Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card vs. The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express: Which Is Right for You?

Choosing the best business credit card can make a difference in the long-term success of your venture. After all, with the right choice of a business card, you can earn extra points or cash back on certain purchases, redeem rewards for travel, and enjoy other business-specific perks that can save you money.

Two of the best business credit cards for small businesses include the Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card and The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express. However, choosing which of these cards is the right one for you depends on your needs. Here’s everything you need to know to make an educated choice between the Chase Ink Business Preferred vs. Amex Platinum Business.

Chase Ink Business Preferred vs. Amex Platinum Business

Both of these credit cards come with different types of benefits and perks, though you might find that both focus heavily on travel. However, there are some big differences in some of the terms, as well as what types of things you might be able to redeem your rewards for.

	Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card	Business Platinum Card from American Express
Annual fee	$95	$695 (terms apply)
Welcome bonus	Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening of account opening	Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months of account opening
Earning rate	3X points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year; and 1X points per $1 on all other purchases	5X points on flights and prepaid hotels on Amextravel.com; 1.5X points on eligible purchases at U.S. suppliers of construction materials and hardware, U.S. retailers of electronic goods, U.S. providers of shipping, software and cloud systems, and eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (up to $2 million per year, then 1X); and 1X points per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases
Redemption methods	Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed for statement credits, travel, gift cards, and purchases through the Ultimate Rewards portal. There is also a 25% redemption bonus on travel booked through the Chase travel portal. Rewards can also be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to a variety of airline and hotel programs.	Amex Membership Rewards points can be redeemed for statement credits, travel, gift cards, and purchases through the American Express portal. There is a 35% point rebate on first class and business class airfare when using Pay with Points. Rewards can also be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to a variety of airline and hotel programs.
Annual credits	None	Up to $400 statement credit for Dell purchases. Up to $200 Amex airline fee credit Up to $360 Indeed credit Up to $150 Adobe credit Up to $120 wireless telephone services credit Note that select benefits require enrollment
Travel perks	Rental car collision damage waiver Trip cancellation/interruption insurance	Priority Pass membership Access to American Express Global Lounge Collection and Delta Sky Club Fee credit of up to $100 every 4 years for Global Entry or up to $85 every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck Complimentary Marriot Bonvoy Gold Elite and Hilton Honors Gold status Fine Hotels & Resorts perks Collision damage waiver1 Trip cancellation/interruption insurance2 Trip delay insurance3 Baggage insurance4 Note that select benefits require enrollment
Other benefits	Cell phone protection Purchase protection Extended warranty protection	Entertainment access Return protection5
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Additional users	Additional cards at no extra cost	$300 for each Business Platinum, $200 for each Executive Business, $45 for each Business Gold
Credit needed	Excellent, Good	Excellent, Good
	Learn more	Learn more

Where both the Ink Business Preferred and Amex Platinum Business excel

Both of these rewards cards place a large emphasis on travel perks. Each credit card offers accelerated earnings on travel purchases, as well as bonuses on travel redemptions made through their portals. On top of that, both cards have points systems that offer 1:1 transfers with each credit card issuer's networks of partner loyalty rewards programs. They also both offer return protection, as well as insurance, such as trip interruption coverage and auto rental collision waivers.  However, it's important to note that certain benefits require enrollment.

5 important differences: Ink Business Preferred vs. Amex Platinum Business

There are some big differences between these two business credit cards. First, there is a difference in the annual fee. The Amex Business Platinum costs hundreds more per year. However, depending on your business spending and preferences, that annual fee might be worth it.

Here’s what you need to know about the big differences between these two cards, and which comes out on top between the Chase Ink Business Preferred vs. Amex Platinum Business.

Best for annual fee: Chase Ink Business Preferred

The biggest difference is that the Chase Ink Business Preferred has an annual fee of $95. The Amex Platinum Business charges $695.

It’s relatively easy to offset the annual fee with the Chase Ink Business Preferred by earning rewards on your regular spending and redeeming them for business travel. With the Amex Platinum Business, you need to make bigger expenditures and travel much more to make the card worth the fee.

Additionally, there are specific perks and credits (such as the Dell credit and the Amex airline fee credit) that you need to use in order to make the most of the Amex Platinum Business.

For more information, read our Chase Ink Business Preferred review.

