Both cards are offering $1,000 back on $8,000 spent, the best offer either has ever had. Here's how to choose, and why most business owners end up wanting both.
Quick answer: if your spend is concentrated in office supplies, internet, cable, or phone bills, get the Ink Business Cash. If your spend is spread across everything else, get the Ink Business Unlimited. If you can qualify for both, get both. They're built to work together.
Neither card requires an LLC or a registered business entity. You can apply as a sole proprietor with just your name and Social Security number. (More on exactly how that works in the next post.)
As of this writing, Chase is offering $1,000 back on each card after you spend $8,000 in the first four months, with no annual fee on either one.
Ink Business Unlimited: a flat 1.5% cash back on everything. No categories, no caps, no tracking your spending to make sure you're using the right card.
Ink Business Cash: 5% cash back on the first $25,000 combined spend per year on office supplies, internet, cable, and phone. 2% on the first $25,000 combined spend per year on gas and restaurants. 1% on everything else.
| Category | Ink Business Unlimited | Ink Business Cash |
|---|---|---|
| Office supplies, internet, cable, phone | 1.5% | 5% (first $25k/yr) |
| Gas & restaurants | 1.5% | 2% (first $25k/yr) |
| Everything else | 1.5% | 1% |
| Annual fee | None | None |
Swipe left to see all columns
The catch is that the Cash drops to 1% the moment your spending falls outside those two categories, which is exactly why most business owners end up wanting both cards: Cash for its 5% categories, Unlimited for everything else.
Both cards technically pay you in cash back, redeemable as a statement credit or a deposit into a Chase account. Fine, but that caps your value at 1 cent per point.
If you also hold a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Ink Business Preferred, you can convert that cash back into full Chase Ultimate Rewards points instead: the same points that transfer to airlines and hotels at 1.5 to 2+ cents each. Same spending, meaningfully more value, just by holding the right second card.
As of March 27, 2026, Chase closed the door on transferring Ink cash back to an outside bank account. You can still redeem it as a statement credit, a deposit into an eligible Chase account, toward Chase Travel bookings, or convert it to Ultimate Rewards points if you hold a qualifying card. Worth knowing before you assume you can cash out the old way.
Chase's welcome bonus terms exclude people who've previously held that specific card or its no-annual-fee sibling. If you've had an Ink Cash or Ink Unlimited before, check the current terms at chase.com before counting on the new bonus.
If I had to pick just one, I'd lean Unlimited for most people. It rewards you no matter what you spend on. But if your monthly bills genuinely match the Cash's 5% categories, that return is hard to pass up. Running both together (Cash for its categories, Unlimited for everything else) gets you the best of both without much extra effort. Yes, the names are confusingly similar. Chase, if you're reading this, maybe rename one.
Not sure which setup makes sense for your numbers? Book a free 30-minute call and we'll figure it out together. If you want me to go deeper and build your card strategy around your real spending, that's what my Comprehensive Cards and Points Strategy Audit does: a one-hour call plus a written summary you keep, for $197.
Affiliate disclosure: Some links I share are referral links, a free way to support this site. I'll always point you to whichever card fits your spending, whether or not I benefit. Full Affiliate Disclosure here.