KEY LINKS:
- Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card – Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. $0 annual fee
- Ink Business Cash® Credit Card – Earn $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening. $0 annual fee
Chase has several different small business credit cards, and they are some of the best credit cards out there. If you’re not looking at business cards, you are missing out on some of the best bonuses. Today I thought it might make sense to compare the Chase Ink Business Cash vs. the Chase Ink Business Unlimited to see which of these two cards might be the best. Deciding what might be best will depend on your specific situation, but there are a few rules of thumb that you might want to consider. Both of these cards currently come with no annual fee and similar signup bonuses, so it mostly comes down to which one will help you earn the most points through ongoing spending.
Both of these are considered business credit cards, but you may have a business even if you don’t think you do. And I would say that if you are ignoring the small business cards and only applying for personal credit cards, you are doing yourself a disservice by passing up on half of the available credit card bonus offers.
Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card Review
The first card to look at is the Chase Ink Cash card. Rather than earning 1.5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar, you’ll get 5X at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services, and 2x at gas stations and restaurants. So depending on your spending patterns, you may find that you’ll come out ahead with the Ink Cash instead of the Ink Unlimited. You can also consider having both cards – that way you can use the Ink Cash where it gets a spending bonus and the Ink Unlimited everywhere else.
If you don’t have a premium Chase card (like the Sapphire Reserve or Ink Preferred), then the points you earn are worth just 1 cent per point. But if you do have a premium card, you can transfer your Chase points that you earn with the Ink Unlimited and get 25% or 50% extra value.
- Welcome offer – Earn $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening
- 5X at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services (up to $25,000 per year combined)
- 2X at gas stations and restaurants (up to $25,000 per year combined)
- Primary Car Rental Damage Insurance when traveling for business (so you can decline the car rental company’s insurance)
- No annual fee
Read our full Chase Ink Cash review
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
The Chase Ink Unlimited is another no-fee option. The Ink Unlimited has a very simple earning structure. You’ll get 1.5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on the card (marketed as 1.5% cash back). Just like with the Chase Ink Cash card, if you don’t have a premium Chase card (like the Sapphire Reserve or Ink Preferred), then your points are worth just 1 cent per point. But if you do have a premium card, you can transfer your Chase points that you earn with the Ink Unlimited and get 25% or 50% extra value.
- Welcome offer – Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- 1.5X Ultimate Rewards points on all purchases
- 0% Intro APR on Purchases 12 months. Regular APR is 18.49% – 24.49% Variable
- Primary Car Rental Damage Insurance when traveling for business (so you can decline the car rental company’s insurance)
- No annual fee
Read our full Chase Ink Unlimited review
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® vs. Chase Ink Business Cash® – Which Is Better?
The Ink Cash and Ink Unlimited cards are very similar. They both have no annual fee, the same benefits and perks and the same welcome offer. The main (only?) difference is in their earning strategy. The Ink Cash gives you 5X at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services (up to $25,000 per year combined), 2X at gas stations and restaurants (up to $25,000 per year combined) and 1X everywhere else. The Ink Unlimited earns 1.5X on all purchases. Which one is better will depend on how much you spend at office supply stores, internet, cable, phone, gas stations and restaurants. If you have an above average spending in those categories, the Ink Cash may be the better option. Otherwise, consider the Ink Unlimited as a good “everyday” card.
Though frankly, there’s a case to be made for having both cards (I do).
Other Chase Ink Cards To Consider
There are 2 other Chase Ink cards that you might want to consider consider:
- Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card – Earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. $95 annual fee. Read our full review here
- Ink Business Premier® Credit Card – Earn $1,000 bonus cash back after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. $195 annual fee. Read our full review here
Remember that if you only hold the Chase Ink Cash or Chase Ink Unlimited (or both), you won’t be able to transfer your points to Chase’s hotel and airline travel partners. So it can make sense to get either the Ink Preferred as a premium Chase card. That way you can combine your Chase points and unlock even more value.
The Bottom Line
Deciding whether the Chase Cash Unlimited or Chase Ink Cash is best for you will depend on your particular spending patterns. Personally, I have both the Ink Cash and Ink Unlimited (along with the Sapphire Preferred), and I think there can be value in having both. If you’re only going to get one, consider how much you spend in the categories where the Ink Cash gets 5X or 2X. If you don’t spend very much in those categories, then the 1.5X on all purchases of the Ink Unlimited may be the better option.
- Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card – Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. $0 annual fee
- Ink Business Cash® Credit Card – Earn $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening. $0 annual fee
What about you? Do you have either of these Chase Ink cards? Which one do you think is best?
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
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