Should Freedom Unlimited Cardholders Consider the New Ink Business Unlimited $500 Cash Back Offer?

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Million Mile Secrets reader Luis asked:

I have the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, which earns 1.5% cash back (1.5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points) on all purchases.  The Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card seems to have a similar earning structure.  Do these cards compliment each other or should you only get one of them?

Excellent question!  Reader Luis is correct that the Freedom Unlimited and Ink Business Unlimited both earn 1.5% cash back (1.5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points) on all purchases.

The information for the Chase Freedom Unlimited® has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

At first glance, it might seem like you would only need one or the other.  But there are several reasons why folks might want to keep BOTH of these cards in their wallet.  The main one being you can earn 2 valuable sign-up bonuses!

3 Reasons Why It Makes Sense to Have the Freedom Unlimited and Ink Business Unlimited

Apply Here:   Chase Freedom Unlimited 

Link:   Our Review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited 

Apply Here: Chase Ink Business Unlimited 

Link:   Our Review of the Ink Business Unlimited

1.   Earn 2 Valuable Sign-Up Bonuses

The Freedom Unlimited and Chase Ink Business Unlimited are considered different card products.  This means it’s possible to apply for each card and earn 2 sign-up bonuses!  As savvy rewards credit card users know, earning new card sign-up bonuses is the fastest way to get Big Travel with Small Money!

The sign-up bonus on the Ink Business Unlimited card isn’t too shabby either.  You’ll earn a $500 bonus (50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points) after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.  That’s an AMAZING offer for a no-annual-fee credit card!

Meanwhile, when you sign-up for the no annual fee Chase Freedom Unlimited card, you’ll earn $150 (15,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points) after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

Between the 2 sign-up bonuses, you can earn $650 in total cash back.  That’s phenomenal considering you will NOT have to pay annual fees!

2.   Separate Personal and Business Expenses

The Freedom Unlimited is a personal card and the Ink Business Unlimited is meant for small business owners.  So even though both cards have the same earning rate (1.5% cash back), it can make sense to keep both in order to better track your personal and business expenses.

Personally, I have used my Freedom Unlimited card in the past to pay for business expenses that would have otherwise only earned 1% cash back on another business card in my wallet.  But I plan to apply for the Ink Business Unlimited in the near future because separating expenses helps me stay organized when tax time comes around.

3.   The Ink Business Unlimited Doesn’t Count Toward Your “5/24” Limit

As I mentioned above, the Ink Business Unlimited is a small business credit card.  If you open this new card account, it will NOT appear on your personal credit report.  This is great news for folks being mindful of the Chase “5/24” limit.

As a reminder, Chase will NOT approve you for most of their cards if you’ve opened 5+ cards from any bank in the past 24 months.  But small business credit cards from Chase (and many other issuers) do NOT count toward this limit.

This means you can apply for the Ink Business Unlimited without having to worry about it impacting your chances of earning other valuable Chase card bonuses in the future.

If you’re wondering how you can qualify for a small business credit card, check out these posts:

• 7 Quick & Easy Business Ideas for Big Miles & Points
• Don’t Miss Big Business Card Sign-Up Bonuses Because of This Misconception!
• Should You Open a Business Bank Account Before Applying for a Business Credit Card?

I apply for many small business cards using just my social security number.  I list revenue from my eBay drop shipping business, which is enough to make me eligible.  The trick is you don’t need a huge corporation or fancy business entity to apply for a business card.

Pair Your No-Annual-Fee Chase Ultimate Rewards Point Earning Cards With Another Eligible Card to Get the Most Big Travel!

Chase Ultimate Rewards points are extremely powerful for folks looking to save BIG on travel!  But to get the most value from your points, you’ll want to have an eligible Chase card that allows you to transfer points directly to Chase’s airline and hotel partners.

The points you earn with the Freedom Unlimited and Ink Business Unlimited are only worth 1 cent each toward cash back or travel through the Chase portal.  But you can combine points with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card.  Then, transfer points to Chase’s terrific travel partners as shown below.

I earn lots of bonus points with my Freedom Unlimited card.  Then, I move them to my Sapphire Reserve account and transfer them to Hyatt for free hotel stays.  I did this recently for a life-changing trip to Miraval Resort in Arizona.

Bottom Line

Although the Freedom Unlimited and Ink Business Unlimited are similar because they both have no annual fee and earn 1.5% cash back (1.5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points) on all purchases, it can still make sense to get both cards.

Applying for both cards means you can:

• Earn 2 valuable card sign-up bonuses 
• Separate personal and business expenses
• Get a small business card that will NOT count toward your “5/24” limit

The Ink Business Unlimited offer is hard to pass up.  You can earn a $500 bonus (50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points) after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.  For a no annual fee card, that’s a fantastic deal!