16 Benefits and Perks of Ink Business Cash Credit Card [$1,475+ in Value]

The Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card is one of the best — if not the best — no annual fee business credit card on the market.

The card has a wide range of 5% and 2% cash-back categories and – when combined with a more premium Chase card — can turn earned cash-back into valuable Ultimate Rewards points. Although, keep in mind that you’re earnings are capped to your first $25,000 spent in combined purchases.

All of this in addition to being a 0 interest business credit card, plus purchase protection, rental car collision waivers, and extended warranty benefits that insure important business purchases from theft and loss.

While all of these features sound great on paper, there are a lot of great business credit cards on the market. This can make it tough to pick the right card for your business — especially without knowing the ins-and-outs of the card’s extensive list of benefits.

Here are all of the Ink Business Cash card’s benefits and assign them a cash value. Then, we’ll add all of these valuations up and give you our total valuation of the card and a quick summary.

You can use the information outlined in this article to decide if the Ink Business Cash card is right for you and your business spend. Just note that the valuations assigned in this article are based on moderate business spend and travel, so they could be worth more or less depending on how much you travel and how much your business spends.

Ink Business Cash: Points-Earning and Travel Benefits

Rewards earning is undoubtedly the most intriguing part of the Ink Business Cash card and in this section, you’ll find an overview of how to earn and redeem its points. Plus, we’ll walk you through the card’s limited set of travel benefits, too.

A Sizable Welcome Bonus

The Ink Business Cash card offers usually offers a sizable welcome bonus to new cardholders and is the first reason we like this Chase business credit card. In short, this is a lump-sum of cash-back that’s awarded after a new cardholder spends a certain amount of money on the card within a set amount of time from opening the card.

Here’s a look at the card’s current welcome bonus:

We recommend turning the cash-back earned with this card into Ultimate Rewards points if you can. As discussed earlier, doing this will give you much more as you can transfer points to the Chase travel partners.

Earn 5% and 2% Cash-Back on Select Purchases [$300+]

The Ink Business Cash has a 5%, 2%, 1% cash-back earning structure. This means that some purchases earn 5% cash-back, some earn 2%, and the rest earn 1%.

Obviously, the 5% cash-back categories are the most intriguing and lucrative. You’ll earn 5% cash-back on your first $25,000 (then 1%) in purchases in the following 2 categories:

• Office Supply Stores: This includes purchases from Staples, OfficeMax, and other office supply stores. Note that these stores now sell much more than office supplies, so you can maximize this category by buying computers, snacks, and other business purchases at office supply stores. Many office supply stores sell retail gift cards, too, so you can buy gift cards for stores you frequent and use them to cover other everyday business expenses.
• Internet, Cable, and Phone Services: This includes things like your internet bill, business cell phone charges, etc. Just note that it doesn’t cover hardware.

The card’s 2% cash-back categories can be lucrative, too. These categories are subject also limited to $25,000 in purchases per year and then earn 1% cash-back. Here’s a look at the categories:

• Gas Stations: You can use this on any gas station purchase, including food, beverages, car washes, and of course, gasoline. Just make sure the purchase is processed directly by the gas station and not any type of third-party mechanic.
• Restaurants: This includes everything from fine dining to fast food to coffee shops, so you can make client meetings and ordering food to the office even more rewarding.

As you’d expect, all other purchases earn 1% cash-back on the card with no cap. On top of this, cash-back earned with the Ink Business Cash card doesn’t expire as long as your account is open and in good standing, so there’s no rush to use the points you earn with the card.

We highly recommend maximizing the 5% categories if you can. This will help you rack up bonus cash-back quickly, so we value the card’s 5% and 2% bonus categories at $300 annually.

This is under the assumption that your business can earn at least $300 in cash-back per year and cashes it out for statement credit.

However, there are ways to make this benefit worth much more than our valuation. One easy way is to spend through the $25,000 limits for your 5% categories, giving you as much as $1,250 in cash-back.

