This Credit Card Is Perfect for Entrepreneurs, With No Annual Fee and Big Cash Back Rewards
This is an exciting time to be a small business owner: The economy is chugging along, with consumer spending robust and demand for goods and services of all types surging.
If you’ve decided now is the time to ditch your 9-to-5 and take the plunge into a new business venture, one must-have (yes, even before you order that inspirational desk sign) is a business credit card that’s going to be as flexible as you are.
The Chase Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card is a new option for small business owners and bootstrapping entrepreneurs. Launched earlier this year, the Ink Business Unlimited has features that make it especially attractive for start-ups: It saves you money with a $0 annual fee (by comparison, the Chase Ink Business Preferred has a $95 annual fee) and no minimum threshold to redeem accrued rewards. And those rewards are noteworthy: Earning 1.5% cash back on all purchases is a simple and easy way to make your spending work for you — regardless of what you buy.
Experts say it’s a good idea to consolidate your business spending because this can make it easier to manage your cost structure and cash flow, especially because fixed costs can be constant, while revenues — especially at first — can be considerably more volatile, and you don’t want to be in a position of struggling to make payroll or pay vendors. Relying on your personal credit isn’t impossible, but since personal credit limits on even the best credit cards are generally lower, you’re likely to have to juggle multiple cards, with different terms, due dates and interest rates. And as a new business owner, one thing you definitely don’t have is extra time for busywork.
The Case for the Chase Ink Business Unlimited
When Money crunches the numbers to figure out the best business credit cards, we often find that simpler is better: While accelerated rewards in certain categories might be eye-catching, you often have to max those out for the benefit to make up for a lower base earnings rate. As a new business owner, you need the flexibility to shake things up and follow the money.
The Chase Ink Unlimited can save your small business money in a few ways: You don’t have to pay an annual fee, plus you get 12 months of 0% financing on all your purchases, which can be a huge help if you need to make some startup investments in your venture. (After 12 months, the APR is 14.99%-20.99% variable.) What’s more, that intro 0% APR rate also applies to balance transfers, an option that can help you consolidate and save money if you launched a business on your personal credit cards. The rewards rate of 1.5% cash back on all spending is a good rate not just among business cards, but among credit cards in general. The difference with the Ink Business Unlimited is that there is no cap on how much cash back you can earn, and your rewards never expire. This Chase credit card’s signup bonus also is impressive: With a spending threshold of just $3,000 over the first three months — a lower bar than even many personal credit cards — even business owners at the “just starting out” stage are likely to spend enough to earn the generous $500 cash back bonus reward.
The Key Stats:
Annual fee: $0
APR: 0% intro APR, purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 months; regular APR of 14.99% to 20.99% variable. There is a balance transfer fee of $5 or 5%, whichever is greater, so include that in your payoff calculations.
Rewards: 1.5% cash back on all purchases, plus a signup bonus of $500 cash back when you make $3,000 in purchases within first three months after opening the account.
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.