Chase Ink Business Credit Card Review

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Chase is currently offering some great sign-up bonuses and ongoing rewards on its Ink line of  business credit cards. These cards can be a good option for small business owners anyway, but these deals are making it even better.

Chase Ink cards come in three flavors. Two of them pay rewards in cash, one in points. Two have no annual fee, one does. As with anything, you get what you pay for. The Chase Ink with an annual fee offers the highest sign-up bonus and phenomenal ongoing rewards.

Chase Ink Credit Cards

Here’s are the details:

Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

First up is the Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, which offers the highest signup bonus of the three Chase business credit cards. You can earn 80,000 bonus points, which is worth $1,000 in travel rewards when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
  • Signup Bonus: Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
  • Bonus Points worth $1,000 toward travel redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
  • 3X Points Reward: Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year
  • 1X Points Reward: Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn
  • Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards Redeem points for travel, cash back, gift cards and more
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Employee cards at no additional cost
  • $95 Annual Fee

Click here to learn more about the Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card and similar credit cards.


Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card

The Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card combines a generous signup bonus with up to 5% cash back.

Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card

Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card
  • Signup Bonus: Earn $500 bonus cash back after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
  • 5% Rewards: Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year
  • 2% Rewards: Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year
  • 1% Rewards: Earn 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn
  • Intro APR: 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers
  • No Annual Fee

Click here to learn more about the Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card and similar credit cards.


Chase Ink Business Unlimited

The third option is ideal for those looking for a solid card with simple rewards. The Chase Ink Business Unlimited offers a $500 bonus, 1.5% cash back, and a 0% APR introductory rate.

Chase Ink Business Unlimited

Chase Ink Business Unlimited
  • Earn $500 bonus cash back after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
  • Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase
  • 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers
  • No Annual Fee

Click here to learn more about the Chase Ink Business Unlimited and similar credit cards.

So which of these offers is best for you? That depends on what you need.

If you’ll spend $5,000 within three months, the Ink Business card will give you a better deal with the 80,000 bonus points. Use the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal to book travel with those points, and you’ll essentially break even on almost 8 more years of annual fees.

If you’re not sure how often you’ll use the card, or don’t plan to spend that much off the bat, the Ink Cash is probably your better option. You’ll still earn the same cash back, but you won’t have to worry about that $95 fee from year 2 onward.

Either way, if you’re in the market for a business credit card right now, both of these Chase offers are worth checking out.

5 Things to Know About Temporary Credit Card Numbers

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The more you hear about fraud and identity theft from online purchases, the more nerve-wracking online shopping can be. Luckily, credit card companies are stepping up their game when it comes to online security.

Besides fraud protection guarantees that protect you after the fact, more companies are implementing measures that make it even more difficult to steal your credit card number. One such option is a temporary, or virtual, credit card number.

These randomly-generated numbers are assigned by your credit card company. You can typically get the number through your credit card company’s website. The number will look different from the one on your physical credit card, but it’s still linked to the same account.

You can use the temporary number for online shopping, and it’ll expire after a set amount of time. So even if hackers swipe this credit card number while you shop online, it will likely expire before they can actually use it.

While not all credit card companies are currently offering virtual credit card numbers for all their credit card types, some do. Right now, Citibank and Bank of America both offer this service to certain cardholders. I carry the Citi® Double Cash Card, and it offers virtual account numbers:

Citi Virtual Account Numbers

The process for generating a virtual number is simple:

  1. Sign on to the credit card company’s website and navigate to their virtual number feature;
  2. Enter your spending limit for the virtual number;
  3. If the feature is available, enter date when the number should expire; and
  4. The card issuer generates a virtual number and security code that you can use to shop online.

While these cards can make online shopping safer, be sure you understand all their ins and outs before using them. Here’s what you need to know:

1. You may have to apply for a new number each time you shop. Different virtual credit card systems have different rules. Some expire in a very short amount of time, such as 24 hours. But they can last for up to a year. If your credit card issuer uses shorter-lasting numbers, you’ll need to apply for a new temporary number each time you shop. It’s typically a simple process, though. You’ll just have to remember to do it each time you want to shop online with a temporary credit card number.

