer

Earn 100,000 bonus points

Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Rewards rate

1X - 3X

Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases – with no limit to the amount you can earn

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)

Business owners seeking a simple cash back credit card may find just what they’re looking for with the Capital One Spark Cash Plus. In fact, it shares many similarities with the Ink Business Premier. First, it’s a charge card without a preset spending limit, and it comes with a welcome bonus. But besides that, you’ll still earn unlimited flat-rate cash back on all purchases.

The Spark Cash Plus offers an annual fee that is slightly lower than the Ink Business Premier, however with the Spark Cash Plus you can get your $150 annual fee (See Rates & Fees) refunded every year you spend at least $150,000. Business owners with a high annual budget that can do without the higher rewards rate on purchases $5,000 or greater could find the Ink Business Premier to be a better option.
Naturally, Chase offers a variety of business credit cards that suit a variety of spending habits and preferences. Though it has a smaller annual fee, the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card offers a hefty, albeit harder to reach sign-up bonus of its own, as you would have to spend more to earn the same amount of points as the Business Premier, all within the same timeframe. You would, however, have a higher rewards rate on specific travel business expenses, but the earnings at this high rate are capped per anniversary year. With the Business Premier, the rewards rate is unlimited at every category tier.

But perhaps a more important advantage of the Business Preferred is that it earns transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards points and allows cardholders to redeem points directly through the Chase travel portal at an elevated 1.25 cents apiece. While not as specifically tailored to the stature of businesses that will benefit from the Ink Business Premier’s unique rewards structure, this card still offers plenty of value and added flexibility when redeeming rewards.

Best cards to pair with this card

In most cases, pairing Chase rewards credit cards is an excellent way to boost rewards and make the most of your spending. However, the Ink Business Premier is an exception. Because it’s technically not a Chase Ultimate Rewards card, you don’t have the option to pool your points. While this is a drawback, it doesn’t take away all the card’s paring power. Its 5 percent cash back on travel and 2 to 2.5 percent cash back on general business purchases can be very helpful when coupled with a variety of cards.

Combining points from the Ink Business Preferred with a cash back card like the Chase Freedom Flex℠ would allow you to transfer those points to a Chase travel partner or boost points to 1.25 cents when making travel purchases through Chase Travel℠, which is great for the occasional business trip.
However, the Ink Business Premier’s lack of ability to pool points with other Chase rewards credit cards makes its best pairing a more difficult choice. The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is a no-annual-fee option that could increase rewards earnings on business-focused categories such as office supply stores, internet, cable and phone services, gas stations and restaurants. Or, assuming your high business spending will help offset a significant annual fee, you could opt for a premium travel rewards card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve to access its top tier-travel perks.

Who is the Ink Business Premier for?

The Ink Business Premier card is designed for business owners with high expenses and is an outstanding tool for maximizing points on large purchases. If your business requires strong purchasing power and straightforward, generous rewards on big purchases, the Business Premier card is among the top options available.

However, it is important to consider your business spending habits and whether you spend enough monthly to justify the $195 annual fee and limited redemption options. If not, a different flat-rate business credit card or one that allows you to redeem for travel could be a better fit.
Some business owners could care less how they’re rewards are earned so long as they’re earning them. The Ink Business Premier earns at least 2 percent on all purchases, helping business owners maximize routine purchase.

While cardholders are unable to pool those rewards with other Chase cards, the flat-rate rewards still make this card great for pairing. If you have a business travel card or tier-category card, this card can easily cover purchases that wouldn’t earn rewards otherwise.

Bankrate’s Take — Is the Ink Business Premier worth it?

The Ink Business Premier is ideal for business owners who don’t mind paying a higher annual fee for a line of credit with straightforward rewards and a hefty sign-up bonus. If your business can use this card for the bulk of its monthly expenses, you’ll reap the rewards while saving loads on interest payments.

While this card occupies a specific niche in the business credit card landscape, only some business owners will benefit from this type of card. It may not be suitable for businesses that do not anticipate making many purchases over the high spending threshold. In fact, the Ink Business Premier serves as an entry point into Chase’s suite of sophisticated financial products aimed toward larger businesses.

The information about the Chase Freedom Flex℠ has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.

How we rated this card

50+

cards rated

700+

data points considered

spending categories analyzed

40+

perks evaluated

Our proprietary card rating system takes into account a mix of factors when scoring business credit cards, including each card’s rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more.

