Like peanut butter and jelly or Bonnie and Clyde, some credit cards are just better together. Doubling up can give you more redemption options or bonus categories that complement each other.
Today, we’re diving into an iconic credit card pair: the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card and the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card.
Comparing the Ink Business Preferred and Ink Business Cash
| Benefit details | Ink Business Preferred | Ink Business Cash |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-up bonus | 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening. | $750 cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. |
| Annual fee | $95. | None. |
| Earning rates | 3 points per dollar spent on the first $150,000 spent each account anniversary year on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable and phone services and advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines.
1 point per dollar spent on everything else. |
5% cash back at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year.
2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year. 1% cash back on everything else. |
| Best redemption options | Transfer to partners at a 1:1 ratio (TPG values points at 2 cents each).
Chase travel portal (1.25 cents each). Cash back and gift cards (1 cent each). |
Chase travel portal, cash back and gift cards (1 cent each). |
| Standout benefits | Employee cards at no additional cost.
Extended warranty protection, purchase protection and cellphone protection. Trip cancellation/interruption insurance and auto rental collision damage waiver. |
Employee cards at no additional cost.
Extended warranty protection and purchase protection. Auto rental collision damage waiver. |
For more details, check out our full review of the Ink Business Cash Credit Card and the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card.
Related reading: The power of the Chase trifecta
Why pair the Ink Business Cash and the Ink Business Preferred cards
Seeing their perks listed side by side, you may already have realized why the Ink Business Cash Credit Card and the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card are a great pair, but let’s break it down.
Turn your cash-back into points
If you already have the Ink Business Cash, you can add redemption options and boost your redemption rates by adding Ink Business Preferred to your wallet. This is because cash-back rewards earned by the Ink Business Cash Card can be converted to Chase Ultimate Rewards points when you have a card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
By converting the cash-back rewards on your Ink Business Cash to Ultimate Rewards points on the Ink Business Preferred, you increase the rate at which you can redeem through the Chase travel portal from one cent per point to 1.25 cents per point. And you unlock 1:1 transfers to hotel and airline partners, such as Hyatt and United.
Related reading: How to maximize your Chase Ultimate Rewards points
Boost your earning on office supplies, internet and gas
If you already have the Ink Business Preferred, you can boost your Chase Ultimate Rewards earning rate without incurring additional annual fees by adding the no-annual-fee Ink Business Cash to your wallet.
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If your business doesn’t spend money at office supply stores or on internet, cable and phone services, and already earns more than a 4% return at gas stations and restaurants, the Ink Business Cash Card won’t be particularly useful. However, most businesses that already have the Ink Business Preferred Card will find that adding the Ink Business Cash Card to their wallet will increase their earnings.
Related reading: The best cards for each business credit card category
Alternatives
Add the Ink Business Unlimited: Many businesses with ample non-bonus-category spending may find it useful to also add the no-annual-fee Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card to their wallet to earn 1.5% cash-back rewards on every purchase (which can become 1.5 Ultimate Rewards points when paired with a card that earns Ultimate Rewards points).
Add a no-annual-fee personal card: It may make sense to add no-annual-fee Ultimate Rewards consumer cards such as the Chase Freedom Unlimited® or Chase Freedom Flex℠ to your wallet once you have the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card. This is especially true if you’ll use these cards for business expenses or don’t mind transferring rewards earned on your personal spending to your business card’s Ultimate Rewards account.
Skip the Ink Business Preferred Card: If you already have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you may choose to forgo the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card and just collect rewards earned on your Ink Business Cash Card in your personal card’s Ultimate Rewards account.
Consider Chase’s 5/24 rule: One final consideration is where you stand with Chase’s 5/24 rule. This rule means you generally won’t be approved for most Chase-issued cards if you’ve opened five or more personal credit cards across all banks in the last 24 months. Although you’re unlikely to be approved for most Chase-issued cards if you are over 5/24, Chase-issued business cards don’t count toward your 5/24 count. As a result, it’s generally best to open the Chase-issued business cards you want first before moving on to other cards.
Related reading: What to do after you reach 5/24
Bottom line
The Ink Business Preferred and the Ink Business Cash are strong enough alone to make our list of best business credit cards, but they’re even better when paired together. By holding both in your wallet, you can earn more points and have more valuable redemption options than you would with just one of them. Once you add this pair to your business card strategy, don’t be surprised if it becomes your new favorite duo.
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Related reading:
Apply here for the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card and the Ink Business Cash Credit Card
Additional reporting by Emily Thompson.
