[Edited 9/6/2024]:  Please note that card offers do change from time to time.  The Chase Ink Business Unlimited® currently has an offer to earn $900 bonus cash back after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.  This is a limited-time offer, and you can redeem as points as opposed to cash back.

 

By the end of 2023, we’ll have been able to take 3 international trips.  With a family of 5, it feels surreal to even be able to do so, as we know just how expensive travel can be.  Parts of our recent trip to Lisbon, Portugal, and our upcoming trip to Tokyo, Japan were made possible thanks to taking advantage of increased business credit card offers, respectively.  Here’s why business credit cards need to be an essential part of your award travel strategy (as eligible, of course).

(I’ll be using Chase Bank, its card offers, and Chase Ultimate Rewards as the example here.)

 1 – Better Offers: Simply put, business cards have higher bonus points offers when compared to personal credit cards.  So for example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card generally has a standard offer of 60,000 points.  If you look at the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card or Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card – offers on those cards can range from 75,000 – 90,000 points.  Last fall, offers on both these cards were increased to 90,000 bonus points – and lasted a good couple months.

Now, even a standard bonus points offer on each of these cards – 75,000 points – is higher than a standard offer on a personal credit card.  And both these business cards have no annual fees!  So when the offers had increased, I had my husband & I both apply for these cards over a span of about six months .  As small business owners, this decision was a no-brainer – not to mention, a reasonable spend/month that we could meet as a family of 5.

2 – 5/24 Status Is Not Affected – 5/24 is Chase Bank’s unstated rule of not getting approved for a Chase credit card if you have applied for 5 or more cards in a span of 24 months.  This only applies to card offers from their bank.  Do keep in mind that while business cards (from any bank) do not affect your 5/24 status, you do need to be under 5/24 to get approved for a Chase business card, generally speaking.

3 – Better Referral Bonuses – If you are in two-player mode, aka, have a spouse or partner you travel with often, you can earn more points by referring one another to cards.  That’s more points earned towards traveling together!  

When I referred my Chase Sapphire Preferred Card to family and friends, I earned 15,000 points per referral.  When I referred my Chase Ink Business Cash Card to my husband, I earned 40,000 points!

4 – Combine Points Into The Rewards Program – Business cards along with no-fee cards may not give you the full range of perks when it comes to transferring points earned to airline/hotel travel partners.  You may need another (personal) card from the bank to combine points into, before you can transfer points to a respective travel partner.

So in the case of Chase Bank, you need to have a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® in order to transfer points to travel partners.  Points earned from other Chase no-fee and/or business cards need to be combined into one of these cards.  But the fact that you can combine points from multiple cards into a bank’s rewards program, allows you to maximize different bonus-earning categories.  You maximize points-earning potential for purchases you are already making month after month.

Some disclaimers to keep in mind:

• Business cards can have higher minimum spends to meet, generally speaking.  DO NOT apply for a business credit card, even if you are eligible, if you cannot meet the minimum spend.
• Not all banks have referral bonuses.  Have family or friends use a content creator’s link when applying for a card from a bank that doesn’t offer referral bonuses.  (We appreciate the support, and it doesn’t affect the offer that one would get!)
• You can charge personal expenses on your business credit card, if needed, to help meet a minimum spend.  While many individuals, including myself, have done so – it’s always best practice to keep business and personal expenses separate.  (I’m not a financial advisor or a tax expert, this is just a commonly known best practice.)

 

Picture: Lisbon, Portugal – June 2023