Hot Tip: Ink cardholders receive access to the Chase Dining hub via Ultimate Rewards online. This new program offers benefits like exclusive Chase Cardmember tables, virtual dining experiences with top chefs, curated meals to-go, and the ability to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards Points for Tock app purchases through September 30, 2021.

Wide-Range of Redemption Options [$350+]

There are a few ways you can redeem the cash-back earned with your Ink Business Cash card. Here’s a look at all of the different options with their respective valuations.

Turn Cash-Back into Ultimate Rewards Points with a Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card or Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card [$300+]

By far the most lucrative way to redeem your Ink Business Cash card’s cash-back is by transferring the cash-back to Chase Sapphire Preferred card, Chase Sapphire Reserve^® card, or Ink Business Preferred card. Doing this turns your cash-back into full-blown Chase Ultimate Rewards points that can be transferred to a number of different airline and hotel partners.

These transfer partners include:

Airline Transfer Partners

Hotel Transfer Partners

Transferring points to these partners lets you score some incredible deals. You can stay in luxurious hotel suites by transferring to World of Hyatt, book ANA first class with Virgin Atlantic, or cheap tickets to Europe with Air France/KLM Flying Blue. In fact, we have a guide that shows you all of the best ways to redeem Ultimate Rewards points for maximum value.

This makes the Ink Business Cash card’s bonus earning rates even more valuable for those with Ultimate Rewards earning cards. If you max out the 5% back categories and transfer the cash-back to one of these cards, you’re looking at an incredible 125,000 Ultimate Rewards points.

We value this point haul at a whopping $2,437.50 based on our valuation of 1.95 cents per Ultimate Reward point.

But we get it: not all businesses will be able to max out these categories. So with that in mind, we value the ability to turn your Ink Business Cash card’s cash-back to Ultimate Rewards points conservatively at $300. Remember though, this can easily be worth more if you spend more on the card.

On the other hand, this benefit is worth $0 if you don’t have a Chase credit card that earns Ultimate Rewards points. So, you can disregard this benefit if you don’t have one of these credit cards.

Redeem For Statement Credit [N/A]

The classic way of redeeming your Ink Business Cash card’s cash-back is by simply requesting a statement credit. This will apply your earned points directly to your bill, effectively giving you a discount on your bill.

We’re not going to assign a value to this benefit as it’s standard for any cash-back business credit card.

Spend Points on Amazon [$0]

Further, you can link your Ink Business Cash card to pay for Amazon purchases using cash-back in your account. However, this isn’t something we recommend doing.

This is because you’ll get a measly $0.8 per 1% cash-back in value when using your points on Amazon purchases, so you’re better off redeeming for a statement credit. Because of this, we give the benefit a $0 valuation for the purposes of this article. 

Book Through the Chase Travel Portal [$50]

You can use your cash-back to book travel through the Chase Travel Portal. This portal is powered by Expedia, and you can use it to book just about any hotel, flight, or rental car that’s available on the standard Expedia website.

You can choose to use your cash-back to cover all or part of a travel reservation, so if you don’t have enough cash-back to cover an entire booking, you can pay the excess with your card.

Note that you can actually get a better deal on this if you transfer your cash-back to a premium Chase Ultimate Rewards card. The Ink Business Preferred card and Chase Sapphire Preferred card will let you redeem Ultimate Rewards at 1.25 cents per point towards paid travel, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card will let you redeem at 1.5 cents per point.

Remember, cash-back transfers to these cards at a rate of $0.01 to 1 Ultimate Reward point.

We value this benefit at $50, but only if you have a premium Ultimate Rewards card that you can use to increase the value of your travel redemptions.

Otherwise, this benefit is worth $0 as you’ll get the same value as simply booking travel on your own and requesting a statement credit to cover the cost.

