Chase Ink Mastercard Converting To Chase Ink Visa Program

Chase sent out memos to bankers last week in regards to streamlining the Chase Ink line-up in February of 2018. Grandfathered Ink Business Mastercards will receive conversions to an Ink VISA equivalent that is currently available under Chase’s updated Ink portfolio. Also, the $50k limit is reset with the conversion.

If you have an Ink Plus or Ink Bold Mastercard, you’ll be converted to the Ink Plus VISA; If you have a Ink Cash or Ink Classic Mastercard, you’ll be converted to the Ink Cash VISA. There will be a new card number and expiration issued upon conversion. Your existing Ink Mastercard will remain active until April 30, 2018. This isn’t really surprising news considering that Chase’s updated Ink portfolio and a majority of Chase’s cards are already under the VISA network, minus the IHG Hotel Rewards card.

The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card offers $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening. You'll earn: • 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year • 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year • 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn. This card comes with no annual fee. You'll be able to take advantage of employee cards at no additional cost. Learn More About This Card

Alternative Credit Card Bonuses:

• Chase Ink Business Preferred^SM Card
• SimplyCash® Plus Business Card from American Express
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Chase Ink Mastercard Converting To Chase Ink Visa Program:

• All Chase Ink cards will officially be issued under the VISA network.
  • Cardholders will receive a new VISA-branded card by February of 2018
  • Existing Ink Mastercards will remain active until April 30, 2018.
  • Upon conversion, you’ll receive a new account number, expiration date and CVV.All Grandfathered/Mastercard Ink card will be replaced with it’s current equivalent Visa-branded cards
• Recap:
  • PPDG via ebay & Cardcash no longer codes the 5x triggered from INK Plus/Cash Visa card
  • PPDG via ebay & Cardcash no longer codes the 3x triggered from INK Preferred card
  • The Ink Bold Mastercard still seems to be coding 5x on PPDG and Cashcard.

Analysis:

In a previous post titled “Chase INK 5X Digital Gift Card Earnings Are Over,” we went over how the Chase Ink Bold Mastercard is the only Ink card capable of earning 5x on PPDG (Paypal Digital Gift Card) and Cashcard. With Chase asserting means of conversions of all Mastercard Ink related credit cards, it’s almost certain that this capability will be left behind in 2018, once the new cards are issued and activated of course.

This may be short-selling it, but one other possible negative is Ink Bold cardholders getting converted to the Preferred; sacrificing the 5x category for a 3x category. Now, I’m already assuming that Ink Bold cardholders will get converted to the Ink Plus VISA variant, but it’s just a little bitter worst-case scenario type of preparation. One positive to note is that the Ink Plus cards don’t seem to be affected by these changes whatsoever. Note that downgrading to the Ink Cash Business VISA is still a favorable option.

Ink Cash Business Credit Card Features:

• Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on cellular phone, landline, internet and cable TV services each account anniversary year
• Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year
• Earn 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn
• 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers
• Employee cards at no additional cost
• No Annual Fee

Ink Plus Business Credit Card Features:

• Earn 5X points per $1 on the first $50,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on cellular phone, landline, internet and cable TV services each account anniversary year.
• Earn 2X points per $1 on the first $50,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel each account anniversary year.
• Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases-with no limit to the amount you can earn
• No foreign transaction fees
• Chip-enabled for enhanced security at home and abroad when used at a chip card reader
• Employee cards at no additional cost
• $95 Annual Fee

Conclusion:

If you’re a Ink Mastercard cardholder (Ink Cash/Classic Mastercard or Ink Plus/Bold Mastercard), you’ll have until April 30, 2018 for the cards to remain active. You will be converted and officially issued a VISA-branded Ink Credit Card as early as February of 2018. This could be bad news for Ink Bold cardholders considering that the card had capabilities of utilizing 5x on PayPal Digital Gifts and Cash Card in 2017. Again, downgrading to the Ink Cash Business VISA is still a favorable option. Ink Plus cards don’t seem to be affected by these changes whatsoever.If you’re still looking for other deals, you can find our complete list of Credit Card Bonuses from our exclusive list!