Aug 18, 2015, 8:20 am

FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides

Last edit by: BuBu4

Please read this Wiki before posting questions in the thread.

What's the difference between the Ink Bold & Ink Plus cards?

Ink Bold is no longer available. It was a charge card (pay balance in full each month), but it has been discontinued and many accounts were converted to Ink Plus cards with the same account numbers.

Ink Plus is a revolving credit card. It allows you to earn and redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points (including transfering UR points to air/hotel/rail partners).

What are the best current Ink Plus offers?

The Ink Plus card is no longer available for new applicants. There is a separate thread for The Ink Business Preferred card.

Links for non-targeted Ink Plus 60K offer ($5,000 spend/3 months; annual $95 fee not waived)
Landing page; original application page, current application page.

Landing page; application page.

Landing page; application page.

Landing page; current application page.

There is a report of a 70k offer for the Chase Ink Plus available only through your local Chase Bank office, extended to August 20, 2016. If you recently accepted the 60K offer, you may be able to get the extra 10K simply by asking for it.

There is a no-fee, UR-earning Ink Cash card: https://creditcards.chase.com/ink-bu.../ink-cash-card

Are there are any rules or restrictions to keep in mind when applying for an Ink card?
What is the "5/24" policy?
Are targeted offers exempt from the 5/24 policy?
If my application isn't approved instantly, should I call in?
How can I determine the deadline for meeting the spend requirement to earn the signup bonus?
Once I meet the card's spend requirement, how soon will I receive my signup bonus points?
After being denied, how long should I wait before applying again for the same card?
How long should I wait after closing my card before applying again for the same card?

See the wiki & current discussion at Applying for Chase Credit Cards, 2017 onward.

Are there special earning categories?

Yes. You earn 5 points per dollar on the first $50,000 spent annually at office supply stores, and on cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services. (Sirius XM Radio also qualifies.)

In addition, you earn 2 points per dollar on the first $50,000 spent annually at gas stations and for hotel accommodations when purchased directly from the hotel.

NOT ALL Ink cards earn the 5x and 2x bonus categories above. Not "Old Ink Bold" that earns 7,500 bonus points for $25,000 spend, 15,000 points for $50,000, and 25,000 points for $100,000 spend.

What merchants qualify for 5 points/dollar spent?

Merchants that qualify:

AnswerConnect (Ref)
AT&T monthly bills @ website (Direct entry) (Ref, Ref, Ref)
Boost Mobile (Ref)
Cablevision (Ref)
CallingMart.com (Direct entry)
CardCash.com (PayPal) (Ref, Ref)
CashStar/Staples @ staples.cashstar.com (Ref)
Charter Spectrum/Time Warner Cable monthly bills (Ref, Ref)
Comcast (Ref)
Cox Internet subscription (Ref)
Cricket Wireless (Ref)
Digital River MyCommerce/vorpX (PayPal) (Ref)
DirecTV (Ref, Ref)
Dish Network (Ref, Ref)
Dropbox (Ref)
eBay/PayPal Digital Gifts (PayPal) (Mastercards only) (Ref)
GiftCard Mart (PayPal) (Ref)
GoDaddy.com (Ref, Ref)
Google Fiber (Ref)
Gyft.com (PayPal) (Ref)
Half.com (PayPal) (Ref)
Hetzner.de (PayPal) (Ref)
HTC Vive @ store.us.HTCVive.com (Direct entry) (Ref, Ref)
Hulu (Ref, Ref, Ref)
INIZ (PayPal) (Ref)
LivingSocial.com (PayPal) (Ref)
MileagePlus X/OfficeMax @ app (YMMV ref, Ref)
MileagePlus X/Staples @ app (YMMV ref, Ref)
Netflix (Ref, Ref, Ref, Ref)
Nvidia GeForce Now (Ref)
Office Depot @ B&M, officedepot.com (Direct entry) (Ref)
OfficeMax @ B&M, officedepot.com (Direct entry) (Ref)
OneDrive (Ref)
Republic Wireless (Ref)
RingCentral (Ref)
Sirius XM (Ref, Ref, Ref)
Sling TV @ sling.com (Ref, Ref, Ref, Ref)
Spotify.com (Ref, Ref, Ref, Ref, Ref)
Sprint (Ref)
Staples @ B&M, staples.com (Direct entry) (Ref)
TiVo monthly bills (Ref, Ref)
T-Mobile monthly bills (Ref, Ref, Ref)
UPrinting.com (Ref)
Verizon (Ref)
Verizon Wireless (Ref)
Virgin Mobile (Ref)
VirginMobileUSA.com (Direct entry, PayPal) (Ref)
Vudu.com (Ref, Ref)

Merchants that DO NOT qualify:

Adobe Acrobat DC (Ref)
Amazon Prime music and video (Ref)
Apple iTunes/Apple Music subscription
AT&T phone and equipment orders (Ref, YMMV ref)
CardCash.com (Direct entry) (Ref)
CashStar/Office Depot @ officedepot.cashstar.com (Ref)
CashStar/Panera Bread @ panerabread.cashstar.com (Ref)
Charges at Cricket Wireless Store
eBay/GiftCardMall (PayPal)
eBay/SVM Gift Cards (PayPal)
eGifter.com (Ref)
Giftcard Zen (Direct entry) (Ref)
Google Cloud Platform @ cloud.google.com (Ref)
Google Drive (Ref)
Google Project Fi @ fi.google.com (Ref, Ref, Ref)
Gyft.com (Direct entry)
H2O Wireless (Ref)
Newegg.com (PayPal) (Ref)
Oculus.com (Ref)
OfficeMax in-store pickup @ officedepot.com (Ref)
eBay/PayPal Digital Gifts (PayPal) Visa Cards Only (Ref)
Plastiq telecom (Ref)
Playstation Vue (Ref)
RingPlus.net (Direct entry)
Seashells @ shopseashells.com (Ref)
SWYCH app (using INK and Paypal) (Ref)
T-Mobile.com phone and equipment orders (Ref, Ref, Ref)
Todoist.com (Ref)
Venmo (Direct entry) (Ref, Ref)
Walmart.com (PayPal) (Ref)

Where can I find the Ink Plus Guide to Benefits?

See https://www.chasebenefits.com/ink10311.

What are the rules for transferring UR points to other users or to my own air/hotel/rail accounts?

See the separate discussions in

Closing Ink Plus cards

It is possible to pay the annual fee for the Chase Ink Plus business card, then close the account and get a refund of the fee up to 6 months after it was charged. This provides a total of 18 months of earning up to 5X points for free. Make sure your points are transferred out (either to another UR account owned by you or a spouse, or to an air/hotel partner) before you close the account.

Previous Discussion Threads:

Chase Ink Business Card Questions

Chase Ink Bold, Plus & Cash cards

Chase Ink Plus is now available

Chase Ink Business Cards - July 2015- Present

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Jul 14, 2018, 8:01 pm

#1606

Jm192

Join Date: Mar 2018

Posts: 26

A couple questions regarding the family:

I just got the ink cash 2 months ago and have hit the minimum spend. My goal is to get as many UR points as possible as I prep for my honeymoon in Fall 2019. These all have great sign up bonuses.

1. Can I get the sign up bonus from all 3?

2. Can I downgrade the premium card to a non-fee card? How long do i have to wait? I realize I’ll pay the 95$ the first time.

3. The Unlimited card says 1.5 cash back on all of your purchases for your business. Is it all purchases? Or Do I have to somehow prove it’s business related? I was considering the freedom unlimited, but this makes more sense all around.

4. I’ve heard these don’t count towards 5/24? Just wanted to confirm.

Jul 14, 2018, 8:45 pm

#1607

Jatan

Join Date: Mar 2013

Location: Chicago, IL

Posts: 422

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jm192

As a sole prop you can get each CIP/CIC/CIU card once using SSN as tax ID and again using EIN as tax ID (EIN is free from IRS website)

Just wait a year to downgrade since you'll pay the annual fee in your first statement -- you can also self refer the CIP if you want another one so you'll come out ahead (20k referral pts + 80k standard bonus offer = 100k benefit) plus if you're able to refer other friends/family then its 20k each

Its paid on all purchases charged to the card -- Chase has to tell you that biz cards are for biz purposes only, but they don't really care what you charge on there

Chase biz cards don't show up on your personal credit reports so they don't add to your 5/24 count, but you need to be under 5/24 to apply -- Chase will still hard pull your personal report so you'll still see hard inquiries with each app

Jul 14, 2018, 8:53 pm

#1608

briang191

Join Date: Aug 2009

Posts: 662

Would you run a risk of shutting down accounts associated with ss when applying with EIN number?

Jul 25, 2018, 6:55 am

#1609

vbnet

Join Date: Aug 2016

Posts: 108

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jatan

Its paid on all purchases charged to the card -- Chase has to tell you that biz cards are for biz purposes only, but they don't really care what you charge on there

Is this certain? I thought I saw a post of someone charging a movie ticket then getting emailed not to use a business card for personal charges (somewhere on FT). Can a CIP be used let's say for clothing and other items thru the MP shopping mall?

Jul 25, 2018, 7:12 am

#1610

thunderlounge

Join Date: Dec 2017

Posts: 1,107

Quote:

Originally Posted by vbnet

That seems kind of silly. What if a business takes a client out to a movie? A Broadway show? Client lost their luggage and needs a day or two of clothes? I can think of very few instances where someone could definitively say (without proof) something is absolutely a personal purchase.

Jul 25, 2018, 7:51 am

#1611

vbnet

Join Date: Aug 2016

Posts: 108

Quote:

Originally Posted by thunderlounge

I absolutely agree but the post caught my attention, nevertheless. Sorry, I can't find it. I was all over the chase threads yesterday and just tried doing some searches on "movie" and our 2 posts are the only items returned.

thunderlounge likes this.