Redeem for Gift Cards [$0]

Likewise, you can use your cash-back to purchase gift cards through the rewards portal. However, there’s no real benefit to doing this — you’ll get the same value as if you simply requested cash-back. So with this in mind, we value this redemption option at $0.

Purchase Apple Products [$0]

Finally, you can use your cash-back to purchase Apple products directly from Chase with the cash-back in your account.

You’ll pay full Apple retail price for these products, so you’d be better off purchasing the product from Apple or a reseller and requesting cash-back to cover the purchase. This means that the Apple product redemption option gets another $0 valuation.

Hot Tip: Considering an Apple purchase and requesting a statement credit? Make sure to go through a shopping portal to earn extra cash-back, airline miles, or hotel points with your purchase.

No Annual Fee [$75]

One of the biggest upsides to getting an Ink Business Cash card is that the card has no annual fee for the life of the account. This means that so long as you pay down your card on-time and in full each month, you’ll never pay any type of fee for using your Ink Business Cash card.

Other competing business credit cards have annual fees between $49 and $95, so we’ll value this benefit at $75 per year.

Free Employee Cards [$75+]

Likewise, you can add unlimited employee cards to your Ink Business Cash card for free. This lets you consolidate expenses and earn rewards on your employee’s purchases, making business purchasing easier (and cheaper) than ever.

Plus, you can use Chase’s online dashboard to track your employee’s spending in real-time, giving you peace of mind when employees are on the road or making purchases for a client.

Like no annual fee, we value this benefit at $75 per year. However, the value of this benefit can be much higher if you have lots of employees, or worth $0 if you’re a freelancer or run a sole proprietorship that has no additional employees.

Rental Car Collision Damage Waiver [$150]

All rental cars paid with the Ink Business Cash card are eligible for a primary rental car collision waiver. This means that Chase will reimburse you for charges incurred as a result of damage to (or theft of) a rental car when it’s in your possession.

Just note that a few conditions must be met in order for Chase to pay out on your reimbursement claim. These include:

• You have to pay for the rental with your card.
• You have to decline the collision damage waiver offered by your rental car company.
• You must be renting for business purposes.
• You’re not renting in Ireland, Israel, or Jamaica as coverage isn’t valid in these countries.
• You’re not renting off-road vehicles, sports cars, or trucks; these types of vehicles aren’t eligible for coverage, so check with Chase if you’re unsure if your rental is eligible.

Further, note that this coverage does not pay out for damage to other driver’s cars or injuries. It simply covers damage that you incur to the vehicle itself, so make sure to either bring proof of car insurance or purchase car insurance from the rental car company when you rent a car using your Ink Business Cash card.

We value this benefit at $150 because it can save you a lot of money if you usually pay for the collision damage waiver offered by the rental company.

Further — since the waiver pays for up to the value of the car — it can potentially save you thousands of dollars if you ever get into a wreck or have a rental car stolen while it’s in your possession.

Avis Corporate Rewards [$75]

Continuing on the topic of rental cars, Chase has partnered with rental car company Avis to provide exclusive savings and elite status-like benefits to Ink Business Cash cardholders. After connecting your card account with Avis, you can take advantage of the following benefits:

• Exclusive discount offers for Avis Rentals.
• 1 rental reward day for every 7 qualifying days rented; this is 2x as fast as regular Avis members.
• Rentals are eligible for a complimentary 1-car-class upgrade on your rental (if available).
• Discounts on GPS rentals.

Connecting your card is simple: head to Chase’s website and click the Access Ink Insider button under the Avis header. Once connected, Avis will provide you with an Avis Worldwide discount number to use when making rentals. Enter this number when you make a reservation and you’ll receive exclusive discounts on your rentals and all of the other benefits listed above.

We value this benefit at $75, but it can be worth a lot more if you frequently rent cars from Avis. Regardless, always make sure to price-compare Avis rental prices with other rental companies for the best deal.

Roadside Dispatch [$25]

The Ink Business Cash card includes access to a roadside dispatch hotline.

