Some of the best credit card welcome offers also happen to come from some of the best point-earning cards around: the Chase Business cards. These include the Sapphire Reserve for Business®, Ink Business Preferred®, Ink Business Cash®, and Ink Business Unlimited®.
You have to have a business to apply for any of these cards, but you might be surprised by how many of the things you may already do that count as businesses. This post explains why points earned from these cards are valuable, how to know if you have an eligible business, how to fill out a business card application, and tips for getting approved.
Watch the Video
If you prefer watching an online guide to applying for Chase Ink and Sapphire Business cards, check this out:
There are multiple Chase business cards
Chase offers five different Ultimate Rewards-earning Business cards: Sapphire Reserve for Business, Ink Business Preferred, Ink Business Cash, Ink Business Unlimited, and Ink Business Premier. Here’s a brief intro to each card:
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
 ⓘ $0 1st Yr Value EstimateClick to learn about first year value estimates None Non-Affiliate This card is no longer available$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95 Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. Earning rate: 5X office supplies, 5X cellular/landline/cable ✦ 2X gas and hotels ✦ 5X Lyft through September 2027 Card Info: Visa Signature Business issued by Chase. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Noteworthy perks: Points worth 25% more when redeemed for travel ✦ Transfer points to airline & hotel partners See also: Chase Ultimate Rewards Complete Guide |
 ⓘ $1372 1st Yr Value EstimateClick to learn about first year value estimates $1,000 cash back* ⓘAffiliateThis is an affiliate offer. Frequent Miler may earn a commission if you are approved for this offer Earn FM Mini Review: This one should be in everyone's wallet. Incredible welcome offer for a no-annual-fee card. Great card for 5X categories. Excellent companion card to Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Preferred, or Ink Business Preferred. Click here for our complete card review Earning rate: 5X office supplies and cellular/landline/cable (on up to $25,000 in total purchases in 5X categories annually) ✦ 2X on the first $25K in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each cardmember year ✦ 5x Lyft through September 2027 Card Info: Visa Signature Business issued by Chase. This card imposes foreign transaction fees. Noteworthy perks: Complimentary Instacart+ for 3 months (must activate by 12/31/27) ✦ $20 monthly Instacart credit See also: Chase Ultimate Rewards Complete Guide |
 ⓘ $1277 1st Yr Value EstimateClick to learn about first year value estimates 100K points ⓘAffiliateThis is an affiliate offer. Frequent Miler may earn a commission if you are approved for this offer 100K after $8K spend in the first 3 months$95 Annual Fee Recent better offer: 120K after $8K spend (expired 9/4/24) FM Mini Review: Great card for welcome offer and 3X categories. Also consider the Ink Business Cash for its 5X categories, and the Ink Business Unlimited to earn 1.5X everywhere. Note that the transfer ratio from Chase Ultimate Rewards to World of Hyatt is 4:3 for cardholders who apply on or after 6/15/25 (and it becomes 4:3 on October 1, 2026 for those who applied before 6/15/26). Earning rate: 3X travel, shipping, internet, cable, phone, and advertising with social media sites (up to $150K spend per year) ✦ 5X Lyft through September 2027 Card Info: Visa Signature Business issued by Chase. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Noteworthy perks: Points worth up to 75% more when redeemed for travel with Points Boosts ✦ Transfer points to airline & hotel partners ✦ Cell phone protection against theft or damage See also: Chase Ultimate Rewards Complete Guide |
 ⓘ $1432 1st Yr Value EstimateClick to learn about first year value estimates $1,000 cash back* ⓘAffiliateThis is an affiliate offer. Frequent Miler may earn a commission if you are approved for this offer Earn FM Mini Review: Great welcome offer for a no annual fee card. Good option for earning 1.5X everywhere. Good companion card to Ink Business Preferred, Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Preferred. Click here for our complete card review Earning rate: 1.5X on all business purchases ✦ 5X Lyft through September 2027 Base: 1.5X (2.25%) Card Info: Visa Signature Business issued by Chase. This card imposes foreign transaction fees. Noteworthy perks: Complimentary Instacart+ for 3 months (must activate by 12/31/27) ✦ $20 monthly Instacart credit See also: Chase Ultimate Rewards Complete Guide |
