New 60,000 Bonus Points Chase Ink Business Cards (Without The Affiliate Link Nonsense)

For a limited time (possibly until May 31, 2014), Chase has increased the sign-up bonus for both their Ink Business Cards from 50,000 to 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points when you spend $5,000 within the first 3 months. The blogosphere went wild in the past 24 hours with affiliate links plastered across just about every post and forum. You won't find them here. Here are the non-affiliate links to the same deal for both the Ink Bold and the Ink Plus Cards:

• Ink Bold Business Charge Card
• Ink Plus Business Credit Card

What's the difference between the two versions? It's quite simple. The Ink Bold is a charge card, meaning the statement balance needs to be paid off in full every month, while the Ink Plus is a standard credit card, meaning you can keep a balance and pay interest on it (of course, I would never recommend doing that for any rewards card). Otherwise, both are essentially identical in benefits:

• Earn 60,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards points when you spend $5,000 within the first 3 months
• Earn 5x points on the first $50,000 spent annually at office supply stores, and on cell phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services
• Earn 2x points on the first $50,000 spent annually at gas stations and for hotels (when booked directly with the hotels)
• Earn 1x points everywhere else
• No foreign transaction fees
• Annual fee waived for the first year, $95 thereafter

Yes, you can have both cards at the same time, however, I would wait at least a week before applying for the other card (and who knows if the deal will still be around by then). Back in late 2013, Chase began issuing all Ink Cards as Visa Signature products rather than World MasterCard. Technically, after the switch, they are considered "new products", and you should be able to get the bonus again. There is anecdotal evidence that this is true, but as always, YMMV.

Approvals have gotten significantly tougher, as Chase knows some people are fudging the "business" aspect of these accounts, and using them to max out the 5x spending at office supply stores. Be ready to call the Chase reconsideration line for a grilling in case you get denied at first:

• 1-800-453-9719  business credit analyst (8am-10pm M-F EDT)
• 1-888-245-0625  personal credit analyst (7am-10pm M-F, 8am-10pm Sat, 9am-9pm Sun EDT)

Call the business credit analyst for the Ink Cards. I included the personal number for those who are denied for other Chase personal cards. Good luck!