Why the Ink Business Cash is my next card in June 2026

As someone who plans each credit card move carefully, I make sure any card I choose has a clear purpose: fitting my spending habits now and supporting how I expect to use it in the future.

About a year ago, I got the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card because I was running my own side hustle business, and I needed a business card to separate my expenses and support the growth of my business.

However, the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card lacks in the fact that it doesn't earn any bonus cash back in any categories besides the flat standard 1.5% cash back on all purchases. While the above-average 1.5% standard cash back is useful for miscellaneous purchases, it leaves a void in certain spending categories that earn bonus cash back on other credit cards, including business cards.

The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card has stood out to me as a potential addition to my wallet due to its practicality. While it isn’t flashy and doesn’t offer premium perks such as lounge access, the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card differs from the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card in the fact that it offers bonus cash back in certain spending categories.

The utility that the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card offers is perfect for supporting the growth of my business, while giving me cash back that I can easily put to use, especially for future travel redemptions.

TL;DR

• Worth it if you regularly pay for phone, internet, cable, or office supplies, you'll earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in those categories each year, which adds up fast.

• Pairs well with a premium Chase card. On its own, the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card only redeems for cash back. But if you hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, or Sapphire Reserve for Business℠, you can pool your points and transfer them to airline and hotel partners for far greater value.

• Strong welcome bonus. New cardholders can earn $1,000 cash back (100,000 Chase points) after spending $8,000 in the first 4 months, a serious head start on travel redemptions.

• No annual fee. This card costs nothing to hold long-term, making it a low-risk addition to a Chase ecosystem wallet.

• Skip it if you don't spend in its bonus categories and already have a flat-rate card like the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card, you'd overlap with no added benefit.

An Exceptional Introductory Offer

One of the strongest features of the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is its introductory offer for new cardholders. The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card currently offers a $1,000 bonus cash back after spending $8,000 on qualifying purchases within the first 4 months of account opening.

Behind the scenes, you're earning Chase points, and they just get redeemed as cash back by default, since the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card doesn't unlock transfers on its own.

Even though the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card doesn’t unlock the ability to transfer your Chase points to a qualifying transfer partner, you can transfer your points from the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card to a qualifying Chase card that unlocks the ability to transfer your points to hotel and airline partners. You can view Chase's full list of transfer partners along with any active bonuses using nextcard's Transfer Partner tool.

The credit cards that offer Chase cardmembers the ability to transfer points to travel partners are the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, and the Sapphire Reserve for Business℠. If you hold one of these four cards, you can transfer your cash back from the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card to the qualifying card, and you’ll be able to redeem your points in a variety of ways, including travel redemptions.

The $1,000 cash back bonus is worth 100,000 Chase points, unlocking a serious amount of value when using these points for travel redemptions.

For example, my family and I planned a trip to Hawaii last winter. Since United is one of many Chase’s airline partners, you can transfer your Chase points to United MileagePlus miles. You can fly from Boston (BOS) to Honolulu (HNL) on United Airlines for 25,000 United MileagePlus miles per person, meaning that you can easily cover the price of a round-trip flight between the East Coast and Hawaii.

All award redemptions with United come with a free carry-on and standard seat selection, meaning that you’ll never be booking a Basic Economy fare when using miles to book your flight.

This is often a major advantage, since United is notorious for charging hundreds of extra dollars to book a fare that isn’t Basic Economy. For example, if you want to fly round-trip between Boston (BOS) and Honolulu (HNL), booking with miles will cost you 50,000 miles + $11.20 in taxes. If you wanted to book with cash for this route, it would cost you $597 in Basic Economy, or $737 in regular Economy, which comes with a free carry-on and free seat selection.

Since my family and I are trying to go to Hawaii for about a week, traveling with just a personal item and no carry-on is not an option for us. We would need to book a fare that includes a carry-on, and this is where using points comes in handy. With my itinerary, I would be able to redeem 50,000 points at a value of about 1.5 cents per point, which is a solid value for Economy class travel redemptions.

On the other hand, if you’re looking to save a fortune when traveling in Business class, points are the perfect way to go.

For example, you could fly from New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA) on Singapore Airlines in business class for just 60,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points. To put this into perspective, this flight would cost $2,000 if you were to pay with cash, meaning that you could save thousands of dollars on a transatlantic business class flight.

Singapore Airlines is also well-regarded for its business class service, and they are consistently rated as one of the best airlines in the world. With Singapore Airlines' business class, you'll have spacious and comfortable lie-flat seats, as well as a fine dining service and other amenities. You'll truly improve your flying experience if you can manage to score a business class seat with Singapore Airlines.

Earning More Cash Back

The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card differs from the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card in the fact that it earns bonus cash back in certain categories, whilst the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card only earns a flat cash back rate of 1.5% on all purchases.