 ⓘ $2185 1st Yr Value Estimate$300 travel credit valued at $285, $500 Chase The Edit credit (2x per calendar year) valued at $125, $100 GiftCards.com credit ($50 Jan-Jun and again Jul-Dec for cards purchased from https://reservebusiness.giftcards.com/) valued at $50 Click to learn about first year value estimates 200K points ⓘAffiliateThis is an affiliate offer. Frequent Miler may earn a commission if you are approved for this offer 200K points after $30K spend in first 6 months.$795 Annual Fee Recent better offer: None FM Mini Review: Could be very appealing for a business that books a lot of travel, as it earns 8x through Chase Travel℠ or 4x when booking direct through airline and hotels. It has decent perks, best-in-class travel protections, and earns valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Best when paired with no annual fee Chase Freedom Flex, Freedom Unlimited & Chase Ink Cash cards Earning rate: 8X Chase Travel℠ ✦ 4X flights and hotels booked direct ✦ 3X social media and search engine advertising ✦ 5X Lyft (through September 2027) Card Info: Visa Infinite issued by Chase. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Big spend bonus: After spending $120,000 each calendar year, get the following benefits: IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite Status ✦ World of Hyatt Explorist Status ✦ Southwest Airlines A-List Status ✦ $500 Southwest Airlines credit when booked through Chase Travel ✦ $500 credit to The Shops at Chase Noteworthy perks: $300 Annual Travel Credit ✦ Up to $500 The Edit credit ($250 twice per calendar year) ✦ Up to $400 ZipRecruiter credit ($200 January to June and again July to December) ✦ $200 Google Workspace credit ✦ $100 Giftcards.com ($50 January to June and again July to December for purchases at giftcards.com/reservebusiness) ✦ Points worth up to 2 cents each towards qualified bookings through Chase Travel(SM) ✦ Transfer points to airline & hotel partners ✦ Primary auto rental coverage ✦ Priority Pass Select lounge access ✦ Access Sapphire Lounges for yourself and 2 guests for free ✦ Access select Air Canada Maple Leaf lounges when flying Star Alliance ✦ Up to $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Application Fee Statement Credit ✦ IHG One Rewards Platinum status through 12/31/27 ✦ Free DoorDash DashPass through 2027 ✦ Two promos of $10 off each month on non-restaurant orders from DoorDash ✦ $5 off restaurant order each month from DoorDash ✦ $10 monthly Lyft credit See also: Chase Ultimate Rewards Complete Guide |
Each one offers valuable rewards
Even though the Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited cards are advertised as cash back cards, they actually earn Ultimate Rewards points. For example, $750 in “cash back” is really 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points that can be redeemed for $750 in cash back. Similarly, $900 in “cash back” is really 90,000 Ultimate Rewards points that can be redeemed for $900 in cash back.
The Ink Business Preferred Card is great for its 3X categories. The Ink Business Cash is awesome for its 5X categories. And the Ink Business Unlimited is a good choice to use as your “everywhere else” card, thanks to earning 1.5X everywhere. The Sapphire Reserve for Business is undoubtedly the blingiest card and is loaded with coupons and credits, which may or may not make it worth the annual fee.
The Ink Business Premier is unfortunately different from the rest. This one doesn’t allow points to be transferred to other Chase cards or to partners. As a result, it is only good for cash back.
You must have a business (and you probably do)
These are all small business credit cards. You must have a business to apply. That said, almost everyone does something that can be legitimately considered a business. Legitimate businesses include selling items on eBay or at yard sales, being an aspiring musician or author, owning rental property, and driving for Uber or Lyft. The list is endless.
More:
You must have a business (but you probably do): In order to apply 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.
Watch out for 5/24
To determine your 5/24 status, see: Easy ways to count your 5/24 status. The easiest option is to track all of your cards for free with Travel Freely.
All Ink cards are subject to the 5/24 rule. This means you probably won’t be approved if you’ve opened 5 or more cards with any bank in the past 24 months. Fortunately, the Ink cards do not count toward your 5/24 limit. That is, if you are approved, they will not hurt your chances of future approvals due to 5/24.
How to apply for Chase business cards
Here are example answers for the business part of the application:
Keep records of your answers
In some cases Chase will ask to speak with you before approving your application. In those cases, they are likely to ask some of the same questions (annual business revenue, number of years in business, total gross income, etc.). Ideally you'll answer the same as you did on the application.
