Chase Ink Business Preferred

I’ve been at least a moderate finance and credit card geek for a long time. Back when I was in college, and then right after when I was getting out and starting businesses, I took a real deep dive into all of it. Personal side first, then the business side. I’m not as deep in it now as I was then, but I still pay attention.

When I was setting up most of my businesses I was looking for a free card with no annual fee, so I started with the Capital One Spark Cash Select. It was fine. I’m not the biggest fan of Capital One’s technology or the brand in general though. It’s just okay.

The real problem was the credit limits. They’re stingy when you’re new, which I understand, but mine never really grew much either. That’s not about wanting to spend more for the sake of it. It’s that when you’re a responsible credit user, you want the headroom there when you actually need it. There were times a project came in and I had to cover contractors or software up front, and I ended up playing weird money games to make it work. That got old.

My buddy Christian Makoa, who knows even more about this stuff than I do, is the one who put me onto the Ink Business Preferred. I ended up getting two of them in 2025, one for Szymanski Media and one for Motive11, and it’s been great. I don’t use Chase for the banking side, but as a credit card company they’re just a really solid finance brand.

The 3x categories are the other reason it works for a business like mine. Shipping, advertising on social and search, travel, and internet and phone service. That covers a good chunk of what I’m already spending on every month, so the points accumulate without me having to think about it.