How to Get Approved for Chase Ink Business Preferred
Chase Ink Business Preferred is the best entry business card for media buyers — if you can get approved. Chase is the strictest of the major issuers, but the rules are predictable. Here's the playbook.
By Editorial Team · Media buyer research desk
Published May 30, 2026 · 6 min read · How we review
Check your 5/24 status first
Chase will deny any application from someone who has opened 5 or more credit cards in the past 24 months across all issuers (personal cards count, most business cards don't report to personal credit but still count). Pull your credit report, count opened cards in the last 24 months. If you're at 5+, wait until you drop back to 4 before applying.
Personal FICO requirements
Approval almost always requires 700+ FICO; 720+ is comfortable. Below 680, expect a denial unless you have strong existing Chase relationships.
How to fill out the business section as a sole prop
You don't need an LLC. Sole proprietorship is fine. Use your legal name as the business name (or DBA), your SSN as the EIN, your home as the business address. Business type: 'sole prop.' Years in business: count from when you first earned freelance/contract income, not from formal LLC formation. Revenue: include 1099 income, contractor income, side income — anything you'd report on Schedule C.
Revenue threshold
Chase doesn't publish a minimum, but approvals at $0 reported revenue are common for sole props with strong personal credit. Realistic threshold for approval: $10K-$25K of stated annual business revenue, defensible if asked.
After application: reconsideration
If denied, call Chase business credit at the reconsideration line within 30 days. State case: explain business, explain spend, ask for re-review. Approval rate on recon is 30-40%. Worth the 10-minute call.
Takeaway
Stay under 5/24, keep FICO above 720, apply as sole prop with your SSN, state revenue defensibly. Most denied applicants either violated 5/24 or had FICO under 700.