Ink Business Cash vs. Ink Business Unlimited: Both Pay $1,000, So Which One?
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Chase is offering $1,000 in cash back on both the Ink Business Cash and the Ink Business Unlimited after you spend $8,000 in the first four months. Neither card charges an annual fee. If you also hold a Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve or Ink Business Preferred, that $1,000 converts into 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
You are allowed to hold both cards. You are only allowed to earn the bonus on one of them, so the choice matters.
What the two offers pay
$1,000 cash back, or 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points, on either card.
$8,000 of spend in the first four months, which works out to $2,000 a month.
$0 annual fee on both, and $0 for employee cards.
3% foreign transaction fee on both, so leave them home on international trips.
Ink Cash pays 5% back on the first $25,000 of combined office supply and telecom spending each year. Ink Unlimited pays 1.5% on everything with no cap.
How do the earning rates differ?
The bonuses are identical. Everything after the bonus is where the two cards separate.
The Ink Business Cash pays 5% back at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone service. It pays 2% at restaurants and gas stations. Both of those tiers share a $25,000 annual spending cap. Everything else earns 1%.
The Ink Business Unlimited pays 1.5% on every purchase. No categories, no caps, no calendar to track.
Office supply stores are the reason the Ink Cash has a cult following. Staples and Office Depot sell gift cards for other merchants, and those purchases have historically coded at 5%. Chase has never promised this and has clamped down on it before, so treat it as a bonus rather than a plan.
How do the two cards compare side by side?
Feature | Ink Business Cash | Ink Business Unlimited |
|---|---|---|
Welcome offer | $1,000 after $8,000 in 4 months | $1,000 after $8,000 in 4 months |
Annual fee | $0 | $0 |
Top earning rate | 5% on office supply, internet, cable and phone | 1.5% on everything |
Second tier | 2% at restaurants and gas stations | None |
Bonus category cap | $25,000 combined per year | No cap |
Base rate | 1% | 1.5% |
Foreign transaction fee | 3% | 3% |
Which card wins for your spending?
There is a clean breakeven. The Ink Cash beats the Ink Unlimited as long as your unbonused spending stays under seven times your 5% spending.
An example. Say your business puts $5,000 a year through office supply stores and telecom bills, and $35,000 through everything else. The Ink Cash returns $250 plus $350, so $600. The Ink Unlimited returns 1.5% on the full $40,000, which is also $600. Dead heat.
Shift the mix and the answer moves fast. Thrifty Traveler ran the numbers on $25,000 of restaurant spending: the Ink Cash pays $500 at 2%, the Ink Unlimited pays $375. Flip it to $20,000 of software subscriptions, which earn nothing extra on either card, and the Ink Cash pays $200 while the Ink Unlimited pays $300.
Software, contractors, advertising, shipping and inventory all fall outside the Ink Cash bonus tiers. Most small businesses spend more there than at Staples.
Is $1,000 in cash back the same as 100,000 points?
Not quite, and the gap is the whole reason to care. Cash back on an Ink card is stored as Ultimate Rewards points at one cent each. On its own, it is $1,000.
Move those points to a Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve or Ink Business Preferred and they become transferable to airline and hotel partners. At the 1.7 to 2 cents per point range typical of good award redemptions, 100,000 points buy $1,700 to $2,000 of travel. Our guide to what points and miles are worth walks through where those numbers come from.
No premium Chase card in the household? The $1,000 is still $1,000. It is a fine outcome for a no-fee card.
Will either card use up a 5/24 slot?
Chase's 5/24 rule blocks approvals if you have opened five or more personal credit cards from any issuer in the past 24 months. You have to be under 5/24 to get either Ink card.
The good news: Chase business cards do not report to your personal credit file, so getting approved does not add to your 5/24 count. Neither card costs you a future slot. That is a genuine argument for opening a business card before another personal one.
You likely qualify as a business, by the way. Freelance work, tutoring, reselling and a single rental unit all count. Apply as a sole proprietor with your own name and Social Security number.
What this means for you
Pick the Ink Business Cash if a real slice of your spending lands at office supply stores, on internet and phone bills, or at restaurants and gas stations. Pick the Ink Business Unlimited if your spending is scattered across categories no card rewards.
If you are torn, take the Ink Unlimited first. It is the simpler card to keep forever, and you are free to add the Ink Cash later for its 5% categories without a second bonus. Both belong in the same conversation as the cards in our best travel credit cards guide.
One warning. $8,000 in four months is real money. Do not manufacture spending you would not otherwise do, and pay the balance in full. A 100,000-point bonus loses to a single month of interest faster than you would like.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get the bonus on both Ink cards?
No. Chase lets you hold both, but the welcome bonus is limited to one of the two. Pick the better fit and open the other later without a bonus if you want its categories.
How much do I need to spend?
$8,000 in purchases within four months of opening the account, on either card.
Do I need a real business to apply?
You need business activity, not an LLC. Freelancing, selling online, driving for a rideshare app or renting out a property all qualify. Apply as a sole proprietor using your legal name and Social Security number, and report honest revenue figures.
Does the Ink Cash 5% category have a limit?
Yes. The 5% and 2% tiers share a $25,000 combined spending cap each year. Past that, everything earns 1%.
Can I turn the cash back into airline miles?
Only with a partner card. Move the rewards to a Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve or Ink Business Preferred, then transfer to partners like United, Air Canada Aeroplan, Hyatt or Air France KLM Flying Blue.
Which card should I keep long term?
Both are free to keep, and old accounts help your average account age. Keeping both and routing each purchase to whichever pays more is the strongest setup.
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