Update: This offer is expired.

Limited time: Through this Monday, you can earn additional bonus points on the Chase Ink credit cards!

There are 4 “types” of INK credit cards. They are: Chase Ink Bold, Chase Ink Plus, Chase Ink Cash and the Chase Ink Classic.

Both the Chase Ink Bold and the Chase Ink Plus are currently offering 60,000 bonus points (usually 50,000 bonus points) when spending $5000 within the first 3 months of card opening. The difference between the “Plus” and “Bold”, is that the “Plus” is a credit card where you can carry a balance and has a credit limit, while the “Bold” is a charge card where you need to pay your balance in full each month and does not have a credit limit.

The Chase Ink “Cash” and “Classic” are currently offering 25,000 (usually 20,000 bonus points) bonus points when spending $3000 within the first 3 months of account opening.

All the “Ink” cards have the following benefits:

• Earn 5X points per $1  spent annually at office supply stores and on cellular phone, landline, internet and cable TV services.
• Earn 2X points per $1 spent annually at gas stations and for hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel.
• Earn 1 point per $1 on all other card purchases—with no limit to the amount you can earn.
• Receive complimentary LOUNGE CLUB membership, plus 2 complimentary lounge visits for access to over 350 VIP airport lounges worldwide.
• Points don’t expire.
• No over-limit fees

Now, here is where the Chase Ink Bold and Plus differ from the Chase Ink Cash and Classic. With the Chase Ink Plus and Bold, you can transfer your points at a 1:1 point ratio to Airline and Hotel loyalty programs where you can redeem your points for free flights or for free nights at hotels worldwide! The transfer partners are, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Korean Air, Southwest Airlines, Ritz-Carlton, Priority Club, Marriott Rewards and Hyatt.

Other differences are, with Ink Plus and Bold there are no foreign exchange fees, you get 20% off travel — when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards, and there is an annual fee of $95 with the first year free.

The Ink “Classic and “Cash” do not have an annual fee and you can only redeem the points for gift cards or for a check in the mail at a 1 cent per point ratio or for merchandise – not nearly as lucrative as with the Ink “Plus” or “Bold”.

The “Ink” credit cards are Business cards, BUT you DO NOT NEED to be incorporated or have a business in the traditional sense to apply for a business credit card. If for instance you sell on ebay, or even if you have any other side business (and you want to keep your expenses separate), you are eligible to apply for a business credit card.  When filling out the business credit card application, choose “Sole Proprietor” as the type of business and fill in your name as your business name. For the Tax I.D. you will write your Social Security Number.
You do not need to have any revenue yet from your business to be eligible for a business credit card.

Additionally, With a business credit card, your balance is not reported on your personal credit report. That’s a nice perk, being that a whopping 30% of your credit report is made up of your credit utilization.

Maximize your points, by applying for 2 – 3 cards at the same time. This is done by opening 2 – 3 internet browsers, filling out application 1 then 2 and then 3 (1 application per web browser) AND ONLY hitting “submit” once all the apps are filled out and hitting “submit” on all the apps at the same time. This method will minimize your credit pulls, where normally you would receive 2-3 credit pulls with this method you will only receive 1.

You can also maximize your points by purchasing gift cards such as to Amazon, Marshalls etc; on your “ink” cards at office supply stores like Staples, OfficeMax etc; where you will earn 5x points on the purchase, that means that you will essentially be earning 5x points when shopping on Amazon, at Marshalls etc;!

Reconsideration numbers: If you were denied for any of these cards, these numbers may come in handy trying get your card approved:

Application Status: 1-800-432-3117
Business Reconsideration: 1-800-453-9719
Credit Reallocation 1-800-453-9719 (Shift a credit line from an existing chase card to the one you are trying to get approved)