Chase Ink Business Premier Card review: Big rewards on big expenses

The Ink Business Premier® Credit Card * The information for the Ink Business Premier® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. rewards high-spending business owners with industry-leading flat-rate rewards on purchases totaling $5,000 or more. The only potential catch is that it’s a charge card.

Chase Ink Business Premier basics

• Annual fee: $195.
• Welcome bonus: Earn $1,000 cash back after spending $10,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
• Rewards: Earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more, and 2% cash back on all other purchases.
• APR: Flex for Business Variable APR: 19.49% - 27.49%.
• Foreign transaction fees: $0.
• Other benefits: Employee cards at no additional cost, travel protections, auto rental collision travel waiver.
• Does the issuer offer a preapproval tool? No.
• Recommended credit score: Good to excellent.

About the Chase Ink Business Premier

The Chase Ink Business Premier card is for big spenders who can pay off their big bills at the end of every month. The good news with this card is it earns 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more, and 2% cash back on all other purchases. 

The potential snag with this card is that, unlike most Chase-issued business cards, it’s a charge card, meaning the entire balance must be paid in full each month. Although, some qualifying purchases can be paid out over time through the card’s Flex for Business program. Those “qualifying purchases” must meet an established dollar amount determined once you’re approved for the card. If you plan to occasionally revolve a balance, this card isn’t right for you.

There is a $195 annual fee for the Chase Ink Business Premier, but it does come with some solid benefits including primary auto rental damage coverage, cellphone insurance, purchase protection and extended warranty coverage. However, since it is technically a charge card, there are no 0% introductory APR offers for purchases or balance transfers.

The Chase Ink Business Premier’s welcome bonus can help offset large business expenditures: Earn $1,000 cash back after spending $10,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

Pros 

• Generous welcome bonus. 
• Primary car rental insurance. 
• Employee cards at no additional cost.
• Travel and trip protection coverage.
• No foreign transaction fees.

Cons

• $195 annual fee.
• Balance is due in full at the end of each billing statement period, except for qualifying purchases enrolled in the Flex for Business extended repayment program.
• No ability to combine points between participating Chase Ultimate Rewards cards or transfer points to Chase travel partners.
• Purchases of $5,000 or more required to qualify for the card’s elevated cash-back rate.

Chase Ink Business Premier rewards

The Chase Ink Business Premier card earns 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more, and 2% cash back on all other purchases.

Cash-back rewards are technically earned as points, with 100 points equaling $1 in cash back. You can redeem points for cash, gift cards, travel booked through Chase Travel℠ or for products or services offered by the card as well as shopping with points at Amazon.com and PayPal. 

Unfortunately, unlike other Chase Ink business cards, cardholders won’t be able to transfer their points to Chase Travel airline and hotel partners, nor can they combine their points with other Chase cards that participate in the Chase Ultimate Rewards program.

There is no cap on the amount of cash-back rewards earned with the Chase Ink Business Premier card — however, all purchases must be paid in full every billing cycle unless a purchase qualifies for the Flex for Business program, which allows payments to be spread out over time with interest.

The welcome bonus for new cardmembers is generous but comes with a high spending requirement, with a $1,000 cash back after spending $10,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. 

Chase Ink Business Premier rewards potential

To determine the rewards potential of the Chase Ink Business Premier card, we estimated what a sole proprietor or small business might spend on purchases in each of the card’s earning tiers. 

Our estimate is for a business with $50,000 in annual expenses that can be put on a credit card or charge card. Based on that estimate, we calculated the rewards potential for a small business using the Chase Ink Business Premier in the following spending scenario:

SPENDING CATEGORY	SPENDING AMOUNT	CASH-BACK RATE	CASH-BACK EARNED
Big purchases of $5,000 or more	$25,000	2.50%	$625
Travel	$5,000	5%	$250
Other	$20,000	2%	$400
TOTAL	$50,000		$1,275

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However, you’ll have to consider the $195 annual fee, which would lower the net amount earned in our example to $1,080. And, if you just want to evaluate the break-even point where you’d be recouping the amount of the annual fee through rewards, it’s at about the $10,000 spent mark. If you earn 2% cash back on $10,000 in purchases, that’s $200 in cash back. If you earn 2.5% cash back on $10,000 in purchases, that’s $250 in cash back. 

If your business has numerous expenses meeting or exceeding $5,000 every month, then the cash-back amount would increase accordingly as there are no caps on the amount you can earn. Points earned don’t expire as long as the account remains open and in good standing.

