Review: Chase Ink Business Preferred

The Chase Ink Business Preferred is one of the best credit cards for businesses of all sizes. It has a plethora of bonus categories that provides cardholders many opportunities to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) Points. Many points and miles lovers have flocked to the Ink Business Preferred since its release in 2016.

However, the Ink Business Preferred has a $95 annual fee which is NOT waived the first year. But this annual fee is paltry compared to the card’s earning potential and perks. Therefore, it might be a wise investment for business owners who want to travel.

Earning

The Chase Ink Business Preferred earns 3x Ultimate Rewards (UR) points on the following categories:

• General Travel
• Cable & TV Services
• Internet Services
• Phone Services
• Shipping
• Social Media and Search Engine Advertising Purchases

There is an annual spend limit of $150,000 across all six categories. That means you can earn up to 450,000 UR points per year if you spend within the categories. Also, Chase has a broad list of what includes travel. Qualifying purchases includes airfare, hotel stays, car rentals, and tolls.

The Ink Business Preferred is a great standalone credit card. But its potential can be maximized if you have multiple Chase UR point-earning cards. This is because you can earn points with those cards and transfer them to your Ink Preferred account. This feature is arguably the most powerful that Chase has to offer.

Furthermore, one of the best parts about the Ink Business Preferred is its sign-up bonus. Chase is offering a bonus is worth 80,000 UR points. It can be earned after spending $5,000 within the first three months. This bonus is Chase’s largest and it has a higher minimum spend than the ones offered by the Sapphire cards.

Burning

Earning points is fantastic, but points earned are useless if you cannot redeem them for anything of value. Chase has multiple options for redemption:

Transfer Partners

Transfer partners are by far Chase’s most valuable option. They are the reason why so many points and miles enthusiasts love the Ultimate Rewards family of credit cards so much. With Chase, the name of the game is quality over quantity. Chase has the following transfer partners:

Hotels

• IHG
• Marriott
• World of Hyatt

Airlines

• Aer Lingus
• Air Canada
• British Airways
• Emirates
• Iberia
• JetBlue
• KLM Flying Blue / Air France
• Singapore Airlines
• Southwest Airlines
• United Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic

Your mileage may vary for each partner. But for most partners, you should be able to easily redeem your points for at least 1.5 cents per point (CPP).

Other Options

Chase also provides cardholders the option of booking travel through its own travel portal at a fixed rate of 1.25 CPP. You should use the portal if you cannot redeem your points for more than the fixed rate.

Chase also lets cardholders redeem their points for cash back and gift cards at 1 CPP. Sometimes, Chase discounts some of their gift card options, enabling cardholders to redeem for more than 1 CPP.

Neither cash back or gift cards are recommended because you can get the most value from UR points by redeeming for travel.

Benefits

As a mid-tier travel card, the Chase Ink Business Preferred includes many great benefits to make life easier when away from home. Some of them can even pay for the annual fee with enough use.

Primary Car Rental Insurance

This benefit covers the entire loss, damage, or theft of your car rental. Because Chase offers Primary coverage with this card, you don’t have to accept the car rental company’s insurance policy if you use your Ink Business Preferred.

Cell Phone Protection

Nobody wants to drop or lose their cell phone. But if you do, the Chase Ink Business Preferred offers cell phone protection. You can make up to three claims per calendar year worth up to $600 each. The catch is that you must pay a $100 deductible, making your total protection $500 per claim.

The actual coverage starts the day after you pay your cell phone bill. And it ends after the last day of the calendar month following a payment. Also, coverage doesn’t extend to family members unless they are also employees of your business.

Coverage is supplemental, which makes it like secondary car insurance. This means that you must go through your other third-party insurance plans first before calling Chase.

No Foreign Exchange Fees

You will save 3% on all purchases made outside the United States with the card.

Trip Cancellation / Trip Interruption Insurance

If you need to cancel your trip because of an unexpected event, this benefit gives you up to $10,000 per trip for non-refundable expenses. Plane tickets, hotel rooms, and tours are included.

Trip Delay Insurance

This benefit covers you up to $500 per ticket if your plane, train, or other common carrier is delayed at least 12 hours. It also kicks in if you require an overnight stay as a result of a delay. The $500 helps cover essential expenses such as meals and lodging.

Baggage Delay Insurance

This benefit gives you $100 per day up to 5 days if your luggage is lost or delayed. If your luggage is delayed for more than 6 hours, you can redeem for toiletries, clothing, and other essentials.

Similar Cards

What if the Chase Ink Business Preferred is not for you? Here are some alternatives to this card that might suit your needs:

Chase Ink Business Cash

The Chase Ink Business Cash is one of the Ink Business Preferred Card’s “little siblings”. It has no annual fee and earns big points in a plethora of categories.

In fact, the Ink Business Cash earns 5x UR points at Office Supply Stores as well as for Internet, TV, and Phone Services. It also earns 2x points at Gas Stations (including Costco) and at Restaurants. Each bonus category has a $25,000 annual spend limit.

Furthermore, the Ink Business Cash could be a complement to the Ink Business Preferred, depending on your business’ expenses. Both cards offer bonus categories for internet, TV, and phone services, which are huge for a lot of businesses. Also, the Business Preferred is needed to transfer points earned with the Ink Cash.

Chase is offering a sign-up bonus worth 75,000 UR points (or $750) for the Ink Business Cash. It can be earned after spending $7,500 within the first three months. This is one of the largest sign-up bonuses out there among no annual fee credit cards. However, the minimum spend requirement is out of reach for many individuals and small businesses.

American Express Business Gold Card

The American Express Business Gold Card is another solid alternative for business owners who want to earn Membership Rewards (MR) points. It’s also a great option for business owners who want a charge card instead of a traditional revolving credit card.

Furthermore, the Business Gold Card earns 4x Membership Rewards (MR) points on two of the following categories.

• Advertising (TV, radio, and online only)
• Select Computing Merchants
• US Gas Stations
• Shipping
• Airfare (booked directly with the airline)
• US Restaurants

The Business Gold Card also earns 2x points on the remaining four categories and one point per dollar on non-bonus purchases. Like the Ink Business Preferred, there is an annual spend limit of $150,000 across all six categories.

Furthermore, the Business Gold Card has an annual fee of $295 (NOT waived the first year), which is roughly triple that of the Chase Ink Business Preferred. The Business Gold Card also comes with a sign-up bonus worth 35,000 points. The bonus can be earned after spending $5,000 in the first three months.

The Business Gold Card is the better option for business owners who like Amex’s transfer partners more than Chase’s. However, the Ink Business Preferred is the better card for most businesses because of its lower annual fee and plethora of perks.

Final Draw

The Chase Ink Business Preferred is one of my favorite business credit cards. It has a great sign-up bonus and many categories in which you can earn triple points. The card also has similar benefits to the Sapphire Preferred, which is fantastic for many travelers.

Many people have passed on the Chase Sapphire Cards in favor of this card because of the One Sapphire Rule. The One Sapphire Rule prohibits those who have gotten a Sapphire card sign-up bonus within the last four years from getting another one. Fortunately, the Ink Business Preferred has a bigger sign-up bonus than either Sapphire card and circumvents the rule – a win-win scenario for many.

Apply Today: Chase Ink Business Preferred