I'm Finally Eligible for Chase Cards Again, and Here's the First on My List

This Chase credit card is an amazing value with a 100,000-point bonus and a sub-$100 annual fee.

This article was updated June 10, 2021

For the first time in three years, I can apply for Chase credit cards without worrying about instant denial.

The reason I would've been shut down before is Chase's 5/24 rule. With Chase credit card applications, you're almost always automatically denied if you've gotten five or more credit cards in the past 24 months. Since I've opened quite a few credit cards, I was well past that limit.

After a year-long sabbatical from credit card applications, I'm now beyond the 5/24 mark. To make the most of this opportunity, I looked at all the Chase cards I could get, and ranked the ones I liked the most. Picking the card I'd get first wasn't difficult -- the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card was the clear front runner.

Why the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card topped my list

The biggest selling point of the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is its massive sign-up bonus. It offers 100,000 points to new cardholders who spend $8,000 on purchases within three months. While $15,000 is a high spending minimum, I plan to use the card for some large one-time expenses.

With this card, points are worth $0.0125 each when you redeem them for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Based on that, the bonus is worth at least $1,250. It gets even better for Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardholders. That card gets you $0.015 per point on Chase travel redemptions. Since I have the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, I can move those 100,000 bonus points to it. That way, I get at least $1,500 in value.

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card also has solid bonus categories, especially considering it only costs $95 per year. It earns 3 points per $1 on up to $150,000 in combined purchases per account year across the following categories:

• Travel
• Shipping purchases
• Internet, cable, and phone services
• Advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines

Because of my situation, choosing a Chase card was simple. I already have the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, which crosses that off the list. My goal is to earn as many Chase points as possible, and no card offers more of them than the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.