Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card Review

The Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card is well worth it during the first year of card membership, mainly thanks to its large sign-up bonus. You’ll earn $1,000 bonus cash back after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, earn unlimited 2.5% total cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more and unlimited 2% cash back on all other business purchases.

But after the first year, the $195 annual fee substantially cuts into your earning potential. So unless you plan to spend enough to earn the 2.5% cash back rate, you’ll likely get more value from a $0-annual-fee cash back business credit card, like the Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card.

• Annual fee: $195
• Sign-up bonus: Earn $1,000 bonus cash back after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Rewards: Earn unlimited 2.5% total cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more and unlimited 2% cash back on all other business purchases.
• Regular purhase APR: Flex for Business Variable APR: 18.74% - 26.74%
• Foreign transaction fees: $0
• Other benefits: Purchase protection, extended warranty protection, cell phone protection, auto rental collision damage waiver, travel and emergency assistance services, roadside dispatch

• Generous cash back rate on every purchase

  With the Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card, you’ll earn unlimited 2.5% total cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more and unlimited 2% cash back on all other business purchases. For example, if you use your card to pay for a $10,000 business expense, you’ll get $250 back from that purchase.

  This makes a lot of sense if you regularly make purchases of $5,000 or more. But if not, there are similar business credit cards available with lower annual fees.

  The Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card also offers 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠ and 5% back on Lyft rides through March 2025 — which can be beneficial if you regularly travel for business.

• Valuable sign-up bonus

  The Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card offers one of the highest sign-up bonuses currently available from a business credit card: Earn $1,000 bonus cash back after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

  While it is possible to find a card with a more valuable sign-up bonus, be aware that the card will likely require a higher spend threshold to earn the bonus. For example, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus lets you earn $2000 Cash Back once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months. Earn an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year (see rates & fees).

• Robust travel and purchase benefits

  Like most Chase credit cards, the Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card comes with strong travel and shopping protections, including:

  • Auto rental collision damage waiver: Receive primary coverage against theft and collision damage for most cards in the U.S. and abroad when you decline the rental company’s collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card.
  • Travel and emergency assistance services: If an issue occurs while you’re away from home, you can contact the benefit administrator for legal and medical referrals or other travel and emergency assistance. (Note, you will be responsible for any costs associated with goods or services.)
  • Roadside dispatch: You can call 800-847-2869 anytime to dispatch help — including a tow, tire change and more — if you have a roadside emergency. (Note, you will be responsible for roadside service fees.)
  • Purchase protection: This covers new purchases against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account for 120 days.
  • Extended warranty protection: Eligible warranties of three years or less get an extra year of coverage added to the U.S. manufacturer’s warranty.

  Just know, this card doesn’t offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance. If you’re interested in that coverage, the Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card could be a better fit.

• Cell phone protection

  When you use your Ink Business Premier® Credit Card to pay your monthly cell phone bill, you’ll receive cell phone protection of up to $1,000 per claim against covered theft or damage. Coverage also applies to any employees listed on your cell phone bill.

  Note, however, that you are allowed a maximum of three claims in a 12-month period, with a $100 deductible per claim.

• High annual fee

  The Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card charges a $195 annual fee. This means you’d have to spend $9,750 at the 2% rewards rate to just cover the annual fee and actually start to net rewards.

  By contrast, you can get a card with a similar cash back rate that doesn’t require an annual fee. For example, The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card has no annual fee and lets you earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1% (see rates & fees). This allows you to net cash back right out of the gate.

• Can't pool rewards with other Chase credit cards

  While the Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card lets you earn a solid cash back rate on every purchase, it’s not a Chase Ultimate Rewards® card. That means, you can’t pool your points with other Chase cards.

  You’ll miss out on the value and flexibility of Ultimate Rewards points. You may be better off with one of the following business cards that do allow you to pool your points:

  • Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card
  • Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card
  • Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card

  Learn more about how to earn and redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards.

• Cannot transfer rewards to Chase travel partners

  Because the Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card isn’t an Ultimate Rewards card, you also can’t transfer points to Chase airline or hotel partners. This means your rewards will only be worth up to 1 cent each.

  By contrast, if you have a Chase credit card that allows you to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Chase travel partners, your points will be worth around 2 cents each*. Just know, only the following three cards offer this feature:

  • Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card
  • Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

  Learn more about Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partners.

• High spend requirement to earn bonus

  Although the Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card offers an extremely high sign-up bonus, it also requires cardholders to spend $10,000 in the first three months of card membership to earn it. That averages out to be approximately $3,333 spend per month for three months.

  If you want to earn a similar sign-up bonus with a lower spending requirement, you may want to consider the Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card. The $0-annual-fee card lets you earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

• Must pay some purchases in full each month

  The Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card is a pay-in-full card — meaning, you’ll have to pay your balance in full each month. The card does, however, offer the option to pay for eligible purchases over time, up to your Flex for Business limit (subject to a Flex for Business Variable APR: 18.74% - 26.74%).

Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card vs. Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card

Similar to the Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card, the Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card offers a lucrative sign-up bonus and elevated flat cash back rewards — although at a slightly lower amount. You’ll earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business.

Where this card stands out is its $0 annual fee and ability to pool points with eligible Chase credit cards. It also offers a 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 12 months; after that, a 17.74% - 23.74% Variable APR applies — which is ideal if you need to finance a large business expense.

Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card vs. Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card

If you spend heavily in specific business categories, like travel, shipping and social media advertising, you may be better off with a card that offers elevated rewards on those purchases, like the Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card. You’ll earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases-with no limit to the amount you can earn. Plus, earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

If you redeem your rewards for airfare, hotel stays, car rentals, activities or cruises through Chase Travel℠, they’ll be worth 25% more — boosting their value to 1.25 cents each. Additionally, the Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card is the only Chase business card that lets you transfer rewards to its travel partners — which can help boost their value even more.

Just know, there is a $95 annual fee, and the card doesn’t offer an interest-free period on purchases.

Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card vs. The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

If you don’t make a lot of large purchases and spend less than $50,000 per year, The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card may be a better option. That’s because it has no annual fee and lets you earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. If you max out the $50,000 spend cap, you’ll earn $1,000 on those purchases alone.

The card also offers a decent sign-up bonus for a low spend requirement: Earn a $250 statement credit after you make $3,000 in purchases on your Card in your first 3 months. And if you need to make a large purchase and pay it off over time, the card offers an intro APR of 0% on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening, then a 17.74% - 25.74% Variable APR.

The Ink Business Premier^® Credit Card is one of the most rewarding cards you’ll find for small businesses — if you spend a large amount on business purchases each month, that is. For example, to earn the sign-up bonus, you’ll need to spend $10,000 in the first three months of card membership. In addition, you can only earn the highest cash back rate on purchases of $5,000 or more. That said, the card does offer a solid cash back rate on all other purchases.

But if you don’t spend enough to justify the $195 annual fee, the Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card or The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card may be a better choice.