Other Chase Ink Business Premier benefits

The Chase Ink Business Premier is a Visa Signature card and comes with several valuable cardholder benefits, including:

• Employee cards at no additional cost. You can multiply your cash back by adding your employees as authorized users on the card. The primary cardholder or business is responsible for all purchases made on those cards.
• Extended warranty protection. For eligible purchases that have warranties of three years or less, the warranty protection extends it one year.
• Purchase protection. If damage or theft occurs on a new purchase within 120 days, the card covers that purchase up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
• Car rental collision damage waiver. This is primary coverage for theft or vehicle damage when the card is used to pay for the rental and you’re renting for business purposes.
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance and trip delay reimbursement. You are covered for up to $5,000 per person and up to $10,000 per trip for prepaid, non-refundable expenses if your travel plans are canceled due to severe weather or illness. Up to $500 for delays of more than 12 hours, or requiring an overnight stay, for covered hazards.
• Baggage delay insurance. Up to $100 reimbursement per day for up to five days for baggage delays of more than six hours.
• Travel and emergency assistance services. Assistance with legal, medical or travel emergencies, although actual costs for those services are paid by the cardholder.
• Cellphone protection. Up to $1,000 per theft or damage claim with a $100 deductible with a limit of three claims per year.
• Chase Business Online management tools. Set up account alerts, lock and unlock cards, expense tracking and view Flex balances.
• Fraud and zero liability protection. This protects you against unauthorized charges.

Chase Ink Business Premier APR 

The Chase Ink Business Premier card is a pay-in-full card, so any purchase made with the card must be paid in full by the due date for that billing cycle. However, for qualifying Flex for Business purchases, there’s a 19.49% to 27.49% variable APR.

The card does not offer an intro 0% APR for purchases or balance transfers. 

How the Chase Ink Business Premier compares to other rewards cards

Chase Ink Business Premier vs. Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

If your business doesn’t make large expenditures frequently enough to take advantage of the Chase Ink Business Premier’s elevated earning rate, you may want to look at the Chase Ink Business Cash. Plus, the Ink Business Cash is a traditional business credit card that allows revolving balances, providing more repayment flexibility.

The $0-annual-fee Ink Business Cash currently offers a welcome bonus of $350 after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening. You can also earn an elevated 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% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year, and 1% cash back on all other purchases. 

The Ink Business Cash also offers primary car rental insurance, roadside dispatch and travel and emergency assistance services, as well as an intro APR period on purchases.

Chase Ink Business Premier vs. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card * The information for the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The Chase Ink Business Preferred card tailors its rewards program to common business expenses for a much lower annual fee of $95 compared to the Ink Business Premier’s $195 annual fee. The Ink Business Preferred earns 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. 

This rewards structure might be more lucrative for smaller-spending businesses.

Plus, the Chase Ink Business Preferred has a nice welcome bonus of 120,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. Points earned on the Chase Ink Business Preferred can be transferred on a 1:1 basis to Chase’s airline and hotel loyalty programs. Additionally, points earned on the Chase Ink Business Preferred carry 25% more value when redeemed for travel through the Chase travel portal. 

And, perhaps most importantly, you can choose to carry a balance on the Chase Ink Business Preferred, which can occasionally be helpful.

Chase Ink Business Premier vs. The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card * The information for the The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Another small business card to consider is The American Express Blue Business Cash Card (terms apply). Not only does this card come with a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months, then a 18.49% to 26.49% variable APR, but you can also access Amex’s expanded buying power feature with this card, which allows cardholders to occasionally exceed their limit based on your use of the card, payment history and other financial factors.

There’s no annual fee and the card earns 2% cash back on all eligible purchases (automatically rewarded via statement credits), up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%.

However, be aware that the The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card * The information for the The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. doesn’t come with as many travel protections as the Chase Ink Business Premier and it also charges foreign transaction fees of 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.

Should you get the Chase Ink Business Premier?

The Chase Ink Business Premier also boasts solid travel protections, along with a generous rewards program for businesses that will make use of it: 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more, and 2% cash back on all other purchases.

If your business makes routine purchases of more than $5,000 a month that will qualify for the elevated cash-back rate and your business has the cash flow to pay off those purchases every month, then the Chase Ink Business Premier is a rewarding choice. 

While the card does charge a $195 annual fee, the rewards are not capped at a certain dollar amount, meaning that the sky’s the limit in how much cash back you could earn.

The biggest drawback is that it’s a charge card, meaning the entire balance must be paid in full every billing period, unless a qualified purchase is covered by the Flex for Business repayment plan. The issuer will establish what your credit limit is for Flex for Business purchases after your application is accepted.

Another potential downside is that points from this card can’t be combined with other Chase Ultimate Rewards cards, nor can the points be transferred to any of Chase’s airline and hotel travel partners.

Chase Ink Business Premier summary

CHASE INK BUSINESS PREMIER DETAILS
Annual fee	$195
Rewards	5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more, and 2% cash back on all other purchases
Regular APR	Flex for Business Variable APR: 19.49% - 27.49%
Welcome bonus offer	Earn $1,000 cash back after spending $10,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening
Foreign transaction fees	$0
Card benefits	Employee cards at no additional cost; trip cancellation/interruption insurance and trip delay reimbursement; baggage delay insurance; primary car rental collision damage waiver, travel and emergency assistance; business account expense management tools

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)