2. They aren’t 100% fraud-proof. While virtual credit cards can protect you from some types of fraud, they’re not completely bulletproof. If a hacker uses your credit card number within the time frame that it’s still active, you’ll still have to dispute the fraudulent charges as you normally would. Luckily, the same fraud protection rules that apply for your regular credit card number also apply to your virtual number.

3. They aren’t great for booking hotels or rental cars. In any situation where you need to use your credit card online for a booking, and then present that card when you actually check in, a virtual credit card number will be a headache. Most of the time, hotels and car rental agencies expect to verify the same card in person that you used to pay online. If you use a virtual number that doesn’t match the one on your physical credit card, you might be out of luck.

4. Returns can be a pain. Most of the time when you buy online and then make a return, you’ll get money directly back to your debit account or credit card. When you use a virtual number, this can be a problem. If your temporary credit card number has expired before you make the return, you may have to accept a gift card or check instead. This can be frustrating, depending on the merchant and the reason for return.

5. There are other options available. Even though not all credit card companies offer virtual credit card numbers yet, there are other apps and tools available to do something similar. For instance, a product called MaskMe created disposable email addresses that can confuse spammers. Evolving services like Apply Pay also allow you to make payments without giving a merchant your actual credit card.

While virtual, or temporary, credit card numbers have their drawbacks, they can certainly serve a purpose. It’s important to think about your fraud risk, you potential for returns, and other possible issues with an online transaction. Then, you can best decide whether or not to create a virtual credit card number for your online purchase.

 

A Review of the U.S. Bank Cash+ Credit Card

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The U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature card could be an excellent option if you’re looking for an everyday use cash back card. It’s especially great if your spending doesn’t necessarily fit the traditional cash back categories. With this card, you can actually set your own bonus categories every quarter! Here’s what you need to know:

  • Earn 5% cash back on your first $2,000 of purchases in a quarter in two categories of your choice
  • Earn 2% cash back on one everyday spending category of your choice
  • Earn 1% cash back on everything else
  • Get a $25 Cash+ Bonus when you redeem $100 or more in a single redemption, up to once per year
  • No limit on total cash back earned
  • No minimum redemption for cash back
  • Zero fraud liability for unauthorized purchases
  • Automatic bill pay that lets you earn rewards faster
  • Travel accident insurance of at least $1,000,000 when you purchase tickets with your U.S. Bank Cash+ Card
  • Free Experian credit score for online banking customers
  • No annual fee
  • 0% APR for 6 months on balance transfers

Choosing Your Bonus Categories

The main pull of the U.S. Bank Cash+ card is that you get to choose your bonus categories – within certain limits. Other cash back cards tend to rotate their cash back categories based on seasonal norms. So, for instance, you might get a bonus in the spring at hardware and home decoration stores. But you don’t get to choose those categories.

U.S. Bank Cash Visa

With the Cash+, though, U.S. Bank gives you several categories to choose from each quarter, and you can choose two of them. You have to sign up for the card to get the full list of categories, but they include options like department stores, home improvement stores, hotels, airlines, charitable contributions, bill payments, restaurants, movie theaters, and more.

The Cash+ makes it easy for you to tailor your card’s best cash back bonuses to categories where you’re really going to spend that quarter. Of course, there are still limits, based on what each quarters possibilities are. But this is a good card to go with if other cash back cards’ rotating categories just don’t do it for you.

The Cons

Perhaps the biggest con with this card is that it requires excellent credit to get. It’s not the best cash back card to apply for if you don’t have a really great score. According to Credit Karma, only 18% of cardholders had a credit score of 651-700 when they applied. And a full 37% had a score of over 750 when they applied.

Also, keep in mind that the 5% cash back category is limited to $2,000 of spending on both your categories combined within that quarter. So if you choose home improvement stores and gas stations, for instance, and spend $1,500 at the first and $500 on the second in two months, you don’t get any more 5% bonuses that quarter – even if you keep swiping that card for gas and home improvement store purchases.

The Bottom Line

If you’re not a huge spender or the categories for other rotating-category cash back cards don’t fit you, the Cash+ is a great card to consider. An alternative to check out, though, would be the Chase Freedom®, which has an account opening bonus and a better 0% introductory APR offer.