If you hold the Chase Ink Plus card, a recent email may have sent your points strategy into a tailspin. For a brief moment, it looked like office supply store purchases would stop earning 5x rewards starting October 1, 2026, but Chase later said the message was sent in error and no changes are happening as reported.
That matters because the Chase Ink Plus card is a favorite among small-business owners and savvy points collectors who rely on bonus categories to build Ultimate Rewards faster. With the card no longer open to new applicants, every existing benefit carries extra weight.
What the Chase Ink Plus Email Means for Cardholders
The big takeaway is simple. The reported change to office supply stores is not moving forward based on Chase’s correction. If you received the email, there is no confirmed policy shift to react to right now.
Still, the confusion was understandable. Rewards program changes can happen with little notice, and when a premium business card has a valuable 5x category, even a rumor can create a scramble. That is especially true for cardholders who use office supply purchases to rack up points on everyday business spending.
Why Office Supply Store Rewards Matter So Much
Office supply stores are more than a place to buy paper, ink, and notebooks. For many cardholders, they have been a flexible bonus category for purchases that support a business, from packaging materials to postage supplies and other routine expenses.
Because the Chase Ink Plus card earns 5x in this category, the value adds up quickly. A few strategic purchases each month can generate a meaningful number of points, which is why any talk of losing that earning power gets attention fast.
In practical terms, a category like this can shape how small-business owners manage cash flow and rewards planning. When a card offers strong multipliers, it becomes part of the operating routine, not just a backup payment option.
Could Shipping Replace the Bonus Category?
According to the original email reporting, shipping was expected to replace office supply stores as the 5x category. On paper, that would have made sense for merchants that ship products regularly, especially online sellers and service-based businesses sending materials to customers.
However, that possibility is not active now that Chase has clarified the message was sent in error. So while shipping as a bonus category would have been useful for some cardholders, there is no official switch to plan around at the moment.
Why this rumor spread so quickly
The Ink Plus card is no longer available for new applications, which makes the existing cardholder base smaller and more alert to changes. On top of that, many people cannot product change into the Ink Plus anymore, so once a benefit disappears, there may be no easy way back.
That is why this type of rewards news travels fast across the points community. A single email can trigger a lot of speculation, especially when it concerns one of the more valuable business cards still in circulation.
What Chase Ink Plus Cardholders Should Do Now
First, check official Chase communications before making any spending decisions. If the message you saw was the one later labeled as an error, you can treat it as a false alarm for now.
Next, keep using the card in a way that matches your business needs. The office supply store category is still a powerful tool for earning points, but it works best when you stay organized and avoid overspending just to chase rewards.
Smart habits for protecting your rewards strategy
It helps to review your monthly categories, track where bonus points are coming from, and keep a backup card handy for purchases that do not fit the Ink Plus well. That way, if Chase ever does announce a real change, you will already have a plan.
For now, the most useful move is to stay calm and watch for verified updates. The Chase Ink Plus card remains valuable because of its strong bonus structure, and cardholders who use it thoughtfully can keep turning everyday business expenses into meaningful points without reacting to every rumor that lands in their inbox.
