Chase resumes approving business card applications

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Chase business card applications

During the first 6 months (or so) of the pandemic, Chase stopped approving most business card applications.  Fortunately, it appears that Chase is once again approving them!  This includes those applying as a sole proprietor.  See this Doctor of Credit post (and the comments) for more details.

This is exciting because Chase consistently has great signup bonuses available for their business cards.  In fact, as I write this, Chase holds 6 of the 10 top spots on our Best Business Card Offers page.

You have to be under 5/24 to sign up for a Chase business card, but if you’re approved the new account won’t add to your 5/24 status.

Chase's 5/24 Rule: With most Chase credit cards, Chase will not approve your application if you have opened 5 or more cards with any bank in the past 24 months.

To determine your 5/24 status, see: 3 Easy Ways to Count Your 5/24 Status. The easiest option is to track all of your cards for free with Travel Freely.

Chase also happens to offer one of the best business cards for long term use: Chase Ink Business Cash.  This card has no annual fee, yet it earns 5X rewards at office supply stores (which often sell gift cards) and for phone service, internet, and cable TV.  Best of all, those rewards are in the form of Chase Ultimate Rewards points.  You can move those points to a premium Ultimate Rewards card (Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred) in order to get more value for your points.  See: Chase Ultimate Rewards Complete Guide.

Applying for Business Credit Cards

Yes, you have a business: In order to sign up for a business credit card, you must have a business. That said, it's common for people to have businesses without realizing it. If you sell items at a yard sale, or on eBay, for example, then you have a business. Similar examples include: consulting, writing (e.g. blog authorship, planning your first novel, etc.), handyman services, owning rental property, renting on airbnb, driving for Uber or Lyft, etc. In any of these cases, your business is considered a Sole Proprietorship unless you form a corporation of some sort.

When you apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor, you can use your own name as your business name, use your own address and phone as the business' address and phone, and your social security number as the business' Tax ID / EIN. Alternatively, you can get a proper Tax ID / EIN from the IRS for free, in about a minute, through this website.

Is it OK to use business cards for personal expenses? Anecdotally, almost everyone I know uses business cards for personal expenses. That said, the terms in most business card applications state that you should use the card only for business use. Also, some consumer credit card protections do not apply to business cards. My advice: don't use the card for personal expenses if you're not comfortable doing so.

See Also: How to Sign Up for Chase Ink Cards

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