Our Take
4.9
NerdWallet rating
The bottom line:
The Chase Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card delivers with straightforward rewards, a long intro APR period and a top-notch welcome offer. But other cards, even other Chase cards, may provide more bang for your buck if you're OK with monitoring bonus categories.
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Annual fee
$0
Regular APR
17.49%-23.49% Variable APR
Intro APR
0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months
Apply now
on Chase's website
More details from Chase
- Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business
- No Annual Fee
- Redeem rewards for cash back, gift cards, travel and more through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Earn rewards faster with employee cards at no additional cost. Set individual spending limits for greater control.
- Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
- With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
- 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases
- Member FDIC
View Rates & Fees
Pros & Cons
Pros
- High rewards rate
- Intro APR period
- No reward caps
- New cardholder bonus offer
Cons
- No bonus categories
Full Review
For entrepreneurs who would rather worry about their business than their credit card rewards program, the
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
from Chase keeps it simple.The card has an annual fee of
$0
, offers an unlimited 1.5
% cash back on all purchases and has a long intro APR period. A hefty sign-up bonus doesn’t hurt, either: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
But business owners aiming to squeeze the most juice out of their business card might find even greater rewards — potentially even from a different option in the Chase business credit card lineup.
This card is best for:
✔️ Simple, flat-rate cash back.
✔️ A long intro APR period to finance large purchases.
✔️ Domestic spending — it has a foreign transaction fee.
✔️ Combining rewards with other Chase credit cards.
Not a fit? Consider these business credit cards
at Chase | at Capital One | at Chase |
Annual fee $0 | Annual fee $0 intro for the first year, then $95 | Annual fee $0 |
Regular APR 17.49%-25.49% Variable APR | Regular APR 25.24% Variable APR | Regular APR 17.49%-23.49% Variable APR |
Intro APR 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months | Intro APR N/A | Intro APR 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months |
Recommended credit score 690-850good - excellent | Recommended credit score 720-850excellent | Recommended credit score 690-850good - excellent |
If your business expenses are relatively low, but concentrated on office supplies or internet, cable and phone services, the
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
earns up to 5% back in those categories on up to $25,000 spent. Its 2% cash back on restaurants and gas stations (again, up to $25,000 spent) also tops the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
’s flat 1.5
% rate.The
Capital One Spark Cash
offers a higher cash-back rate (2
%) than the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
and has no foreign transaction fee, making it a great choice for business owners who purchase inventory overseas. The tradeoffs: There is an annual fee — $0 intro for the first year, then $95
(see rates and fees ) — and there is no intro APR period. Note: Unlike other business cards, the Spark Cash will show up on your personal credit report.At a glance: Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
💳 Card type: Cash-back business credit card.
💲 Annual fee: $
0
.💰 Sign-up bonus:
Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
🎉 Rewards: Unlimited
1.5%
cash back.📈 APR:
0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months, and then the ongoing APR of 17.49%-23.49% Variable APR
.📍 Minimum credit limit: $3,000.
💷 Foreign transaction fee:
3
%.🎆 Other benefits:
- Automatically considered for a credit limit increase every six months.
- Cash back is earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards points and can be combined with other personal and business Chase cards.
See complete rates and fees on Chase's website.
Benefits and perks
Truly unlimited cash back
The
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
is true to its name, delivering unlimited 1.5%
cash back with no caps or restrictions. While other cards offer higher rewards — anywhere from 2% to 5% — most limit how much you can earn, either with annual spending caps or the use of bonus categories.Flexible reward redemption
Rewards come in the form of Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, worth 1 cent each when redeemed as cash back. You can get that cash back in the form of a statement credit or a direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Points can also be redeemed for:
- Gift cards (1 cent per point).
- Travel booked through Chase's travel portal (1 cent per point).
- Amazon purchases (0.8 cents per point).
It’s also possible to move your rewards to other Chase accounts that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, potentially getting more value for travel.
