Ink Business Cash® Credit Card Review (2026): Two $25,000 Caps Decide Whether It Pays

Chase runs three earn tiers, and the two capped ones operate independently.

| Category | Rate | Annual cap | | --- | --- | --- | | Office supply stores, plus internet, cable and phone services | 5% | First $25,000 in combined spend per account anniversary year | | Gas stations and restaurants | 2% | First $25,000 in combined spend per account anniversary year | | All other purchases | 1% | None |

Chase describes the top tier as 4% additional cash back layered on the 1% every purchase earns. Once $25,000 is spent in either group, that group reverts to 1% with no maximum, and the counter resets on your account anniversary. Lyft rides earn 5% total through September 30, 2027. Rewards are cash back tracked as points, with each $1 equal to 100 points, redeemable for cash, gift cards, travel and pay with points. Chase says only that redemption values may vary, so treat any dollar figure attached to a travel booking as an estimate rather than a term.

The current public offer is $1,000 cash back after $8,000 in purchases in the first 4 months from account opening. It is a single-tier bonus with no split milestone, and Chase pays it 6 to 8 weeks after you qualify. Chase is showing it against a struck-through $750 with a best-offer badge, so the $1,000 level is elevated and may not hold.

Eligibility is narrower than on the fee-carrying Ink cards. Chase's wording is that the bonus may not be available to you if you have ever had this card or any other Chase for Business card without an annual fee, and that it may also consider factors pertinent to your business. The Pricing and Terms separately note that cardmembers who have held a Chase credit card in the same rewards program may not be eligible for a second one in that program.

Auto rental coverage is the standout. Rent for business purposes and coverage is primary, reimbursing up to $60,000 for theft and collision damage on most vehicles with an MSRP of $125,000 or less. Purchase protection covers eligible new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft, up to $10,000 per item, with New York residents getting 90 days. Extended warranty protection adds one year to eligible U.S. manufacturer warranties of three years or less.

Two services are worth reading carefully. Travel and emergency assistance is a referral service: Chase connects you, you pay for whatever you use. Roadside assistance is dispatch only, with fees billed to the card. The card also carries a complimentary three-month Instacart+ membership that auto-renews at $99 a year, plus a $20 monthly Instacart credit into an Instacart Business Account once activated. Enrollment is required and those benefits end 12/31/27.

There is no annual fee and no employee card fee, so the running cost is interest and the foreign transaction fee. That fee is 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars, which makes the card a poor choice for anyone buying from overseas suppliers or traveling internationally.

Purchases carry 0% for the first 12 months, then 16.74%–24.74% variable, with cash advances at 28.49% and a default rate reaching 29.99%. Those figures are accurate as of 2/3/2026 against a 6.75% prime rate. Late and returned payments are $40 each. Balance transfers cost $5 or 5%, whichever is greater, and cash advances $15 or 5%, though Chase notes the account may not be eligible for balance transfers at all. The grace period is a minimum of 20 days after each billing cycle closes.

Get it if your overhead concentrates. A design studio with a $1,200 monthly internet and phone bill and a real office supply budget can fill a meaningful share of the 5% cap without changing how it buys anything. It also suits a business planning a first-year equipment push, since the 12 months of 0% on purchases and the $8,000 spend threshold for the bonus tend to line up naturally.

Skip it if your largest categories are payroll services, contractors, software billed direct or inventory, because all of that earns 1% here. Skip it if you buy abroad, where 3% erases the category advantage on the first purchase. And if you want travel insurance built into the card, this is the wrong Ink: there is no trip cancellation or interruption coverage and no cell phone protection.

**Are the $25,000 caps shared between the 5% and 2% categories?**

No. Each group has its own $25,000 annual limit. You can spend $25,000 at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone service, earn 5% on all of it, and still have a full $25,000 of 2% capacity for gas and restaurants. Chase's summary phrasing can read as though the two share a pool, but the Offer Details describe them separately.

**Does approval count against Chase's 5/24 limit?**

Chase does not publish a 5/24 rule anywhere, but secondary sources report it consistently in both directions: applicants generally need fewer than five new personal card accounts opened across all issuers in the past 24 months to be approved, and an approved Ink account does not itself add to that count because Chase business cards do not appear as a new account on a personal credit report. Treat that as reported behavior, not issuer policy.

**Do I need an incorporated business to apply?**

Chase does not require incorporation, but it does require that you be at least 18 (19 in Alabama and Nebraska), that the company be headquartered in the 50 states or D.C., and that you accept personal liability. The terms are explicit that you agree to be personally responsible, individually and jointly with the company, for all balances on the account.

This is a category card wearing a cash-back card's clothing. Fill the 5% bucket and the no-fee structure looks excellent, because $1,250 a year from one $25,000 cap is a real return on spending you were making anyway. Fall short of it, or spread your spend across categories Chase does not reward, and you are holding a 1% card with a 3% foreign transaction fee. Check your last twelve months of office supply and telecom invoices before you decide, since that single number answers the question.

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