Jul 25, 2018, 1:34 pm

#1612

robchow

Join Date: Apr 2018

Posts: 262

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jatan

Its paid on all purchases charged to the card -- Chase has to tell you that biz cards are for biz purposes only, but they don't really care what you charge on there

Quote:

Originally Posted by vbnet

For whatever reason I didn't have my personal credit cards with me; all I had was business credit card. That day, I had a couple of doctor visits; charged co-pays as well as outstanding medical balance on business credit card. All went fine and no calls from bank.

Quote:

Originally Posted by thunderlounge

I agree that banks shouldn't make a distinction what is consider business expense or and what is not; they should leave that to accountant/IRS (but my medical bill would be hard to justify ).

vbnet likes this.

Jul 25, 2018, 3:27 pm

#1613

thunderlounge

Join Date: Dec 2017

Posts: 1,107

Quote:

Originally Posted by robchow

I agree that banks shouldn't make a distinction what is consider business expense or and what is not; they should leave that to accountant/IRS (but my medical bill would be hard to justify ).

True, but Chase won’t know that at face value. For all they know, you were hurt at work. Further, they wouldn’t know whom the services were for. Could have been an employee, client, or other party to which you were liable.

Which is really all I was saying. They don’t know by just looking at the charge when it comes through without requesting information from the card holder.

Jul 25, 2018, 3:40 pm

#1614

scubadu

Join Date: Sep 2008

Location: AUS

Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat

Posts: 7,040

Quote:

Originally Posted by vbnet

The post you are referring to was not about a movie ticket, but rather was a recurring monthly Netflix charge.

Regards

Jul 25, 2018, 5:19 pm

#1615

vbnet

Join Date: Aug 2016

Posts: 108

Quote:

Originally Posted by scubadu

The post you are referring to was not about a movie ticket, but rather was a recurring monthly Netflix charge.

Thanks for responding but, I'm pretty sure it was a movie ticket but now I'm thinking it might not have been on F/T. I was trying researching everywhere using internet searches as well on ways to make spend and if personal expenses will pass muster and it's probable that I found it in reddit or some other forum. I know on my citi business I did not confine my charges strictly to business expenses but chase has such a darned touchy reputation for shut downs.

Jul 25, 2018, 7:36 pm

#1616

scubadu

Join Date: Sep 2008

Location: AUS

Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat

Posts: 7,040

Quote:

Originally Posted by vbnet

Fair enough. There definitely was a post in this forum (though not necessarily this thread) relating to having a Netflix charge and receiving an email from Chase reminding that the card is for business expenses, not personal.

I agree that some charges fall in a "grey" area and could be business or personal (i.e. the movie ticket for a client) but certainly an ongoing Netflix membership is a stretch. And the fact of the matter is if you hold the card then you agreed to the Terms and Conditions, whether people read them or not, and the T&Cs pretty clearly say the card is to be used for business expenses only and not personal and that is quite clear. So, it's hard to fault Chase for policing that.

Regards

vbnet likes this.

Jul 25, 2018, 7:51 pm

#1617

mia

Moderator

Join Date: Jun 2003

Location: Miami, Mpls & London

Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold

Posts: 48,954

Previous discussion here:

Chase: Reminder, business credit cards should be used only for business purchases.

Jul 26, 2018, 7:31 am

#1618

pallhedge

Join Date: Sep 2011

Posts: 1,857

Quote:

Originally Posted by scubadu

...but certainly an ongoing Netflix membership is a stretch...

Here's a few off the top of my head...

I write movie reviews for a blog
I include Netflix my rental property
I stream Netflix in my employee lounge/client waiting room
Or simply, my business covers my personal entertainment expenses as a perk

thunderlounge likes this.

Jul 26, 2018, 10:40 am

#1619

scubadu

Join Date: Sep 2008

Location: AUS

Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat

Posts: 7,040

Quote:

Originally Posted by pallhedge

Here's a few off the top of my head...

I write movie reviews for a blog
I include Netflix my rental property
I stream Netflix in my employee lounge/client waiting room
Or simply, my business covers my personal entertainment expenses as a perk

Sure, of course, but those should also correlate to the type of business that you annotated in your application to Chase, which requires you to select a type of business.

So, for example, many around here play the "I sell stuff on eBay/Craigslist" game and choose retail (or whatever the category on the application is). So in that case, really none of the above examples correlate to that business, except for your final bullet, which is quite a stretch.

Look, I'm not going to debate every possible example, I could care less what people do. I'm just saying the terms, conditions, and spirit of business cards are that they are for business expenses. Many folks here know very well and very clearly that they are using the card for non-business expenses. So, I'm just saying people should neither be annoyed or surprised that Chase occasionally attempts to actually police the terms and conditions we all agreed to.

Regards

Jul 26, 2018, 12:11 pm

#1620

mia

Moderator

Join Date: Jun 2003

Location: Miami, Mpls & London

Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold

Posts: 48,954

Any individual expense could be business-related. If I were a card issuer I would look at the pattern, but I do not think they are generally interested.

We have company credit cards that are used exclusively for medical and pharmacy charges. For some years we used a card issued by Citi, now we use one issued by Barclays. Neither issuer has questioned any transaction or the pattern.