Chase Changes Sign-Up Bonus Rules on Ink Business Cards

Chase just slipped in a pretty big change to two of its most popular small-business cards: the Ink Business Cash and the Ink Business Unlimited. Both are no-annual-fee fan favorites, especially for anyone building a long-term Chase ecosystem, but the new eligibility rules make earning their welcome bonuses harder than before.

And if you’re someone who likes to stack multiple Ink bonuses over time… this update is going to sting a little.

What Changed?

Chase added a new line to the terms and conditions for both cards saying, essentially:

If you’ve ever had either card — or any other Chase business card with no annual fee — you may not be eligible for the welcome bonus.

Here’s the exact new language Chase added:

Ink Business Cash®:

“The new cardmember bonus may not be available to you if you have ever had this card or any other Chase for Business card without an annual fee. We may also consider factors pertinent to your business in determining your bonus eligibility.”

Ink Business Unlimited®:

Same wording, same restrictions.

This is the first time Chase has explicitly blocked bonuses across all no-annual-fee Ink business cards, not just the specific product you previously held.

Why This Matters

For years, one of the easiest points strategies was:

Open Ink Cash → earn bonus
Open Ink Unlimited → earn bonus
Stack both for huge Chase earning potential

Chase has now effectively shut that down for new applicants.

You can still apply for the cards, and you can still use them normally, but if your goal was to grab multiple bonuses in the Ink family over time, that strategy is officially gone.

This is yet another sign that credit card churning is getting harder, and programs are prioritizing long-term customers instead of bonus-hunters.

What You Can Still Do

The good news: Chase did not change the rules for their business cards with annual fees.

These remain eligible for bonuses as long as:

You haven’t had the specific card before
You meet the standard Chase approval rules (including 5/24)

That includes cards like:

Ink Business Preferred®
Ink Business Premier®

These are still excellent earners, and still bonus-eligible.

Final Thoughts

Chase’s new language on Ink welcome bonuses is a meaningful downgrade for travel hackers, but it’s not the end of the world. It simply reinforces what we’ve already been preaching inside Cloud9Club:

You shouldn’t rely on bonuses alone. You should rely on a sustainable earning system that prints points every single month.

And Chase still offers one of the strongest systems in the game when you combine:

Ink Cash or Ink Unlimited
A Sapphire card
One or two premium business cards

Bonuses are great. But long-term strategy is better, and this change just makes that more true than ever.

Best Offers

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