Both cards are offering $750 back on $6,000 spent in the first three months, with no annual fee. Pair either with a Sapphire or Ink Business Preferred and you can earn transferable points instead of cash back. This piece breaks down how to choose, and why most business owners end up wanting both.
Some links in this post are my referral links, and I may be compensated if you apply through them, at no cost to you. Full disclosure here.
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 your name and Social Security number. (More on exactly how that works in the next post.)
As of October 17, 2026, Chase is offering $750 cash back on each card after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months, with no annual fee on either one.
Cash back or points, your choice. Both cards pay cash back on their own. But if you also have a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve, or the Ink Business Preferred, you can take what these cards earn, the $750 bonus included, as Ultimate Rewards points instead (75,000 for the bonus) and transfer them to airline and hotel partners. Those three cards have annual fees, so this works best if you already hold one or plan to.
Ink Business Unlimited: a flat 1.5% cash back on everything. No categories or caps to track.
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.
On their own, both cards 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 dollar.
Hold one of these three cards, though, and the same spending becomes Ultimate Rewards points instead of cash back:
You move the Ink's rewards into that card's account, and from there they transfer to airline and hotel partners, typically worth 1.5 to 2+ cents each. Without one of the three, the rewards stay cash back at 1 cent each. The Ink Cash and Ink Unlimited have no annual fee, but each of these three does.
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 one, I'd lean Unlimited for most people. But if your monthly bills match the Cash's 5% categories, that return is hard to pass up. Running both together gets you the best of both without much extra effort.
The real no-brainer, though: with no annual fee on either card, there's little reason not to open one to capture the $750 welcome bonus. With a Sapphire or Ink Business Preferred in your wallet, move it into Ultimate Rewards points and that's 75,000 points, roughly $1,125 in travel at 1.5 cents each, for hitting a spending minimum you were likely going to hit anyway. Cards with an annual fee require some math to justify. These don't.
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 Points Accelerator 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.