We analyzed over 50 of the most popular business credit cards and scored each based on how its key features stacked up compared to those of other cards in its category.

Here are some of the key factors that gave this card its score:

The best business cards offer rewards in key business spending categories, so a primary factor in a business card’s rating is its rewards value. This includes the card’s average rewards rate, estimated annual rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value and reward redemption value.

To estimate a business card’s average annual rewards earnings, we first calculate its average rewards rate based on how much it earns in different bonus categories and how closely its categories align with the average small-business owner’s spending habits. In other words, we assess whether the card earns rewards at a high rate in the most popular business spending categories.

We researched 10 key business spending categories including dining, gas, office supplies, travel, telecommunications, insurance and more to get a sense of the average small-business owner’s spending habits. We assumed an average annual spend of around $40,000 per year based on Bankrate survey data.

Using this data, we are able to assign a weighting to each of a card’s bonus categories. We also estimate the redemption value of points or miles from various issuer, airline and hotel rewards programs.

This weighting and rewards valuation allows us to estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings — how many points or miles you’d earn with a given card if your spending was about average and you used the card for all of your business purchases — as well as what those points are worth. We also use point valuations to determine a card’s sign-up bonus value.

With these calculations complete, we assign each card a score based on how its average rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value, rewards rate and redemption value stack up against other business cards, factoring in the card’s annual fee. The better these values, the higher its score will be, making it more worthy of inclusion in our list and increasing its potential ranking.
We also score business cards based on how much it costs to keep them in your wallet or carry a balance.

To start, each business card is scored based on whether it offers an intro APR and how its ongoing APR compares to the rates available on other business cards. This is because an intro APR on new purchases or balance transfers can be a lifesaver if you need to pay down debt, finance a large business purchase or free up cash flow.

While intro APRs are not uncommon on business cards, they aren’t a given, so cards that offer this sort of payment flexibility will score higher in our card rating system.

Even more important to both a card’s score and its inclusion in our list, however, is how its annual fee influences its overall value. We consider a card’s annual fee in two ways — how it ranks relative to the fees you’ll find on other cards in the category and how it impacts a card’s overall rewards value.

Cards with an annual fee will always be at a slight disadvantage in our scoring system since annual fees inherently cut into your rewards value. However, if a card offers terrific value via its ongoing rewards and perks, it can earn a high score and a spot in our list even if it carries a high annual fee.

With this in mind, we rate a card based primarily on how its ongoing rewards value and ongoing perk value (such as annual credits or bonuses) stack up against those of other cards in the category when you subtract annual fees.
We rate each business card’s flexibility based on the restrictions it imposes on earning and redeeming rewards.

Flexibility factors include whether a card only allows you to earn a high rewards rate on only a small amount of spending or requires you to meet a certain earning threshold before you can redeem rewards. We also examine whether your points are worth less when you opt for some redemption options over others and whether a card gives you the flexibility to transfer rewards to travel partners.
We also score each card’s set of features – its perks and benefits — against five tiers of features to provide a rating. Top-tier perks include benefits like airport lounge access, travel credits, elite status with an airline or hotel and credits for expedited security screening membership programs.

We give extra weight to perks especially useful or valuable for small-business owners, like being able to qualify with no personal guarantee, digital advertising credits, free employee cards and accounting perks.

Frequently asked questions

Applicants for the Chase Ink Business Premier credit card will need a good to excellent credit score (FICO score of 670 or higher or a VantageScore of 661 or higher) for the best approval odds.

Also, before applying, please be mindful of the issuer’s 5/24 rule that states that your application will likely be denied regardless of creditworthiness if you’ve opened five or more credit cards from any issuer in the past 24 months.
This card earns a minimum of 2 percent cash back on all expenses that are considered purchases. Like most rewards cards, there are a few exceptions:
- Balance transfers
- Account fees, including cash advance fee payments, interest payments and annual fees
- Cash-like transactions and checks that access your account, including foreign currency exchanges, money orders, traveler's checks and wire transfers
- Gambling transactions
- Unauthorized charges
If you’d like to add a card with a sleek, metal finish to your wallet, you’re in luck. The Ink Business Premier is known as Chase’s metal business credit card. However, keep in mind that this is a purely cosmetic trait and not all metal credit cards will suit your business needs and spending habits.