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What Still Earns 5X with Chase Ink Business Cards

Mark Ostermann
By Mark Ostermann
131

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Earns 5X with Chase Ink Business Cards

What Still Earns 5X with Chase Ink Business Cards

Chase’s Ultimate Rewards may be the most sought after points available today.  Chase offers some of the most rewarding cards out there, especially when talking about business cards. None have been more rewarding than the Chase Ink Cash and Ink+ (no longer available to applicants).  But, with so many recent changes I wanted to review what still earns 5X with Chase Ink business cards. I will also show what used to work as it may give you ideas on what to try elsewhere.

Updated 8/9/22

Chase Ink Cash & Plus Cards

The Chase Ink Business Plus was discontinued by Chase a few years ago to make way for the Chase Ink Business Preferred.  Some of us still have the Ink Plus since Chase pulled the application but kept the card active for anyone who already had it. For anyone who doesn’t have the Ink Plus the Chase Ink Business Cash card has the same earning structure as the Plus. It just comes with lower earning caps for the 5X earnings, $25,000 per year instead of $50,000.

Featured Offer

The current offer on the Chase Ink Cash is tough to beat:

  • Earn $900 (or 90,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after spending $6,000 within the first 3 months.
  • No annual fee
  • Earn 5% back on office supplies, internet, cable & phone services on up to $25,000 in spend each year.
  • Earn 2% back at gas stations and restaurants
  • Earn 2% back at gas stations and restaurants on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases
  • LEARN MORE

Chase Ink Cash Devaluation

The Chase Ink Plus/Cash cards are a favorite of many, including myself, because of it’s 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards earning capabilities.  You were able to earn 5X UR in a variety of ways, many that were probably coding in error.  These were easy “increase spending” opportunities.

Most of those avenues have dried up recently.  We have lost the following 5X earning partners over the last 6 months:

Earns 5X with Chase Ink Business Cards

What Still Earns 5X With Chase Ink Cash?

That brings us to the question of what is still left?  Where can we still earn 5X Ultimate Rewards easily?

Here is a list of the partners that are still earning 5X Ultimate Rewards points:
  • Cell Phone Service – this should include cell phones and accessories purchased from a cell phone provider like AT&T (except T-Mobile it appears – that codes 1x in store). It also includes Google Fi.
  • Cable & Internet Service 
  • Office stores – Staples and Office Max/Depot are still earning 5X and they are most likely not going anywhere anytime soon.  It is a good place to purchase 3rd party gift cards at 100% cost, like Amazon.  They do have occasional third party gift card sales.  You can also pick up Visa gift cards when they go on sale or at the regular rate.
  • Staples website – This is another option for gift card purchases.  They sell 3rd party gift cards (sometimes at a discount) and Visa gift cards online, unlike Office Max/Depot.  Staples.com is also the best place to source Visa gift cards when they are not on sale.
  • Netflix/Hulu/Sirius/Sling TV/Tivo – this is just a reminder that these memberships earn 5X – no MS here though.
  • Quill – an online office supply store that sells some gift cards. HT Reader Patrick
  • Dropbox
  • PayPal – some retailers will code differently when using PayPal to pay versus paying directly.
  • GoDaddy
  • Gogo Wifi/Southwest in flight WiFi
  • Microsoft.com
  • Fluz App – Some retailers code as office store.
  • Kasheesh – some retailers will code differently when paying with Kasheesh

No Longer Works

  • Swych – Swych is a phone app that sells 3rd party full priced gift cards.  They have coded sales every month or so too. Make sure to pay with PayPal for the 5X.  You are even still able to get Amazon gift cards through them with this trick!  Dead 3/5/19.
  • Gyft – Gyft is a good place to pick up full cost, 3rd party gift cards since they are pretty much delivered instantly.  Gyft also has the occasional gift card sale. Make sure to pay with PayPal for the 5X. It appears this died on 7/31/19. 
  • Verizon Wireless – This should really work for any cell phone service that gives a discount when prepaying with a debit card or bank account.  But it does for the $10 credit on Verizon.  Use PayPal Key with your Ink Cash card to get the $10 discount plus 5X earning since PayPal Key codes as a debit card.  This may not last long. (PayPal Key ended 4/20/22)
  • Verizon FiOS works for 5x with PP Key. (PayPal Key ended 4/20/22)
  • Rakuten.com – It appears some vendors code 5x on Rakuten when paying with PayPal.

Final Thoughts

It is getting down to slim pickings and that has almost knocked the Ink Plus/Ink Cash off of my favorite card perch.  The Amex Gold card is creeping closer and closer to that top spot with its 4X earning at US restaurants and US supermarkets.

While there isn’t quite as much meat on the bone as there once was, there are still some opportunities to be had.  Make sure you are using all avenues while you can because who knows when the next one will fall!

What is your favorite way to earn 5X with the Chase Ink business cards? Let me know down in the comments.

