Quick summary
Chase has Ink Business welcome offers elevated across the lineup in May 2026, headlined by the Ink Preferred returning to 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points on $8,000 spend in three months.
The Ink Premier sits at $1,000 cash back on $10,000 spend (anchored to its February 17, 2026 product-anniversary offer).
Because Inks are business cards, they do not count toward Chase's 5/24 rule — meaning you can pick up two or three this year without burning your consumer slots.
What happened
The headline offer
In May 2026, Chase made the Ink Business Preferred 100K offer broadly available on the public application channel.
Standard terms: 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points after $8,000 in spend in three months, $95 annual fee.
The full lineup
Specific welcome-offer amounts on Ink Cash and Ink Unlimited vary across acquisition channels — verify on the current Chase application page before applying.
| Card | Welcome offer | Min spend | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ink Business Preferred | 100,000 UR | $8,000 / 3 mo | $95 |
| Ink Business Premier | $1,000 cash back | $10,000 / 3 mo | $195 |
| Ink Business Cash | up to ~$900 (tiered) | varies | varies |
| Ink Business Unlimited | up to $750-$900 | single threshold | varies |
Note
📌 Note — earlier industry coverage that quoted "150,000 points / $15,000 spend" for Premier was incorrect; that specific offer is not on Chase's current public application page.
The cooldown mechanics
Eligibility behavior is widely documented in the cardholder community: Chase typically applies a per-product cooldown (often cited as ~24 months) between welcome bonuses on the same Ink product, while no cooldown is applied between different Ink products — that's the mechanic that enables stacking.
Chase does not publish a single canonical cooldown number on its application page, and the behavior may vary by applicant profile; the 24-month figure is observed practice, not officially-published policy.
Why it matters
The under-used 5/24 sidestep
Ink cards are one of the most underused mechanics in the Chase ecosystem. The Preferred and Premier both earn (or convert to) Ultimate Rewards points; the Cash and Unlimited earn cash back that can be pooled to Ultimate Rewards via a UR-earning consumer card.
Importantly, Inks do not show up on personal credit reports, so they don't count toward the 5/24 limit (Chase still checks that you're under 5/24 to approve you).
Tip
💡 Tip — a disciplined applicant can earn 200K+ Ultimate Rewards from Inks alone in a 6-12 month window without touching a consumer card slot.
Points vs cash math
The current 100K Ink Preferred offer matches its standard public ceiling.
The $1,000 Ink Premier offer is competitive with prior years' anniversary windows but is cash-back, not points — different ROI math depending on your travel patterns and transfer-partner usage.
Who wins
- Sole proprietors and freelancers who can use their SSN and legitimate business income. Chase accepts sole-prop applications without an EIN.
- Two-player households — each spouse can apply for their own Ink cards on their own credit profile, doubling the per-product haul.
- Existing Chase customers near 5/24 who want to keep earning UR without burning consumer slots. See our 5/24 workaround guide.
- Sapphire Reserve or Preferred holders — Ink UR pool with consumer UR for transfer partner redemptions.
- Q4 spenders facing inventory purchases, tax payments, or annual software renewals that organically hit $8K-$10K minimums.
Who loses
- Applicants without any legitimate business activity. Chase reviews business applications; reporting a fabricated business is credit application fraud. You need real independent income to apply legitimately.
- Anyone currently holding the same Ink product with a bonus earned in the past 24 months — you are not eligible for that specific card again.
- Heavy travelers needing lounge access. Inks do not offer Priority Pass; pair with Sapphire Reserve Biz for that.
What should you do now
- Confirm current public offers. Welcome-offer amounts on Ink Cash and Ink Unlimited vary across acquisition channels and have shifted in 2026. Always check the current Chase application page — never rely on a third-party roundup as the source of truth.
- Confirm 5/24 status. Inks do not count toward 5/24, but Chase still checks if you are under it for approval. Be at 4/24 or lower.
- Apply in considered order. Ink Preferred first if you want maximum UR (transferable to Hyatt, United, Flying Blue, Virgin Atlantic, etc.). Premier next if you want cash-back-on-everything. Cash or Unlimited if you want category-specific cash back. Space applications 30-60 days apart to reduce denial risk.
- Document your business legitimately. Sole prop is fine; list real revenue (even modest amounts) and a real business description. Use the approval predictor for risk assessment.
- Pool your points. With a Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve in your household, Ink Cash and Ink Unlimited cash-back earnings convert to Ultimate Rewards points at 1:1 — unlocking transfer-partner redemptions.
Tip
💡 Pro tip — verify the welcome offer at chase.com at the moment of application. Ink Cash and Ink Unlimited tiers have shifted in 2026.
Bottom line
The Ink lineup is the most underused weapon in the Chase player's arsenal, and the May 2026 elevated stack is one of the better collective offers in recent years.
Most cardholders stop at one Ink because they assume business cards are intimidating or require an LLC. They don't — Chase regularly approves sole proprietors with modest reported revenue, and the bank's underwriting treats Ink applications as low-risk extensions of the consumer relationship.
The real risk is not getting denied; it's leaving 200K+ Ultimate Rewards on the table because you assumed you were not eligible.
If you have any legitimate independent income — Etsy, consulting, freelance writing, eBay reselling, rideshare, content creation — the Ink Preferred at 100K plus the Ink Premier at $1,000 cash back is a real $2,500-$3,000 stack from one household across a 6-month window, with no impact on your 5/24 count.
The one note of restraint: verify the welcome-offer amounts at the moment of application. Chase has been tightening some of the Ink Cash and Ink Unlimited public tiers in 2026; what's available today may not be what's available three weeks from now. Always check Chase's actual application page before quoting an offer to anyone.
For broader context on Chase's 2026 program shifts — Points Boost on the Sapphire Reserve portal, the March 27 cash-back direct-deposit restriction, and how the Ink lineup interacts with the new transfer-partner economics — see our Chase Ultimate Rewards 2026 changes piece and the Chase Sapphire Reserve 150K welcome offer retrospective.