This service is available 24 hours a day, and Chase’s team can get you in touch with companies that provide towing, jumpstarting, tire changing, lockout service, winching, gas delivery, and more. The fees for specific roadside services are provided when you call, and if accepted, will be billed to your Ink Business Cash card account.

We value this benefit modestly at $25. You’re unlikely to ever have to use the benefit, and it will cost you when you do. Regardless though, the benefit can provide peace of mind when driving for work or pleasure.

Travel and Emergency Assistance Services [$25]

Likewise, the Ink Business Cash card gives you access to a travel and emergency assistance hotline. This benefit provides access to legal and medical referrals as well as other types of travel and emergency assistance.

Again, you’re responsible for paying for the cost of any goods or services provided by the companies or individuals that Chase connects you with, but having a number to call to get these referrals undoubtedly provides peace of mind.

Like the roadside dispatch benefit, we value access to travel and emergency assistance services at $25.

Ink Business Cash Card Purchase Protection Benefits

Now that you know the points and travel benefits, let’s take a look at the Ink Business Cash card’s purchase protection benefits. These benefits provide financial assistance if you break, lose, or otherwise incur damage to equipment purchases. This provides peace of mind and can save you thousands of dollars depending on what your business purchases to get the job done.

Extended Warranty Protection [$200]

You’ll never need to purchase an extended warranty again when you have an Ink Business Cash card.

This is because all purchases made with your card receive an additional year of warranty on top of the product’s standard warranty. The warranty is backed by Chase, and you can open a warranty claim by simply calling the number on the back of your credit card.

Nearly all purchases are eligible for this extended warranty, but there are a few things to keep in mind. The first is that the product’s original warranty must be 3 years or less — products with longer standard warranties aren’t eligible. Further, items purchased for resale, medical equipment, software, and used/pre-owned items are also not eligible for extended warranty protection from Chase.

This benefit covers up to $10,000 per warranty claim with up to $50,000 in claims per account. Plus, your Ink Business Cash card must be open and in good standing in order to claim this benefit.

This benefit can save you some serious money, especially if you need to fix things like cameras, high-end computers, or construction equipment. With that in mind, we value this benefit at $200, but it can be worth much more if you max out the $50,000 in claims.

Purchase Protection [$200]

All purchases you make with your Ink Business Cash card are protected from damage and theft for the first 120 days of ownership. So if you buy a new laptop for an employee and the screen cracks a month after purchase, Chase will reimburse you for the laptop’s repair or replacement — just call the number on the back of your card to file a claim.

This coverage is capped at $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per card account. With that in mind, we value this benefit at $200 as you’re not likely to use it often. But when you do use it, it can save you thousands of dollars, so make sure to make all big-ticket business purchases with your Ink Business Cash card.

Final Thoughts

All in all, we value the card’s benefits at a total of $1,475 if you have another Chase Ultimate Rewards card to transfer the cash-back to; otherwise, we value the card at $1,125 if you don’t. Note that both of these valuations do not include the card’s hefty welcome bonus.

With all of this in mind, we think that the Ink Business Cash card is one of the most powerful business credit cards on the market. The card’s 5% and 2% bonus earning categories let you earn thousands of dollars in additional cash-back per year, and the ability to turn cash-back to Ultimate Rewards points with other Chase cards means that you can score lots of free travel by making everyday business purchases.

However, the card has some downsides, too. For example, the card charges a 3% foreign transaction fee. If you bought a $1,000 piece of equipment that’s charged in euros, you’d pay $1,030 with no benefit to you.

Still not sure if the Ink Business Cash card is right for your business? Check out our complete guide to Chase Ink benefits and bonus categories where we take a look at all 3 variants of the Chase Ink credit cards and compare their rewards earning side-by-side. Use this guide to find which Ink Business card will help your business earn the most cash-back or Ultimate Rewards points on business purchases.