Check Application Status
After submitting your application, you can check status by calling the automated status line: (888) 338-2586
How to improve your chances of success
The following tips may help with approval, but none are required:
- Sign up for a Chase business checking account
- Use an EIN instead of your SSN when entering your Business Tax ID on the application
- Don’t call if your application goes to pending
- Do call if your application is denied
Below you’ll find more info about each of the above suggestions:
Sign up for a Chase business checking account
Business checking accounts must be opened in-branch. At the end of the process, you are likely to receive pre-approved offers for business cards. Go for it. While pre-approval doesn’t guarantee final approval, in this case, it makes final approval very likely.
Make sure to be prepared with the necessary documentation and identification. Chase has a checklist here for sole proprietorships. You’ll see that you may need an Assumed Name Certificate, often referred to as a DBA (Doing Business As). Usually, you can get the certificate by registering your business name with either your local or state government for a small fee.
Use an EIN instead of your SSN as the business Tax Identification Number
To apply for a business credit card, you’ll need a business Tax Identification Number. Sole Proprietors can use their Social Security number as the business’s tax ID or their company’s EIN. While either will work, it can’t hurt to have an EIN and may help give your business more credibility. You can sign up for an EIN, for free, from the IRS: Apply-for-an-Employer-Identification-Number-(EIN)-Online.
Do not call if your application goes to pending
When applications go pending, people often find they are approved without a call. When people do call, they may get tough analysts who deny the application.
The approval process goes through up to 3 “gates”:
- Instant Approval (this can be rare with business cards)
- Automatic Approval, sent by mail (may take several weeks)
- Analyst Phone Approval
If you’re not instantly approved, then calling bypasses gate 2 and may reduce your overall chance of approval. Instead, I recommend waiting to get a letter in the mail. Hopefully, it will say “congratulations”.
Of course, if Chase contacts you asking for more information, you absolutely should talk to them on the phone. In some cases, they’ll need more information about you or your business before your application can proceed to the next review stage.
Call if you are denied (and call again)
If your application is denied outright (either instantly or by mail), call Chase’s business reconsideration number, which is open Monday through Friday during business hours. There are many cases where analysts have overturned denials over the phone. Up-to-date reconsideration phone numbers are available here.
The analyst will likely ask many questions. Make sure your answers match your application. Also, if you have multiple Chase business cards, make sure to let the analyst know that you don’t need Chase to extend you more credit. Tell them that you are willing to move available credit from another card or to cancel another card if necessary. Be prepared to answer financial questions about your business. Be prepared to answer questions about why you want the card and how you expect to use it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with saying that you were attracted by the welcome bonus and by the 5X spend categories (for example).
If the analyst doesn’t approve your application, call again. Many people have had luck simply calling a few times until they reached an analyst willing to take a chance on their business.
More Chase Application Tips
- 5/24 Rule: You are unlikely to be approved for a new card if you have opened 5 or more cards (with any bank) within the past 24 months. Most business cards do not count towards that five-card total. Business cards that DO count include: TD Bank, Discover, and the Capital One Spark Cash Select, Spark Miles, and Spark Miles Select.
- 24 Month Rule: If you’ve had a card before, you can only get a welcome offer on that card again if you no longer have it, AND it's been more than 24 months since you last received a welcome offer for that card. This rule does not apply to the Sapphire Preferred and Reserve cards (see below). There can also be exceptions with some business cards.
- Sapphire cards: The Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve cards no longer have a family rule that prevents you from getting one if you currently have the other. However, both now have limitations that may prevent you from being eligible for a welcome offer if you've previously had the same card. In that event, you'll get a pop-up window telling you that you're not eligible, and you will be asked whether you want to proceed with the application without the welcome offer attached.
- Southwest "Family" Rules: Chase applies additional "family" rules to the Southwest cards. You're not eligible for the welcome offer on a personal Southwest card if you currently have one, or if you've received a welcome offer on any personal Southwest card within the last 24 months. This doesn't apply to business cards. You also can't be approved for the Southwest consumer card if you already have one open.