The categories that earn extra cash back also appeal to business owners, as they fall into categories that people often need to make expenditures in to support their business. Here's how the earning rate breaks down:

• 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year at office supply stores, internet services, cable services, and phone services

• 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year at gas stations and restaurants

• 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases

The most useful spending categories for me here would be internet services, cable services, and phone services. I can easily use the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card to pay off my T-Mobile phone bill every month and earn 5% bonus cash back, which is a major perk since most other standard credit cards only offer standard earning rates for phone bills.

While the 2% cash back for restaurants is relatively weak compared to other cards that earn points for dining, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, the bonus cash back for gas stations is a nice perk, especially considering that I don’t have any credit cards that currently earn bonus Chase points/cash back for gas.

Comparing Ink Business Cash® & Ink Business Unlimited® Bonus Earn Rate Categories

Travel Insurance and Protections

While the card isn’t marketed as a travel-focused credit card, the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card comes with a few travel protections and insurance that’ll make you feel more secure and safe about your travel plans. These protections include, but are not limited to:

• Auto Rental Coverage: Decline the rental company's collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card. Coverage is primary when renting for business purposes and provides reimbursement up to $60,000 for theft and collision damage for most rental vehicles with an MSRP of $125,000 or less.

• Travel and Emergency Assistance: If you run into a problem while traveling away from home, this benefit provides legal and medical referrals and access to other travel and emergency assistance services. (You will be responsible for the cost of any goods or services obtained.)

These travel insurance benefits and protections provide some coverage when traveling, but they aren’t as good as travel-focused credit cards. For example, in addition to the protections listed above, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® also offers lost luggage reimbursement, travel accident insurance, emergency medical and dental reimbursement, etc.

How The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card Will Supplement My Wallet

I currently have four credit cards: the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card, Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, and the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card.

While these credit cards cover a wide variety of purchases and allow me to accumulate a solid amount of bonus points, my wallet is lacking in the fact that I don’t have a credit card that allows me to earn bonus points in niche categories that I often need to spend in.

I have also been considering getting the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® for my next card, as American Airlines’ AAdvantage miles carry a lot of value that I can use in a wide variety of ways for my upcoming travel plans. However, the earning rates on the card are very weak, and I don’t see any use for the card past the introductory offer and the free checked bag benefit.

On the other hand, I can see myself using the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card well into the future, as I can use it as a long-term payment method for my T-Mobile phone bills, as well as covering other expenses that I will need to make to support my business.

Final Remarks

The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card isn't the flashiest card on the market, but its value lies in consistency and practicality. With its generous welcome bonus, strong bonus categories on everyday business expenses, and the ability to combine points with premium Chase cards for high-value travel redemptions, it's a card that can deliver long-term benefits.

For business owners who regularly pay for phone, internet, or office supplies, this card can quietly rack up rewards without requiring much effort. And when paired with cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card becomes an even more powerful tool for travel enthusiasts.

If you’re looking for a no-annual-fee business card that can complement your existing wallet and provide consistent value, the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is one worth considering. Check out what business card is the best fit for your business using nextcard's Business Card Finder.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Ink Business Cash have an annual fee?

No, the Ink Business Cash has no annual fee, making it a low-cost addition to your credit card wallet. You can hold it long-term without worrying about whether your rewards offset a yearly charge.

Can I transfer points from the Ink Business Cash to airline and hotel partners?

Not directly. The Ink Business Cash only earns cash back on its own, and its points are not transferable to Chase travel partners unless you also hold a qualifying Chase card. If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Ink Business Preferred, or the Sapphire Reserve for Business, you can pool your Ink Business Cash points into that account and then transfer to any of Chase's 14 travel partners at a 1:1 ratio.

What categories earn the most cash back on the Ink Business Cash?

The card earns 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent each account anniversary year at office supply stores, internet services, cable services, and phone services. It also earns 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent at gas stations and restaurants each year. All other purchases earn 1% unlimited cash back.

Is the Ink Business Cash a good card if I already have the Ink Business Unlimited?

It depends on your spending habits. The Ink Business Unlimited earns a flat 1.5% on all purchases, while the Ink Business Cash earns higher rates in specific categories like phone bills, internet, and office supplies. If you regularly spend in those bonus categories, the Ink Business Cash fills a gap that the Ink Business Unlimited leaves open. If you don't spend much in those categories, there's less of a reason to add it.

What travel protections does the Ink Business Cash include?

The Ink Business Cash comes with auto rental coverage (primary for business rentals, up to $60,000) and travel and emergency assistance services. That said, it does not include the stronger travel protections you'd find on a travel-focused card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which adds lost luggage reimbursement, travel accident insurance, and emergency medical and dental reimbursement.