Unfortunately the Ink Bold Card is no longer available from Chase.
However everything in this post applies to the Chase Ink Plus, which is also a fantastic card.
The Chase Ink Bold is hands down the best business credit card out there, and the one I currently use for all my business expenses.
Why?
The reasons are numerous, which I’ll document below. But first, let’s look at the details:
The Details for the Chase Ink Bold
- Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $625 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
- No interest charges because you pay your balance in full each month.
- Earn 5X points per $1 on the first $50,000 spent annually at office supply stores, and on cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Direct access to a live service advisor anytime.
- 1:1 point transfer to leading frequent travel programs with no transfer fees.
- $0 Intro Annual Fee for the first year, then $95.
Click here to apply for the Chase Ink Bold
Why I Love the Chase Ink Bold
Reason #1: 50,000 point signup bonus
With a sign up bonus of 50k points, this is one of the largest available bonus out there.
You’ll get 50k after spending $5,000 in 3 months.
50k points is great in any situation, but its even better when its earning you Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Reason #2: The Awesomeness, and Flexibility, of Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Chase Ultimate Rewards points are my favorite travel rewards points, which is why getting 50k of them for a sign up is so sweet.
The great thing about Chase points is that they can be used in two ways:
- 1. To transfer to partners at a 1:1 ratio, such as United, Southwest, Hyatt, etc.
- 2. As “cash” to purchase travel. Each point is worth 1.25 cents toward travel, meaning 45k points are worth $562.50.
The flexibility of this is incredible.
If you want to get the best value, transfer them to an airline and use miles to book your ticket.
If you need to purchase a certain flight, use them as cash and you’ll be able to book any ticket, any day, on any airline.
You can also use them as “cash” to pay for hotel stays or rental cars.
Reason #3: 5x on cellphone, cable, and internet bills
If you’re the .01% of Americans that don’t have either a cellphone, cable, or the internet then this won’t excite you as much as 99.9% of us who do.
I LOVE this perk of the Ink Bold because it’s so easy to do. Simply change your cellphone, cable, and internet bills over to be paid by your Ink Bold card and you’ll automatically receive 5x Chase UR points for every $1 you spend.
Set it and forget it!
A $200/month cable, internet, and cellphone bill (which is fairly normal) will earn you 1,000 Chase points per month, or 12k per year.
All for doing nothing!
Reason #4: 2x on gas
I’ve yet to run in to a person who has said “You know, I just really love paying $4 a gallon for gas.” I know, I know, hard to believe, right?
The truth is, paying that much for gas SUCKS. Unfortunately, we better get used to it.
Most other developed countries have been paying this much and more for years now, and if we are being realistic, it’s obvious that the gas prices in America are never going to go back to anything close to what they were pre-Katrina.
$4/gallon is here to stay.
So you have two options:
- Nothing screams sexy like a Prius!
- Get a Prius
- Get the Ink Bold
While paying $4 a gallon might suck, getting 2x UR points for every $1 you spend at the pump can help ease the pain. You’ll receive 2x for the first $50,000 you spend each year on gas, so unless you’re dropping a grand a week on gas, all your gas spending will net you 2x/$1.
And if you are one of those unfortunate souls spending $50,000 a year in gas, then at least the Ink Bold will net yourself 2 roundtrip business class tickets to Europe just for using your Ink Bold!
Reason # 5: 5x at office supply stores
While this perk is not (quite) as effortless as moving your cellphone, internet, and cable bill over to your Ink Bold it can be still be beneficial for some people.
Many people with their own business need office supplies, and some people drop some major money on them.
Hello 5x!
Also, a lot of people forget that office supply stores like Staples and Office Depot also sell big ticket electronics, like computers and tablets. If you’re going to be buying an item like that (or even better, multiple ones), buy them there and rack up the points!
Reason #6: No foreign transaction fee and no annual fee for the first year
If you don’t already have a card with no foreign transaction fee, you should definitely add one to your wallet. Most credit cards will charge you 3% when you use it overseas, something that can add up very quickly.
Getting the Ink Bold solves this problem by charging you just the cost of your purchase, even when you are out of the country.
The Ink Bold also waives the annual fee for the first year, which is icing on the cake!
You’ll have a whole year to decide whether the perks of the card make it worth paying $95 for the second year, which for me is a resounding yes.
Final Word(s) on the Chase Ink Bold
The Chase Ink Bold is undoubtedly a great card; not only does it have a hefty signup bonus but it also has some killer perks that really allows you to rack up Chase UR points in a hurry with very minimal effort.
I would highly recommend it to anyone as long as they can make the $5,000 minimum spend in 3 months.
Click here to apply for the Chase Ink Bold
Do you have a Chase Ink Bold card? If so, what are your favorite perks?
(photos courtesy of The Dream Sky, undines)