Ink Business Preferred® Review
Overview
The Ink Business Preferred is one of the best business cards you can get, full stop. For a $95 fee it earns strong bonuses on travel, phone, internet, advertising, and shipping, exactly the categories real businesses spend on, and the points are transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Add one of the largest welcome bonuses in the business-card world, and it is an easy recommendation for almost any small-business owner in the Chase ecosystem.
Think twice if: you have no real business spending in those categories, since the card is built around them.
Our 4.5 out of 5 rating
Each score weighs the rewards rate, value after the annual fee, welcome offer, points flexibility, and perks, with every point valued at a flat 1 cent. This is our editorial assessment to help you compare cards, not a guarantee of approval or of the value you will get.
Rewards: how it earns
You earn 3x on travel, phone and internet, advertising, and shipping, up to a generous annual cap, and 1x elsewhere, in transferable Ultimate Rewards. Those are the categories businesses actually spend on, and because the points transfer to airline and hotel partners, they are worth well over a flat cent. This is a genuinely strong earner, not just a bonus play.
| Category | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Travel | 3% back | Bonus category |
| Phone and internet bills | 3% back | Bonus category |
| Advertising | 3% back | Bonus category |
| Shipping | 3% back | Bonus category |
| Dining and restaurants | 1% back | Base rate |
| Groceries | 1% back | Base rate |
| Gas | 1% back | Base rate |
| Streaming | 1% back | Base rate |
| Office supplies | 1% back | Base rate |
| Everything else | 1% back | Everything else |
Every point and mile above is valued at a flat 1 cent, the same honest standard we use for every card. Run your own spending through the calculator to see what this card would actually return for you.
Pros and cons
- 3x on travel, phone, internet, advertising, and shipping
- Transferable Ultimate Rewards points
- Huge 100,000-point welcome bonus
- Does not count toward Chase 5/24
- $95 annual fee
- 3x categories are capped annually
- Best value requires business spending in its categories
The welcome bonus
The welcome bonus is huge: 100,000 points after $8,000 in three months, worth over $1,000 and far more through transfers. For a $95 card, that first-year haul is outstanding.
Is it worth the annual fee?
The $95 fee is easy to justify given the strong category earning and transferable points, and business cards like this do not count against Chase's 5/24 rule, which is a bonus for people managing their personal application pace. It is a keeper, not just a year-one play.
First-year value vs ongoing value
| Welcome bonus | 100,000 Ultimate Rewards® Points |
| To earn it | $8,000 in 3 months |
| Est. first-year value* | $1,761 |
| Est. ongoing value / yr* | $761 |
The welcome bonus makes year one the high point: roughly $1,761 in value once you count the bonus, this card’s rewards, and its credits, minus the $95 fee. After that, the honest figure is about $761 a year, so judge whether it earns its keep on the ongoing number, not the first-year headline.
*First-year value counts the welcome bonus, estimated rewards, and annual credits, minus the annual fee; ongoing value is a typical year after. Every point at a flat 1 cent, on average spending.
Benefits and protections
Beyond the rewards, the perks and protections worth knowing about include:
- Transfers to 14 airline and hotel partners (United, Southwest & more), mostly 1:1; Hyatt transfers at 4:3 effective October 2026
- Cell phone protection up to $600 per claim (up to 3 claims/yr)
- Employee cards at no additional cost
- Primary rental car coverage for business rentals
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
- No foreign transaction fees
- Purchase protection and extended warranty
Statement credits
- $10 monthly DoorDash credit on a non-restaurant order, plus complimentary DashPass (through December 2027)
Ecosystem and transfer partners
The Ink Business Preferred® earns Ultimate Rewards, one of the more valuable currencies in rewards because of where the points can go. You can move points 1 to 1 to 8 airline and hotel partners: United Airlines, World of Hyatt, Southwest Airlines, British Airways, Air France/KLM, Singapore Airlines, Air Canada, and Virgin Atlantic. As a hub card, this is the one you route points through before transferring out. The sweet spots are usually premium-cabin flights and high-end hotel nights, where a single point can be worth well more than the 1 cent we value it at here.
Airline partners: United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, British Airways, Air France/KLM, Singapore Airlines, Air Canada, Virgin Atlantic.
Stop guessing at point values. Look up the real mileage price and live seat availability for a specific flight.
Search award flights on seats.aero →Hotel partners: World of Hyatt.
Look up the live points price and availability for a specific hotel stay before you book.
Search award stays on rooms.aero →Who should get it, and who should skip it
If you run a business with real spending on travel, ads, phone, or shipping, this card is close to essential, the 3x categories plus transferable points plus that welcome bonus make it one of the best business cards around.
The only people who should skip it are those without business spending in its categories. For everyone else in the Chase ecosystem, it is a top pick.
How it compares
If the Ink Business Preferred® is not quite the right fit, these related cards are worth weighing against it:
Frequently asked questions
Best-card guides featuring this card
Offer details verified against issuer sources as of July 2026. Editorial opinions are our own. Cardocrat values all points at a flat 1 cent and never inflates redemptions.
