These are two different jobs in the Ink lineup: Ink Business Preferred carries an annual fee but unlocks travel redemptions and point transfers to airline/hotel partners, while Ink Business Cash has no annual fee and is built for straightforward category cashback. Choose Preferred if you'll use the travel/transfer value; choose Cash if you want rewards with zero annual fee.
Chase
3X points on travel, shipping, telecom, and online advertising.
Pros
Chase
5% on office supplies and telecom up to $25K combined.
Pros
Per-spec leads computed from published specs — no single overall winner. Reviewed 2026-07-14.
| Spec | Chase Ink Business Preferred | Chase Ink Business Cash |
|---|---|---|
| Origination fee | $95 | ◈ $0 |
| Best for | E-commerce + ad-heavy SMBs with $50K+ combined spend across those four categories. | Office-based SMBs with heavy spend on supplies, internet, cable, or phone. |
◈ marks the stronger option for that row.
Pick Chase Ink Business Preferred if: E-commerce + ad-heavy SMBs with $50K+ combined spend across those four categories.
Pick Chase Ink Business Cash if: Office-based SMBs with heavy spend on supplies, internet, cable, or phone.
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See all picks, methodology, and side-by-side comparison in Best Business Credit Cards.
Chase Ink Business Preferred charges a $95 annual fee. Chase Ink Business Cash has no annual fee. The Preferred fee is generally justified by the card's travel redemption bonus (25% extra value when booking through Chase Travel) and the ability to transfer points at a 1:1 ratio to airline and hotel partners — features not available with the Cash card. (Source: Chase.com product terms.)
Only Ink Business Preferred supports direct point transfers to Chase Ultimate Rewards travel partners, including United Airlines, Southwest, Air Canada Aeroplan, Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, and others. Ink Business Cash earns Ultimate Rewards as cash back but cannot transfer to partners on its own; it can only unlock transfers if you pool points with a premium UR card you also hold. (Source: Chase Ultimate Rewards program terms.)
Ink Business Preferred earns 3x points on the first $150,000 per year on combined travel, shipping purchases, internet/cable/phone services, and online advertising with social media sites and search engines. Ink Business Cash earns 5% cash back on the first $25,000 at office supply stores and internet/cable/phone, and 2% on the first $25,000 at gas stations and restaurants. The Preferred cap is higher and skews toward travel and advertising spend; Cash is better for office and telecom concentration. (Source: Chase.com.)
Yes. Ink Business Preferred provides up to $600 per claim in cell phone protection against covered theft or damage when you pay your monthly wireless bill with the card (subject to a $100 deductible, maximum 3 claims per 12-month period). Ink Business Cash does not include this benefit. For businesses that pay employee phone bills on the card, this protection is a meaningful differentiator within the Ink lineup. (Source: Chase Ink Preferred benefit guides.)
Ink Business Preferred has no foreign transaction fee — making it appropriate for international business travel or purchases from overseas vendors. Ink Business Cash charges a 3% foreign transaction fee on purchases made outside the U.S. This is one reason businesses with significant international spend often choose Ink Preferred despite its $95 annual fee. (Source: Chase.com.)
Yes. Ink Business Preferred includes trip cancellation and interruption insurance (up to $5,000 per trip for covered losses), trip delay reimbursement (up to $500 per ticket after 12-hour delays), and lost or damaged luggage reimbursement. Ink Business Cash does not include travel insurance. For businesses that book employee travel on a card and want a safety net against cancellations or delays, Ink Preferred's travel protections add meaningful value beyond the points program. (Source: Chase Ink Preferred benefit guides.)
Both Chase Ink Business Preferred and Ink Business Cash offer welcome bonuses for new cardmembers who meet a minimum spend threshold within the first three months. Ink Business Preferred historically offers one of the largest welcome bonuses in the Chase Ink lineup, reflecting its higher annual fee tier. Check Chase.com for the current offer on each card — bonus amounts and spend thresholds change, and limited-time elevated offers appear periodically. (Source: Chase.com — current cardmember offer.)
Chase's 5/24 rule requires that you have fewer than 5 new personal credit cards (across all issuers) opened in the past 24 months to be approved for most Chase cards. Ink business cards generally do not report to personal credit bureaus — so they typically do not add to your 5/24 count once approved. However, you still need to be under the 5/24 threshold when you apply; being over 5/24 blocks approval even for business cards. (Source: Chase.com; documented in Chase application eligibility requirements.)
Yes — Chase generally permits holding multiple Ink business cards simultaneously. A common pairing strategy is using Ink Business Preferred for travel, advertising, and shipping spend (3x on the first $150,000 per year) while using Ink Business Cash for office supply and phone spend (5% on the first $25,000 per year). Points from both cards can be pooled through Ink Preferred's transfer capability. Chase evaluates overall credit exposure when you apply for an additional card. (Source: Chase.com.)
Chase does not guarantee a specific credit limit for either card — limits are assigned at approval based on business revenue, personal income, credit profile, and existing Chase exposure. Ink Business Preferred cardholders commonly report higher starting limits reflecting the card's premium tier, though this is not guaranteed. If you receive a lower limit than needed, Chase allows credit line increase requests after demonstrating responsible use over several months. (Source: Chase.com — credit limit details provided in the card agreement at approval.)
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.