ToolsCard ScoresInk Business Cash
Is the Ink Business Cash worth getting?
MoneyRoom Card Score
7.4/ 10
For a business whose bills look like an office's — internet, phone, supplies — absolutely, and our household spending mix underrates exactly that. Scored on household spending it gets 7.4; on an office's real spending it would do much better.
Data: MoneyRoom card catalog (details pending verification are flagged) · scores update daily · catalog data as of 2026-07-13 (source: creditcards.chase.com) · How we verify
Our household spending mix is unfair to this card, and we'd rather explain that than hide it. The Ink Business Cash's best rates are on office categories — office supply stores, internet, cable and phone — that a household barely spends on. So our math sees 2% on dining and 2% on gas over the 1% base rate, and prints about 1.3% back. With no fee, its value score is perfect; its one credit, a monthly Instacart Business promo, pays real money and costs it a perfect effort score (6.9).
The result, 7.4, is fair for what it measures and cautious for the businesses the card was built for. A business that puts its utility and supply spending on this card beats our number; for a general reader, the number itself is the answer.
Credits vs. fee
No annual fee to cover.
The Ink Business Cash lists $240 in yearly credits and benefits at face value (their full amounts). Using our published assumptions, we estimate a typical cardholder gets back about $119. Typical value applies our published discounts for what makes credits easy to miss: deadlines, limits on where you can use them, enrollment (switching a credit on once), and waiting to be paid back.
| Credit / benefit | Resets | Face value / yr | Typical value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instacart Business monthly creditGrocery · enrollment required | MonthlyEnrollment required | $240 | $119 |
| Yearly total | $240 | $119 | |
After the fee, at face value:+$240 / yr
After the fee, at typical use:+$119 / yr
The fine print that matters
Why is typical value less than face value?
Two things limit the office rates in practice. The bonus categories have yearly caps, which our math already includes where they matter. And the rewards are points worth a cent each on their own, with the same upgrade through a premium Chase card that other Ink cards have. There's also one credit worth knowing: an Instacart Business promo that pays monthly through the end of 2027, after you enroll, and only on Instacart orders. It's real money for a business that shops there — and the effort score of 6.9 is the price of its monthly reset.
Instacart Business monthly credit — $119 typical of $240 face
Grocery · enrollment required
- Resets monthly × 0.65
- Only works at certain places × 0.80
- Enrollment required × 0.95
Earning
What does everyday spending actually earn?
Rewards come as cash back, worth exactly what it says. On our published mix of everyday spending, that works out to 1.3% back.
| Category | Rate | After spending caps | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining | 2% | 2.00% | |
| Groceries | 1% | 1.00% | Base rate |
| Gas | 2% | 2.00% | |
| Flights booked direct | 1% | 1.00% | Base rate |
| Hotels booked direct | 1% | 1.00% | Base rate |
| Everything else | 1% | 1.00% |
Not in the score
What does the score leave out?
- The office categories themselves. Office supply stores, internet, cable and phone earn this card's top rates — categories our household spending mix doesn't include at all, which is the whole gap between this page and a business's real results.
- Upgrading the points. With a premium Chase card, these points can be moved to airlines and hotels; on their own, we count them as cash.
- A promotional rideshare rate. Extra earning for a limited time, left out of a score of a normal year on principle.
- The welcome bonus. It pays once, so it's left out of a year-two score, as always.
Listed on the card, never priced:
- 5% total Lyft through 9/30/2027
- Complimentary Instacart+ (3 months)
Your own numbers
See if it pays for itself for you.
The score assumes a typical cardholder. The free Annual Fee Calculator loads this card's real credits and fee and lets you enter what you'd actually use — no account needed.
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Questions
Common questions before you apply.
Why does the Ink Business Cash score below its reputation?
Because our spending mix is a household's, and this card's best rates are on office categories that mix doesn't include. 7.4 is right for general spending; a business with lots of office spending does better.
What does it earn on everyday spending, with no conditions?
2% on dining and gas, and 1% on everything else — about 1.3% back on a typical year of spending, before any office spending.
Cash, Unlimited, or Premier?
Cash for office bills, Unlimited for one simple rate, Premier only if you spend a lot — the three Ink pages use the same math, so you can compare them directly.
When do the Ink Business Cash credits reset?
Each credit has its own schedule: 1 credit resets monthly. Calendar-based credits reset at the start of their month, quarter, half, or year. Unused amounts don't roll over. See every card's reset calendar.