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Could the Chase Ink Cash be in jeopardy?
Yesterday the blogosphere was going NUTS over the new Chase Business Preferred card. It’s going to have an 80k sign up bonus and 3x category bonuses on telecom, cable, and internet/social media advertising. Many people have speculated as to what that means for the future of the Chase Ink Plus and the consensus opinion is death. It got me thinking…Could the Chase Ink Cash be in jeopardy?
If the Ink Plus is potentially getting replaced…could this be a pivot to a new line-up of Chase Business Cards?
I think it’s certainly worth considering that both the Ink Plus and the Ink Cash could be replaced by the Chase Business Preferred and a potential Chase Business “Cash Back” offering. This could stream line the category bonuses in the same way that the Ink family has streamlined category bonuses the last several years. Card benefits have varied, but the category bonuses ( with different $ caps) were consistent from card to card within the family.
If this is the case…I’d say that it’s very possible the Ink Cash is a goner too, at some point.
If it is a new line-up, what does that mean?
Potentially, it means you can’t sign up for and Ink Plus or Ink Cash once the new version of the card is available.
If the Ink Cash goes away, could I downgrade my Ink Plus down the line?
That’s a big if…it’s possible that Chase could allow it, but if they aren’t issuing new cards it may be a situation where you – keep the Ink Plus and pay an annual fee, or cancel the card. The downgrade to a fee free version and keep 5x category bonuses may just not be an option. Barclay ( at the moment ) does not issue aviator cards, but they do allow a downgrade from the Aviator Red to the fee free Aviator. With so much uncertainty…
What happens to Ink 5x categories if the Ink cards go away?
We just don’t know. The Ink Plus and Ink Cash could be grandfathered in with the current 5x categories upheld as long as you hold the card, or they could do some sort of switch or downgrade of benefits. I’d say the best case scenario is that they put the consumer first and grandfather in current cardholders, but we have to wait and see.
It seems the 24 month clause has been removed on Ink Plus and Ink Cash…
This speaks to the potential both could be phased out…
Things to consider.
- As long as you have a card that earns Ultimate Rewards – you can convert your cash back earned from a Ink Cash to Ultimate Rewards
- If you don’t have an Ink Plus or an Ink Cash card this would be a good time to consider applying. If you have a small business, even a sole proprietorship, you can qualify. However, it’s worth noting that anecdotal evidence points to both cards falling under the 5/24 rule – so keep that in mind.
If you already have an Ink Plus card…
- It may be worth thinking of getting an Ink Cash card as well
- This would secure a 5x category bonus earning card with no annual fee
- If it becomes hard to downgrade in the future, and you don’t want to pay a fee, you would already have a fee free card that earns 5x points that may not be available for sign up or downgrade.
More will develop
This is all from an article released yesterday, but it’s always advantageous to strategize going forward. Most people got SUPER AMPED about the 80k sign up bonus, and I’m one of those people, but it’s worth looking at the what the new waves of interest will do to existing cards, and how to best position yourself to accumulate the most points going forward.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card went through a major refresh in 2026 adding new bonus categories, travel protections, statement credits, and remains one of the best travel starter cards in the market. It earns Premium Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred into over a dozen partners many of which are US based including Hyatt, Southwest, United, IHG, and Marriott. Note that Hyatt is now a 4:3 transfer partner
Welcome Offer
Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
Earn
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on gas and EV charging
- NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on vacation homes at top brands
- Cardmembers will earn 3x points on vacation homes at these top brands: Airbnb, Vrbo, Plu Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com and Vacasa.
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- 2x on all other travel
- 1x on everyday purchases
- 5x points on Lyft rides Earn 5x total points on eligible Lyft rides including ride share, bike and scooter rides and subscription and membership products through September 30, 2027.
- 5x total points on Peloton equipment Earn 5x total points on eligible Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 through December 31, 2027.
Benefits and Credits
- $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- NEW: $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit Cardmembers will receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to the card.
- NEW: Complimentary Apple TV subscription for one year
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is great starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Chase Ink Business Cash® , Chase Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into the Sapphire Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee remains quite low at $95 a year and if you use the $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠ you’ll wipe out that annual fee every year. It has great bonus categories and other useful statement credits to enhance your travel.
One thing that is a bummer is Chase lowered the transfer ratio to World of Hyatt from 1:1 to 4:3.
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