Chase Ink Business Cash Review: The No-Fee 5x Card With a 100K Welcome Offer Expiring September 17

The Chase Ink Business Cash has a specific use case, and if your business spending aligns with it, the math is unusually favorable for a card with no annual fee. If it doesn’t align, the card is unremarkable. This review is built around that distinction — plus a time-sensitive detail about the current welcome offer.

The current 100,000-point welcome bonus expires September 17, 2026. If you’re evaluating this card, that deadline matters.

What the Card Actually Is

The Ink Business Cash is a Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning business credit card with no annual fee. Points earn at the standard 1x rate on most spending, with elevated multipliers on two category groups:

5x points on:

• Office supply stores
• Internet, cable, and phone services (combined with office supplies, up to $25,000/year)

2x points on:

• Gas stations
• Restaurants (up to $25,000/year combined)

There is no bonus for travel, hotel, or airline purchases — that’s not what this card is for.

The Welcome Offer

100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $6,000 in the first three months. This offer expires September 17, 2026.

At typical UR valuations (1.5–2 cents per point when transferred to travel partners), 100,000 points represents $1,500–$2,000 in travel value. As a business card with no annual fee, the first-year cost of acquisition is $0 plus $6,000 in qualifying spend.

The Chase UR Ecosystem Play

Points earned on the Ink Business Cash are UR points — but this card cannot transfer points directly to airline or hotel partners on its own. Transfer capability requires holding a UR “premium” card (Chase Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Preferred, or Ink Business Preferred) simultaneously.

This creates the primary use case: the Ink Business Cash functions as a category multiplier that feeds a pooled UR balance managed through a premium card. A business with significant internet, cable, and phone expenses can earn 5x on those costs, then transfer the accumulated balance through a Sapphire Reserve at 1.5 cents/point value, or to partners at higher values.

Example: $20,000/year in business internet and phone spend generates 100,000 UR points at 5x — the equivalent of the welcome bonus, annually, at zero additional fee.

What It Isn’t Good For

Foreign transactions. The card carries a 3% foreign transaction fee. Any international business spending should route through a card without FTF — the Ink Business Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve both cover this.

General spending. The 1x base rate is table stakes for a modern business card. Amex Blue Business Cash returns 2% on the first $50,000 per year and 1% after that — a better general-spending card if your spending doesn’t concentrate in the 5x categories.

Standalone points strategy. Without a premium UR card for transfer access, points are worth 1 cent each for cash back. The card’s value is significantly higher inside the UR ecosystem than outside it.

Source: One Mile at a Time

Content created with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.