Both Chase Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited carry no annual fee and earn Ultimate Rewards — the split is how they reward spend: Ink Cash pays elevated rewards in select business categories (with a cap), while Ink Unlimited pays a flat rate on every purchase. Pick Ink Cash if your spend concentrates in its bonus categories; pick Ink Unlimited if you want one simple rate everywhere.
Chase
5% on office supplies and telecom up to $25K combined.
Pros
Chase
Flat 1.5% cash back, no annual fee, 12-month 0% intro APR.
Pros
Per-spec leads computed from published specs — no single overall winner. Reviewed 2026-07-14.
| Spec | Chase Ink Business Cash | Chase Ink Business Unlimited |
|---|---|---|
| Starting APR | ◈ 0% | 1.5% |
| Origination fee | $0 | $0 |
| Best for | Office-based SMBs with heavy spend on supplies, internet, cable, or phone. | Service businesses, freelancers, consultants — one card for everything, no categories to track. |
◈ marks the stronger option for that row.
Pick Chase Ink Business Cash if: Office-based SMBs with heavy spend on supplies, internet, cable, or phone.
Pick Chase Ink Business Unlimited if: Service businesses, freelancers, consultants — one card for everything, no categories to track.
Find your card type — 60-second quiz →
See all picks, methodology, and side-by-side comparison in Best Business Credit Cards.
Ink Business Cash earns 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent per year at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services; 2% on the first $25,000 at gas stations and restaurants; and 1% on everything else. Ink Business Unlimited skips category tracking entirely and earns 1.5% on all purchases with no cap. (Source: Chase.com product disclosures.)
Neither card transfers points to travel partners on its own. Both earn Chase Ultimate Rewards as cash back. However, if you also hold a premium Chase UR card — such as the Ink Business Preferred, Sapphire Preferred, or Sapphire Reserve — you can pool points and unlock transfers to United, Southwest, Hyatt, and other Chase partners. Standalone, both cards are cash-back products only. (Source: Chase Ultimate Rewards program terms.)
No. Both Chase Ink Business Cash and Chase Ink Business Unlimited carry no annual fee. The main difference is reward structure: Cash pays category-specific rates (5%/2%/1% with caps), while Unlimited pays a flat 1.5% on everything uncapped. Both require a personal guarantee and a credit check at application. (Source: Chase.com.)
Yes. Both Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited allow you to add employee cards at no additional annual fee. Employee card spend earns rewards on the same structure as the primary card, and both cards let you set individual spending limits per employee card through Chase's online banking portal. (Source: Chase.com.)
Both Ink Cash and Ink Unlimited include purchase protection (up to 120 days against damage or theft, up to $10,000 per claim), extended warranty protection (adds 1 year to eligible U.S. manufacturer warranties of 3 years or less), and auto rental collision damage waiver as secondary coverage. Neither card includes travel insurance, trip delay, or baggage coverage — for those protections, Chase Ink Business Preferred is the option within the Ink lineup. (Source: Chase card benefit guides.)
Yes — both cards charge a 3% foreign transaction fee on purchases made outside the United States. Neither is designed for international business travel or frequent purchases from foreign vendors. If your business has significant international spend, Chase Ink Business Preferred (no foreign transaction fee) or another travel-oriented business card would be more appropriate. (Source: Chase.com.)
Both Chase Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited typically offer welcome bonuses for new cardmembers who meet a minimum spending threshold within the first three months of account opening. Welcome bonus amounts and spend requirements change frequently — check Chase.com for the current offer on each card before applying. Both cards' welcome bonuses are earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards, redeemable as cash back or, if pooled with a premium UR card, transferable to airline and hotel partners. (Source: Chase.com — current cardmember offer.)
Chase's 5/24 rule means Chase will typically decline new card applications if you've opened 5 or more personal credit cards (across all issuers) in the past 24 months. Ink business cards generally do not report to personal credit bureaus and therefore do not add to your 5/24 count once approved — but you still need to be under the 5/24 threshold to be approved in the first place. Being over 5/24 blocks approval, but once approved, Ink business cards don't accelerate your count. (Source: Chase.com; documented in Chase application eligibility terms.)
Yes — Chase generally allows holding multiple Ink business cards simultaneously. A common pairing strategy is using Ink Business Cash for its 5%/2% bonus categories and Ink Business Unlimited as a 1.5% flat catch-all for everything else. Points from both cards can be pooled if you hold a premium Chase UR card, maximizing the combined portfolio. Chase evaluates your total credit exposure when you apply for a second card; approval is not guaranteed if you already carry a high limit across existing Chase accounts. (Source: Chase.com.)
Chase does not publish a guaranteed minimum credit score for Ink business cards, but approval typically requires good to excellent personal credit — generally a FICO score of 680 or higher, with stronger profiles (700+) seeing better approval odds and credit limit offers. Chase also evaluates personal income, existing Chase card exposure, and business revenue. Chase offers pre-qualification for some cards at Chase.com using a soft inquiry that doesn't affect your score. (Source: Chase.com — see eligibility information on each card's product page.)
Independent editorial comparison. ClearValue Lending is not the issuer of any product compared here; affiliate links may pay a referral commission at no cost to you — selection is independent of compensation.