- IHG "Family" Rules: You're not eligible for the welcome offer if you've received one on any personal IHG card within the last 24 months. You also can't be approved for another IHG consumer card if you already have one open. You can have both an IHG personal and an IHG business card.
- Ink "Lifetime" Rule: You "may not" be eligible for the welcome offer on an Ink no-annual-fee card if you have ever had the same card or any other Chase for Business card without an annual fee. In addition, you may not be eligible for a welcome offer on a Chase Ink Business Preferred card if you currently have the card or have had it in the past. We don't yet know how consistently this is enforced.
- 2 per month Rule: Most applicants are limited to 2 new cards per 30 days. Business cards are usually limited to one per 30 days.
- Marriott cards: Approval for any Marriott card is governed by a labyrinthine set of unintuitive rules. You can see the full eligibility chart here.
- Card Limits: Chase doesn't have a strict limit on the number of cards you can have, but it does place limits on the total credit it will issue across all cards. Because of this, reconsideration can sometimes be successful by moving credit from one existing card to the new card that you want.
- Application Status: Call (888) 338-2586 to check your application status.
- Reconsideration: If denied, call (888) 270-2127 for personal cards or (800) 453-9719 for business cards, and ask that your application be reconsidered.
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Just a data point that might be of interest to some: applied for Ink Cash (finger crossed), but had forgotten to unfreeze my credit reports, so I had to call to let them know after I thawed my reports. During our conversation the agent said the only one they look at is Equifax, which surprised me. YMMV.
They may only look at Equifax but they for sure pull Experian.
Applied for my 2nd ink unlimited. Under 5/24 but was denied. Called recon a day later… no dice. Waited a week and put spend across my cards (not sure if that helped), then called again. The second time around, the underwriter was super nice and made it seem like they wanted to help. Was approved after moving some credit around. Glad I read this post bc I would have probably given up after the first time.
Is this post out of date? I don’t see any mention of Chase’s more recent unofficial rules that make customers with 3-4 ink cards less likely to be approved for more ink cards
This post isn’t about your chance of approval. I didn’t think that people with 3 to 4 Ink cards would read a post explaining how to apply for one.
The article has sections called “Get the same card again”, “Watch out for 5/24”, and “How to improve your chances for success”. I got a few inks a year ago and I was looking for info on how to handle applying for more.
Regardless, lots of good info. Thank you!
I got the Ink Business Cash recently. How do i move points to my CSP? When i go to “Combine points”, it tells me that there are no other cards to combine points with.
I applied for IBC under my own SSN, but it created a separate Chase log-in for me — could that be the issue?
thanks!
Answering my own question: i needed to link accounts 1st. There’s a Frequent Miler post about how to do that (of course!). I suggest you add it to your “Complete guide to UR points”. thanks!
Just curious, but what do people say when Chase says they won’t issue a card due to too many applications? I’m well under 5/24 but have experienced it due to multiple Ink applications.
This is great – I have followed a similar application process – but never knew about the monthly spend – it does make a difference in higher CL. But have typically always been issued at least $6K on Biz cards.
One of the first things I do – request expedited cards (just learned – you can track card delivery under account management in the App.)
On the same call I move CL from other Biz cards that get limited spend after SUB I keep $1.5K CL on them.
This is esp helpfully for the 0% cards – in the past (2017-18) I had floated almost 95% of CL then paid it off in full the day before the promo 0% ended – then had a terrible time for years getting approved for more biz cards, personal cards no problem.
My last CIU I floated just under 50% and paid off 50% of that a few months out then paid 49% and let 1% close and paid a token amount of interest. Oddly it wasn’t 12 months but actually 15 months with no interest – not complaining.
But no issue with Ink Approvals since the CIU.
I just recently came across that there’s no longer a limit of one bonus every 24 months. I looked into the terms and couldn’t find the limit either. Can anyone confirm?
Has anyone had success getting an EIN by faxing in the paper application? I got an error message when I applied online, and I am getting antsy waiting to hear back from the IRS.
FWIW, my P2 opened a Chase Business Checking account online a couple weeks ago, so I think that in-branch is no longer required.
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It’s nice that it seems this will be a regular event! That being said, I got two of these last time and I’m wary of drawing attention from Chase. Any idea what a “safe” rate of churning these might be?
I really wish I knew the answer to that
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