Mark Ostermann
Mark Ostermann
Mark Ostermann is a father, husband and miles/points fanatic. He left the corporate world after starting a family in order to be a stay at home dad. Mark is constantly looking at ways to save money and stay within budget while also taking awesome vacations with his family. When he isn't caring for his family or taking a weekend trip, Mark is working towards his goal of visiting every Major League Baseball ballpark.

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131 COMMENTS

  3. Basic question – didn’t see it answered.

    Do gift cards from the Staples website that are “Delivered Electronically” trigger 5X for Chase Ink+?

    Thanks!

  5. I just got the Chase Ink Business Cash card and quickly became disappointed when attempting to add it to my Verizon autopay, as I will be losing my $10/line autopay discount by not using a debit card, checking or Verizon Visa. I’m reading that you can use a Verizon gift card to partial pay the bill (before the autopay date) and any remaining balance will be autopaid with no loss of the discounts. My question… if I buy a gift card from Verizon, will that earn 5X from the “phone” category? I would imagine the bill will post as Verizon or of that nature. Can anyone confirm this or provide a workaround to earn the 5X? Thanks!

  7. Quill, an online office supply store, codes as 5x. I get $300 Visa GC from there. You get a bit better per point rate on the activation fee as compared to a $200 one.

  8. I’m sure that this is really obvious and I’m just missing something but how do you pay Rakuten? They’re a portal.

    • There were a few stores that worked when clicking through Rakuten and then paying with PayPal but it looks like they aren’t on the portal anymore so I’ll update that.

  9. Maybe I’m blind and couldn’t find it, but is there a way to see how much of the $25k I have used for 5x and 2x?
    Thank you.

  11. DP: Office 365 didn’t code as 5X. Here’s what Chase told me when I asked them if they could correct: We would like to inform that MSFT * E0500HVC4Z is categorized as “Computers, Computer Peripheral Equipment, Software” with Visa and MasterCard. This is why the bonus points you were expecting to earn did not apply.

  12. I know the Ink Cash earns 5X rewards at Office Supply stores up to $25K per year. And I know it earns 2X rewards at Gas Stations up to $25K per year. What I was wondering is whether those are separate $25K limits or the same single limit? Meaning, if I spend $25K at Office Supply stores in a given year will I stop earning 2X at Gas Stations for that year? Or is the Gas Station limit independent from the Office Supply limit?

  14. I don’t get the comparison between Amex blue plus and Ink+/cash?

    I have all 3 and I don’t understand on what planet 2x MR even begins to compare with 5x UR?

    Not only that, but I’m sure you’re aware Chase has added Office supply to PYB from Ink+ @ 1.25 cpp until Mar 31.

    Just think about the recurring OD/Max visa deals, (2 $200 every where’s for $394.90), and they still recycle normally at Wally world. Great way to monetize excess UR’s.

    • It was talking about people that can’t take advantage of the office store deals with all of the other avenues drying up over the last 3-4 years. It used to be a lot easier for people to maximize the 5% back outside of just office stores back in the day.

  20. I’m trying to figure out the best way to buy a new iphone.
    I have multiple Chase cards. Use the Ink Cash to buy Apple gc’s at Staples?
    Use one of the Freedoms to go through the Chase shopping portal to get 2x points?

    • For Rakuten, how do you get 5x? Simply by clicking through to a store via Rakuten and using PayPal triggers 5x as opposed to purchasing from that store’s website directly using PayPal?

  24. Since Staples keeps running no fee $200 Visa/MC gift card promotions with a daily max of 5 cards or $1000 it might be pretty easy to hit the $25,000 limit. Any indications that this could raise a red flag with Chase?

    • It hasn’t really been a problem so far. The key is to pace it and not have huge spikes in spending and you should be okay.

  25. oh one more thing that’s heavily implied in your article but not directly mentioned. Amazon gift cards at staples and office depot B&M are a good option

  26. Hey Mark wanted to circle back and say thanks for writing this up. May not be a bad idea to write this up every now and then since it changes to often and I forget. Thanks again

    • Thanks Dave, I do republish and update it every so often as things change so be sure to bookmark it 🙂

  27. Does anyone know of anywhere you can buy amazon gift cards online that will trigger the 5x? Staples stores are closed.

    • If you use them in the US I don’t think it should be an issue as long as it places you in the US. When using overseas you will run into issues with it not coding properly or orders being cancelled even when using a VPN.

    • Ebay/Amazon gift cards from an office store and then buy it off eBay or Amazon etc? Although you would lose the protection from the Ink plus that way but I don’t think the Ink Cash has any protections so you wouldn’t lose it with that card.

  33. I don’t think it codes as 5x if you buy the phone directly at the tmobile store. In the past, it was coded as 1 pt per dollar for me.

    • You are correct Michael – I just did a search and it does code as 1X per reports. That surprises me since Sprint, Virgin and Verizon have coded for purchases for me in the past.

  34. I need some advice, if I buy my Apple IPhone at T-Mobile store does it code as 5x with the Ink Plus mentioned above?
    Thanks everyone

  36. Sorta off topic, but I like to throw extra travel expenses on the CIP & all phone expenses on the CIC to move that spend onto business cards & off my personal ratios. Really improves utilization & ultimately scores.