Start with the purchase target, then the reward.
Bank of America lists a $500 bonus after $5,000 in purchases within 90 days. Each Ink card lists $1,000 after $8,000 in purchases in the first four calendar months. The Ink target is $3,000 higher. A four-month clock is not automatically 120 days, and 90 days is not automatically three calendar months. Use the account-opening date and your normal business expenses to test both timelines.
If your ordinary spending falls between $5,000 and $8,000
That amount could reach Bank of America’s published purchase threshold within its 90-day window if the purchases qualify and post on time. It would not reach either Ink card’s $8,000 threshold without more ordinary qualifying purchases. Do not create expenses or carry interest just to bridge the gap. Check your actual spending plan ↗
Check eligibility separately from approval.
Bank of America calls this a $500 online-only offer and warns it may disappear if you leave its product page, visit a financial center, or call. Its public page does not give a complete prior-card exclusion list or a fixed bonus payout date; save and read the offer shown in your accepted application. Chase says its Ink bonus may be unavailable if you have ever had the same card or another Chase for Business card with no annual fee. The two Ink cards share that wording, so do not assume you can collect both offers.
Compare the card after the welcome period.
Bank of America and Ink Unlimited each advertise flat 1.5% cash back on purchases. Ink Cash instead emphasizes capped office-supply, internet, cable, phone, gas and dining categories, with 1% on other purchases. Match those categories to your real spending, read the current rates and other fees in your application, and keep a plan to pay the balance. A welcome reward is not a substitute for a repayment plan.
Before you apply
- Save the exact issuer offer and pricing displayed in the application channel you will use.
- Confirm business and bonus-history eligibility with the issuer.
- List ordinary purchases that can clear the applicable target before its own deadline, allowing for refunds and posting delays.
- Check the accepted terms for qualifying-purchase exclusions, account-standing rules and payment timing.