Big welcome offer, long intro APR period
If your business has a large purchase on the horizon, the
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
delivers a double-whammy of benefits. First, you can get a massive welcome offer for your spending: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Then, you can pay off that balance without accruing interest — this card offers 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months, and then the ongoing APR of 17.49%-23.49% Variable APR
. Those are great perks for a business credit card, especially one with an annual fee of $0
.💬 From our Nerds: Do this before applying
"Even though Chase doesn’t publish it, its '5/24' rule is common fodder in forums like Reddit. (I’ve spotted mentions of it in multiple threads about the
Chase Ink Business Unlimited
.)"This unwritten policy means you can’t get a Chase credit card if you’ve been approved for five credit cards in the last 24 months — from any issuer. Personal card approvals go toward that total. But your business cards are murkier. Those that show up on your personal credit report count; others don’t.
"The bottom line? If the
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
seems like a fit for you, tally any and all recent approvals before applying. It’s a simple way to eliminate one potential pothole. And once approved, Chase business cards won’t count toward your five-card limit." 
— Ryan Lane, assigning editor covering small business
Drawbacks and alternatives
Lack of bonus categories leaves rewards on the table
Simplicity is one of the main draws of the
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
. But opting for a flat-rate card can leave cash back on that table. If you spend a lot in specific categories, like gas, travel or office supplies, consider a card with bonus categories that offer a higher rewards rate where you spend the most. The
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
, for example, offers up to 5% in certain categories: Earn 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, Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year, Earn 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn
Foreign transaction fee
The
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
charges a foreign transaction fee of 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
. While this is common for cash-back cards, its can prove costly for businesses that purchase inventory overseas or travel internationally.The
Capital One Spark Cash
has no foreign transaction fee and offers 2
% cash back on all purchases, but it does have an annual fee (see rates and fees). And frequent international travelers might prefer a business travel rewards card, like the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
or the Capital One Venture X Business
. Both cards have no foreign transaction fee and come with travel perks, like bonus points or travel credit. Both cards also have an annual fee, which is typical of business travel cards. (See rates and fees for the Venture X Business.)More competitive cards exist
A flat cash-back rate of 1.5% used to be super competitive, but there are now several business cards that offer a higher base rewards rate of 2% back on all purchases.
For instance, the
Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash℠ Card
is one of the only business credit cards to offer unlimited 2%
cash back and no annual fee. Another option for smaller businesses: the American Express® Blue Business Cash Card. It earns 2% back on the first $50,000 in eligible purchases each year, then the rate falls to 1%. Terms apply.Other 2% cash-back cards include the
Capital One Spark Cash
, Ink Business Premier® Credit Card
and Capital One Spark Cash Plus
. All three of those have annual fees, though, and the latter two are charge cards designed for high-spend businesses.How we evaluated the Chase Ink Business Unlimited
NerdWallet's business credit card experts compared the
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
to other cash-back business cards, evaluating how the card's rewards, perks, fees and features stack up to its peers. We also surveyed Chase, the card's issuer, gathering information about employee cards, spending controls, credit limits and how often cardholders are considered for a credit limit increase. This data, alongside feedback from business owners — solicited directly and gathered via online forums like Reddit — helped inform our review of the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
.To view rates and fees of
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
, see this page.View rates and fees of
Capital One Spark Cash
.View rates and fees of
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
.The information related to the Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash℠ Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.
Apply now
on Chase's website
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on how you spend and how you want to earn rewards. The
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
offers 5% cash back on office supplies and telecom services and 2% at restaurants and gas stations, up to a limit; other spending earns 1%. The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
earns 1.5% cash back on all spending. Neither has an annual fee, and their sign-up bonuses are comparable.The
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
earns an unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase.You’ll need at least good credit to qualify for the
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
. Generally speaking, “good credit” is defined as a personal FICO score of at least 690. But a credit score alone isn ’t enough to qualify for any credit card. Issuers take into account your income, existing debts and other information.The annual fee is
$0
.Yes, you can apply for the Chase Ink Business Unlimited even if you don't have a formalized business. Anyone who earns money outside of their formal job, whether through freelance, gig work or a side hustle, can apply for this business credit card. Learn more about who can apply for a business credit card.
It depends on how you spend money with your business and whether you’re willing to pay an annual fee. The
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
and the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
are cash-back cards with no annual fee and different rewards structures. The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
is more of a travel card. It earns points, has an annual fee of $95
and includes more benefits.The
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
is a Visa.