Best for rewards earning potential: Amex Platinum Business

If you travel a lot for business, this is where the Amex Platinum Business begins to shine. You earn 5X Membership Rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels on Amextravel.com. Additionally, when you make a large purchase of at least $5,000, you’ll get 50% more bonus points on your spending. Finally, you get 35% of your points back when you use Membership Rewards Pay with Points to book your flights through Amex Travel.

However, although Amex Platinum Business offers a higher earning potential, the Chase Ink Business Preferred offers more diverse opportunities to earn, with 3X points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year; and 1X points per $1 on all other purchases.

For more information, read our Amex Platinum Business review.

Best for welcome bonus: Amex Platinum Business

The welcome bonus for each card is as follows:

• Chase Ink Business Preferred: Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Amex Platinum Business: Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months.

When you break down the math, both bonuses are similar. When redeemed for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, the 100,000-point welcome bonus is worth at least $1,250. The Amex Platinum Business bonus is worth at least $1,200 for certain redemptions (such as booking flights), but it could be worth much more if used for business-fare flights or transferred to travel partners.

Best for redemption opportunities: Chase Ink Business Preferred

This area is a little harder to differentiate as there are plenty of opportunities for flexible redemption whether you use the Chase Ink Business Preferred or the Amex Platinum Business.

However, Chase edges out a bit with its wider access to enhanced travel rewards. With the Chase Ink Business Preferred, your rewards are worth 25% more for all types of travel booked through the Chase portal. The Amex Membership Rewards offers a bonus only on flight purchases.

Additionally, even without the travel bonus, Chase Ultimate Rewards are generally valued at right around 1 cent. Amex Membership points are worth closer to .007 cents (less than 1 cent) without the flight bonus.

When it comes to which brands you can travel with, Chase and American Express have many of the same travel partners, including British Airways, Emirates, JetBlue, and Marriott. Both offer a ratio of 1:1 loyalty point transfers from the Chase or Amex programs to their airline and hotel partners. If you are looking to transfer points to a specific airline or hotel, check over the list of Amex transfer partners and the list of Chase transfer partners before you commit to one of these cards, as there are some differences. For instance, Delta is an Amex partner but not a Chase partner, and Southwest is a Chase partner but not an Amex partner.

Best for travel perks and credits: Amex Platinum Business

If you’re looking for travel perks, the Amex Platinum Business wins out. Unlike the Chase Ink Business Preferred, the Amex card offers a statement credit for cardholders' TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee, includes up to a $200 statement credit for airline fees, and offers lounge access. Plus, the Amex Platinum Business comes with complimentary Gold status with Hilton Honors and Gold Elite status at Marriott Bonvoy. Certain benefits require enrollment.

The Chase Ink Business Preferred has plenty of benefits, but it comes with none of these additional travel perks and credits. If you’re a frequent traveler, and you use your Amex card to book that travel for the enhanced earning, the Amex Platinum Business card can be well worth the fee.

Which card should you choose?

When choosing between the Chase Ink Business Preferred vs. Amex Platinum Business, it’s important to pay attention to where you’re at with your business and what your specific needs are — especially considering the huge disparity in the annual fees.

For example, if you travel frequently, and you know you’re going to make big purchases with your card, the travel benefits of the Amex Platinum Business make sense. You know you’ll get 50% more points on purchases of at least $5,000. If you travel often, you can benefit from status with the Marriott and Hilton programs, as well as get value from the airline and security credits, though some of these benefits require enrollment.

On the other hand, if you have low to moderate spending needs, and you know that most of your spending will be aimed at online advertising and services, the Chase Ink Business Preferred makes more sense. It has a much lower annual fee, and it offers rewards on regular business purchases. Plus, the cell phone protection coverage is a nice perk with the Chase Ink Business Preferred that few credit cards offer anymore.

FAQs about Chase Ink Business Preferred and Amex Platinum Business

Bottom line

There are plenty of small business credit cards out there, and they all have different perks and rewards. Carefully consider your needs when weighing your options between the Chase Ink Business Preferred vs. Amex Platinum Business to see what makes the most sense for you. Consider which of these best business credit cards is likely to give you the best value based on your business spending habits and needs.

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Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card

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Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card

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Current Offer

Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Annual Fee

$95

Rewards Rate

3X points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year; and 1X points per $1 on all other purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
• 3X points on travel and common business spending categories
• Flexible redemption options
• Additional employee cards at no extra cost

Drawbacks

• Has annual fee
• No intro 0% APR promotion offered
• Limited business-specific benefits

Card Details

• Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠
• Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
• Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
• With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
• Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
• Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠
• Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
• Member FDIC