$500! Chase Ink Cash Card Approval Tips

Million Mile Secrets

6 years ago

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Would you say no to an easy $500?

The increased Ink Business Cash Credit Card offer is an unbelievable deal! The card has NO annual fee. And it comes with a $500 cash back bonus after spending $3,000 in purchases within first 3 months of opening your account.

$500 is the highest bonus I’ve ever seen for this small business card. And if you have certain other credit cards, you can get LOTS more value from the bonus. I’ll explain!

The Ink Business Cash Sign-Up Bonus Is More Than Enough for a One-Way Ticket to South Africa When You Combine Points With Other Eligible Chase Cards!

I’ll give you some tips to make sure you have the best possible chance to be approved.

Chase Ink Business Cash Approval Tips

Link: Ink Business Cash

Link: My Review of the Ink Business Cash $500 Cash Back Offer

When you open the Ink Business Cash, you’ll earn $500 (50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points) after spending $3,000 in purchases within first 3 months of opening your account. It also comes with:

5% cash back (5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points) on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on phone, internet and cable TV services each account anniversary year
2% cash back (2X Chase Ultimate Rewards points) on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year
1% cash back (1X Chase Ultimate Rewards point) on all other purchases
NO annual fee

A $500 cash bonus is an excellent deal for this no-annual-fee card. But if you have cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, the points you earn can be worth a LOT more than $500. That’s because you can get Big Travel by combining points and transferring them to valuable hotel and airline partners, like Southwest, Hyatt, and United Airlines.

The Royal Palms Resort and Spa Costs 25,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points per Night

For example, if you have one of the other cards mentioned above, you can transfer the 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points you earn to Hyatt for 2 free nights at the Royal Palms Resort and Spa. Room rates at this hotel can cost $500+ per night. So you’ll get more than double the value than if you redeemed your points for $500 in cash.

Note: If you already have a Chase Ink Business Preferred, you can still get the Ink Business Cash (or vice versa!).

Lots of folks will be applying for the Ink Business Cash card. To increase your chances of an approval, ask yourself these 3 questions.

1. Do You Have a Good Credit Score?

I usually recommend NOT applying for credit cards in this hobby unless your credit score is above 700. Based on data points from Million Mile Secrets team members and readers, most folks who are approved for the Ink Business Cash have a credit score of at least 700.

I Recommend Building Your Credit and Having a Score Above 700 Before Applying for This Card

Just remember, no matter how fabulous your credit score is, Chase has the final say. And they look at lots of factors other than your credit score, and can decline you for any reason. For example:

If you have lots of Chase credit cards, you may have more difficulty being approved for new cards. Chase might not want to extend any additional credit!
Chase might not like if you already carry large balances on your credit cards
If you’ve recently opened lots of credit cards (from any bank), Chase might automatically decline your application

2. Do You Have a For-Profit Venture?

The Ink Business Cash is a small business card. So if you don’t have a small business, you won’t qualify for the card.

Never lie on your application form! You must have a for-profit venture to qualify you as a small business.

That said, small businesses do NOT need to be multi-million dollar corporations. Examples of small businesses could be:

Uber driver
Selling items on eBay
Freelance writing

You do NOT need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) to open a small business card. Just apply as a sole proprietor, and use your social security number.

General Contractor? Freelance Writer? Dog-Sitter? You Can Open a Small Business Card as a Sole Proprietor and Use Your Social Security Number as Your EIN

3. Are You Under the Chase “5/24 Rule”?

If you’ve opened 5+ cards from any bank (NOT counting Chase business cards and these other business cards) in the past 24 months, it’s unlikely you’ll be approved for the Ink Business Cash.

If you aren’t sure how many cards you’ve opened in the last 24 months, you can read my post for how to easily check your Chase “5/24” status.

Didn’t Receive an Immediate Approval?

That’s okay! It happens to all of us. An application could be pending for many reasons.

For example, banks look at your personal information when you apply for a card. If you’ve moved recently, and entered a new address, the bank might want you to confirm. Or, if you’ve applied for several cards recently, the bank might not immediately approve you for a card until they know it’s actually you trying to open the cards.

You can read more about possible reasons for a pending application here.

I’ll give you a couple of tips for how to handle a pending application.

1. Wait for Chase to Respond

If your application is pending approval, wait patiently for the automated system to decide whether you’re approved. Do NOT call Chase right away.

Chase’s system may still approve you. If it doesn’t, then you should call Chase and speak to a representative to ask for reconsideration. But if you don’t wait for an answer from the automated system, you’re giving yourself fewer opportunities to be approved!

2. Call the Chase Reconsideration Line

If the automated system declines your application, you’ll want to call Chase small business card reconsideration.

It’s Time to Call Chase If the Automated System Declines You. Remember to Be Friendly!

Here are some things to remember when you call the reconsideration line:

Be friendly. Customer service representatives deal with a lot, and they’ll appreciate your kindness
Ask if you can move some credit from another Chase card to the Ink Business Cash. If Chase isn’t willing to extend you more credit, this could be the solution
Know why you are applying for this card (other than the sign-up bonus!). Explain the features of the card that you want to use. Like the 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points on office supply stores and phone bills!

Bottom Line

The Ink Business Cash has its highest sign-up bonus ever right now! You’ll earn $500 cash back (50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points) after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account.

If you want the best odds of being approved for the Ink Business Cash, make sure you:

Have a good credit score (ideally 700+)
Have a for-profit venture, like freelance writing or selling items on Etsy
Are below the Chase “5/24 rule”

If your application isn’t immediately approved, wait for the automated system to make a decision. And if it declines your application, make a friendly call to Chase and ask if there’s any additional information you can provide to get you approved.

Remember, there is never a guarantee you’ll be approved for a credit card. Chase can still choose to decline your application for any reason. But if you follow these tips, you’ll have the best possible chance!

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)