Revealed: What Counts Towards the Chase Ink 5X Bonus?

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The Chase Ink 5X bonus category can help folks earn extra miles, points, or cash back on lots of purchases!

The Ink Plus & Ink Cash both earn 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points at office supply stores and on cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services.

But remember, the Chase Ink Plus card won’t be available to new applicants by the end of 2016,  It’s being replaced with the Chase Ink Preferred card, which will only have  3X bonus categories.

If you’re considering a Chase Ink card, it’s helpful to see the specific purchases that can earn you 5X rewards.

I’ll explain what counts as 5X with the Ink Plus & Ink Cash!

What Counts as 5X With Chase Ink

Link:   Chase Ink Cash

Link:   Chase Ink Plus 

Link:   Ink Plus or Ink Cash: Which Is a Better Fit for You?

With the Ink Plus & Ink Cash cards, you can earn 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points at at office supply stores and on cellular phone, landline, internet and cable TV service.

Note:   If you don’t qualify for Chase Ink cards because of Chase’s tighter application rules, consider the SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card from American Express, which has similar bonus categories.

On the Ink Cash, you’ll earn bonus points on up to $25,000 in combined purchases for the 5X bonus categories during a calendar year.

With the Ink Plus, you’ll get bonus points on up to $50,000 in combined spending in the 5X bonus categories every year.

Keep in mind, to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points earned on the Ink Cash to airline and hotel partners like Hyatt and United Airlines, you’ll need to have either the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Ink Plus, or Chase Ink Bold (no longer available).

Here’s a look at where you can earn 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points!

1.   Office Supply Stores

You’ll earn 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points with the Ink Plus & Ink Cash cards on purchases at:

• Office Depot 
• Office Max
• Staples

Your purchases can be online or in-store.  Million Mile Secrets team member Keith likes to use his Ink Plus to purchase printer ink at Staples.  This way he earns 5X rewards on purchases for his eBay and Amazon reselling business!

But did you know you’ll also earn the 5X bonus at these retailers through the United MileagePlus X app?

Thanks to some great research by Doctor of Credit, you can use the shopping app (and earn United miles from United) in addition to the 5X points for shopping at Staples and Office Max.

So not only will you earn bonus Chase Ultimate Rewards points.  But you’ll get up to 5 United Airlines miles per $1 you spend through the app.

2.   Cell Phone

Most major cell phone companies will count toward the 5X bonus category, including:

• AT&T
• Boost Mobile
• Cricket Wireless
• Sprint
• T-Mobile
• Verizon Wireless
• Virgin Mobile

Unfortunately, Google Project Fi does NOT count towards the 5X bonus.

And usually any expense, including cell phone purchases, will count toward the bonus spending.  The one exception is T-Mobile.  You’ll only get a 5X bonus for your phone service!

3.   Landline, Internet, and Cable TV

Many small businesses pay for phone and internet expenses.  So earning 5X rewards can be an easy way to increase your points balance!  With the Ink cards you’ll earn a 5X bonus with:

• AT&T
• Cablevision
• Cox Internet
• Charter Spectrum
• DirecTV
• DISH
• Time Warner
• Verizon

4.   Monthly Radio & Television Streaming Subscriptions

Certain monthly radio and television subscriptions also count toward 5X bonus spending.  These include:

• Hulu
• Netflix
• SiriusXM
• Sling
• Spotify
• TiVo
• Vudu

I have lots of friends who spend money on these monthly subscriptions.  Although they are relatively inexpensive, you might as well earn points for purchases you’re already making!

Bottom Line

The Ink Plus & Ink Cash cards earn 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points on spending at office supply stores, monthly cell phone and internet bills, and certain streaming subscriptions.

And it might be your last chance to apply for the Ink Plus card before Chase changes the Ink card lineup later this year.

Because we know the Ink Plus is being replaced by the Ink Preferred, which will NOT any 5X bonus categories.

Which purchases earn you the most 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points?